Swampscott Public Schools Technology Report 2009-2014 Introduction and Current State: The district formulated a Technology Plan that articulated four primary tenets around which all technology initiatives would revolve. Those tenets were identified as: - Administrative Efficiency - Teacher Productivity - Student Acquisition of Skills - Communication Swampscott s Technology Department has used these tenets to guide our innovations, expansion, and growth. Administrative Efficiency: 1) Database Management: we have outgrown our student management system (MMS). After an evaluation process, we upgraded to Aspen X2 that is web based and will integrate SPED and Health. 2) Systems Automation: We have created an online form and a process for identifying, prioritizing, classifying, and tracking technology issues and concerns. We now have a Technical Support Services portal, in which staff log any and all issues. 3) District Wide and School Based Calendars: each school now has the ability to post and manage their individual calendars, and then link to a system-wide district calendar that is available online. 4) Upgrade Network Switches: this is for secure interconnectivity within schools and file sharing along with data. 5) Build Fiber Backbone: the need to further increase efficiency by connecting school buildings to each other via fiber, as well as with Town Hall and other municipalities departments like Police and Fire, for secure connections to security systems and any other applications as well as VoIP and telecommunications.
6) Ongoing Development of the Technology Department: this started with the hiring of 1 FTE Technology Director (now MIS Director), and continued with employing 1 FTE network administrator, 1 FTE technology specialist, 1 FTE 3/4 time administrative assistant along with 3 school-based stipends for teachers. This number of staff needs to be increased to provide the services for the staff as well as keep equipment functioning correctly. 7) Inventory Assessment and Redeployment: As changes develop we need to reused, re-imaged and redeployed equipment to other locations. The age of some equipment has prevented full use of all technologies and applications. 8) Infusion of new technologies: the abundance of many technologies promises to offer our community years of advanced educational opportunities. Teacher Productivity: 1.) MCAS Tools: we made a commitment to staff and students to provide the best tools necessary to have our students perform their best. We now have immediate access to the MCAS questions from 1998-2011 categorized by a variety of variables on the web. This web-based portal can be accessed from home or work and is issuer-friendly. 2.) Trainings and Workshops: teacher and staff training is ongoing, however, more training is needed. 3.) SmartBoards: we are in the process of installing many SmartBoards learning centers within classrooms. Student Acquisition of Skills: 1.) Investment in Technology: the infusion of technology afforded by the new high school project, and the subsequent redeployment of equipment, has afforded our students an increase in access to technology. There is a need for more academic classes related specifically to computers, programming and technology. 2.) Invested in updating Specialty Items: we made significant upgrades
in technology for students with special needs. We have upgraded much of our specialized hardware and software, and have installed nine amplification speaker units for our hearing impaired. 3.) LifeSkills: our LifeSkills Department in the high school is equipped with the latest computers and software, along with an integrated color copier/printer/scanner. Students are using this technology to learn the skills necessary to create an in-house print shop. Communication: 1.) Internet Safety: With the participation of the Essex County District Attorney s Office, Swampscott successfully challenged its staff and students to address this issue district-wide with the participation of students and faculty in grades 3-12. 2.) District-Wide Web Pages: We have chosen to adopt the same web site company that successfully launched the Town of Swampscott new website, which will increase consistency and collaboration. Access to sections of the site can be customized according to needs and suitability. 3.) Emergency Communications: The need to integrate communication devices to ensure the safety and security of our students and staff is essential. The process of upgrading PBX phone systems is complete. 4.) Cell Phones: the district is in the process of moving to Sprint/Nextel for all cell phone devices. We have contracted for three levels of service that have lowered our costs while increasing the number of phones and security related features. 5.) District Wide Calendar: the on-line calendar for each school has improved communication with students, parents, and the greater community. 6.) Connect Ed: the district has adopted a recorded voice delivery system to notify parents of critical information, updates, and changes. 7.) Voice Mail: all schools now have the ability for voice mail. SPECIFICS BY LEVEL: 1.) The opening of a new high school in September 2007 has been a tremendous asset to the District. The level and types of technologies (Intel-core Duo computers, integrated computer projections systems, video distribution systems, wireless laptop devices, etc.) as well as state of the art computer software applications ( including, but not limited, to Adobe Cs3 Web Premium, Microsoft Office 2003, AutoCAD, etc. ). The entire Swampscott Public School system has undergone a dramatic change in the physical
