CONNECT TICUT STATE DEPARTMENTT OF EDUCATION (CSDE) EDUCATIONAL TECHNOLOGY PLAN TEMPLATEE July 1, 20122 June 30, 2015 ED 616 Section 254(h)(1)(B) ), of the Telecommunications Act of 1996, and FCC Order 97 157, Paragraph 573 Elementary and Secondary Education Actt (ESEA) 20 U..S.C. 6777 Published: November 2011 Submissions to Regional Educational Servicee Centers (RESCs) for Review due by March 30, 20122 Submission to CSDE due June 15, 2012
CONNECTICUT STATE DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION Commissioner of Education Stefan Pryor The State of Connecticut Department of Education is committed to a policy of equal opportunity/affirmative action for all qualified persons. The Department of Education does not discriminate in any employment practice, education program, or educational activity on the basis of race, color, religious creed, sex, age, national origin, ancestry, marital status, sexual orientation, disability (including, but not limited to, mental retardation, past or present history of mental disability, physical disability or learning disability), genetic information, or any other basis prohibited by Connecticut state and/or federal nondiscrimination laws. The Department of Education does not unlawfully discriminate in employment and licensing against qualified persons with a prior criminal conviction. Inquiries regarding the Department of Education's nondiscrimination policies should be directed to: Levy Gillespie, Equal Employment Opportunity Director, Title IX/ADA/Section 504 Coordinator, State of Connecticut Department of Education, 25 Industrial Park Road, Middletown, Connecticut 06457, 860 807 2071.
Table of Contents EDUCATIONAL TECHNOLOGY PLAN APPROVAL PROCESS... 3 COVER PAGE... 4 PREPARATION CHECK OFF PAGE... 5 LOCAL EDUCATION AGENCY (LEA) FEDERAL GRANT PROGRAM COMPLIANCE FORM... 6 LEA PROFILE... 7 Technology Literacy... 7 Policies... 7 Online Assessments... 8 PLANNING COMMITTEE... 9 VISION STATEMENT... 10 NEEDS ASSESSMENT... 10 Curriculum Integration... 10 Professional Development... 10 Equitable Use of Technology 12 Infrastructure and Telecommunications... 13 Administrative Needs... 13 PLAN IMPLEMENTATION... 15 LEA Technology Goals and Strategies... 15 GOAL 1: ENGAGING AND EMPOWERING LEARNING EXPERIENCES... 15 Action Plan for Goal Area 1... 15 GOAL 2: ASSESSMENT... 17 Action Plan for Goal Area 2... 17 1
GOAL 3: CONNECTED TEACHING AND LEARNING... 18 Action Plan for Goal Area 3... 18 GOAL 4: INFRASTRUCTURE FOR TEACHING AND LEARNING... 19 Action Plan for Goal Area 4... 19 GOAL 5: PRODUCTIVITY AND EFFICIENCY... 20 Action Plan for Goal Area 5... 20 CHILDREN S INTERNET PROTECTION ACT (CIPA) CERTIFICATION... 18 APPENDICES... 22 Appendix A: Educational Tech Planning Resources... 23 Educational Technology Planning... 23 Appendix B: Evaluating Your Plan... 24 The Committee... 24 The Mission and Vision... 24 The Needs Assessment... 24 Goal 1.0 Engaging and Empowering Learning Experiences... 25 Goal 2.0 Assessment... 25 3.0 Connected Teaching and Learning... 26 4.0 Infrastructure for Teaching and Learning... 26 5.0 Productivity and Efficiency... 27 APPENDIX C: Educational Technology Plan Review Guide... 25 2
Educational Technology Plan Approval Process The CSDE and RESC Alliance have updated the Educational Technology Plan template to reflect school district needs and closely align to the National Educational Technology Plan. Please read the educational technology plan process and refer to the evaluation section that lists some of the elements of an exemplary plan (see Appendix B). Please follow the steps below so that your plan can be reviewed and approved. Your RESC contact is listed within the template and is ready to help you plan if you require assistance. Appendix A also has resources for you to use to help complete your Educational Technology Plan. 1. Educational Technology Plan: Complete the plan using the template provided. 2. RESC Review*: Send a draft of the completed plan to the RESC staff listed below for your RESC region. This person will be your contact for an initial review and will facilitate the process. Please submit your initial draft by Friday, March 30, 2012. 3. Revisions: Your RESC contact will provide recommendations for the final steps of the process. 4. Superintendent/Director signature: Your plan needs to be signed by your Superintendent or Director on the four signature lines listed below. a. Cover Page (page 4) b. Technology Plan Preparation Check Off (page 5) c. LEA Federal Grant Program Compliance Form (page 6) d. Children s Internet Protection Act (CIPA) Certification (page 18) 5. Board of Education Approval: Upon receipt of Superintendent/Director s signature, submit the plan to your local board for approval. 6. Final Approval: Send the signed and Board approved original hard copy along with an electronic copy on CD before Friday, June 15, 2012, to: Cathy Bradanini, Connecticut LEA Educational Technology Plans, LEARN, 44 Hatchetts Hill Road, Old Lyme, CT 06371. 7. Final Check: The final plan will be initialed by the RESC contact and forwarded to CSDE. 8. Certification: Upon review and approval by the CSDE, a letter of state certification will be sent by the CSDE to the LEA Superintendent/Director. * The RESC reviewer s task is not to evaluate your technology plan but to check it for completeness and alignment with the template s requirements. RESC Region Staff Phone Address Email ACES CES Howard Gunther Esther Bobowick 203 407 4416 203 365 8883 CREC Doug Casey 860 524 4092 EASTCONN Jane Cook 860 455 0707 Education Connection LEARN Jonathan Costa 860 567 0863 Verna Sodano Richards 860 434 4800 ext. 367 ACES 205 Skiff Street Hamden, CT 06517 CES 40 Lindeman Drive Trumbull, CT 06611 CREC 111 Charter Oak Avenue Hartford, CT 06106 EASTCONN 376 Hartford Turnpike Hampton, CT 06247 Ed Connection 355 Goshen Road Litchfield, CT 06759 LEARN 44 Hatchetts Hill Road Old Lyme, CT 06371 hgunther@aces.org bobowice@ces.k12.ct.us dcasey@crec.org jcook@eastconn.org costa@educationconnection.org vsodano@learn.k12.ct.us 3
Cover Page EDUCATIONAL TECHNOLOGY PLAN July 1, 2012 June 30, 2015 District/Agency: Guilford Public Schools LEA Code: 060 Educational Technology Plan Contact: Phone: Kevin Mitchill 203 458 0003 x16 Fax: 203 458 0005 E mail: mitchillk@guilford.k12.ct.us Address: 701 New England Road, Guilford CT 06437 Name of Superintendent or Director: E mail: Paul Freeman Ed.D. Freemanp@guilford.k12.ct.us Signature of Superintendent or Director: Date: June 11, 2012 Date Submitted to Board of Education: May 29, 2012 Date Approved by Board of Education: June 11, 2012 For RESC/SDE Use Only: RESC Regional Reviewer: Date: RESC Recommendation for Approval: Yes / No / Conditional Date: CSDE Authorization: Date: 4
