My Access Report Critique

I was really impressed with the My Access program. After reading about it in the report, I found four major advantages of using this program. First, I liked that My Access could further assist ESL students because feedback is given in either Spanish or Chinese. This is an aspect that probably couldn't be matched in most school districts because most teachers would not be giving feedback to students in their native language.

Second, the tools available to the students and the adaptability of the program provided a lot of advantages for both students and teachers. Tools like Spell Check, Word Counter, etc. are advantageous for students. The ability for the teachers to turn these tools "off" and "on" provide flexibility for the teachers.

Another signficant benefit of My Access is the accuracy of scoring. The fact that the computer scores the writing about 100% within 1 point of teachers' scoring is truly amazing. Teachers can be assured of the credibility of the program while students can strive to increase their score, as if they were "competing" against a video game.

Lastly, the success of My Access is impressive. All of the statistics showing the significant increase in students' writing scores is remarkable. My question to those school districts that are not using this system is -- Why not?

One point that should be included in the report is the cost of My Access. I would love to know this. Does anybody have any information about the cost? Also, do entire schools implement this system, or just certain classes? For example, if I taught 4th grade and my school didn't use the program, could I, as a single teacher order it and use it for my class?