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SETDA published a series of case studies from 28 states to showcase examples of how ARRA EETT grant funds have impacted teaching and learning. SETDA collected data for the case studies through a variety of mechanisms, including a detailed survey of the participating LocalEducation Agencies (LEAs), personal interviews with grant managers and teachers, and reviews of state and local program evaluations. The case studies highlight powerful examples of innovations resulting from the federal state/local partnerships created by the EETT program. They illustrate what can happen when “seed money” in the form of federal grants is leveraged by states, local school districts, and individual schools. Teachers and students across the country continue to bene!t from these innovative programs as shown by higher formative and standardized test scores, increased technology literacy and technology integration, improved access to both digital curriculum resources and project-based learning initiatives, and increased student engagement. Access the case studies at http://www.setda.org/web/guest/casestudies2012.
Featured States:AlabamaAlaskaArizonaArkansasConnecticutDelawareGeorgiaIowaLouisianaMaine
MarylandMichiganMissouriNebraskaNevadaNew HampshireNew JerseyNew YorkNorth CarolinaOhio
PennsylvaniaSouth CarolinaSouth DakotaTennesseeTexasVirginiaWest VirginiaWisconsin
Page1
GadsdenCitySchools
StateEducationalTechnologyDirectorsAssociation|www.setda.org
Alabama21
GadsdenCitySchools,Alabama
November2009‐September2011ThepurposeoftheAlabama21projectwastoimmersethe9thGradeAcademystudentsofGadsdenCityHighSchoolintoatechnology‐richlearningenvironmenttostimulateinterest,promotelearning,andimproveachievement.Alabama21reformedtraditionalclassroominstructionandlearningopportunitiesbyintegrating21stcenturytechnologytools.
Demographics
Gadsden,AlabamaislocatedinEtowahCounty,inthefoothillsoftheAppalachianMountainsand65milesnortheastofBirmingham.Gadsdenhasbeenaffectedbytherecenteconomicdownturn.Inthelastdecade,amajorindustry,GulfStateSteel,wentoutofbusiness.Thereisnowonemajoremployerinthearea,theGoodyearTireplant.Withadecreaseinjobopportunities,thepopulationhasalsodeclinedsignificantly.GadsdenCitySchoolsishometoeightelementaryschools,threemiddleschools,andonehighschool.The9thGradeAcademyishousedinGadsdenCityHighSchool.Highschoolenrollmentisapproximately1,600withafreeandreducedlunchrateof71%.The2011‐2012AYPreportfortheschoolindicatesa“Clear”statusforall17indicatorsanda92%graduationrate.Theschoolfeaturesagrowingadvancedplacement(AP)program,offering10‐creditAPcoursesand9pre‐APcourses.
BackgroundTheAmericanRecoveryandReinvestmentActof2009(ARRA)includeda$650millionallocationinESEATitleII,PartD,commonlyreferredtoastheEnhancingEducationThroughTechnologyprogram(EETT).ThiscasestudywaspreparedbytheStateEducationalTechnologyDirectorsAssociation(SETDA)–theprincipalassociationrepresentingthetechnologyleadershipofstateandterritorialdepartmentsofeducation–toprovideanexampleofARRAfundsworkingatthedistrictandclassroomlevelthatcreateseffective,viable,androbustreformineducation,andimprovesthewayteachersteachandstudentslearn.
Alabama’sEETTCompetitiveGrantsThegoaloftheAlabamaDepartmentofEducation’sARRAEETTCompetitiveGrantprogramwastoincreasegraduationrates.Thegrantprogramprovidedtheequipmentandprofessionaldevelopmentsupporttoestablish21stcenturyclassroomsingrades7to12.Thefocuswastomodel21stcenturyclassroominstructionandtohelpincreasestudentachievementstatewide.
ARRACaseStudies2012|GadsdenCitySchools
Page2StateEducationalTechnologyDirectorsAssociation|www.setda.org
ProjectDescription
Alabama21focusedonprovidingtechnologytoolsandprofessionaldevelopmenttoparticipatingninthgradeteacherstoincreaseaccesstotechnology,studentachievement,andtechnologyliteracy.Ninthgradeisapivotalyear.Historically,ithadthehighestretentionrateandlowestattendancerate.Also,grades9and10hadthehighestdropoutrates.TheAlabama21projectcenteredeffortsandfundsonthe9thGradeAcademytoengagestudents,increaseachievement,andimprovethegraduationrate.BeforetheAlabama21programwasimplemented,the9thGradeAcademyclassroomseachhadoneortwodesktopcomputerswithhardwireinternetaccess.Inanefforttosupportthisgrantprogram,localfundswereusedtoprovidewirelessaccessfortheAcademy.Alabama21provideddevices,atathree‐to‐onestudent‐to‐laptopratio,responsesystems,documentcameras,digitalcameras,projectionsystems,andinteractivewhiteboards.Tentechnology‐richclassroomswereestablishedinthecoresubjectareasofEnglish,socialstudies,andscience.Thelaptopswerehousedinfive30‐stationlaptopcartsandsharedamongthe478ninthgradestudents.TenninthgradeteachersreceivedprofessionaldevelopmentviaMoodleindesigningproject‐basedlearningactivitiesandcross‐curricularactivities,developingAlabamaLearningExchange(ALEX)lessons,andincorporatingonlineresources.
ProjectImplementation
Duringthe2009‐2010schoolyear,thefocuswasonacquiringandinstallingequipment,orientingstudents,andprovidinginitialprofessionaldevelopmentontheuseofthehardware.Inthespringof2010,ninthgradestudentsandtheirparentswereprovidedanorientationoftheprogram,andfullimplementationbeganinthefallof2010.
ARRAEETTGrantDetails
GrantFocus HighAccess,Technology‐RichLearningEnvironment,OngoingProfessionalDevelopment
Beginning/EndDateofGrant
November1,2009–September30,2011
Locale Rural
Funding $250,000FederalFunds$25,000LocalFunds
GradeLevel(s) 9‐12
NumberofTeachersImpacted
10
NumberofAdministratorsImpacted
1
NumberofStudentsImpacted
945(overtwoyears)
Alabama21granttechnology—ithasbroughtlifetomyclassroomformystudentsaswellasmyself.
‐AlexisWise,EnglishTeacher,GadsdenCityHighSchool
ARRACaseStudies2012|GadsdenCitySchools
Page3StateEducationalTechnologyDirectorsAssociation|www.setda.org
Professionaldevelopmentwasongoingforthe10Academyteachers,occurringonaformalandinformalbasis.Teachersinitiallyworkedwithvendor‐providedinstructorstolearntousethenewclassroomtools.Theschooltechnologyteam,positionsfundedthroughformulaEETTgrantfunds,providedongoingsupportthroughcoaching.Academyteachersalsohadtheopportunitytoworkwithvisitingtechnologyprofessionals,suchasWesleyFryerandChrisLehmann.Overall,teachersreceivedapproximatelyonedaypermonthofin‐personprofessionaldevelopmentsessions.ThreeoftheAcademyteachersattendedtheISTE2011conferenceandreturnedtosharebestpracticeswiththeircolleagues.Theseteachersplayedakeyroleinthedistrict‐widein‐serviceday,EduTech.DuringEduTech,allinstructionalstafffromthedistrictattendedtrainingsessionsconductedbyoutsidefacilitatorsaswellasbyAcademyteachers.Inaddition,theAcademyteachers,andotherschooltechnologyleaders,providedvaluablepeer‐to‐peertrainingincorporatingmanyofthetechnologytoolsandstrategiesfromthisgrantproject.ManyoftheteachersalsohadlessonsacceptedtoAlabama’sstateportal,ALEX,whichrequiresastringentapprovalprocessbeforelessonsaremadeavailabletoteachersstatewide.TheprojectculminatedinaTechSaturdayeventinthefallof2011,duringwhichAcademyteachershadanopportunitytopresenttheirtechnologybestpractices.
