The TIMeS project is a collaboration between the College of Education and the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign and teachers in six public and private schools in Christian, Sangamon, Macon, Vermilion, Edgar, and Douglas counties to improve instruction and student achievement in local school districts. The TIMeS Project provides standards-based professional development opportunities for teachers. These intensive professional development opportunities are designed to support efforts in which educators engage their students with technology-enhanced lesson plans that provide an authentic context for concepts taught within mathematics, science and literacy.

September 18, 2006—Teachers from TIMeS-Phase II schools gathered on campus to be trained on an on-line assessment program called ThinkLink. The software is designed to predict student outcomes on the Illinois Standards Achievement Tests (ISAT) given in March/April which determine whether or not schools meet AYP as required by No Child Left Behind federal legislation. The software identifies areas of strength and weakness for the students and schools in terms of Illinois Learning Standards. The on-line assessment is given three times during the year prior to administration of the ISATs to help teachers focus their instruction.

For more information about the TIMeS project, please visit http://times.ed.uiuc.edu/.