Castle Learning Online

What people are saying about Castle Learning Online

Dear Prof. Bill:
This morning's Castle Learning Online session went well thanks to you and your wonderful staff. From a teacher's perspective, it is wonderful to watch the interaction of the kids as they help one another. My students were really interested in why they got answers wrong, and spent more time going over the questions which doesn't happen when I give back quizzes or tests. I also like the fact that my students get immediate feedback. Thanks again for your help.

Sue Marcoe
Van Wyck Junior High School
Wappingers Central School District

I just want to take this opportunity to tell you again how much your website has helped my daughter through high school. She started out in special education classes, and with the help of your website, she has passed (with good grades) all of her regents examinations. She is in all mainstream classes and is now taking chemistry. Thank you again.

From a Parent

This is my first year using Castle Learning Online and I am truly impressed. This is a very powerful tool. The true measure for me came from parents who, once they learned the in and outs, were blown away at the self-testing and diagnostic tools available. Castle Learning Online is making us look good! Thank you for your support, and I can't wait to start up again in the fall.

Dan Mainville
Fulton High School

I want to thank you for having such a great product! It has been great also to see how Castle Learning Online is constantly improving. Castle Learning Online is an integral part of my plan for educating my Algebra, Geometry, and Algebra II/Trigonometry students throughout the year. I also use Castle Learning Online with my seventh grade students to help them review and prepare for state assessments. I have found that the seventh graders love it as an alternate way to practice and review. The students at my school have done very well on state math assessments. A couple of years ago, we had a 100% passing rate on the Math A exam. We also have high passing rates on the Math B exam.

I have appreciated the effort you have gone through to provide clear, concise explanations of how to solve those problems that students complete incorrectly. I like the inclusion of the screen shots from the graphing calculator. I have also found the detailed reporting on individual students to be very helpful. I have used those reports to set up individualized assignments quickly and easily to meet the needs of students preparing to retake a state assessment.

Castle Learning Online has been a wonderful classroom tool for me and my students. I encourage others to use this tool frequently.

Lisa Blank
Lyme Central School
Chaumont, NY

I am an Earth Science Teacher at Horseheads School District in the Southern Tier of New York State. I absolutely love your site. It has had such a positive impact on me as a teacher and on my students. Honestly, I could write about the benefits of your web-based assessment tool for hours, since this site was indirectly part of an action research I did for my Masters in Educational Technology.

My problem statement was that inclusive classrooms are not meeting the needs of special education students in a secondary science setting. The solution is properly integrated educational technology in a student-centered, self-directed environment with the students working cooperatively and technology as the learning medium. In this setting, the teacher removes him/herself as the focal point and becomes an active facilitator.

Castle Learning Online was one of the tools that the students would be using in this environment. What I discovered was that "all" students demonstrated an increase in achievement in this setting -- not only have the special needs students, but the regular education students as well.

Here is a list of just some of my students' achievements using Castle Learning Online:

Students could use Castle Learning Online in conjunction with a text-to-speech program we have to meet some special needs.
Students received immediate feedback and were able to see patterns in areas of individual weaknesses
Even though those with needs required the most help with vocabulary, all students were helped by the vocabulary assistant and flash-card creator.
Enormous life skills were developed by learning how to do their own item analysis. Students learned early on how to "help themselves" to study and to focus their attention on areas of individual needs. Students began paying attention to specific questions or themes that they were missing so that they would "study" those specific areas before the test
At the end of the semester, students would do an analysis of all their quizzes throughout the semester. That way, when they began to study for the Regents examination, they had data right in front of them that directed them as to where each of them needed the most help.
It is a new medium for taking a quiz and one the most students are more comfortable with. They are used to "playing" while on a computer. So, when they begin one of the quizzes on Castle Learning Online, already the stress levels are reduced.
Organization is often an obstacle for students with disabilities. With Castle Learning Online, students are able to easily organize their assignments, and homework/tests that are due, because the software does it for them.
Practice, practice, practice. Anyone who teaches a regents class knows that we really have at least two jobs. The first goal is to have the students grasp the concept. The second goal is to show the student how to transfer that knowledge to a “Regents style question.” Some students can accomplish both without much of a problem, but for most that is the toughest obstacle to overcome. If students learn how to identify their weakness as stated previously, then they can create their own assessments to practice the transfer of knowledge.
Parental involvement has increased. Although not all students can get online at home, the number of students with that capability is increasing every year. I have had parents that have been very active and either wanted to know how their child was doing or wanted to learn how they could help. Now the parents were able to log-in to their child account and see the results of their testing, see if they had incomplete assignments and observe where their weakness was. Communication between teacher and parent became much more meaningful and effective.

