We can say that "Success Maker" from CCC is a very well-developed instructional system, open to improvement, with a really excellent management system, a really well-organized training program, a very strong support system and a basically good courseware.
Although there can be improvements in the software as far as imagination and creativity is concerned, good results have been observed on students. We can see a lot of gain for the majority of student report cards. The question is how real this gain is because students show improvement after having used the software for some time. We need to test them in something different to be able to talk about a gain of 1.5 or 2 grade levels, which a lot of student report cards show.
At this point another potential problem should be mentioned. It is not a software feature but it is of great importance. That is the very strong control the company has on the way the software is used. Every student must spent 10 minutes at the math and 20 minutes at the reading software. The contract is very specific on that point and the teachers are monitored very closely by the computer Facilitator and the administration of the school and reports on each teacher are sent to CCC.
Guidance is not always bad and that way the procrastinating or hessitant teachers get out of the picture. But the responsible and creative one does not have enough free space to make the desicions the software allows.
We are given the chance though to get hope for the future. This system used at its maximum power, combining the software with the on line projects it can offer, has the potential to become something we all have dreamed of.