ClassroomExamples
• Inahistoryclassroom,beforethisgrant,theclasswastaughtusingmanyhandouts,textbooks,andteacherlectures.Withthetechnologyandprofessionaldevelopment,thehistoryclassbecamemoreproject‐based.Theteacheruseswebquestsasawaytointroduceupcomingerasorthemes.Awebquestisaprojectwherestudentsareguidedthroughresearch,workingindependentlyorcollaboratively.Studentsorganizetheirresearchintoafinalproductthatmaybeintheformofaletter,presentation,orgame.Webquestshelpbuildbackgroundinformationandsetafoundationformorefocusedclassroomactivities.Forexample,instudyingWorldWarII,studentscompletedawebquestonthewar.Studentslearnedaboutthewarthroughindependentresearchandusedthatbackgroundinformationtotacklethenextactivity,interviewingaWorldWarIIveteranandproducingavideo.Theywereabletocreatemoreinformedquestionsandpresentwarinformationintheirvideo.Studentsworkedinsmallgroupstoplantheirinterview,recorditusingaFlipcamera,andeditandproducethevideousingalaptop.DVDswerecreatedofallthefinalproductsandissuedtostudents,interviewees,andotherteachersinthehistorydepartmenttoshareintheirclasses.
• Beforetheintegrationoftechnology,onehighschoolEnglishteachertaughtpartsofspeechbyverballyexplainingrules,havingstudentsworkinthetextbook,andcompletemultipleworksheets.Withthetechnology,theteacherpresentedinformationtoherstudentswithaPowerPointpresentation,andengagedthestudentswithamobileinteractivewhiteboard.Studentstookturnsidentifying
Ibelieveonehastorelatestudentlearningtostudentexperiencesandbyincorporatingtechnology,studentsaremoreeagertolearnduetothefactthattheyareusingtechnologyeverydayoftheirlives.
‐JeffColegrove,HistoryTeacher,GadsdenCityHighSchool
ARRACaseStudies2012|GadsdenCitySchools
Page4StateEducationalTechnologyDirectorsAssociation|www.setda.org
whichwordsinasentencebelongedtodifferentpartsofspeech,thendiscussedandcheckedeachother’swork.Theyalsousedastudentresponsesystemtopracticeidentifyingthepartsofspeechofsharedwords.Theimmediatefeedbackenabledstudentstolearnfromerrorsandtakeamoreactiveroleinmasteringtheconcept.
EvaluatingEffectiveness
StateBenchmarkindicatorsforstudentandstafftechnologyskillsandutilizationincreased,inalmostallcases,beyondthegoallevelsoftheproject.Teacherswereassessedusinganonlinesurveyeachspring,theIMPACTTeacherSurvey.
BenchmarkData
• Benchmark1.2:Percentageofstudentsthatmakeuseofcurrentandemergingtechnologyinthelearningprocess.
2008—18% TargetGoal—25% Spring,2011—33.8%
• Benchmark1.6:Percentageofteachersthatmodeltheappropriateuseoftechnologytoolsandresources.
2008—42% TargetGoal—45% Spring,2011—59.6%
• Benchmark1.8:Percentageofeducatorsthatusetechnologytocommunicatewithstakeholdersatthelocal,district,andstatelevel.
2008—53% TargetGoal—60% Spring,2011—67.18%
• Benchmark2.1:Percentageofeducatorsthatfosterandnurtureanenvironmentthatsupportsinnovativeusesoftechnology.
2008—36% TargetGoal—40% Spring,2011—52.3%
• Benchmark2.2:Aretechnologyresourcesprovidedtosupportthelearningandtechnologyneedsoftheschoolandcommunity?
2008—33% TargetGoal—37% Spring,2011—53.1%
• Benchmark3.1:Teachers,administrators,andschoolstaffareprovidedhighquality,research‐based,job‐embedded,technologyprofessionaldevelopmentthatisalignedwithlocal,state,andnationalstandardsandcourseofstudycontentstandards.
2008—29% TargetGoal—33% Spring,2011—30.8%
ARRACaseStudies2012|GadsdenCitySchools
Page5StateEducationalTechnologyDirectorsAssociation|www.setda.org
Althoughtheeffectontheschoolgraduationratewillnotberealizedfor2moreyears,itisnoteworthythatofthe31studentswhodroppedoutofthehighschoolduringthe2010‐2011schoolyear,only3(9.7%)werefromthe9thGradeAcademy.Historically,themajorityofourhighschooldropoutsleaveschoolduringtheirninthandtenthgradeyears.
MovingForward
Thetechnologytoolsthatwereacquiredforthisprojectwillservethe9thGradeAcademyformanyyearstocome.Localfundsprovidedthroughcitygovernmentwillbeusedtomaintainequipmentandprovideperiodicrefreshertrainingforteachers.Expandingtheprogramtoafull1‐to‐1initiativeisagoalofthedistrict.Fundingisbeingsoughtandconsiderationbeinggiventolowercostoptions,suchasnetbooksortablets.TheAcademyteacherswillcontinuetoreceivesupportfromtheschool’stechnologyteamandthestatewideprogram,TechnologyinMotion,fundedbythestateofAlabama.Aswell,theAcademyteacherswillcontinuetoconducttheirownpeertrainingandmentoringwithinthedistrict.
Resources
GadsdenCitySchoolswww.gcs.k12.al.usGadsdenCityHighSchoolhttp://gchs.gcs.k12.al.usAlabama’sStatePortal,ALEXhttp://alex.state.al.us/index.phpAlabamaDepartmentofEducationhttp://alsde.eduSETDAARRAInformationandResourceshttp://setda.org/web/guest/ARRAresources
Page6
SitkaSchoolDistrict
StateEducationalTechnologyDirectorsAssociation|www.setda.org
WaveVII:TurningOurSchoolInsideOut
SitkaSchoolDistrict,Alaska
July2010‐June2011Withdistrictfundsandotherfederalgrantdollarsprovidingwirelessaccessandequippingschoolswithtechnologicaltools,suchasinteractivewhiteboards,documentcameras,andstudentresponsesystems,theARRAEETTgrant,WaveVII:TurningOurSchoolInsideOut,providedfocusedprofessionaldevelopmentforsixthgradeteachersasameanstofostercollaborationandcommunication,tointegratetechnology,andtochangetheeducationalexperienceforSitkastudents.
Demographics
SitkaislocatedonBaranofIslandinwhatisconsideredthepanhandleofAlaskaandcanonlybeaccessedbyplaneorboat.ThepopulationofSitkaisapproximately9,000andisthefifthlargestcityinAlaska.TheSitkaSchoolDistrict(SSD)consistsoftwoelementaryschools,onemiddleschool,andtwohighschools,servingapproximately1,300students.Approximately50%ofSSDstudentsareCaucasian,30%areAlaskaNative,andtheremainingstudentshaveavarietyofethnicheritageswithAsianbeingthenextlargeststudentpopulationsubgroup.
BackgroundTheAmericanRecoveryandReinvestmentActof2009(ARRA)includeda$650millionallocationinESEATitleII,PartD,commonlyreferredtoastheEnhancingEducationThroughTechnologyprogram(EETT).ThiscasestudywaspreparedbytheStateEducationalTechnologyDirectorsAssociation(SETDA)–theprincipalassociationrepresentingthetechnologyleadershipofstateandterritorialdepartmentsofeducation–toprovideanexampleofARRAfundsworkingatthedistrictandclassroomlevelthatcreateseffective,viable,androbustreformineducation,andimprovesthewayteachersteachandstudentslearn.
Alaska’sEETTCompetitiveGrantsAlaska’sARRAEETTcompetitivegrantsfocusedonhelpingstudentsandteachersachieveproficiencyintechnologicalliteracyandskillinintegratingtechnologyintothecurriculum.Grantsthatwereselectedbuiltmodelsthatcouldbereplicatedinothercommunities.PresentationsweregivenattheAlaskaSocietyforTechnologyinEducation(ASTE)conference,Alaska’sannualtechnologyconference,toensuresharingandmodelingofthefinalproducts.
