Successmaker (Last update 11/03/08 )

Contact

RM Learning Systems 

Tel: 08709 200200
or view more contact details here

SuccessMaker Website here

Program evaluation 

(Click here for details of how Stanley Road Primary in Oldham uses SuccessMaker)   
or here for other reviews.

I say:-

Successmaker is an ILS - Independent / Individual / Integrated Learning System - RM say "Integrated" but seem to have dropped the "I" from much literature and now just refer to Successmaker as a Learning System.

What distinguishes this from other software, say RM, are three key elements. These are "educational content, user records and, most significantly, an intelligent management system."

We use the Maths (Maths, Concepts and Skills), Spelling (Spelling Skills) and Reading (Initial Reading and Readers Workshop) courses with our students. Students who use the ILS are either our SRB Raising Achievement students or students who are receiving additional support from other areas of our support department.

Mostly, students are withdrawn from lessons to work on Successmaker although some use it pre-school.

Although we use it with all year groups the emphasis is on Years 7-9. Beyond this some research has indicated a possible decrease in attainment. In Years 10 and 11 those students who are on our SRB Project use Successmaker if they wish to.

Does it work? What are the pros and cons? I gathered together some pluses and minuses in response to requests from members of SENCO and SENIT Forums. I've reproduced them here. Please note these are only my personal views and opinions!:-

"Good points:-

Students who have used the spelling module have improved - some greatly. But, you do need to use it at least three times a week. Use it for less time and (not surprisingly) spelling gains are slower - but still there.

Maths module is good - but I'm still looking for an objective way of measuring gains. I could rely on the Successmaker reporting system but this can show gains when there are still problems.

You can just leave students to get on with the programme - which frees you up to give attention to those who are having difficulties.

Issues (not exactly bad points)

The reporting interface on the old Successmaker was VERY clunky and old-fashioned although powerful. The new Enterprise version of SuccessMaker has much better reports and we are able to view them quickly and easily. A vast improvement.

American accents can be hard to understand for students who are having difficulties hearing particular sounds anyway! If this is linked with sub-standard headphones and/or a noisy classroom then - help! In the current Enterprise version, American voices have been replaced with UK voices - except for the spelling module. This is another oddity as it is here that the US accents cause most problems for students - even for the one U.S. student I taught!

There is a rationale behind the spelling but sometimes I struggle to see it. However - it has worked in our case so does this matter??

It's much too expensive - but worth it if you can raise the cash from somewhere. I didn't know how much it costs currently because it hasn't been easy to find a guide figure on the RM site.

But, now, (Oct.06) check out RM's words in the panel opposite. a a a a a

Management issues

In our experience you really need a teacher to monitor the students as they use Successmaker. Just any adult without teaching knowledge is *not* adequate. They can be there but cannot capitalise on any teaching points as they arise. 

You're supposed to print out reports regularly and analyse for those who are not grasping a point. Successmaker will try to help students, but there are some problems it can't help with. If you are in a situation where you can watch students using it and help as difficulties arise then it is less necessary to look at the records as you'll have sorted the problem anyway.

Most students like using it - and some have been on it (on and off) for 3 years now! But there have been breaks.

It does need managing so there should be time given for this!

It was used with Rhyddings' raising achievement students and also with other SEN students.

Is OK for Y7-9 but Y10 and Y11 I wouldn't recommend it for, unless a particular student wants to - and some do. Research has found use in Y10 and 11 can result in a DECREASE in achievement! But could be because of other factors.

Start small and build up. We started with 16 students and then gradually added more and subtracted some.

Use your own judgement over its use. Listen to but don't rely on RM's advice (or mine!). They are after all trying to make a profit."

For some excellent additional training and other SuccessMaker resources have a look at the Successmaker section of the  @bernet website 

(Thanks to Pearl on senco-forum for suggesting this resource.)

A recent (2002) four-year Australian study  on ILS, including SuccessMaker, is available as a pdf file here.  (If the download has moved search the DEST site here.)

Program Details

RM say:

"SuccessMaker is learning software that has been designed to improve standards for pupils aged between 5 and 14. It contains a variety of courses covering literacy and numeracy; through skill building courses for students with a low level of Mathematics and English; through to higher order investigative courses to challenge more able pupils."

RM say that SuccessMaker:

is "Proven to raise standards in literacy and numeracy leading to improved access to other areas of the curriculum.

Saves teachers' time by providing an individualised programme of study for which SuccessMaker will carry out the marking and provide instant feedback to the pupil.

Provides detailed, analytical feedback that can inform the planning of suitable activities or support the assessment of pupil's abilities."

A new version of SuccessMaker called SuccessMaker Enterprise is now available.

RM say there are "new teacher and pupil interfaces which are intuitive, engaging and easy-to-use." And that courseware has been "refreshed and updated". Certainly, the new-look reports are now much easier to understand.

However, when asked whether Readers Workshop still used American spellings ( it doesn't) and whether the Spelling Skills module still used American voices ( it does ) RM did not reply. As this is a critical issue for many it would be helpful if RM could clarify this. (RM have: see October 2006 update).

2006 Price Update

RM now tell me (October 06) that: 

"A SuccessMaker purchase comprises one or more of the following elements:

• Licences (price varies according to course combination, numbers purchased (multipacks are available), new or upgrade licence, version of SuccessMaker...)

• Educational Training / Consultancy

• Installation (networks)

• Educational & Technical Support

• High grade headphones

The specific combination, and therefore price, varies according to school needs. There are, however, some "typical" scenarios for customers new to SuccessMaker and these are indicated on the www.rm.com/successmaker site (see "Features" section). 

The indicative start-up price for a 5 licence pack, installation, training & support for a Secondary school is £6,250 (numeracy & literacy courses); for Primary (numeracy & literacy courses) it is £4,975. (Such information has been available on the web pages for several years now, say RM.)

As well as multipack pricing, we also offer permanent site licences for SuccessMaker Enterprise on accrual of a threshold number of permanent user licences (25 in Secondary; 15 in Primary). Respectively, these act to reduce and cap the investment that schools need to make to achieve their goals with SuccessMaker."

This does help clarify pricing although I would query that these prices have been available on the website for several years now. Perhaps they have and were just not easy to find? Or maybe it's only now that RM have got back to me . . .?

In my opinion, it is still expensive and there are other programs and programmes which deliver as good as Successmaker at a tenth of the cost. They just aren't all bundled in one package and may miss out on some of the more advanced features which Successmaker offers.

If you have staff on your site who are up-to-date with the wide range of literacy and numeracy software which is available today from outfits like Sherston, 4Mation, Topologika and most of all, WhiteSpace, then Successmaker might be an expense too far.

However, if your staff are snowed under with yet more Governmental bureaucracy then SuccessMaker presents literacy and numeracy together in a workable and often successful package. 

Click here to visit the RM website for more info and further contact details.

The RM site is now much improved and now gives useful information which is easier to find than previously.