Preparation Check Off Page The submitted plan has the following: Cover Page Educational Technology Plan Preparation Check Off Page LEA Federal Grant Program Compliance Form LEA Profile Educational Technology Planning Committee Vision Statement Needs Assessment Goal 1 Goal 2 Goal 3 Goal 4 Goal 5 Children s Internet Protection Act (CIPA) Certification Optional Reporting* * The LEA is encouraged to complete a technology funding source list and budget to submit with the technology plan. Signature of Authorized LEA Agent June 11, 2012 Date 5
Local Education Agency (LEA) Federal Grant Program Compliance Form Local Education Agency Submitting this Plan Developing a comprehensive educational technology plan based on the educational goals of the school system will ensure that the most appropriate technologies are effectively infused into your instructional and/or administrative programs. Thorough planning also ensures that all parties have equitable access and achieve the greatest benefit from routine use of educational technology. The comprehensive educational technology plan should demonstrate clear targets for technology use, spell out desired goals for learners, create visions for future directions, build buy in from stakeholders and demonstrate to those who might provide funding that a district or charter holder is ready to act. School districts, consortia or charter schools (LEAs), who apply for technology funding through any federal grant program, are required to have developed a comprehensive, three year plan, which outlines how the agency intends to utilize and integrate educational technology. The applying agency (check all that apply) x Is compliant with the provisions of the Children s Internet Protection Act (CIPA) [20 U.S.C. 6777]. Will be CIPA compliant by this date. x Has applied for E Rate funding. The LEA s comprehensive educational technology plan must be approved by the local board of education. Date the plan was approved: June 11, 2012 OR Date the plan is to be submitted for board approval: Certified by: Signature of Superintendent or Director June 11, 2012 Date Kevin G Mitchill Printed Name of Superintendent or Director 6
LEA Profile LEA NAME: Guilford Public Schools This information should provide a snapshot of your district and help planners and reviewers to understand areas of need. This information will also assist the CSDE to establish priorities in the provision of resources to districts. The CSDE is particularly interested in the capability that each LEA has to access resources that will be placed onto the Connecticut Education Network (CEN). The new questions about technological literacy and professional development are asked as a result of additional federal reporting requirements. Educational Technology Literacy Questions During the 2010 11 school year, how many Grade 8 students were evaluated for technological literacy based on your district s standards? Your District s Numbers 278 How many of those students were considered technologically literate based on that evaluation? 278 How many hours of technology related professional development (PD) were offered to certified educators in 2010 11, including workshop hours that are offered to all of your educators (both teachers and administrators)? These sessions may be online and may include full day or partial day sessions provided by RESC personnel. Although both mentoring and coaching are considered very effective methods of offering PD, do not include any of those hours. How many hours of technology related professional development were offered to administrators in 2010 11? Count only those PD hours offered specifically for administrators. In Grades K 8 what fraction of your certified staff does your district consider technologically literate? The fraction s denominator should reflect the actual number of professional K 8 staff. For example, if out of 120 certified staff, 110 are considered technologically literate, the answer would be 110/120. In Grades 9 12, what fraction of your certified staff does your district consider technologically literate? The fraction s denominator should reflect the actual number of professional 9 12 staff. 75 12 214/238 105/117 Policies How often are your Acceptable Use Policy (AUP) and other technology related policies updated (Please check one below)? Every year Every other year At least every three years Other: Insert a link to your district s AUP below if it is stored on the Web: 7
Online Assessments When filling out the table below, please consider the following conditions: The number and percentage of students at each grade level that can have high speed Internet access at the same time. The students are grouped in clusters of no more than 30 and no less than 10 students. The students remain in their own school. The maximum number of Grade 4 students who could be accommodated under the above conditions. 225 The percentage of Grade 4 students who could be accommodated under the above conditions (number accommodated/total number of Grade 4 students). 77% The maximum number of Grade 6 students who could be accommodated under the above conditions. 175 The percentage of Grade 6 students who could be accommodated under the above conditions (number accommodated/total number of Grade 6 students). 55% The maximum number of Grade 8 students who could be accommodated under these conditions. 150 The percentage of Grade 8 students who could be accommodated under the above conditions (number accommodated/total number of Grade 8 students). 56% The maximum number of Grade 10 students who could be accommodated under the above conditions. 175 The percentage of Grade 10 students who could be accommodated under the above conditions (number accommodated/total number of Grade 10 students). 61% 8