ARRACaseStudies2012|SitkaSchoolDistrict,Alaska
Page7StateEducationalTechnologyDirectorsAssociation|www.setda.org
ProjectDescription
TheWaveVII:TurningOurSchoolInsideOutgrantfocusedonprovidingprofessionaldevelopmenttofivesixthgradeteachersinSitka’sonlymiddleschool.Historically,sixthgradestudentswerehavingdifficultiestransitioningtothemiddleschool,andtheintentofthegrantwastochangethetraditionalclassroomexperiencethroughtheintegrationoftechnologicaltools.Furthermore,bytargetingsixthgrade,theintentwastosetthestageforapositive,technologicallyenhancedmiddleschoolexperience.Thehopewastohavestudentsfeelconnectedtotheacademiccontentandtheirclassmates,thushelpingwiththetransitiontotherestoftheirschoolcareer.Seventhandeighthgradeclassroomshadbeenthefocusofpreviousgrantsyetneverreceivedtheintenseprofessionaldevelopmentneededtomaximizetechnologyintegration.Bytargetingsixthgradestudentsandteachers,theintentwasto“trickleup”theexperienceandexpertise.Throughformal,professionaldevelopmentmeetingsandinformaldiscussions,teachersandadministratorscollaboratedandsharedinternallyacrossthedistrict.TheWaveVIIteachersprovidedavisionofmeaningfultechnologyintegrationthatallowedteachers,colleagues,andthecommunityofSitkatounderstandthecriticalneedtoempowerstudentstobecollaboratorsandcontributorstotheirownlearning.
ProjectImplementation
Tobestpreparefortheinfluxoftechnologytoolsandtheincreaseduseoftheonlinecontent,theschooldistrictusedARRA:StateFiscalStabilizationFundstohelpbuildawirelessbroadbandnetworkandtopurchaseanonlinecontentmanagementsystemfortheschools.Amajority(62%)oftheWaveVIIgrantmoneywasspentonprofessionaldevelopment.Remainingdollarswenttotechnologypurchases,includingalaptopcarttobeusedexclusivelybythesixthgradeteam.
ARRAEETTGrantDetails
GrantFocus Project‐BasedCollaborativeLearningandHigh‐AccessandTechnology‐RichLearningEnvironment
Beginning/EndDateofGrant
July2010‐June2011
Locale Rural
Funding $99,778
GradeLevel(s) Grade6
NumberofTeachersImpacted
5
NumberofAdministratorsImpacted
2
NumberofStudentsImpacted
88
Ourconfidencewiththetechnologygrewgreatlyduetothecollegialcommunity.Ithinkthiswasthemostpowerfulpartoftheproject.‐DeborahRiva,WaveVIITeacher
ARRACaseStudies2012|SitkaSchoolDistrict,Alaska
Page8StateEducationalTechnologyDirectorsAssociation|www.setda.org
TheWaveVIIgrantprovidedprofessionaldevelopmentandtechnologytoolsforfiveBlatchleyMiddleSchool(BMS)sixthgradeteachers.TheWaveVIIteachersrepresentedeachofthefourcorecurriculumareas(LanguageArts,Math,Science,andSocialStudies)andthetechnologyteacher.Teachersreceivedatotaloftenprofessionaldevelopmentdaysorganizedintothreedistinctfocusareas:AugustKick‐Off(twodays),FocusonTechnologyIntegration(twodays),andLearningAboutEngagedLearning(sixdays).DuringtheAugustkick‐off,teachersmetwithaconsultanttosetthestagefortechnologyintegrationandtargetedtrainingwasprovidedintheuseoftheinteractivewhiteboardsandstudentresponsesystems.Teachersweregiventimetocreateandshareatechnology‐enhancedlessontheywouldusethefirstweekofschool.Theremainingprofessionaldevelopmentdaysoccurredthroughouttheschoolyear,typicallyonSaturdays.Teachersweretrainedintechnologyintegrationandtheuseofspecifictechnologytools,andwereprovidedtheopportunitytodevelopandsharelessonplans.Throughouttheschoolyear,teachersusedonlinetoolstoshareresourcesandexperiencesandalsometinpersoneachTuesdaytocollaborateandfocusonstudentlearning.Theon‐goingprofessionaldevelopmentallowedteacherstheopportunitytobuildtheirskillsandlearnfromoneanotherthroughouttheschoolyear.
ClassroomExamples
• IntheSocialStudiesclassroom,theteacherdesignedageographygametoreviewlandforms.Eachstudentreceivedadifferentlandformwrittenonapieceofpaperfor“hisorhereyesonly.”Studentswerethenrandomlyselectedtocomeuptothefrontoftheroomandactouthis/herassignedlandforminacharadeformatviathevideodocumentcameratool.After30secondsofacting,studentsintheaudiencetextedtheirresponseviatheinteractiveresponsesystemsandresultswerepostedonthescreen.Thisactivitybecameatemplateforothertopicsandothersubjectareas.
• Inacross‐disciplinarylesson,integratingscience,history,health,andtechnology,studentswereshownAlaskaseaweedspeciesandrecipes.Next,studentsresearchedvariousseaweedrecipesontheirlaptops,andcreatedadigitalseaweedcardthatincludedapicture,classification,explanationofhowtoharvest,andarecipe.Cardswereprintedandsharedwithfriendsandfamily.
EvaluatingEffectiveness
ThesuccessoftheWaveVIIgranthelpedtodefineprofessionaldevelopmentforSitkaSchoolDistrictteachersintheareaofintegratingengagedtechnology‐infusedteachingandlearning.Theongoingprofessionaldevelopmentestablishedthroughregularface‐to‐facemeetingsandtheuseofonlinetoolswasoftencitedasthemostimportantpartof
Iletstudentsteachmetechnologytechniquesandpraisedtheirexpertise!Isawstudentproductivitydoublealongwiththeirexcitementoftheresearch.
‐PattyDick,WaveVIITeacher
ARRACaseStudies2012|SitkaSchoolDistrict,Alaska
Page9StateEducationalTechnologyDirectorsAssociation|www.setda.org
program’ssuccess.Thesupporttheteachersreceivedfromtheirpeerswascriticalintermsofunderstandingsuccessesandfailuresandhowtoimproveforthefuture.Thesixthgradeteachersemergedasschoolanddistrictleadersandservedasmodelsforinnovativeteaching.Forexample,attheTechnologyInfusedLearningConference,theWaveVIIteacherstaughtsessionsinamini‐conferenceenvironmentfortheirsecondarycolleagues.TheyalsopresentedattheAlaskaSocietyforTechnologyinEducation(ASTE)conference.Thegrantevaluatorsurveyedtheteachersattheendofthegrantperiod,andasaresultoftheresponsesfoundthreethemesthatemergedfromthedata.
MovingForward
Acriticalmassofstakeholders,students,parents,schoolboard,teachers,andadministratorsembracedthejourneytowardrelevantteachingandlearningfortoday’sstudents.Eveninthefaceofdecliningrevenue,theschoolboardincreasedthetechnologybudgetforthe2011‐2012schoolyear.Thisprogramwillcontinuetoexpand;theteachersinvolvedinthegrantwillmentorotherteachers.Theprogressmadeinacquiringhardwareandbandwidthwillcontinuetoopennewopportunitiesforallteachersinthedistrict.
Resources
SitkaSchoolDistrict’sGrantPagehttp://sitkaschools.org/Page/288Alaska’sFullEvaluationReportoftheWaveVIICompetitiveGranthttp://tinyurl.com/6sksrt2AlaskaDepartmentofEducationandEarlyDevelopment’sEducationalTechnologyResourceshttp://eed.state.ak.us/EdTech/SETDAARRAInformationandResourceshttp://setda.org/web/guest/ARRAresources
Themes
1. Thegranthadapositiveimpactonhowteachersteach.2. Thegranthadapositiveimpactonhowstudentslearnandbehave.3. Collegialitywasakeytosuccess.
