Case Study: Kress Elementary School achieves improved test scores and student engagement with SMART Technologies

The 3Rs: reading, writing and the right technology

Kress Elementary School in Kress, Texas, faced the challenge of teaching reading and writing to a small, diverse third‑grade class with visual, auditory and kinesthetic learners. Longstanding reliance on a chalkboard and overhead projector limited student engagement and participation, so teacher and technology specialist Lori Reed sought tools and methods to make lessons active, collaborative and accessible to all learners.

Reed implemented SMART Technologies solutions — SMART Board interactive whiteboard, AirLiner wireless slate, Notebook and SMART Ideas software — and built a custom digital third‑grade curriculum with interactive games, spelling races, concept maps and handwriting‑to‑text activities. The result: noticeably higher student engagement, significantly improved test scores, broader teacher adoption across the school and growing district investment in the technology.