The conclusion of my action research found the following results for Earth Science. Keep in mind that Castle Learning Online was a critical component of the research; however, it was a combination of altering the teaching philosophy, classroom setting and addition of other instructional technology techniques that contributed to the overall results.

Students with an IEP or 504 plan’s passing rate increased 25%
Regular education students increased their passing rates by 12%
Regular education students increased there mastery level (score of 85% or higher) performance by over 17%

The students are not the only ones who benefit by using Castle Learning Online. I have become a much more effective teacher. Like the students, the item analysis gives me insight as to how well I covered a certain topic, keeping me honest with the students and myself. I always did item analysis, but there is nothing like having the students complete an assessment on Castle Learning Online and receiving a "live" item analysis. Right then and there, I can determine whether I need to review certain material while it is fresh in their minds instead of waiting until the next day. Going beyond the general class, I can pin-point the individual areas of weaknesses with the students. Therefore, when the students come in for extra help, I can easily identify what I should be working on with them and/or communicate with their parents to give advice where they specifically need assistance.

Peter Baccile
Earth Science teacher
Horseheads HS

As Learning Through Technology Coordinator for our district, I was the primary person responsible for the trial implementation of Castle Learning Online last year. Now that I have some experience with Castle Learning Online, here is how I justify the cost to administration:

Instant feedback - Students know right away whether they are correct or wrong. This provides immediate learning for those who want to learn. The hints and information for each question are great learning tools that students can use with or without the teacher. When I surveyed the students, this was the feature they liked best.
Independent review - Students will go online and do their own practice sessions. I have one girl who isn't officially enrolled with any teacher, yet she has been on Castle Learning Online already for 29 sessions. She's my 3rd highest student user!
Real Regents questions - It's our hope that by having students use actual Regent's questions throughout the year, they will be familiar with the format and the types of questions, and will be able to process the question better to spend more time on the actual solution. This was the second feature most liked by students.
Teacher time - Castle Learning Online is fairly easy to set up and monitor. Teachers can let the computer give the feedback and scores. The teacher can focus on evaluating trends in class responses to see what topic areas need more review time for a class as a whole. Why review content they already grasp? They can even look at individual student progress for students who need extra help, a great asset for at-risk students.
More time on task - Reality: Students don't like to review and they don't like to take tests. Most students prefer doing the online questions partly for the ease of use as well as the instant feedback. The Internet is a part of their lives; something most of them have grown up with. They also like the flexibility of working on the assignments at school or at home. They can have the flexibility of answering part of the questions and then going back to answer the rest. By making review less painful, students are more willing to use Castle Learning Online independently.
Ongoing review - Most teachers tend to spend a majority of review time at the end of the year. Review can be an ongoing process of all learned topics throughout the year. We hope this will also reduce some test anxiety. Ongoing review will hopefully keep information fresh for the students so less time needs to be spent reviewing at the end of the year.
They like it! - I have the flexibility of working with many teachers and have access to various labs in the High School. Both teachers and students have responded enthusiastically to Castle Learning Online. How refreshing it is to have students who like to review!

Patti Sullivan
Learning Through Technology Coordinator
Hilton CSD
Hilton, New York

I wanted to let you know about the fantastic job that your presenter did last week. As per our contract, all conference days have evaluations. She scored a perfect 5/5 on all categories. I have been at Spencer-Van Etten for over 20 years and there has never been such a positive response to any presentation. That's 3 conference days a year with at least two presentations per conference day. The Castle Learning Online software in itself is great, but your training truly makes it a fantastic product!

Tom Sherwood
Dean of Students/Science and Technology Chair/Science Teacher
Spencer Van Etten High School

In addition to teaching at the high school, once a semester I am invited to discuss technology to a social studies methods class for undergraduates and graduate students at Buffalo State College. When I talk about the changes in education, I explain what a help Castle Learning Online is to Academic Intervention Services, now mandated by the state. I teach several classes of AIS. Castle Learning Online allows me to have students in social studies 9, 10 and 11 all reviewing at the same time. I don't have to put one group on "hold" while I work with the other. All my 11th grade students also use Castle Learning Online. Having the program on the Internet is a big plus. Many of our students have access at home. Students who don't have time in school to review can do so at home.