Planning Committee The Educational Technology Planning Committee should represent all stakeholders. Development of the educational technology plan and implementation of the plan should enable parents, educators, students and community members to benefit from the investment in technology and all should have representation on the committee. Member Title Constituency Represented Kevin Mitchill Technology Director Administrator Andy Raucci Network Tech Tech Staff/Teacher Jim Murtagh Network Tech Community Member Bruce Scranton Server Administrator Technician Paula McCarthy Principal Administrator John Evans Teacher Teacher Nancy Bishop Principal Administration Deirdre Faherty Teacher Teacher Nancy McGill Parent Parent The Committee must: o Write a description of the educational technology committee s role in developing, implementing and evaluating the technology plan. This description should include how committee members were selected and the role each is expected to play. Tentative plans for scheduling meetings for the next school year should also be included. o Describe the evaluation strategies (e.g., interviews, questionnaires, classroom observations, teacher driven action research projects, analysis of student products or scores) that will be used to provide the data needed to address your evaluation questions. o Create the LEA s educational technology vision statement. o Develop an educational technology needs assessment. To best represent the interests of each of our schools we have created a technology committee per building. The committees are made up of administrators, teachers, technical staff and library media specialists. Each committee member is responsible for bringing technology interests, issues and requests to the attention of the committee and the director of technology and also to deliver information on committee decisions back to the staff. 9
Vision Statement A vision statement expresses thoughts about what the LEA s future technology rich educational environment will look like. It should be written in broad terms and guide the development of the educational technology plan. Literacy in the 21st century requires more than the ability to read, write and compute. Every student must develop strong technological skills and regularly use them in order to function adequately in our 21st century world. Guilford schools must ensure that technology resources are available to all students and the use of this technology is integrated across the curriculum in grades K 12 as part of the fabric of instruction. Students must use appropriate technologies to access worldwide resources in order to become more productive learners as part of their regular classroom routine. They must be able to use the many forms of technology to access, understand, manage, interpret, evaluate and create information. They also must be able to analyze information for content, relevancy and accuracy and be able to present that information in a variety of formats. An education that is technologically rich produces high school graduates with the tools, competencies and level of sophistication necessary to be successfully employed in an ever changing global economy. Such an education enables all students to understand and use current and emerging technologies in their personal, academic and work environments. For many students, especially those with disabilities, technology often provides access to the general curriculum and allows them to perform tasks or demonstrate skills they would otherwise be unable to do. Teachers must be empowered to support student learning with professional development that focuses on integrating technology into their teaching. School administrators must be recognized as leaders in building a strong school culture that supports technology as a tool to engage students in their learning activities. Parents also play a critical role in incorporating technology into the curriculum by understanding and supporting efforts to bring schools into the Information Age. Needs Assessment In this section, you are to assess and describe your LEA s current educational technology status in five categories: curriculum integration, professional development, equitable use of educational technology, infrastructure and telecommunications services and administrative needs. Curriculum Integration We are continuing to increase the use of technology to support our curricular initiatives within the school district. Many of our new textbooks and curricular programs have technology based instructional resources included with them. Teachers are using these instructional materials in the classrooms to assist in demonstrating concepts within the subject matter and to engage the students in activities illustrating the concepts. Teachers are also using educational websites to provide additional active experiences to students reinforcing the topics being studied. Using an interview process with both teachers and administrators, it was identified that additional work and support is needed to strengthen curricular offerings with embedded technology experiences. We must develop an improved process for determining additional areas of the curriculum where technology could assist in the instructional process. And as those areas are identified, we must develop both assured experiences for students to participate in while they are enrolled in a section of that particular class and additional activities to engage the students in the use of these new skills. These defined, assured experiences will help ensure that all students at that particular grade level or in a course will have a common experience with the integration of technology. While there is room for growth and improvement, students and teachers are actively using technology to support learning. For example, in the fifth grade, students are applying their new skills in PowerPoint and online research in the classroom when they research an assigned event or period in history. After 10