Page10
CreightonCountyElementary
SchoolDistrict
StateEducationalTechnologyDirectorsAssociation|www.setda.org
iAchieveProject
CreightonElementarySchoolDistrict,Arizona
March2010‐September2011Creighton’siAchieveprojectaddressedspecificacademicneedsbyintroducinganenvironmentofhigh‐access,1‐to‐1mobiledevicestosupportinstruction.ThefundingprovidediPodTouchesandiPodLearningLabsin18thirdgradeclassroomsacrossthedistrictandtwoSpanishimmersionclassroomsinoneschool.Fundingalsoprovidedtrainingforteacherstomanageandintegratethetoolsandonlinecontentintothecurriculum.
Demographics
CreightonElementaryisaK‐8schooldistrictbasedinPhoenix,Arizona.Thedistricthas10schoolswithapproximately750staffmembersprovidinginstructionalandsupportservicesto6,848students.Thestudentpopulationis85%Hispanic,6%Caucasian,5%AfricanAmerican,3%NativeAmerican,and1%Asian.Inaddition,94%havelowsocio‐economicstatus,and31%ofthestudentsareEnglishLanguageLearners.ThemajorityspeakSpanishathomeandhavelittletonoexperiencereadingorspeakingEnglishbeforeenteringschool.
BackgroundTheAmericanRecoveryandReinvestmentActof2009(ARRA)includeda$650millionallocationinESEATitleII,PartD,commonlyreferredtoastheEnhancingEducationThroughTechnologyprogram(EETT).ThiscasestudywaspreparedbytheStateEducationalTechnologyDirectorsAssociation(SETDA)—theprincipalassociationrepresentingthetechnologyleadershipofstateandterritorialdepartmentsofeducation—toprovideanexampleofARRAfundsworkingatthedistrictandclassroomlevelthatcreateseffective,viable,androbustreformineducation,andimprovesthewayteachersteachandstudentslearn.
Arizona’sEETTCompetitiveGrantsInArizona,theARRAEETTcompetitivegrantprovidedfundingtoassistlocaldistrictsincreatingandexpanding21stcentury,technology‐richclassrooms,andhelpedtoensurethateverystudentistechnologicallyliteratebytheendofeighthgrade.
ARRACaseStudies2012|CreightonElementarySchoolDistrict,Arizona
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StateEducationalTechnologyDirectorsAssociation|www.setda.org
ProjectDescription
TheiAchieveprojectwasdesignedtocreate21stcenturylearningopportunitiesandtousetechnologytoclosetheperformancegapinthirdgradereading.Thirdgradestudentswereidentifiedasbeingathighrisktofailstateachievementexpectations.Atthetimeofimplementation,sixofthesevenprojectschoolswereinTitleISchoolImprovement,andthedistricthadnotachievedAdequateYearlyProgress(AYP)withthreeconsecutiveyearsofreadingforthethirdgradeintheEnglishLanguageLearner(ELL)subgroup.Atoneadditionalschool,theprojectalsosupportedEnglishreadinginstructionandsecondlanguagelearning(Spanish)fornativeEnglishspeakersthroughmathandscienceinstructioninkindergarten.Grantfundswereusedtowardthepurchaseof700iPodTouchesandprofessionaldevelopmenttraining.CreightonElementarySchoolDistricthasastrongtraditionofsupportingeducationaltechnologytools.EachCreightonteacheralreadyhadaccesstoalaptop,classroomprojector,anddocumentcamera.Adoptingtheuseofhandhelddeviceswasagoodmatchforthirdgradestudents.Thedeviceswereeasilyhandledandmanagedbythestudentsandmanysoftwareapplicationswerenotonlyengagingtothisgradelevelbutalsoavailableatnocost.
ProjectImplementation
InJuneof2010,participatingteachersattendedaweek‐longtrainingsessiontosetuptheirlearninglabswiththeiPodsandtopracticeusingeducationalapps.ThetrainingalsoincludedIntelTeach’sprofessionaldevelopmentcomponentsandinstructiononproject‐basedlessonplanning.Duringtheschoolyear,teachershadaccesstotwofull‐timeTechnologyPeerCoachesformallytrainedinadult
ARRAEETTGrantDetails
GrantFocus HighAccess,Technology‐RichLearningEnvironments
Beginning/EndDateofGrant
March24,2010‐September30,2011
Locale Urban
Funding $400,000FederalFunds$105,033LocalFunds
GradeLevel(s) GradesKindergartenand3
NumberofTeachersImpacted
27
NumberofAdministratorsImpacted
10
NumberofStudentsImpacted
700
TheiPodsareagreatwaytoincreasestudentengagement.Oneofthemostessentialthingsinteachingstudentsistohavethemengaged,excited,andwantingtolearn.
‐ThirdGradeTeacher
ARRACaseStudies2012|CreightonElementarySchoolDistrict,Arizona
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StateEducationalTechnologyDirectorsAssociation|www.setda.org
mentoringandcoachingconcepts.Thecoachesvisitedclassesonaweeklybasis,providingprofessionaldevelopmentthroughouttheschoolyear.Thecoachesprovidedreal‐time,hands‐onsupportintheclassroomandinlessonplanning.Aprojectwebsitewasdevelopedtoshareprojectsuccessesandchallenges,includingstaffblogs.StudentsbeganusingtheiPodsatthebeginningofthe2010‐2011schoolyear.InitialemphasiswasonimprovingstudentreadingfluencythroughiPodrecordings.Studentsrecordedthemselvesreadingstories,passages,andhigh‐frequencywords.Theyworkedindependentlyorwithapartner;onestudentwouldreadthepassagewhiletheotherlistened,timedthereading,andrecordederrors.Recordingsbecameadigitalrunningrecordforstudents,withrubricsbeingusedtoevaluateandsetgoalsforthenextrecording.TheiPodswerealsousedtocreateflashcardsanddigitalstories.AvarietyofeducationalappsandinternetresourcesaccessedviatheiPodalsosupportedthecurriculum.Inaddition,twokindergartenclassesatSquawPeakTraditionalAcademypilotedaSpanishimmersionprogramthatallowedfluentEnglishspeakerstolearnSpanish.TheiPodswereusedtoaidintheirlearningofSpanishwhilealsosupportingtheirdevelopingliteracyskillsinEnglish.Duringthisgrantimplementation,teachersutilizedcommonplanning,whichwasalreadyinplace,tomakesounddecisionsonapplicationuseandintegration.Forexample,teachersfoundthat“drillandkill”appsdidnothavetheimpactorusefulnesstostudentsasappswherestudentscreatedandsharedproducts,suchas“StoryKit”and“SonicPics.”Inthesummerof2011,three‐daytrainingwasprovidedforreturningandnewteachersandpresentedteacherswithanopportunitytoshareresources,lessons,andideas.
ClassroomExamples
• Duringareadinginstruction,thirdgraderslearnedabouttheorganizationalfeaturesofexpositorytexts,suchasatableofcontents.Usuallystudentsexploredbooksandcompletedworksheetstolearntheconcept.UsingtheStoryKitappontheiPodTouch,studentscreatedtheirownexpositorybooksthatincludedthesefeatures.Theydrewpictures,wrotetext,andincludedatableofcontents,index,andglossaryfortheirbooks.Thisappallowedstudentstorecordthemselvesreadingtheirbooksandtosharetheirproductswithclassmates.
• Inanotherexample,whilelearningaboutpersuasivetext,thirdgraders,insmallgroups,createdanewbrandofcerealandwrotecommercialspersuadingotherstobuyit.Next,studentspresentedthecerealcommercialstotheirclassmates.Studentsinotherparticipatingclassroomswatchedthe
IlikemyiPodbecauseitislikeplayinggamesallthetime,evenwhenyousaywearelearning!
–Eric,ThirdGradeStudent
ARRACaseStudies2012|CreightonElementarySchoolDistrict,Arizona
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StateEducationalTechnologyDirectorsAssociation|www.setda.org
commercialsviaSkype,andparentswerealsoabletoobserveandparticipateinthepresentationsbecauseoftheonlineaccess.