Robert Gilsinan
Social Studies Teacher
Barker High School

In the course of the 18 months that the Manhattan Hunter Science High School has been using Castle Learning Online, it has become an integral part of our instructional program. Teachers have embraced it and use it in different ways:

Whole class activities
Review activities (for individuals and groups)
Pre-teaching activities allowing students to analyze what they already know about an upcoming topic and what they need to know

Being familiar with the value of Castle Learning Online, I am not surprised. Two other uses have emerged and these are very exciting:

Guidance counselors use Castle Learning Online in some of their work with students having difficulty in a particular subject. The richness and friendliness of the program make them feel competent and, in consultation with subject teachers, they work with individuals on overcoming obstacles to learning
Parents are increasingly using Castle Learning Online as we promote "parents as coaches". Like our guidance counselors, parents find that they can focus on helping their children focus and review when they can rely on Castle Learning Online as their "content expert."

You know that I have been an advocate of Castle Learning Online for some time. I am delighted to find that my staff, students and parents have discovered what a valuable resource it is.

Susan Kreisman, Principal
Manhattan Hunter Science High School

I just wanted to thank you for the quick response to my email. The Castle Learning Online Staff Development Specialist came to our building on Friday and was excellent. We received a wonderful explanation of all the areas needed to get started. She went through all categories and gave us help on confusing details.

John Bevilacqua
Iroquois Intermediate School

I want to say thank you for all your hard work and dedication in the creation, implementation and maintenance of this wonderful technology-based tool. I work in an Alternative Education program, and my students like the delivery method and the ways in which I incorporate lessons into my own classroom. Thank you for your extremely prompt response to my concerns.

Robbin Carlton
Project Learn
Extended Day School
Davidson County, NC

Thank you so much for taking care of our student accounts so quickly. I love working with a company that has its act together!

Lainie Sternin
Computer Coordinator
Great Neck North Middle School

I'd like to take a moment to thank you for your help with the staff development of Castle Learning Online. I believe Castle Learning Online played a significant role in our students performing so well on their Regents exams. As a result of their success, our school was named as a High Performing School by the NYS Board of Regents. Only one of 76 High Schools named in NYS. Thanks for your continued support.

Frank Movalli
Principal
Lockport High School

My daughter attends Paul V. Moore HS in Central Square. She loves the review questions on Castle Learning Online. She has found Castle Learning Online a very valuable study tool. She uses the site frequently to review for tests, beginning with the easy questions and working up to the more difficult questions. She feels that often the questions she has on tests parallel questions she sees on Castle Learning Online. She is one of the top students in her class and she attributes some of her success to studying using Castle Learning Online.

Kathy Finnerty
Curriculum Specialist
Oswego County BOCES

Thank you for providing such a powerful tool for my studying. I'm a 10th grade student and I recently created a practice Chemistry quiz in preparation for my midterm. Your questions have been indispensable in studying for tests. After teachers have given out all practice problems and worksheets, I can make these tests that always shock me with their complete correspondence to in class lessons. Thanks again for helping me reach so many great high school test grades.

G.S., Student
Brighton HS

I’m always impressed with Castle Learning Online’s response and changes to meet customer needs (and I often brag about this to administrators and teachers). Whenever I submit a request for support, I’m given near immediate response. Castle Learning Online has even incorporated suggestions that I’ve passed on to them into the product. A great product backed up by a great company!

Matt Middlebrook
Instructional Support Specialist
SCTBOCES, Educational Division
Elmira, NY

I am a Special Education Teacher currently teaching 9-10th grade Global Studies. I just wanted to say that I really have enjoyed using Castle Learning Online in the classroom this year. I started using Castle Learning Online last year and have made it a part of my curriculum this year. Each student in my classes is responsible for answering a specific number of questions on the units being studied during the semester.

I like that the students are getting access to Regents questions and vocabulary. I also use Castle Learning Online to create multiple choice questions for Chapter and Unit Tests. The students seem to respond well to the questions and get a flavor of what they will be seeing when they challenge the exam.

Kristen Teeft
Special Educator
Ormsby Center
Erie 2 CC BOCES

Dear Castle Learning Online:
Thank you, thank you, THANK YOU. We had a small technical issue, but you handled it in a BIG way. Prior to returning to teaching, I worked 22 years with [a major computer manufacturer]. Technical support doesn't always work as well as it does with Castle Learning Online. Thanks again for a nice, responsive job.

