"If our goal is to measure students' ability to compute algebraic functions, to actually engage in math, then we don't necessarily want them to use a calculator," Luberoff said.
That's not a realistic option with a traditional graphing calculator that rests on a student's desk the entire time. The calculator can be made available to a student on one specific question, but then removed for the next one. Using a digital calculator does more than save money, it also allows more nuance in how testing is conducted. "TI calculators continue to be trusted on 60 high-stakes exams around the world - including the SAT, ACT, AP and IB exams," said Peter Balyta, president, education technology at Texas Instruments. Texas Instruments also noted that digital calculators required schools to invest in Internet access. In a statement, Texas Instruments ( TXN) described its calculators as a one-time investment that can take a student from middle school to college and into their career.
"We don't think students should have to buy an old, underpowered, overpriced calculator," Luberoff told CNN. CEO Eli Luberoff previously tutored high school students, and was shocked to find them using the same graphing calculator that he had used in high school. Smarter Balanced will use a digital graphing calculator from the startup Desmos. "We want to try and minimize that some students may not have access to the calculator - by virtue of their schools doesn't offer them - or their family isn't able to afford them." "We try and make sure every kid has a level playing field," Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium executive director Tony Alpert said. Students won't have to rely on Texas Instruments graphing calculators, a de facto standard in high school math classes, in spite of their hefty price tag. Smarter Balanced, which administers school proficiency tests in 15 states, is building a digital calculator into its tests this spring. ( CNNMoney) A glimmer of hope has arrived for parents tired of having to buy their high school students an overpriced calculator.
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