Instructional Technology Plan

Okeechobee County School Board 700 SW 2 nd Ave Okeechobee, FL 34974 Phone 863-462-5000 ext. 235 Fax 863-462-5017 Instructional Technology Plan Okeechobee County School Board District Instructional Technology Plan Superintendent Patricia G. Cooper, Ed. D. 2008-2011

Table of Contents Chapter 1 Mission Statement 1.1 District Mission Statement... 1 1.2 Technology Mission Statement... 1 1.3 State of Florida Vision... 1 Chapter 2 General Introduction/Background 2.1 District Profile... 2 2.2 Planning Process... 2 2.3 Collaboration with Adult Literacy Providers... 3 Chapter 3 Needs Assessment/Goals 3.1 Information Based Processes... 4 3.2 Identification of Needs... 4 3.3 Educational Technology Goals... 4 Chapter 4 Funding Plan 4.1 Funding Sources... 6 4.2 Support Obligations... 6 4.3 EETT... 6 Chapter 5 Technology Acquisition Plan 5.1 Identification of Appropriate Technologies... 8 2

Table of Contents (cont) 5.2 Access... 8 5.3 Acquisition Timetable... 8 5.4 Acquisition Standards... 9 5.5 Technical Guidance... 9 Chapter 6 Access 6.1 Equitable Access... 10 6.2 Acceptable Use Policies... 10 Chapter 7 User Support Plan 7.1 Network Management and Support... 12 7.2 Equipment Maintenance and Replacement... 12 Chapter 8 Staff Training Plan 8.1 Professional Development Plans... 13 8.2 Ongoing Training and Technical Assistance... 13 Chapter 9 Program Evaluation 9.1 Curriculum Integration... 15 9.2 Student Achievement... 15 Chapter 10 E-Rate Program Planning 10.1 Goals and Strategy... 13 3

Table of Contents (cont) 10.2 Professional Development... 14 10.3 Necessary TelCom Services, Hardware, Software and Other Services... 14 10.4 Budget... 14 10.5 Evaluation Process... 14 Chapter 11 NCLB: Enhancing Education Through Technology (EETT) 11.1 EETT Part 1 Entitlement Application... 15 4

Chapter 1 1.0 Mission 1.1 District Mission Statement It is the mission of the Okeechobee County School District to prepare every student to enter college or technical training without need of remedial instruction and/or enter the job market at a level significantly above minimum wage. All students will be instilled with knowledge of the democratic process and possess the attitudes and values necessary to function as productive members of society. 1.2 Technology Mission Statement The Okeechobee County School District will promote and encourage the effective use of technology to improve student performance, to facilitate administrative efficiency, and to adequately prepare students for entering post secondary education or direct employment. By integrating technology into all instructional programs, students, teachers, and staff will optimize achievement, productivity, and literacy. 1.3 State of Florida Vision As our society progresses into a global economy, which is increasingly dependent upon information, a critical component of education is the equitable and universal access to technology, media and information resources. The effective use of technology impacts student performance by enabling students to access and analyze information, solve problems, collaborate with others, and effectively communicate their thoughts and ideas, thereby emerging as self-directed, self-motivated lifelong learners, productive members of the workforce, and contributing citizens. The effective use of technology promotes accountability by increasing the teaching and learning productivity of students and educators and contributing to the efficiency of administrators and staff. 1

Chapter 2 2.0 General Introduction/Background 2.1 District Profile Okeechobee County is a small, rural district in south/central Florida. Okeechobee County is located within a two-hour drive from the major urban areas of central and south Florida. The city of Okeechobee is the only incorporated area in the county. The school district has ten different facilities that provide educational services for over 6900 students. A majority of the students attending Okeechobee County Schools are on free or reduced lunch. The economy is composed primarily of low wage agricultural employment, service occupations and local and state government jobs. This agricultural base has provided an influx of migrant populations. The largest employer in the county is the Okeechobee County School Board. State correctional facilities for adults and juveniles provided a new economic sector in the late 1990 s, with the addition of a maximumsecurity adult prison and Level 4, 6, & 10 juvenile sites. The district has a large number of adults that have not obtained a high school diploma and many adults who cannot read. The school district has a higher than average dropout rate, an extremely high mobility rate and all of the district s elementary schools are Title I school-wide projects. Okeechobee County is property poor, with no major industrial sites and large areas of land removed from the tax rolls due to government action. The Okeechobee County School Board has levied the 2.0 mil capital outlay tax for many years. With an economically disadvantaged population, there is certainly a need for greater access to technology to insure that our students can compete with students from other areas of the state and nation. Doing more with less is always a priority in rural areas. We will continue to make improvements in our use of technology in the future. 2.2 Planning Process Technology planning has been and will be accomplished by a combination of district and school planning. The Board approved district technology plan was developed and is regularly updated by a district committee of stakeholders. The district committee includes representation from the district level and school sites. Individual school advisory councils or special technology committees at each school level accomplish school technology planning. With technology changing at a rapid pace, Okeechobee is still in need of a paradigm shift to truly infuse technology into the curriculum. 2