By the way, last week, each of my students went on to Castle Learning Online to see and do their assignment. Every student thought it was great. There was no requirement to finish the assignment since it was more about logging on, finding it, doing it, etc. However, every class requested that I leave the assignment open for this week so they could finish it. Excitement AND learning, what a pleasant combination!

Charlie Lawrence
Math Department
Brookfield Central Schools
Brookfield, NY

Castle Learning Online is a new innovation that is the future in education. Your product is outstanding and your commitment to improve is great. Thanks for helping us educate our students.

Tom Russo
Science Chair
Hewlett High School

Our teachers and students have been using Castle Learning Online since 2002. Each year brings more positive changes to the web site, and more eager teachers/students take advantage of this convenient and effective learning tool. All of our students have learning difficulties to overcome, and many have found Castle Learning Online a welcome relief from the typical frustration of group review. Those who need additional reading support or auditory feedback use a text-to-speech program to interact with the web site and have full control over the pace of the review. Keep up the great work & we'll keep making excellent use of this invaluable resource.

Edina Fitzpatrick
Instructional Technology Coordinator
The Norman Howard School
Rochester, NY

Castle Learning Online Tech Support:
Thank you very much for your help with accessing our son's account so that he can keep up with his studies over the summer. We took some sample tests ourselves to familiarize ourselves with your site and were very impressed! The hint and reasons for the answers are great tools. This is one of the best educational sites we have been on. Our son also is impressed with your site and appreciates its student friendliness.

Paul & Deborah Meissner
Parents
Newburgh, NY

Dear Castle Learning Online Team:
Thank you for the wonderful site that really helped my chemistry students do better this year than last. I was more familiar with the program and found it easier to incorporate into year end reviews. Thanks again!

Amy E. Page
Southampton High School

Thanks for your help! As the school librarian, I have been a BIG Castle Learning Online advocate. I have seen how well it can be used by teachers to prepare their students, and I have seen students get some excellent practice using it. I also love the chance Castle Learning Online gives me personally to work directly with math and science teachers and classes whom I don't often see in the library lab, and that increased traffic has led and will continue to lead to some additional chances to integrate math and science with library resources in other ways.

Jane P. Fenn
Librarian
Corning-Painted Post West High School

It's review time (or as I like to call it--making connections time) for the NYS Regents' exam in Living Environment. Castle Learning Online is an excellent resource for my students and I love it. I've used it during the year as well... Keep up the good work, I really love this resource for me and for my students.

Anita Crotty
Science Teacher
Leonardo daVinci High School
Buffalo, NY

Dear Professor Bill:
I am writing to convey to you how valuable Castle Learning Online has been in the academic improvement of my son, who has just finished his 9th grade year at Hoggard High School in Wilmington, N.C. He has made tremendous improvement this year in science and math while utilizing Castle Learning Online under the guidance and encouragement of Hoggard staff. Castle Learning Online allowed him the flexibility to work on skills away from the formality of the school day and to work at his own pace. I am proud of my son's advancement this year in developing his academic skills with the assistance of his Hoggard mentors and your software, but most importantly, someone I love deeply gained confidence in his own ability to learn and achieve. That cannot be measured in GPA or letter grades, but as Einstein said, not everything that counts can be counted and not everything that is counted, counts. You are doing good, important work. I wanted to let you know.

Alvin E. (Buddy) Milliken, Jr.
Parent
Shallotte, NC

Thank you for creating a great academic assessment and intervention tool. Castle Learning Online is far and away the best I've ever seen! The way I can monitor my students from so many different perspectives is what I find incredible about your software. This is a powerful tool for any teacher interested in monitoring student progress in the easiest and most efficient way possible. I also can't begin to tell you how valuable it is from the student's perspective [and will be as they use it more]. It transfers a lot of power to the student - the feedback on questions, the links to vocabulary, flashcards, the ability to self-create their own assessment etc... We just received training yesterday from two of your reps. I implemented it this morning and in the afternoon for two of my classes. I created a 50 question review quiz on organic chemistry. I had 39 students total taking the quiz enthusiastically in near silence (a rare event). They seemed to really appreciate the autonomy of the whole thing and took pride in what they answered correctly and in their ability to understand the hints and explanations when they got something wrong. It was a great teaching moment for me because all of them seemed sincerely grateful for such a tool.