determining their responses to specific questions they put together a PowerPoint presentation and present their findings to the entire class. Applications such as word processing and PowerPoint presentations are used very commonly in classes to support many instructional units. These classroom applications of technology resources need to become part of an assured experience model for further infusing the use of technology in regular academic classrooms to improve instruction. Curriculum strategies are aligned to state standards predominately during the curriculum revision process. Individual curriculum committees are formed to review and rewrite curriculum in a particular subject area. State frameworks are used both as a standard and a guide for content of the curriculum. Now with the newly approved state standard for Information and Technology Literacy Framework, in addition to the previous standards established by the Computer Competency Standards for Students, a new perspective has been defined by the state. A well defined, but integrated curriculum on information and technology is the goal that will engage all teachers and all phases of instruction. Teachers are now actively integrating the use of technology into their lessons in multiple ways. More and more resources are available to support whole class instruction through the use of interactive projectors and SmartBoards in the classroom. At Guilford High School we have been working to expand the installation of BrightLink Interactive Projectors within the classrooms. This permanent installation allows teachers to integrate their use on a daily basis in the classroom by taking full advantage of local curricular materials and resources available on the Internet. Smartboards are now found in all elementary school classrooms and are being used extensively by the elementary foreign language department. Teachers are also making active use of the mobile computer lab resources in every school and at all grade levels while instructing their classes. For example, research and simulated experiments are frequently used applications of the science department. We have made significant investments in probeware for the high school and middle school science departments. These probes would allow students to collect data while conducting experiments and then use that data to create graph and make analyses on the computer. Students use PowerPoint in many grades and classes to present their results from class work or research to other classmates. Geometry classes now use the software program Geometry Sketchpad as an additional instructional tool to support geometry instruction and as an excellent method to illustrate the concepts included in geometry. In social studies students have been introduced to clickers which allow the teachers to quickly assess the class. A quick quiz can be conducted in 10 minutes and the results are available immediately so the teacher knows exactly where more time is needed. The clickers also allow all students to participate. Students are regularly using the electronic resources of iconn, SIRS and the Internet to research topics and issues for their class assignments. They are using the information literacy skills they have acquired in class to evaluate the information available from the Internet. To ensure that students document research resources correctly, the high school has begun using Turnitin.com to evaluate the originality of student s work and to help guard against plagiarism. This system does help students understand the importance of using resources found on the Internet appropriately and allows students to check their work against the database prior to turning in their assignments. Guilford Public Schools is preparing to provide access to cloud resources in the very near future. We plan to offer both the Google Apps and Microsoft s Live@EDU services. These resources will provide anywhere access to students documents and a variety of online applications for students to complete their work. The services also provide for online collaboration via document sharing, email, and conferencing. Teachers have also begun using many of what are known as Web 2.0 tools such as blogs and wikis as a way to extend learning beyond the classroom. Professional Development The process presently in use for determining the professional development needs of certified and non certified staff involves a number of methods. The first method is through the Annual District Goals established by the Guilford Board of Education each year. If a specific technology goal is identified or if technology is an included component in an identified curricular or operational goal, professional development is planned to support that goal. An additional method of determination for professional development activities is to support the use of new software or network resources to be used to support the instructional program or administrative needs at each grade level. This 11
method involves the school building administrator as an important link between the needs of their building staff and a request for professional development support. When a professional development need for technology is shared with the principal of a school or if the principal has observed a need for professional development to assist their staff, that request is submitted to the Assistant Superintendent for Curriculum and Instruction or the Director of Technology. At that point, an appropriate date and time for the professional development training session to occur is arranged and a trainer is identified and scheduled. We do rely on the principals of the schools to be an important link to the needs within their schools to enable the staff to meet the technological expectations in that school. We have also begun using our survey software to survey the staff to see what their interests are for technology professional development. We use the responses to determine which opportunities to offer and to also determine when the best times to offer the professional development would be. A number of different professional development activities have been offered to empower staff with the skills needed to use the technology available to them. To improve the school to home communication a significant focus on the use of teacher web pages was used. Over one hundred Guilford teachers recently received training using Weebly, an online web building application. Using this application, the teachers can quickly and easily build a professional looking website and update it with information for parents and resources for students. Professional development was also offered on the use of online tools such as wikis, blogs, wordle, moodle and a number of other easy to use, interactive, engaging web tools that are available to the public for free. We will soon be offering professional development on cloud resources, applications, concepts and collaboration using the Google Apps and Live@EDU services. Other offerings include Lanschool, a management tool for use with our computer labs. Lanschool allows the teachers to share their screen or other student s screens with the class, quickly get our younger students to places on the web and even conduct assessments which are scored immediately upon completion providing instant feedback for teachers and students. Equitable Use of