layout of its buildings. In addition to opening a new high school, we closed a middle school (middle school is now at the former high school site), and closed an elementary school. But as time moves forward the technologies need to be upgraded and replaced with new state of the art systems. 2.) The middle school has presented some unique challenges and opportunities, and we have whenever possible capitalized on the benefits. We own a mixture of older Macs and newly re-furbished PC s, and intend to cross-train all K-8 students on dual platforms. We have reinforced the sound educational choices of SmartBoards with the purchase of audio/visual SmartBoards centers. 3.) At the elementary level we are coordinating the three schools. Two schools use Macintosh computers, and the third elementary school primarily uses PC s. The number of computers available for middle school students increased and a new MAC lab was installed. 4.) The Superintendent, staff, and all administration use PC s, with Microsoft applications, and PC based software. All databases and software programs follow the PC format. The need to be consistent throughout the district is essential and we are in need of the latest Microsoft Office. With the student population we reviewed the software and hardware, and determined it would be better to continue along the Macintosh environment and allow for the upgrade of Mac servers and software to accommodate the already existing educational goals. OBJECTIVES: The Technology Department endeavored to adhere to the fundamental tenets of the district-wide technology committee, and enlarged and expanded upon the goals of last year s technology plan. The newly formed Technology Department also has taken on the added responsibility to integrate items that in past, were not associated with technology. In this environment, technology includes photocopiers, telecommunications, faxes, PBX s, security, etc. Adopting and implementing an on-line Technical Support Portal was critical to our goal of reducing costs to the district and addressing global or reoccurring issues, as well as triaging technology-related problems in a manner consistent with the tenets driving our technology philosophy. Security Systems are computers; they require maintenance, upgrades, back-ups and interconnectivity. The District, along with the town, has undergone a substantial commitment to interconnecting buildings via fiber, including Town Hall, the Police Department, the Fire Department, and the Senior Center. With the recent approval and assistance of the Swampscott Building Committee and the Town Manager, the School District will have complete fiber run from the new high school to Town Hall, and out again to the middle school and eventually onto the elementary schools. One of our goals is to connect all buildings via fiber.
DOE Requirements of EPIMS: The District recognized a critical need to update the comprehensive and district-wide database software program in order to comply with the changing DOE reports. The decision was made to upgrade our MMS software to Aspen X2. The advantages of this choice included the ability to migrate many databases to one centralized web based system, as well as allow consistent grade book management. Prioritize Resource Allocation: Continual analysis of fiscal priorities regarding integrated technologies such as security, telecommunications, copiers, etc. 911: The need to integrate communication devices and ensure safety and security is essential. The need for all classrooms to have the ability to make a 911 phone call or hear a broadcast paging system is a goal the district is moving towards. MCAS Portal: continue to expand the use of the portal and other related MCAS tools. Technical Support Services Portal: continue to expand the use of the portal across all departments and personnel. Automate Classroom Attendance: move away form daily and period based attendance being done on paper to an electronic web based system. Teacher Grade book: provide web based grade book application for teachers. This will be now available via Aspen X2. Wire Smart Boards and Projectors: hire stipend based position and implement roll-out. Cell Phones/ Walkie-Talkies: roll-out to appropriate staff. PBX: continue a long-term cost-effective telecommunications plan along with standardized, voice mail, phone extensions, integrated paging and 911 abilities. As these systems become older more funds need to be allocated to cover costs associated with repair and replacements. Once fiber is run connect all buildings via 4 digit dialing will make communications better while lowering costs. Copiers: continue networking and using as large volume printers to lower costs and increase productivity. Printers: phase out high cost per page low-end and/or ink-jet printers at individual computers and move more towards centralized document management solutions including the use of a student-staffed in-house print shop. Computers: continue managing and upgrading resources but a long tern plan is needed to upgrade computers in the high school, they are going on 6 years old. Faxes: continue phasing-out individual locations of faxes. This reduces the number of costly dedicated phone lines and service issues related with keeping multiple fax machines within a few 100 feet of each other.