Will Carano
Chemistry Teacher
Putnam Valley High School

Thank you. Thank You. Thank You!!!! The training you provided for the teachers in Nyack was outstanding. Both the Castle Learning Online Beginners workshop and the workshops on how to use Castle Learning Online to differentiate instruction were greatly appreciated by the participants. The workshop showed them what they needed to know in a clear, concise, and user-friendly manner.

As always, your representative has been there to help us make this product work in our schools. I wish every company we worked with had the same level of concern and responsiveness that I have come to count on with Castle Learning Online. Each of my requests for assistance or suggestions has been responded to quickly and professionally, and I greatly appreciate that....Thanks again for all of your help.

Gina Cappiello
Director of Curriculum and Professional Development
Nyack Public Schools

Thank you again for the wonderful resource and customer service that you provide! Our student success rate on the Regents' Exams and the AP exams is something we are very proud of -- and Castle Learning Online is an integral part of our students' academic lives here at Seton Catholic Central."

Anchen Schulz
Dean, Academic Affairs
Seton Catholic Central High School
Binghamton, New York

It's really great to finally find something that works this well! Technically, Castle Learning Online is one of the best programs I've ever worked with... I have worked with teachers setting up class lists and creating assignments; this too works remarkably well. Technical support from Castle Learning Online is terrific; they respond immediately to e-mails, yet most of the information I need is in their well written user guides.

Joan Semrau
Computer Support Specialist
Brighton Central School District

Most of our students use the program on their personal computers to reinforce skills. We have received many favorable comments from parents who have observed their children using the program at home. The parents are very pleased that we have given the students the opportunity to do this kind of work at home when time is flexible.

William S. Locke
Superintendent of Schools
Arkport Central School

I use Castle Learning Online regularly and find it very helpful. It is so convenient being web-based, because the kids can access it anywhere!

Rick Pento
Science Teacher
J. C. Birdlebough High School
Phoenix Central School District

Castle Learning Online was very useful for my Math 3A students who had failed the Math A exam at least twice before trying it again this January (2002). My students used Castle Learning Online for at least 1 hour on 4 different days before the January Math A exam. Our results were dramatically higher than we expected. We had a 62% pass rate from these students, all of whom had been listed as failures last year! I am anxiously awaiting June when my Math 3 Regents will use it to review for the Math III exam. It is definitely one of the best programs that my school district has purchased.

Arlene Case
Math Teacher
John C. Birdlebough High School
Phoenix Central School District

It was time to expand my bag of tricks, so I tried the Castle Learning Online web site with my geometry classes. The results were so significant that my physics and advanced physics classes are using it this semester...My geometry classes improved their scores about 20%.

Dr. Larry Volk
Math and Science Teacher
Hoggard High School
Wilmington, NC

[My] teachers are seeing the 15% of the kids that never took Regents exams before, and they would benefit most from Castle Learning Online.

Joe Reilly
Director of Technology
Corning-Painted Post School District

In addition to review, I use Castle Learning Online as a motivational tool in my classroom. Castle Learning Online has definitely improved my students' test scores and given them more exposure to authentic exam questions.

David Robison
Earth Science Teacher and NHS Advisor
Wilson High School

Castle Learning Online has been very beneficial for our students. Not only has it fit into our AIS program and classrooms, the students are also using it in the convenience of their own homes after school hours.

Daniel Stone
Technology Coordinator
Addison High School

We demonstrated three different review programs to the kids [including a well-known company's on-line product] and let them pick which they wanted to use. Your on-line program has been hands down, the most inviting ... the format and helps are great ... a Great Product!

Robert Ringer
Director of Technology
Naples High School

This is awesome! We're amazed at how many students are on-line before school and over the weekend.

Jacques (Jack) Monica
Director of Information Systems
Central Square School District

Thank you for suggesting we copy the Castle Learning Online Handbook. With the increased interest on the part of our staff it makes sense for us to have the handbook readily available.

Our involvement with you, your staff and your product continues to be one of the best bargains available to educational institutions such as Wilson Central. Your personal interest in the success of each individual student, teacher and district is one of the main reasons Castle Learning Online is so successful. Thank you for continuing to provide a quality product backed by extraordinary service.

It continues to be a pleasure to work with a company that puts service and customer satisfaction so far up the priority list. Schools that have not bought into Castle Learning Online are missing out on one of the more cost efficient, effective, user friendly academic assistance aids available.

Daniel Johnson
Principal
Wilson High School