Technology As detailed in the matrix below, student and staff do have equal access to the technology available in the Guilford Schools. The majority of the larger groupings of computers at the elementary and middle school levels are in the computer labs which are available for use by all staff to support the curricular needs of their students. There are no distinctions made for regular or special education students. All are equally eligible to the common computer resources and computer access within their classrooms. Students that are identified with special needs that need to be supported by specialized assistive equipment have those needs identified during the PPT process. Any assistive needs identified during the PPT process are accommodated for that student. The following matrix may be used to determine the extent technology is available to staff. Administrators Teachers (including preschool) Please include information about the type and availability of staff access both on and off campus. All school administrators have district issued laptops and access to a number of network resources to assist them in their responsibilities. All have Microsoft Office as a productivity suite of business applications. They also have e mail accounts on our district email server with distribution lists and listservs available to efficiently communicate with their staff. All building administrators have access to the PowerSchool student information system for their school that provides up to the moment information about their school and its population. They also have access to the MUNIS financial management package to manage the school district finances. All teachers have network accounts and email on our learning network. Teachers are issued a district laptop which they use for grading, communications, lesson planning, 12
research and professional development. The laptops utilize the wireless networks in the building so teachers can be online anywhere in the building. Mobile labs are available in all schools. These labs are available for teachers to sign out and use with their classes. Smartboards and interactive projectors are also available in most classrooms. Teachers also have access to document cameras and digital video cameras. Noncertified staff All office staff have computers on their desks with full access to the district network resources, Microsoft Office and email, as well as access to the PowerSchool student information system. Other non certified staff, such as paraprofessionals, also have network accounts and email and may log into the network from any available computer. The following matrix may be used to determine the extent technology is available to students. Please include information about availability in classrooms, the library media center and all other areas where students have access. Mention the extent of supervised access before and after school. Adaptive Technologies, Tablets, Desktop Computers, Mobile Labs Students (preschool) Classroom Computers, Media Center Computers, Portable Labs, Stationary Labs, Tablets, Supervised before and after school use Students (elementary) Classroom Computers, Media Center Computers, Portable Labs, Stationary Labs, Tablets, Supervised before and after school use Students (middle school) Classroom Computers, Media Center Computers, Portable Labs, Stationary Labs, Tablets, Supervised before and after school use Students (high school) Classroom Computers, Media Center Computers, Portable Labs, Stationary Labs, Tablets, Supervised before and after school use Students (with disabilities) Infrastructure and Telecommunications The Connecticut Education Network (CEN) provides Guilford High School with a super high bandwidth connection to the Internet. This internet connection has been very reliable and has significantly increased the bandwidth to the high school. All middle and elementary schools are connected to the internet via complimentary Comcast business internet connections. VPN connections are permanently established between all schools providing a secure tunnel for internal communications and the inter building T1 circuits remain in place for backup. Each building has a wireless network and hardwired computers are connected at 100 or 1000 Mbps. The district currently requires upgrades to a number of our network switches. We would like to be able to switch at 1000 Mbps to all wired computers and to increase backbone capacity to 10000 Mbps. We will also be receiving a new CEN Internet connection that is promised to be much faster than our current connection. With the arrival of the new connection comes the need to upgrade the inter school connections so that all of the district schools will be able to take advantage of this new connection. Ideally this would be in the form of a district owned dark fiber network between buildings. Plans for this project have begun and we will be requesting funding for the 2013 14 budget year. All Guilford schools are fully wired with coaxial cable which provides cable access through the classroom projectors. Each classroom is equipped with telephone access with voice mail messaging service, which is an important communications link between classroom teachers, parents/guardians, school offices and emergency services. 13
Guilford Public Schools does apply for and participate in the Universal Services Fund E Rate program each year. This participation provides a 40% reimbursement to the district for all eligible telephone and Internet services that are paid for locally. The reimbursement rate is determined by the percentage of students that are eligible for the free or reduced price lunch program. These reimbursements total approximately $30,000.00 per year and the savings have been used to purchase additional computers at the end of the year when the savings have been realized. Since our actual percentage of students in our district averages approximately 4.2%, we are not eligible for the third funding level of E rate, Internal connections. This category of funding is prioritized by the USF based on your actual percentage level of your district and each year they fund projects for districts that are in the 80% range of eligibility for free of reduced price lunch. That level funds actual infrastructure hardware such as servers, switches, etc. Administrative Needs Guilford s administrative staff members are active users of technology on a daily basis. The student information system PowerSchool is the