EvaluatingEffectiveness
iAchievethirdgradersimprovedinreadingproficiencyandtechnologicalliteracy,basedonthespring2011assessments.Oncommonformativeassessments,whereiPodswereintegratedintoinitialinstructionoftheperformanceobjective,resultsiniPodprojectclassroomsweresignificantlybetterthanthoseinnon‐iPodclassrooms.Inaddition,conceptsconsideredrotetoteachandlearn,liketheorganizationalfeaturesofabook,camealivewhenstudentscreatedtheirowndigitalbooks.Thebooksincludedatableofcontentsandindex,alongwithrecordedaudioexplainingthepurposeofthebookfeatures.Whenfocusedinthismanner,studentsshowedmuchgreatercontentunderstandingandretentionofknowledge,asobservedbyteachers.
MovingForward
Movingforward,theCreightonElementarySchoolDistrictwillmaintainoneTechnologyPeerCoach.Thiscoach,alongwiththedistrictTechnologyTrainer,willcontinuetosupportiPodclassroomsandwillalsohelpimplementasmallpilotof60iPadsattwoadditionalschoolsthatwerenotpartoftheoriginalproject.ThedistrictusedcapitalfundstopurchasetheiPads,demonstratingtheimportancetheCreightonSchoolDistrictplacesonprovidingeffectivetechnologytools.Inaddition,administratorsandteacherswillcontinuetobecognizantofhowsoftwareapplicationsareselectedandimplementedintocurriculum,consideringage,content,andinstructionalappropriateness.
Resources
iAchieveProjecthttp://tinyurl.com/74fztu5
SchoolData
• iAchievethirdgradersimprovedby8%from2010to2011ontheArizonaInstructiontoMeasureStandards(AIMS)readingassessment,whilestudentsinnon‐iPodclassroomsimprovedbyjust0.5%.
• iAchievethirdgradersachieveda7%pre‐postgrowthinstudenttechnologicalliteracy.
ARRACaseStudies2012|CreightonElementarySchoolDistrict,Arizona
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StateEducationalTechnologyDirectorsAssociation|www.setda.org
iAchieveClassroomVideos
• StudentsTrainingStudents:http://vimeo.com/2910318• SonicPicsTutorialVideo:
http://youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=2ks__PbBz0A• iAchieveParentVideo:http://vimeo.com/28074929• HighFrequencySightWordVideos:
http://creightonschools.org/?page_id=2599CreightonElementarySchoolDistricthttp://creightonschools.org/ArizonaDepartmentofEducationhttp://azed.gov/SETDAARRAInformationandResourceshttp://setda.org/web/guest/ARRAresources
Page15
NorthwestArkansasEducation
ServiceCooperative
StateEducationalTechnologyDirectorsAssociation|www.setda.org
ExploreLearning:MathandScienceGizmos
StatewideInitiative
July2009‐September2011NorthwestArkansasEducationCooperativemanagedthestatewidegrant,whichprovidedprofessionaldevelopmentandonlinemathandsciencesimulationsforArkansas’ssixth,seventh,andeighthgradeteachersandstudents.Professionaldevelopmentincludedworkshops,one‐on‐onetraining,andcoaching.ThecooperativecontractedwithExploreLearningtoprovidealibraryofonlinesimulationsforthemathandsciencecurriculum.
Demographics
Approximately480,000studentsareenrolledinArkansas’s1,145publicschools.Ofthoseschools,67.6%areTitleIschoolsand59.6%ofstudentsareeligibleforfreeorreducedlunch.Arkansasisdividedinto16educationalcooperativeunitstohelpservethedistricts.Thecooperativessupporttheschooldistrictsbyprovidingprofessionaldevelopmentandtechnicalsupport.
BackgroundTheAmericanRecoveryandReinvestmentActof2009(ARRA)includeda$650millionallocationinESEATitleII,PartD,commonlyreferredtoastheEnhancingEducationThroughTechnologyprogram(EETT).ThiscasestudywaspreparedbytheStateEducationalTechnologyDirectorsAssociation(SETDA)–theprincipalassociationrepresentingthetechnologyleadershipofstateandterritorialdepartmentsofeducation–toprovideanexampleofARRAfundsworkingatthedistrictandclassroomlevelthatcreateseffective,viable,androbustreformineducation,andimprovesthewayteachersteachandstudentslearn.
Arkansas’sEETTCompetitiveGrantsInArkansas,thefocusofARRAEETTfundingwastocreate21stcenturylearningenvironments,develophigherlevelthinkingskillsandincreasestudentengagement.Throughtheuseofdigitalcontent,teachersdevelopedinteractivelessons,andstudentswereexposedtoavarietyoftechnologyrichlearningactivities,includinginteractiveresourcesandmodelsimulations.
ARRACaseStudies2012|NorthwestArkansasEducationServiceCooperative
Page16StateEducationalTechnologyDirectorsAssociation|www.setda.org
ProjectDescription
Atthetimeofthegrant,46%ofArkansasstudentsenteringcollegehadtotakeremedialmathcourses.Inscience,59%ofstudentstakingthestateEndofCourse(EOC)biologyexamwerenotproficient.Thisdatasuggestedalackofunderstandingofkeymathandscienceconcepts.Thisproject’sintentwastoassistteachersincreating21stcenturylearningenvironmentsbyprovidingaccesstodigitalcontentinmathandscience.Inaddition,theprogramassistedteachersinusingtechnologyasatoolfortranslatingabstractideasintoconcreterepresentations,resultingindeeperunderstandingforstudents.Grantfundswereusedtopurchaseaone‐yearsubscriptiontoExploreLearning’sGizmos,theworld'slargestandmostadvancedlibraryofonlinemathandsciencesimulations.AllofArkansas’sixth,seventh,andeighthgrademathandscienceteachersandtheirstudentsweregivenaccesstothecontentsotheycouldexplore,experimentwith,andvisualizemathandsciencetopics.Thesimulationswereaccompaniedbycustomizableinquiry‐basedlessons,whichincludedreal‐timeassessment,reporting,andinstructionalbackgroundforteachers.Gizmoscouldbepresentedtostudentsusingaprojectorand/orinteractivewhiteboardaswellasonindividuallaptopsordesktopcomputers.Mostimportantly,fundingwasalsousedforprofessionaldevelopment,includingthepositionofaprojectmanager.Theprojectmanagerprovidedtrain‐the‐trainersessions,workshopsandcoachingacrossthestate.Withtrainingandaccesstothecontent,teachersbetterutilizedexistingtechnologies,suchasinteractivewhiteboardsandlaptopcomputers.Thegrantfundsdidnotincludethepurchaseofanydevicesandthereforeimplementationvariedbasedontheavailabletechnologies.
ProjectImplementation
Inthefallof2010,allArkansasdistrictsreceivedtheCommissionerofEducation’smemoannouncingthenewprogram.Awarenesssessionsregardingtheprojectanditsbenefitstomiddlegradestudentsandteacherswereheldinthe16regionalservicecooperatives.Two‐dayinitialtrain‐the‐trainersessionsweregiveninvariousregionsofthestateso“Gizmotrainers”couldbegintrainingteachersintheirrespectiveareasonthesetupanduseofthedigitalcontent.Teachers,curriculumspecialists,andmediaspecialists
ARRAEETTGrantDetails
GrantFocus DigitalContentandHigh‐QualityAssessments
Beginning/EndDateofGrant
July2009‐September2011
Locale Statewide
Funding $500,000
GradeLevel(s) 6‐8
NumberofTeachersImpacted
3,226
NumberofAdministratorsImpacted
600
NumberofStudentsImpacted
113,746
ARRACaseStudies2012|NorthwestArkansasEducationServiceCooperative
Page17StateEducationalTechnologyDirectorsAssociation|www.setda.org
volunteeredtobeGizmotrainers.Over120trainingsessionsweresubsequentlyheldthroughoutthestate,ledbytheGizmosprojectmanager.ExploreLearningalsoprovidedanonlinetrainingcourse.Theinitialcourseincludeddemonstration,guidedinstruction,andhands‐onpracticewiththetools.Approximately1,627teachersreceivedformaltrainingthoughitwasnotarequirementforaccesstothecontent.Teacherssimplyneededtorequestlogininformationtoaccesstheprogram,whichwasavailableonline.Teachersthenregisteredtheirstudentswhowereprovidedfullaccesstothecontentforbothclassroomandhomeuse.Parentswerealsoprovidedaccessthroughtheirchild’sstudentlogin.Toassistteachersinusingthesimulationstocontentandlearningstandards,theExploreLearningwebsiteprovidedthecorrelationstotheArkansasFrameworksformathandscience,andtheGizmosprojectmanagercreatedaspreadsheetofcorrelationstothemostfrequentlytestedStudentLearningExpectations(SLEs)insixth,seventh,andeighthgrademath,andEOCalgebra. PresentationsweremadeatmultiplestateconferencesduringtheyeartocontinuepromotingtheintegrationofGizmosinthemathandscienceclassrooms.Anelectronicnewsletterproducedbytheprojectmanager,theArkansasGizmoGazette,wassentoutacrossthestatetohighlightupcomingtrainingsessions,communicatesupportavailable,andspotlightArkansasteachersanddistrictsthatwereusingGizmostoenhancelearning.