2.3 Collaboration with Adult Literacy Providers Indian River Community College and The Okeechobee County School Board have entered into an agreement in which school employees are provided reduced fees in exchange for the rent-free use of school facilities. IRCC offers GED prep courses to adults in the community. Those adults return to the district to take the exam. In addition, schools in the district house labs that are open in the evenings to allow second language learners the opportunity to learn through computer-assisted instruction. IRCC employees staff the labs. 3

Chapter 3 3.0 Needs Assessment/Goals 3.1 Information Based Processes Needs assessment is done by a multi-faceted approach. The district technology committee utilizes Florida Innovation Survey data each time the district plan is updated. Principals and technology personnel complete this survey annually. These results are also used in planning. These assessments cover availability of hardware and software plus training needs and accessibility. Each school conducts a needs assessment during the annual process of developing the school improvement plan. Climate surveys are available online and in paper form to teachers, staff, students, and parents in an effort to gather additional data that may be used in planning and determining priority areas. 3.2 Identification of Needs Staff development must be a high priority. Replacement of hardware and purchase of updated software is needed at all schools, although grants and uses of school discretionary funds have allowed the district to expand student stations and update hardware and software. With the increased use of online resources, our district s bandwidth is used up on a daily basis. In order to continue moving forward, we will need the installation of more bandwidth. 3.3 Educational Technology Goals Increase the integration of technology in all curricular areas to positively impact student achievement. Provide staff development for teachers and principals on effective use of technology in the classroom. Educate principals and teachers about the technology standards for administrators, teachers and students. 4

Continue to provide all teachers in the district a computer to use for lesson planning, academic grade reporting, research, and integration in the classroom. Support the position of Instructional Technology Specialist to model, explore, and offer staff development to ensure effective implementation of technology into instruction. Provide a district technology committee to review educational and web-based applications software and technology selections. Continue to provide funds to each school annually to support repair and supply budgets. Continue to explore distance learning through Florida Virtual School for courses at the secondary level. Encourage the use of technology as a tool for communication between the education community and its stakeholders. Provide technology instruction to advance the goal of meeting state required student technology standards beginning in middle school. Increase the use of electronic forms to reduce reliance on paper. Webpage production and maintenance at all sites as a tool to increase communications between the School District, Schools and its stakeholders. 5

Chapter 4 4.0 Funding Plan 4.1 Funding Sources Source of Funding 2008 2009 2010 2011 Project and Grant dollars from Federal and Other sources Software Hardware Capital dollars Software Hardware General Operating dollars Software Hardware Infrastucture (all funds) District portion of leased fiber, Internet bandwidth (in addition to what FIRN2 provides), Centrex local and long distance phone service, dark fiber, internal wiring and, maintenance of dark fiber Technical support (all funds) Technology Specialists and Network staff serving all schools $154,083.15 $430,090.60 $ 30,000.00 $155,000.00 $162,570.00 $450,000.00 $ 30,000.00 $155,000.00 $170,000.00 $475,000.00 $ 40,000.00 $170,000.00 $178,500.00 $475,000.00 $ 40,000.00 $170,000.00 $237,786.10 $240,000.00 $246,000.00 $252,000.00 $190,581.40 $200,000.00 $200,000.00 $225,000.00 $ 56,639.08 $ 50,00.00 $ 50,000.00 $ 60,00.00 $443,449.00 $465,500.00 $490,000.00 $515,000.00 Professional Development (all funds) $236,255.21 $250,000.00 $250,000.00 $265,000.00 Materials and Supplies (all funds) $511,103.25 $520,000.00 $535,000.00 $548,000.00 Printer ink, paper, keyboards, mice, etc. In addition to the sources above, funding for technology acquisition and training has been provided from state professional development funds, Title II funds, School Recognition funds, Title I funds, the 21 st Century Learning Grant and both the entitlement and competitive EETT grant program. 4.2 Support Obligations The following anticipated district technology program support obligations would require substantial support: Additional Internet and WAN bandwidth 6