central repository for student information in our district. All student demographic data, attendance, scheduling, grading and emergency contact information is maintained in the system. Office staff updates information in the student information system on a daily basis and this information provides the necessary information for many school management decisions. Images of students are also stored in this system to confirm student identification when needed. Certain confidential information is also maintained in PowerSchool with access limited to those users that are authorized for access. Administrators have quick and easy access to all student information. We are now storing many district benchmark test scores within the system. We have also been using the parent portal which allows parents to view up to date information and grades for their students. All schools are actively using the resources of the computer network to communicate with their staff. E mail and listservs of staff members provide a commonly used communication method within each school. A growing number of listservs have been established on our district server to provide an efficient method of communication within the district. Shared folders in the server in each school also provide an efficient method of distributing access to files and forms necessary for use by staff in each school. Staff members post these files in the appropriate shared folders and the files become resources to be used by any staff member with network rights to that shared folder. Administrators have access to a rapid communication system which utilizes email, phone calling and text messaging to contact parents and community members and staff. This system synchronizes user contact info within the PowerSchool system. The system is used for general information and reminders as well as for passing clear, consistent and quick information to parents in cases of emergency. We have also used this system to disperse surveys and quickly collect information from parents. All technology related professional development activities that are offered to staff are also available to administrators as well. These professional development activities most commonly deal with topics that represent new software or new network capabilities to be used within the classroom. Professional development opportunities offered only to administrators include such topics as the use of CTReports.com to analyze the results of our district and our schools on the CAPT and CMT testing. 14
Plan Implementation LEA Technology Goals and Strategies The LEA educational technology plan should be aligned to the National and State Educational Technology Plans and include the following State Goals. The LEA may include any additional goals that apply to their educational technology plan. Goal 1: Engaging and Empowering Learning Experiences Goal 2: Assessment Goal 3: Connected Teaching and Learning Goal 4: Infrastructure for Teaching and Learning Goal 5: Productivity and Efficiency Goal 1: Engaging and Empowering Learning Experiences National Educational Tech Plan State Educational Tech Plan 1.0 Learning: Engage and Empower Goal 1: Engaging and Empowering Learning Experiences All learners will have engaging and empowering learning All learners will have engaging and empowering learning experiences both in and out of school that prepare them to experiences both inside and outside of school that prepare be active, creative, knowledgeable and ethical participants them to be active, creative, knowledgeable and ethical in our globally networked society. participants in our globally networked society. What will your district do over the life of this local Educational Tech Plan to ensure that learning experiences are empowering, engaging and supported by digital tools? Action Plan for Goal Area 1 What Steps Will You Take? Who Will Be Responsible? When (be specific, e.g., by 10/1/13)? Addition of a Technology Technology Director 2012 13(1) Integration Assistant Superintendent 2013 14(1) Specialist/Coaching Position How will you measure? Observation and Teacher Feedback Explore new empowering and engaging tools and provide proper training and support for teachers Integration Coach Tech Staff Technology Director 2012 and continuing Provide proper equipment and training to support curricular initiatives Assistant Superintendent Technology Director 15 2012 and continuing Feedback from the teachers
Create empowering and engaging lessons that require students to conduct research, problem solve and use to present their findings Teachers Integration Coach Ongoing Student assessments Feedback from teachers Observations Provide access and support for computing applications both local and in the cloud Technology Staff Currently in progress Teacher feedback Observations 16
Goal 2: Assessment National Educational Tech Plan 2.0 Assessment: Measure What Matters At all levels, our education system will leverage the power of technology to measure what matters and use assessment data for continuous improvement. State Educational Tech Plan Goal 2: Assessment At all levels, our education system will leverage the power of technology to measure what matters and use assessment data for continuous improvement. What will your district do over the life of this local Educational Tech Plan to ensure that technology is used for assessment? Action Plan for Goal Area 2 What Steps Will You Take? Who Will Be Responsible? When (be specific, e.g., by 10/1/13)? Continue to administer our Teachers Ongoing current assessments and Principals make improvements where needed How will you measure? Data will be analyzed and discusses in PLCs Provide a digital storage medium for assessment data, easily accessible by administrators, teachers, parents and students Technology Director Student Database Admin Ongoing with possible new system purchase 2013 14 Administrator and teacher feedback Improve upon the accessibility, timeliness and analysis of assessment data Technology Director Assistant Superintendent Summer 2013 Improve upon the accessibility, analysis and timeliness Committee Evaluation Create new assessments to test new initiatives and learning practices Technology Director Student Database Admin Assistant Superintendent Teachers Ongoing PLC discussion Assessments 17