Software: the academic community and other stakeholders must determine software needs within the framework of a larger technology advisory plan. SPED: continue working collaboratively with other professionals to anticipate, assess, and promote technology solutions for all our students. Security: ongoing committee should continue to put together a long term solution. Staffing Technology Department: the Massachusetts DOE recommends one full time technician per 100-200 computers, an aggressive standard compared to the corporate norm of one full time technician per 80 computers. At Swampscott, we have over 900 computers and three full-time technology positions. The District has been resourceful in securing the help of three teacher stipend positions to offset some of each building s needs, but this a stopgap measure is not the whole solution. It is not realistic or efficient to use these resources to add/remove hardware, software, network connections. At a minimum, two additional FTE technology specialists as well as a full-time database manager should be added. We recently moved to a database called X2 and transferred a ¾ time secretary position to support this move. Web Pages Upgrade: the District moved to a content management solution for a web presence which has provided a greater level of service to our community. Teachers still need to keep websites current. Maintenance and Repair: this is ongoing, and necessitates yearly evaluations based on changing needs, but the current budget does not allow for all the repairs that are necessary. Capital Improvements: We receive the majority of funds for new products through the capital request process. Although we are grateful for this funding the district needs a long term plan for purchasing and implementing hardware. Develop a Technology Integration and Curriculum Committee: Develop an advisory committee that will provide a framework for technology integration and technology curriculum initiatives that support the ongoing needs of the Swampscott Public Schools. This committee should be made up of parents, teachers, students, community members and other stakeholders, and should undertake integration and curriculum goals that align with the Massachusetts Curriculum Frameworks. The advisory committee should adopt and develop a: Mission Statement Software Policy Hardware Policy Curriculum Framework Professional Development Plan Training and Implementation Policy Evaluative Process
Technology Budget 2011-2012 INSTRUCTIONAL TECH SUPPLIES CLARKE $2,000 INSTRUCTIONAL TECH SUPPLIES HADLEY $2,000 INSTRUCTIONAL TECH SUPPLIES STANLEY $2,000 INSTRUCTIONAL TECH SUPPLIES K-12 $1,000 INSTRUCTIONAL TECH SUPPLIES M.S. $1,000 INSTRUCTIONAL TECH SUPPLIES H.S. $1,000 TECHNOLOGY MAINTENANCE CLARKE Technology expenses $1,000 TECHNOLOGY MAINTENANCE HADLEY Technology expenses $1,000 TECHNOLOGY MAINTENANCE STANLEY Technology expenses $1,000 TECHNOLOGY MAINTENANCE M.S. Technology expenses $1,000 TECHNOLOGY MAINTENANCE H.S. Technology expenses $1,000 TECHNOLOGY MAINTENANCE ADMIN. Technology expenses $1,800 TECHNOLOGY MAINTENANCE SPED Technology expenses $3,000 SOFTWARE LICENSES/SUBSCRIPTIONS Technology expenses $73,000 EDUC. EQUIPMENT REPLACEMENT CLARKE Equip. Replacement $1,500 EDUC. EQUIPMENT REPLACEMENT HADLEY Equip. Replacement $1,500 EDUC. EQUIPMENT REPLACEMENT STANLEY Equip. Replacement $1,500 EDUC. EQUIPMENT REPLACEMENT M.S. Equip. Replacement $2,000 EDUC. EQUIPMENT REPLACEMENT H.S. Equip. Replacement $2,000 EDUC. EQUIPMENT REPLACEMENT SPED Equip. Replacement $1,500 Town Technology Capital Account $75,000.00 Some goals from the DESE Technology Report: What goals do you feel you accomplished last year (from July 1, 2010 to June 30, 2011)? Please include information about how your technology activities have impacted teaching and learning in your district. We successfully implemented 67 elementary, 13 Middle School and 8 High school Smart board audio/video/projector learning centers. We also updated 70 computers for teachers and 30 computers for a lab as well as another 20 laptops to our mobile labs inventory (cows). The hardware and software upgrades allowed teachers to have more interactive lesson plans that fully engaged students with state of the art learning and better student involvement. We successfully roll-out Naviance, a web based password secure electronic college data management system for guidance, students and parents to keep tract of