ClassroomExamples
• Inseventhgrade,studentslearnaboutplantgrowth.BeforeusingGizmos,studentswouldhavelearnedaboutplantsthroughthetextbook,teacherlectures,andgrowingplantsintheclassroom.UsingtheGrowingPlantsGizmo,studentssimulatedthegrowthofplantsandmanipulatedfourvariables:seedtype,soiladditives,amountofwater,andamountoflight.StudentsusedtheGizmotogrowthebiggestplantwhileinvestigatingtheeffectsofeachvariable.Atthebeginningofthelesson,studentscompletedPriorKnowledgeQuestionsanddiscussedasaclasskeyterms,suchascompost,fertilizer,mass,seed,soil,andvariable.StudentsthenworkedinsmallgroupstocompletetheGrowingPlantsGizmo.Asstudentsworked,theteacherandstudentsdiscussedtheeffectsofthevariables,controllinganexperiment,andtheresults.Studentsthengrewtheirownplantswithbetterknowledgeofhowtocontrolthevariables.
• InAlgebraI,studentsusedtheDistanceTimeGraphsGizmotolearnwhattheslopeandy‐interceptrepresent,andhowdistanceandtimearedisplayedonagraph.TheDistanceTimeGraphsGizmoshowsarunneronatrackalongwithagraphthatrepresentstherunner'spositionovertime.Bychangingthegraph,students
IhaveusedGizmosasafulllessononaspecificstandard,likespringandneaptides.Itwaswonderfultoseethestudentshavean“ah‐hah”momentwhenthemoonandsunlinedupduringfullandnewmoon.Thestudentswereabletomanipulatethetimeandthemoonphasestowatchthetideschangefromspringtoneap.Theyhadafullunderstandingofthegravityofthesunandmoonandtheireffectonthetides.
–KellyAllison,ScienceTeacher
ARRACaseStudies2012|NorthwestArkansasEducationServiceCooperative
Page18StateEducationalTechnologyDirectorsAssociation|www.setda.org
manipulatedtherunner.Thestudentswerebetterabletovisualizeagraph’srepresentations,timeversusdistance.Studentsexploredhowthegraphdisplayedthespeedofarunnerandinterpretedagraphwhentworunnersweredisplayed.Finally,theysolvedproblemsusingthegraph.Inthepast,studentsmayhavejustworkedongraphpaper,plottingpointswithoutthebenefitofacorrespondingmodeltoprovidecontexttothegraphicalrepresentation.
EvaluatingEffectiveness
Withthesupportprovided,teachersincreasinglyintegratedthedigitalcontentandsimulationsoverthecourseoftheproject.Teachersnotedtheeaseofusingthetoolsandparticularlytheabilitytodifferentiatethecontentwithstudents.Forexample,somestudentsneededtorunasimulationmultipletimesforbetterunderstandingwhileotherstudentswereabletomoveontothenextsimulation.Studentscouldalsoaccessthecontentathometoreinforceconcepts.ManyteachersnotedthatGizmosprovidedcontentandconceptsthatwereoftendifficulttoputinwords,andthemodelsandsimulationsledtogreatmomentsofunderstandingforstudents.Overthecourseoftheproject,3,226teachersrequestedloginsfor113,746students.Whileitistooearlytomakethecorrelationbetweenstudentachievementandtheuseofthesedigitaltools,teachersreportedincreasedstudentunderstandingandengagement.
MovingForward
TheGizmossubscriptionprovidedbythisprogramexpiredinJanuaryof2011;however,statefundswereusedtoextendthesubscriptionthroughtheendoftheschoolyear.Manydistrictsfoundlocalfundstorenewthesubscriptionforthe2011‐2012schoolyear.RegardlessofcurrentaccesstotheGizmos,teachersgainedexperiencewiththepowerofdigitalcontentandarenowabletointegrateavarietyofdigitalcontentresourcesintotheirdailylessons.
Resources
ExploreLearninginArkansashttp://explorelearning.blogs.com/Arkansas/ArkansasDepartmentofEducationhttp://arkansased.org/SETDAARRAInformationandResourceshttp://setda.org/web/guest/ARRAresources
Thesimulationsallowedthestudentstoactuallybeapartoftheexperimentoractivityastheymanipulatedvariablesandcontroldatainput.Thismakesitmuch,mucheasierforstudentstomaketheleapfromsimplymemorizingdefinitionstoactuallyunderstandingscienceandmathematicsaspartoftheirdailylives.
–Dr.CurtisVarnell,ScienceSpecialist
Page19
ACES/WintergreenInterdistrict
MagnetSchool
StateEducationalTechnologyDirectorsAssociation|www.setda.org
Green‐GreenWintergreen
WintergreenInterdistrictMagnetSchool,Connecticut
March2010‐August2011Thepurposeofthisgrantwastoengagestudentsin21stcenturytechnology‐richlearningfocusedonthestudyoftheenvironment.Teachersintegratedenvironmentalstudiesinallareasofthecurriculumwhiletransformingtheschoolintoatechnologicallyandecologicallyfluentcommunity.
Demographics
WintergreenInterdistrictMagnetSchoolislocatedinHamden,ConnecticutandmanagedbyAreaCooperativeEducationalServices.Theschoolprovidesaliberalartseducation,whichissupportedbytechnologyincludinga1‐to‐1laptopprogram.Wintergreenhasanextendedschoolyear,insessionfrommid‐AugusttolateJune.Theschoolpopulationisapproximately640studentsfromthe5townsthatareeligibletoapplytoWintergreen.Thefivetownsbringtogetheradiversestudentbody,whichincludeschildrenfromtheinnercityofNewHaven,tosuburbanareasofHamdenandWoodbridge.StudentsareselectedbylotterytoattendWintergreen.
BackgroundTheAmericanRecoveryandReinvestmentActof2009(ARRA)includeda$650millionallocationinESEATitleII,PartD,commonlyreferredtoastheEnhancingEducationThroughTechnologyprogram(EETT).ThiscasestudywaspreparedbytheStateEducationalTechnologyDirectorsAssociation(SETDA)–theprincipalassociationrepresentingthetechnologyleadershipofstateandterritorialdepartmentsofeducation–toprovideanexampleofARRAfundsworkingatthedistrictandclassroomlevelthatcreateseffective,viable,androbustreformineducation,andimprovesthewayteachersteachandstudentslearn.
Connecticut’sEETTCompetitiveGrantsConnecticut’scompetitivegrantprogramprovidedfundingtoschooldistrictsforimprovingstudentachievementthroughthecreationandimplementationof21stcentury,technology‐richlearningenvironments.Professionaldevelopmentopportunitiesprovidedtrainingforteacherstotransforminstructionthatincludedtechnologicaltools,andprovidedstudentswithopportunitiestocollaborateandconnectwithrelevantcontentthroughproject‐basedlearning.