Goal 3: Connected Teaching and Learning National Educational Tech Plan State Educational Tech Plan 3.0 Teaching: Prepare and Connect Goal 3: Connected Teaching and Learning Professional educators will be supported individually, and Professional educators will be supported individually, and in teams, by technology that connects them to data, in teams, by technology that connects them to data, content, resources, expertise and learning experiences that content, resources, expertise and learning experiences that enable and inspire more effective teaching for all learners. can empower and inspire them to provide more effective teaching for all learners. What will your district do over the life of this local Educational Tech Plan to ensure that educators are prepared to teach 21st Century learners and are connected to technology resources that support teaching and learning? Action Plan for Goal Area 3 What Steps Will You Take? Who Will Be Responsible? When (be specific, e.g., by 10/1/13)? Continue to provide quality Technology Director Ongoing professional development Assistant Superintendent opportunities and introduce new technologies How will you measure? Teacher feedback Observation Hire integration coach to work with and encourage teacher s efforts to seek out and out and incorporate new technologies for learning Technology Director Assistant Superintendent Sept 2012 Sept 2013 Teacher feedback Observation Provide proper equipment, training and support Technology Director and Tech Staff Business Manager Ongoing Staff feedback 18
Goal 4: Infrastructure for Teaching and Learning National Educational Tech Plan State Educational Tech Plan 4.0 Infrastructure: Access and Enable Goal 4: Infrastructure for Teaching and Learning All students and educators will have access to a All students and educators will have access to a comprehensive infrastructure for learning, when and where comprehensive infrastructure for learning, when and where they need it. they need it. What will your district do over the life of this local Educational Tech Plan to ensure that all students and educators will have access to a comprehensive infrastructure for teaching and learning? Action Plan for Goal Area 4 What Steps Will You Take? Who Will Be Responsible? When (be specific, e.g., by 10/1/13)? Introduce cloud computing Technology Director August 2012 to provide all time access to Tech Staff the technology resources students are expected use and to expand learning beyond the classroom How will you measure? Observation Teacher feedback Provide quality equipment and infrastructure to support learning Technology Director Network Techs Ongoing Teacher feedback Maintain and update technology so that teachers have access to current technology Technology Director Tech Staff Ongoing Switch Upgrades Summer 2012 Wireless Upgrades Summer 2013 Teacher feedback Provide the adequate level of support so that teachers are comfortable and willing to try new technologies Technology Director Tech Support Staff Integration Coach Ongoing with additions in Sept 2012 and Sept 2013 Teacher feedback Administration feedback Observation Upgrade interschool connections to take advantage of bandwidth provided by CEN Technology Director Business Manager Oct 2012 ongoing Observation Network analysis Provide time for teachers to work in PLCs to discuss and share new ideas and uses for technologies Technology Director Superintendent Assistant Superintendent Principals Ongoing Teacher feedback Observation Classroom Output 19
Goal 5: Productivity and Efficiency National Educational Tech Plan State Educational Tech Plan 5.0 Productivity: Redesign and Transform Goal 5: Productivity and Efficiency At all levels, our education system will redesign processes At all levels, our education system will redesign processes and structures to take advantage of the power of and structures to take advantage of the power of technology to improve learning outcomes while making technology to improve learning outcomes while making more efficient use of time, money and staff. more efficient use of time, money and staff. What will your district do over the life of this local Educational Tech Plan to maintain or redesign processes and structures to take advantage of the power of technology to improve learning outcomes while maintaining efficiency? Action Plan for Goal Area 5 What Steps Will You Take? Who Will Be Responsible? When (be specific, e.g., by 10/1/13)? Explore distance and online Superintendent Ongoing learning opportunities and Assistant Superintendent collaborate with other Tech Director districts Integration Coach How will you measure? Observation Teacher feedback Student feedback Implement a new system for assessment delivery, scoring, storage and retrieval, and analysis Assistant Superintendent Tech Director Administration 2012 2013 School Year Administrator feedback Continuously review all district processes and systems and use technology to gain efficiencies Tech Director Network Techs Ongoing Year to year analysis Implement paperless system for the procurement Tech Director Business Manager Oct 2013 Staff feedback Take advantage of free online applications and services like Google Apps, Live@EDU, etc. Tech Director Administration Teachers Begin Summer 2012 Year to year analysis Network with other districts and share best practices, new initiatives and results Teachers Administrators Tech Staff Ongoing Teacher feedback Assessment data 20
Children s Internet Protection Act (CIPA) Certification Schools and libraries that plan on receiving E-Rate discounts on Internet access and/or internal connection services after July 1, 2002, must be in compliance with the CIPA. CIPA compliance means that schools and libraries are filtering their Internet services and have implemented formal Internet safety policies (also frequently known as Acceptable Use Policies). Information on the CIPA requirements is located at http://e-ratecentral.com/cipa/cipa_policy_primer.pdf. I, Kevin Mitchill, certify that one of the following conditions (as indicated below) exists in Name of Superintendent/Director LEA X My LEA/agency is E-Rate compliant; or My LEA/agency is not E-Rate compliant. (Check one additional box below): Every applicable school* has complied with the CIPA requirements in subpart 4 of Part D of Title II of the ESEA**. Not all applicable schools* have yet complied with the requirements in subpart 4 of Part D of Title II of the ESEA**. However, the LEA has received a one-year waiver from the U.S. Secretary of Education under section 2441(b)(2)(C) of the ESEA for those applicable schools not yet in compliance. The CIPA requirements in the ESEA do not apply because no funds made available under the program are being used to purchase computers to access the Internet, or to pay for direct costs associated with accessing the Internet, for elementary and secondary schools that do not receive E-Rate services under the Communications Act of 1934, as amended. *An applicable school is an elementary or secondary school that does not receive E-Rate discounts and for which Ed Tech funds are used to purchase computers used to access the Internet, or to pay the direct costs associated with accessing the Internet. ** Codified at 20 U.S.C. 6777. See also http://www.ed.gov/legislation/esea02/pg37.html June 11, 2012 Signature of Superintendent/Director Date 21