Training Purchase of computer hardware, software and web-based applications Maintenance of hardware and software Technical support for networked resources Webpage support Maintenance of Centrex system for local and long distance communications District agreement with St. Lucie County for system support Technical support in the form of contracted services when all possible avenues for correction have been exhausted 4.3 EETT The federal EETT grant has had an impact on our ability to meet our goals. These funds are distributed among the schools. The district will continue to apply for these vital funds. 7

Chapter 5 5.0 Technology Acquisition Plan 5.1 Identification of Appropriate Technologies Current, emerging and future technology, including hardware, web-based applications, and software, will be evaluated and applied to the goals and needs of the district as identified in the district technology plan and school improvement plans. Data driven decisions will be made from all tools listed in Chapter 3, Point 1 in an effort to increase achievement of the Sunshine State Standards, improve school accountability factors such as discipline and attendance, and implement innovative practices that encourage students to stay in school. Local and long distance telephone services, a wide area network (WAN) and Internet services (provided by FIRN2) are essential tools for communicating with parents regarding student progress in meeting Sunshine State Standards, discipline and attendance issues. With the assistance of district personnel, each principal will analyze school level data and develop strategies to meet school improvement goals cooperatively developed with the school advisory council to identify appropriate technology. 5.2 Access To be a viable educational component, technology tools must be available with access for all. Teachers, students, and staff members have high speed access to the district WAN and the Internet. Teachers, students, staff members, and parents must have access in order to utilize technology effectively as an instructional tool. Technology based instructional lessons and units that support the Sunshine State Standards are encouraged by all principals for each program: basic, exceptional, ELL, dropout prevention and career/technical. The ESE department has initiated an adaptive and assistive technology lab for the district located at New Endeavor High School. Any teacher in the district with students needing such technology is encouraged to use devices in the lab. 5.3 Acquisition Timetable The superintendent and staff will allocate discretionary funds in a manner designed to achieve the best possible student outcomes and in an equitable fashion. As demonstrated in section 4, many fund sources can be used to enhance technology. Input will be received from principals, based on their school technology planning team efforts. Proposals will be entertained whenever funds become available. The superintendent will consider equitable access for students, the outcomes 8

from previous allocations and the commitment of the school to utilize the hardware, software and training provided. 5.4 Acquisition Standards All schools will be required to obtain quotes for hardware purchases through our MIS department. The MIS department will set specific minimum requirements that those purchases must meet. Due to the ever changing technology, these requirements will be updated on a regular basis. Purchases of peripherals and software will go through our District Instructional Technology Specialist and on to our Technology Acquisition Committee. Administrators will be required to fill out a technology acquisition plan which will detail what they are looking to purchase and the needs for that purchase. The committee will review these requests and either approve the purchase or give other recommendations. 5.5 Technical Guidance The district s Assistant Superintendent for Instructional Services serves as the coordinator of instructional technology. The Heartland Area Consortium has become a valuable partner in providing technology expertise and staff development, and will continue to assist our district in the future. The MIS department is a valuable resource in supporting our network and providing technical advice to district leadership. A Technology Acquisition Committee will be formed to review acquisition of technology related resources at the district level. The committee will be comprised of the following personnel: Coordinator of Network Services, Director of K-12 Assessment and Accountability, one Technology Specialist, the District level Instructional Technology Specialist, a school based Instructional Technology Specialist, two school-based Administrators, two content-area instructors, one representative from the Exceptional Student Education Department, and the Assistant Superintendent for Instructional Services. The committee will establish guidelines and procedures for the operation of the committee. 9

