Schools

North Farmington Teacher: Technology Pilot Resulted in Higher Grades

Chris DeYonke supports the Aug. 6 bond referendum in part because of proposed improvements to technology that helped his students improve test scores.

Chris DeYonke believes, without a doubt, that technology proposed in the Farmington Public Schools Aug. 6 bond referendum will have a positive effect on student achievement.

The North Farmington High special education teacher said he saw it happen, when he piloted new technology during the 2012-2013 school year. 

"I saw amazing results, not only in my classroom, but also with teachers I shared it with," he said. "It increased student engagement in a way I've never seen before." 

Given the opportunity to privately respond to questions using devices, students who would normally not pay attention, or not answer questions for fear of looking stupid, started participating. DeYonke was able to determine when students had trouble with a lesson, so he could review material as necessary. 

DeYonke tracked average test scores, which went up two full letter grades over classes without the technology. 

"I remember for a week, I couldn't stop smiling," he said. "With this bond, we could do this for everybody." 

DeYonke also supports the bond because of the improvements that will be made to the building and furnishings. Students refuse to use some of the bathrooms, including one across from his classroom, because they are in such bad condition. A demo of proposed new furnishings in a neighboring classroom led to less time spent arranging desks for group and cooperative learning, he said. 

Like many other teachers, DeYonke used his own iPad and Kindle, along with his wife's iPad, in his classroom. His room didn't have an interactive white board–only about 10 rooms have them–so he found a 10-year-old board, got some new cables and cobbled one together. 

All the building problems and lack of technology affect students' ability to learn, DeYonke said. Even the building's temperature, erratic because of aging heating and cooling systems, has an impact. 

This bond issue isn't just a professional question for DeYonke, it's personal. He lives in the district and has five children who are in, or will attend, Farmington schools. 

"If my 10-month-old son goes through the same buildings with the same systems we have now, I think we will have failed him," DeYonke said.

Correction: Chris DeYonke's last name was misspelled in the original version of this article. 


Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here

More from Farmington-Farmington Hills