ARRACaseStudies2012|ACES/WintergreenInterdistrictMagnetSchool,Connecticut
Page20StateEducationalTechnologyDirectorsAssociation|www.setda.org
ProjectDescription
ThepurposeoftheGreen‐GreenWintergreenprojectwastointegrateinteractivetools,whileengagingstudentsinthepracticeofenvironmentalawareness.WintergreenInterdistrictMagnetSchoolestablisheda1‐to‐1laptopprogramin2006.Withtechnologyintegrationunderway,administratorsandteacherssoughttobuildastrongerschoolcommunityandincrease21stcenturyskills.Byexploringtheenvironmentandwhatitmeanstobe“green,”teachersintroducedstudentstoamorein‐depthstudyofenvironmentalscience.Studentslearnedaboutscientifictheoryandthechangestomakingapositive,sustainablechangeintheenvironment.Throughthesestudies,thegrantfocuswastoimprovescienceandtechnologyskills.Allteachersandstudentswereincludedintheeffortsofthisprogram.Teachersparticipatedinprofessionaldevelopmentopportunitiesthatprovidedresourcesandinstructiononconnectingthecurriculumtoreal‐lifescienceandusingtechnologytohelpsolveeverydayproblems.Thegrantfundingalsoprovidedinteractivewhiteboards,scienceprobes,birdhouses,videocamerastofilmthebirdsandplants,andonehydroponicgardenperclassroom.Inaddition,theschoolpurchasedMoodletoprovideacontentmanagementsystemandacommunicationtoolforteachersandstudents.
ProjectImplementation
Green‐GreenWintergreenstartedwithateamofteacherswhovolunteeredtodevelopandguidethecurriculumactivitiesforrenewableandsustainableenergywhileincorporatingtheschoolthemeofbeing“green.”Duringtheschoolyear,allteacherswererequiredtodesignoneresearchprojectwithagreentheme,usingtheBig6,aresearchapproachtoteachinginformationandtechnologyskills.Allteachersweretrainedonusingthenewlyinstalledinteractivewhiteboardsandthevideocameras.Inaddition,professionaldevelopment
ARRAEETTGrantDetails
GrantFocus High‐Access,Technology‐RichLearningEnvironmentandOngoingProfessionalDevelopment
Beginning/EndDateofGrant
March1,2010‐August31,2011
Locale Urban
Funding $140,000FederalFunds$14,000LocalFunds
GradeLevel(s) K‐8
NumberofTeachersImpacted
37
NumberofAdministratorsImpacted
3
NumberofStudentsImpacted
640
Thisgrantempoweredourstudentsandteacherstothinkgloballyandtoactlocally.Neverbeforehassciencebeensuchahands‐on,interactivesubjectatourschool.
‐WintergreenTeacher
ARRACaseStudies2012|ACES/WintergreenInterdistrictMagnetSchool,Connecticut
Page21StateEducationalTechnologyDirectorsAssociation|www.setda.org
highlightedtheuseofMoodleintheclassroom,technologyskillsforstudents,aswellastrainingoncontentsuchashowtoconductascientificstudy.TeamsofteachersmettodiscussprojectideaswiththehelpofDr.LaraSmetanaofSouthernConnecticutStateUniversity.Dr.Smetanaprovidedsupportforteachersforproject‐basedsciencelessons,whichincludedmonthlyvisitstotheschoolandongoing,onlinesupportforteachers.Asafaculty,teachersmetweeklytodiscussstrategiesforintegratingthetechnologyintoproject‐basedsciencelessons.Duringthesemeetings,expertsinthefieldwereinvitedtohelpteacherscrafttheirprojects,includingfacultyfromYaleUniversityandmembersoftheConnecticutForestrydepartment.Teachersalsoparticipatedine‐learningworkshopsusingMoodletohelpdevelopstudent‐centeredlessons.InJanuaryof2011,afulldayofprofessionaldevelopmentwasprovidedforteachers,spanningthetopicsofhydroponicgardening,energysources,communityinvolvement,interactivewhiteboardtraining,andMoodleintegration.Theongoingtrainingandsupporthelpedteacherstoprovideproject‐basedlessonsforstudentswithauthentic,relevantlearningexperiences.Teachersandstudentsmaintainedindoorhydroponicgardensineachclassroomandharvestedgreensandherbstosellthroughtheschoolstoreandatparentmeetings.Thegardensbecameasourceofprideandaccomplishmentforthestaffandstudents.Allclassesingrades2to8usedtheBig6modelforresearchandexploredvarioustopics,suchascomposting,recycling,andenergysourcesbestsuitedfortheregionandglobe.Throughthevariousprojects,withtechnologyseamlesslyintegrated,teachersandstudentsincreasedtheirunderstandingofhabitats,alternativeandrenewableenergy,windturbines,solarpower,andhydropower.Inaddition,teachersandstudentsincreasedtheirtechnologyskills.
ClassroomExamples
• Insecondgrade,studentslearnedaboutthelifecyclesoffloweringplantsincludingseedgermination,growth,flowering,pollination,andseeddispersal.DuringtheBig6researchproject,studentsusedtextsandonlineresourcestostudyseedsandtheirgrowth.StudentspostedblogentriesonMoodledescribingtheirparticularflowerandwereabletoreadandrespondtoeachother’sentries.Theculminatingprojectwasthecreationofamultimediaprojectthatcombinedimagesandstudentnarrationandexplainedthelifecycleoftheirplant.StudentsuploadedtheirprojectstoMoodleforallstudentsandparentstoview.Priortothisgrant,teacherstypicallyassignedbooksandstudentstooknotesonaplant’slifecycleviatheirlaptops,however,theculminatingprojectwastypicallyaself‐drawnpictureoftheplant.
• Anafter‐schoolprogramwasdevelopedforstudentscalled“BirdBrains.”Twenty‐fivestudentswereacceptedtobeapartofthisgroup.Thepurposeoftheprogramwastoconnectandenrichthecurriculuminscience,andtounderstandanimalbehavior,specificallyofbirds.Studentserectednumerous
Ifeellikearealscientist.Ilovetoseewhatthebirdsaredoingandknowthattheyarelivingrighthereinourownschoolyard.It’ssoexcitingtoseethemeveryday.
‐WintergreenStudent
ARRACaseStudies2012|ACES/WintergreenInterdistrictMagnetSchool,Connecticut
Page22StateEducationalTechnologyDirectorsAssociation|www.setda.org
birdhousesthroughouttheschoolproperty.Teachersinstalledvideocamerastocapturefootageofthebirds(birdcams).Studentsbloggedabouttheirbirdobservations.TheBirdBrainsprogramalsoconnectedwiththefirstgradescienceclassastheystudiedlivingthings,animalbehaviors,andthefulfillmentofbasicneeds.TheBirdBrainstudentsmadevideosfromtheirbirdcamexplorationsforfirstgradeaswellaspostingthevideosonMoodleforthelargerschoolaudience.Allstudentswereabletoseefirsthandwhatbirdsneededtobuildandproducefortheirnests.Beforethisgrant,studentsstudiedanimalbehaviorthroughtheuseofpicturesandtextbookmaterial.Thecontentwasnotconnectedtotheregion,andstudentscouldnotobservebirdsinrealtime.Thebirdcamsallowedstudentstowatchtheanimalsthatsurroundedtheirschooleachday.TheBirdBrainstudentsoftengaveuptheirrecesstimetocheckthebirdhouses.
EvaluatingEffectiveness
Teachersandstudentsfoundtheintegrationofscienceandtechnologytobemotivating.Theintegrationoftheonlinecontentmanagementssystemenabledfullinteractionforstudentsandteachersandalsoprovidedaccesstoparents.Oneofthemajorimpactsofthisgrantwasintheareaofteacherproductivity.
MovingForward
Thegoals,objectives,andtoolsforthisgrantareinplaceandcanbeeasilysustainedinthecomingyears.Theinteractivewhiteboards,cameras,andprobeswillcontinuetoengagestudentsinallareasoflearning.Theschoolcommunityacquiredseedstomaintainthehydroponicgardensthroughthesaleofherbsgrownintheclassroomgardens.Additionally,theassessmenttool,whichwasacquiredwithgrantfunds,willcontinuetobeusedtomeasure21stcenturyskills.TheuseofMoodlealsogrowsasteacherscontinuetosharelessonsandstudentstoposttheirwork,evenparent‐teacherconferenceswerescheduledusingaMoodlewiki.