Chapter 6 6.0 Access 6.1 Equitable Access Policies and procedures are in place to ensure that equitable funding and staffing are provided to all schools in the district. Technology is provided in a nondiscriminatory manner for use by all students as appropriate for their educational program. Through the Exceptional Student Education Department, adaptive and assistive technology is available to support learning for students. ELL students utilize the computer to acquire language skills through computer-assisted technology. The district s nondiscrimination policy ensures that programs are open to all students. The district webpage has been developed to include employment opportunities, district procedures manuals, climate surveys, current news and parent information about district programs and services and Board Policies. Development will continue to focus on communicating key information to all stakeholders. Administrators have access to data generated through the district s database to help in the decision making process. Periodic data inspections provide an avenue for administrators to ensure that student needs are being met, that there truly is equal access for all students, and that goals and objectives within the School Improvement Plans are achieved. 6.2 Acceptable Use Policies The School Board updated its Online Information Services Use Policy 8.80 in July of 2000. The policy revision included General Policy and Guidelines that promote responsible and ethical use, E- mail etiquette, and examples of unacceptable use for staff and students. The superintendent has published more specific e-mail guidelines in a memo dated January 3, 2006. These policies and procedures will be shared with staff each school year. All students accessing the web are informed of acceptable use and are given directions for exactly what to do in the event questionable material is displayed on the screen. The Okeechobee County Code of Student Conduct specifically addresses this behavior. District MIS employees have discussed procedures protecting student data in the district s database, on the district s communication software, and access to monitors and storage devices which display and store information. 10

Access to computers (and people) all over the world also may result in the availability of material that may not be considered to be of educational value. All access to the Internet goes through FIRN2 (Florida Information Retrieval Network) where viewing is filtered to the standards of the Florida Department of Education. In addition the district has a secondary filter in place where any sites found by instructional staff to be inappropriate can be blocked. 11

Chapter 7 7.0 User Support Plan 7.1 Network Management and Support The Okeechobee County Wide Area Network (WAN) connects the district office to all school sites and is maintained by district MIS staff. Each school has its own Local Area Network (LAN) that provides connectivity to each faculty member and stores software for which a site license was purchased. Each school has two supplemented computer contacts that provide user support for the staff in their respective buildings. These individuals support their colleagues by correcting minor problems and connectivity concerns. A district level Instructional Technology Specialist has been added to assist in moving teachers toward our goal of integrating technology. Okeechobee High School employs a full-time Instructional Technology Specialist who works with both teachers and students. A staff of seven district level technology specialist provide network, hardware and software support to students, teachers and staff at all sites. These positions are funded through federal and district funds. The district purchased a network management software package. Visual Casel allows management from any computer on the network and protects the LAN and WAN by controlling access to information, files, etc. The software is updated as updates become available. 7.2 Equipment Maintenance and Replacement Schools are responsible for maintaining and replacing hardware and software, using school funds, allocated state technology funds, and any other funding the school can acquire. A district wide school rotation is under development to make funds available every four years for hardware and software replacement. The district MIS department maintains all administrative hardware and software, and purchases computers for secretarial level staff. Schools replace hardware, using district specifications, for site administrators. 12

Chapter 8 8.0 Staff Training Plan 8.1 Professional Development Plans Staff development is a key component to get teachers to integrate technology everyday in the classroom comfortably. In turn, the effective use will not only help students achieve the Sunshine State Standards, but also replicate the real world dependence on technology as evidenced in the 21st Century Skills. An increasing number of staff development opportunities offered by the district include infusion of technology into the subject matter. An example is the ESOL Training being offered each summer. Instructors in the Cultural and Language Learning portions of the training will be expecting all teachers to utilize the Internet as a means of developing an understanding of other cultures. Practically all presenters use Power Point to model the use of technology as an instructional tool. The Coordinator of Staff Development and the District Instructional Technology Specialist will respond to each school s request for training. 8.2 Ongoing Training and Technical Assistance Staff development and training are crucial if the district is to move toward its goal of infusion of technology into the classroom. The following technical and instructional assistance is being offered to administrators and staff either through district designed training or specific school site initiatives: Visual Casel will be offered regularly to train individuals at each school site to reduce the burden on the technology specialist at each school level. Visual Casel is a management software tool that ties privileges to a password. Attendance at FETC has always been a method of training for teachers, principals and district level administrators and will continue as such. The district will continue to send individuals to the Astronaut s Memorial Foundation at the Kennedy Space Center to receive training on managing networks, Training Tools for Tech Specialist, and Server Training. Individual schools will be conducting their own site specific training on the following: 1. Using Grade Machine 13

2. Managing student folders in the server for Accelerated Reader 3. Use of Intranet e-mail system Indian River Community College offers training to individual schools when requested. The college pays the instructor and classes meet on a flexible schedule throughout the school year focusing on school site-specific initiatives. 14