Appendices 22
Appendix A: Educational Tech Planning Resources Educational Technology Planning National Educational Tech Plan: Double click on this file to open https://sites.google.com/site/cteett/home/21st century learningenvironment/project work/progress report i NETPFullReport11-9- 10.pdf or to view it on the Web, go to: http://www.ed.gov/sites/default/files/netp2010.pdf State of Connecticut Educational Tech Plan: Double click on this file to open CT_Technology+Plan +2010FINAL.doc Educational Technology Planning CSDE Position Statement on Educational Technology National Educational Technology Plan CT Teacher Technology Competencies International Society for Technology in Education Essential Conditions National Educational Technology Standards for Administrators National Educational Technology Standards for Teachers National Educational Technology Standards for Students CT Education Network (CEN) CT Commission for Educational Technology (CET) SETDA Toolkits Partnership for 21st. Century Skills Documentation from 21st Century Learning Environments grantees Site http://www.sde.ct.gov/sde/cwp/view.asp?a=2678&q=320314 http://www.ed.gov/technology/netp 2010 http://www.sde.ct.gov/sde/lib/sde/pdf/dtl/technology/perfindi_v2.pdf http://www.iste.org/libraries/pdfs/essential_conditions_2007_en.sflb.ashx http://www.iste.org/standards/nets for administrators.aspx http://www.iste.org/standards/nets for teachers/nets for teachers 2008.aspx http://www.iste.org/standards/nets for students/nets student standards 2007.aspx http://www.ct.gov/cen/site/default.asp http://www.ct.gov/ctedtech/site/default.asp?cenpnavctr= #30930 http://www.setda.org/web/guest/toolkits http://www.21stcenturyskills.org/ 23
Appendix B: Evaluating Your Plan The plan must include an evaluation process that enables the school or library to monitor progress toward the specified goals and make mid course corrections in response to new developments and opportunities as they arise. The following information can be used to help build and monitor an exemplary educational technology plan. The Committee An exemplary plan: Includes a representative committee member of each stakeholder group, including community members. Describes responsibilities of each committee member. Includes a timeline of milestones, including meeting dates and deliverables. The results: Leverages the support, depth of experience and views of the school community in developing and implementing the technology plan. The Mission and Vision An exemplary plan: Ensures that vision addresses the school mission. The results: Implements changes designed to increase student achievement through the use of technology. Leads to the efficient use of technology in all aspects of the school community. The Needs Assessment An exemplary plan: Assures all stakeholders have a voice in developing the needs assessment. Assesses what is already being done in the school and district. Researches innovations of other schools and districts. Studies the current school/district culture with regard to risk taking and technology innovation. Identifies and prioritizes target areas. The results: Provides the data needed to participate in an effective technology planning process, which will support systemic change. 24
Goal 1.0 Engaging and Empowering Learning Experiences What will your district do over the life of this local Educational Technology Plan to ensure that learning experiences are empowering, engaging and supported by digital tools? An exemplary plan: Monitors, updates and reports to stakeholders four times per year on the plan. Collects, analyzes and distributes data to demonstrate increased student achievement through the implementation of the technology plan. Individualizes learning in level and pacing using technology. Uses technology to collect data and stakeholder responses concerning the use of technologies for improving and assessing academics. Measures progress toward benchmarks within the technology plan. The data: Lists goals and objectives that are or are not met, including explanations and ways to overcome barriers. Includes a plan for meeting unmet goals and objectives. Lists unexpected outcomes or benefits of the technology plan. Lists other needs that have emerged since the plan was last written/revised. Deletes goals and objectives that are no longer relevant to the current situation. Lists developments in technology that can take advantage of improving the school district. The results: The district stakeholders are kept informed on the direction and progress of empowering, engaging and supporting learning with digital tools. Teachers and administrators have ways to measure progress. Goal 2.0 Assessment What will your district do over the life of this local Educational Technology Plan to ensure that technology is used for assessment? An exemplary plan: Identifies and addresses goals in the school improvement plan. Identifies data points that can be used at the classroom level to improve instruction, (e.g., results of common formative digital assessments to be analyzed by data teams). Identified data points that can be used at the system/district level to improve operations (e.g., data on misuse of technology by students related to bullying, etc.). Clearly identifies which data points will be collected by which tool. Includes data collection timeline with reporting criteria (shared with whom and when). Provides the essential conditions to address technology as an assessment tool (e.g., infrastructure, training, etc.). The results: Students take assessments online and gain immediate results. Educators, parents and students are able to access the data 24/7. Systems are in place to evaluate, monitor and improve the assessment data. 25