Istation Reviews

Pros

Using it is pretty simple which is a big reason I enjoyed it. Compared with other more "serious" assessments, ISIP only takes about 20 to 30 minutes so it feels much less draining. The nostalgic feel and the art style are nice bonuses too.

Cons

Once you get older though, it starts to feel really obnoxious. The overly childish, kid-friendly voice and tone become way too much for anything above elementary grade levels. I also remember how often the school headphones would break and we'd end up sitting in the hallway to complete it which was seriously uncomfortable after a while. On top of that, the tests felt very repetitive. I can't remember the exact questions anymore but they always seemed basically the same. Eventually I stopped needing the actual context and just answered out of habit. A timer and page counter for the comprehension section would've helped too since I had to keep track of the 30-second-to-1-minute timing on my own.

Pros

It provides short assignments teachers can use to target a specific skill. It also helps teachers get an overall sense of where students are academically.

Cons

students aren't able to go back and click on reading passages. It also tends to be more effective when students are able to spend additional time on it outside of school.

Pros

being able to watch my students grow in their skills while using the program has been amazing. It also does a good job of showing where students are in terms of mastery which makes it helpful for identifying their current level.

Cons

The interface feels outdated and there are glitches almost every day that make the program harder to use consistently.

Pros

I really appreciate the variety of ways it lets you view student data and apply it to instruction.

Cons

What I don't care for is how limited the teacher tools are when it comes to monitoring student performance.

Pros

Right from login, it has students complete a reading assessment and that helps customize the passages and activities to their individual reading level. The read-aloud feature is especially helpful for students who need extra phonics support. It also gives teachers immediate progress feedback and includes differentiated printable texts which adds a lot of value.

Cons

To really make the most of the program, every student needs their own headphones. That can be challenging when some students do not have a pair or their headphones are broken.

Pros

Testing students on the computer is something I really appreciate because it makes the process much more convenient.

Cons

younger students can have a harder time fully understanding how to use it.