Chapter 9 9.0 Program Evaluation 9.1 Curriculum Integration The impact of technology throughout the district will be measured using a variety of tools. An increased number of computer generated reports or technology-centered student assignments will reflect growth in the use of technology. The performance appraisal instrument evaluates teacher effectiveness in integrating technology into the classroom. Many teachers have chosen to include integration of technology into the classroom as a goal in their professional development plan. 9.2 Student Achievement Student performance is measured in many ways. Students will increase their use of technology for everyday tasks, as well as for developing projects and portfolios. Traditional measures such as the dropout rate, attendance, discipline, and academic achievement scores and reading levels will be used to determine student outcomes and measure student performance. The disaggregated data from the district s database will be used to evaluate performance. The principals will provide feedback regularly at principal s meetings, school advisory council meetings, and at faculty meetings. 15

Chapter 10 10.0 E-Rate Program Planning 10.1 Goals and Strategy The district goals outlined in chapters 3 and 5 will require the support of the federal E-Rate program. High Speed Lines: All staff and students in the district are receiving the benefits of this service. The high speed line access enables the goals listed in section 3.3 and 5.2, Educational Technology Goals and Access. These goals include distance learning, staff development, instructional planning, communications with all stakeholders and use of internet technology in the classroom. Telephone Service and SunCom: This service is provided for staff at the district and school level. The service enables all goals in chapter 3 by providing the means for effective communication between the district, the school and the home. In order to increase bandwidth, we have provided fiber connections using e-rate funding to 5 school sites and district owned dark fiber from leased fiber sites to the remaining 4 school sites. These connections have helped to alleviate bandwidth problems within the WAN but have served to increase the need for Internet bandwidth. In 2006-2007 Internet bandwidth was increased from 3 megabytes to 6 megabytes. That bandwidth was utilized immediately. An additional 3 megabytes is scheduled to be installed after Sprint places additional equipment needed in the Okeechobee area to upgrade the service. That will place the Internet bandwidth at 9 megabytes. An additional 5 megabytes has been requested and e-rated but cannot be installed until we are at 9 megabytes. The district will continue working to provide adequate bandwidth for all Internet services required by the schools to produce a learning environment conducive to Achieving Excellence. 10.2 Professional Development In order to meet NCLB teacher technology literacy standards, training will be needed for all instructional staff. Federal Title II funds will be used to enhance training that is funded by state instructional technology and other school discretionary funds. Training outlined in chapter 8 above will be supported by high speed lines (distance learning and web access) as well as telecommunication services. The tech specialists will receive advanced training in multiple topics to allow them to more effectively support users at the school level. In partnership with the Assistant Superintendent for Instructional Services, who serves as the district instructional technology coordinator, offerings will be arranged which meet school and district needs. 16

10.3 Necessary TelCom Services, Hardware, Software and Other Services The achievement of goals listed in chapters 3 and 5 will require high speed access to the internet, telephone service, up-to-date computer hardware and peripherals, and the most up-to-date software. E-Rate funds supporting high speed WAN access, Internet access (provided by FIRN2) and telephone service compliment other funding used for communications, technical support and hardware and software purchases. 10.4 Budget The district budget will include capital, categorical and general operating budget funding to support this plan. See section 4.1 for budget details and a list of other fund sources that will be dedicated to instructional technology in support of this plan. Funds will support tech support personnel, new hardware and software purchases, hardware and software replacement, hardware and software maintenance, professional development, and technology related supplies. The Assistant Superintendent for Administrative Services will monitor expenditures. 10.5 Evaluation Process The Assistant Superintendent for Instructional Services will coordinate monitoring of the implementation of this plan, with assistance from the district Instructional Services staff. A checklist will be used by each school quarterly to provide data which can be reviewed by the district to assess implementation progress. Use of FCAT Explorer reports, the DOE staff development database and state testing reports will also be used to assess the impact of E-Rate and other funds on staff preparedness and student achievement of academic and technology goals. Attendance data will be monitored by the district. 17

Chapter 11 11.0 NCLB: Enhancing Education Through Technology (EETT) 11.1 EETT Part 1 Entitlement Application The most recent DOE approved EETT Part 1 Entitlement program application is included in this plan by reference. An entitlement program application is submitted each year to the Florida Department of Education. 18