student data including student GPAs, standardized test scores, college choices, colleges applications information and a personality and career assessment. This has greatly assisted with career choices and college applications. We started to replace our student database system (mms) with another system to allow (the choice of the new database system was X2) for better data management. We have not completed the data migration as of yet. We did not receive the funds to build a fiber network between all schools, but we are still working with the Town Capitol Committee and District Business Manager to accomplish this goal. We successfully replaced and networked the majority of copiers to allow scanning, printing, etc. which now allows for better distribution of information. We successfully replaced our cell phones for greater communications but being close to the water the cell signals did not improve as much as we hoped. We continue to make progress on keeping our website fully up-to-date by all departments, teachers and staff so parents and the community can remain fully informed and involved. What goals do you feel you accomplished last year (from July 1, 2009 to June 30, 2010)? Please include information about how your technology activities have impacted teaching and learning in your district. We continue to make very good progress on teachers, staff and administrators updating their websites. We successfully implemented an online access portal for parents to make payments for school activities and fees. We also included food services for direct deposit for student food accounts (parents can add money) and are able to check the status of the items purchased. We successfully added high school parents to be able to access their student's grades and attendance via a secure parent portal. We successfully continued with another 18 Smart board audio/video/projector learning centers for the middle school, as well as upgraded 30 teacher computers in the middle school. We successfully implement a POS food services system that allows student accounts and parent access via the web. We continued moving forward with software and hardware improvements as well as installing electrical outlets to accommodate 18 projectors in the ceilings. The hardware and software upgrades have allowed teachers to have more interactive lesson plans that fully engaged students with state of the art learning. The success of allowing parents web based access to data systems (grades, attendance, progress reports, food items purchased, etc) has been a great asset to both the district and parents What goals do you feel you accomplished last year (from July 1, 2008 to June 30, 2009)? Please include information about how your technology activities have impacted teaching and learning in your district. We accomplished our website goal for a content management system in which teachers, administrators and departments (not everyone is participating yet but numbers are increasing) have full ability to allow individuals to keep current all aspects of school/district information. We have accomplished the installation of 5 PBX (one phone system per building) to allow better communications and 911 access. The have accomplished the hardware upgrades and those CPUs no longer meeting minimum requirements have been properly disposed. We continue to build an internal fiber
infrastructure. We accomplished the implementation of a web based grade book for the high school. We accomplished the goal of 10 additional Smart board audio/video/projector learning centers for the middle school. We accomplished the web based Gradebook system to primary student database system. We accomplished the implement new email system and for the most part the roll-out teacher based web sites (middle school still needs to be completed.) What goals do you feel you accomplished last year (from July 1, 2007 to June 30, 2008)? Please include information about how your technology activities have impacted teaching and learning in your district. We have completed the DOE requirements of the EPIMS: we have started to upgraded our entire web presence and started upgrading our web pages; we are still working on redeployment of existing hardware; we have successfully integrated 2 new PBX's systems with voice mail ; we have successfully rolled-out cell phones/walkie-talkies; we have completed a district wide calendar system that is web based; upgraded some switches and network infrastructure, implemented a web based gradebook system for the middle school exported into our student database system; completed district-wide MCAS testing center as well as MCAS questions via the internet; designed and built 12 Smartboard audio/video/projector learning centers for the middle school, designed and build an additional middle school computer lab.