SchoolData
• 100%ofteacherscreatedatleastonecontent‐richonlinelesson.• 100%ofteachers,whoreceivedaninteractivewhiteboard,usedthemonadailybasis.
• Approximately80%ofteachersmadegainsintheuseof21stcenturytechnologiesasmeasuredbyEdvation,anonlineassessmenttool.
ARRACaseStudies2012|ACES/WintergreenInterdistrictMagnetSchool,Connecticut
Page23StateEducationalTechnologyDirectorsAssociation|www.setda.org
Resources
AreaCooperativeEducationalServiceshttp://aces.org/Big6:InformationandTechnologySkillsforStudentAchievementhttp://big6.com/ConnecticutStateBoardofEducationhttp://www.sde.ct.gov/sde/site/default.aspSETDAARRAInformationandResourceshttp://setda.org/web/guest/ARRAresources
Page24
RedClayConsolidated
SchoolDistrict
StateEducationalTechnologyDirectorsAssociation|www.setda.org
Delaware21stCenturyWirelessConsortium
RedClayConsolidatedSchoolDistrict,Delaware
April2010‐September2011TheDelaware21stCenturyWirelessConsortiumusedARRAEETTfundstocreateastate
oftheartwirelessinfrastructureinninedistrictsacrossthestatewiththegoaltoincrease
theintegrationoftechnologyseamlessly.Districtsalsousedfundstocreateprofessional
developmentopportunitiesspecifictotheneedsoftheindividualdistricts.RedClay
ConsolidatedSchoolDistrictmanagedtheprojectandledthecollaborativeprocess.
Demographics
Delawareishometoapproximately103,000studentsin19districtsandwasamongthe
firststatestodevelopastatewideonlineassessmentprogram.Startedduringthe2010‐
2011schoolyear,thenewonlineassessmentprogramisadministeredmultipletimes
duringtheschoolyeartoprovideteachersandparentsimmediatefeedbackonstudent
performance.Studentsfollowatestingschedulebygradelevelandsubjectareastartingin
thespringofsecondgrade.
BackgroundTheAmericanRecoveryandReinvestmentActof2009(ARRA)includeda$650
millionallocationinESEATitleII,PartD,commonlyreferredtoastheEnhancing
EducationThroughTechnologyprogram(EETT).Thiscasestudywaspreparedby
theStateEducationalTechnologyDirectorsAssociation(SETDA)–theprincipal
associationrepresentingthetechnologyleadershipofstateandterritorial
departmentsofeducation–toprovideanexampleofARRAfundsworkingatthe
districtandclassroomlevelthatcreateseffective,viable,androbustreformin
education,andimprovesthewayteachersteachandstudentslearn.
Delaware’sEETTCompetitiveGrantsInDelaware,EETTfundshelpedtosupportthestategoalsinthreeareas:1)
continuedsupportoftheeMINTS(enhancingMissouri'sInstructionalNetworked
TeachingStrategies)modeltoimproveinstructionalstrategiesandstudent
academicachievementincludingtechnologyliteracy;2)innovativeuseoftechnology
toenhanceteachingandlearning;and3)upgradedorenhancedexistingtechnology
infrastructuretoimproveinstructionalstrategiesandstudentachievement.
ARRACaseStudies2012|RedClayConsolidatedSchoolDistrict,Delaware
Page25StateEducationalTechnologyDirectorsAssociation|www.setda.org
ProjectDescription
TheDelaware21stCentury
WirelessConsortiumgrew
fromastatewideorganization
calledTechnologyManagers
andCoordinatorsCouncil
(TechMacc).Amemberfrom
eachdistrictisrepresentedon
thiscouncil,whichmeets
monthlytodiscusstechnical
supportissuesacrossthestate.
Membersrecognizedthat
ubiquitouswirelessaccesswas
neededtoensuresuccessofthe
statewideassessmentinitiative.
TheDelawareDepartmentof
Educationprovidedlaptopsto
assistwithtestadministration
oftheonlineassessment
program,butnotallschools
hadthewirelessinfrastructure
tousetheselaptops.The
consortiumrealizedthat
Delawarewouldbenefitfromaconsistentapproachtowirelessinfrastructure,andthe
grantwasacatalystforensuringwirelesscapability.Workinginaconsortiumprovidedan
economicadvantageintheabilitytobuyequipmentandserviceinbulk.Aswell,in
standardizinginstallationandutilization,districtscouldbettersupporteachother.The
consortiumconcentratedonhigh‐needschoolstoaddressthedigitaldivide.Theyalso
recognizedthateachindividualdistricthaduniqueprofessionaldevelopmentneedsand
thereforecreatedseparateprofessionaldevelopmentplansbutlinkedtheplansbysharing
resourcesviatheconsortium’swebsiteandsharingsessions.Aspartoftheprogram,83
schoolsparticipated(42TitleIschools)with1,633teachersparticipatinginprofessional
development.Anadditional1,984teacherswereindirectlyimpacted,benefittingfromthe
wirelessinfrastructure.Eachdistrictintheconsortiumtookadvantageoftheavailabilityof
wirelessinternetaccesstomeettheneedsofteachersandstudentsintheirownschools.
Theprofessionaldevelopmentopportunitiesincludedtrainingsonmultipletechnology
toolsincludinginteractivewhiteboards,podcastcreation,software,integrationoffree
onlineinternettools(i.e.GoogleApps),andclassroomwebpagedevelopment.Despitethe
varietyofactivities,allconsortiummembershadthesamegoaltoincreasethelevelof
technologyintegration.Duetothecollaborativenatureoftheconsortium,membersshared
professionaldevelopmentplans,replicatedsuccessfulstrategies,andsharedlessonplans
andrubrics.
ARRAEETTGrantDetails
GrantFocus Digitaland/orOpenContent
andHigh‐Access,Technology‐
RichLearningEnvironment
Beginning/EndDate
ofGrant
April2010‐September2011
Locale Rural
Funding $1,448,284EETTARRAFunds
$300,000LocalFunds
GradeLevel(s) K‐12
NumberofTeachers
Impacted(Directly
andIndirectly)
3,617
Numberof
Administrators
Impacted
34
NumberofStudents
Impacted(Directly
andIndirectly)
51,923
ARRACaseStudies2012|RedClayConsolidatedSchoolDistrict,Delaware
Page26StateEducationalTechnologyDirectorsAssociation|www.setda.org
ProjectImplementation
Beginninginthesummerof2010,thewirelessinfrastructureswasinstalledin
participatingschools;bandwidthprovidedbythe
installedaccesspointswas54MBforthelocal
LAN.Technicalstaffinthedistrictsreceived
trainingonhowtomanageandsupportthe
newinfrastructure.Inadditiontothetechnical
professionaldevelopment,individualdistricts
designedindividualprofessionaldevelopment
programs,whichwereimplementedinthe
2010‐2011schoolyearandcontinuedthrough
September2011.Theseplansvariedasthe
accesstotechnologytoolsandsoftwarevaried
fromdistricttodistrict.Forexample,intheRed
ClayConsolidatedSchoolDistrict,classroom
teachersweretrainedtocreateandmaintain
usefulandinformativeclassroomwebsitesthat
supportedinstructionandhelpedfoster
communicationbetweenteachers,students,and
parents.Edline,acontentmanagementsystem,
providedteachersanopportunitytopostcalendars,grades,assignments,andresourcesas
awayofextendingtheschoolday.IntheDelmarSchoolDistrict,16middleandhighschool
specialneedsteachersparticipatedinpodcastingtrainingandprofessionaldevelopment
underaLoTimodel,whichwasdesignedtoincreasestudentacademicprogresswhile
fosteringdigitalageprofessionallearningcommunities.Teachersattendedaworkshopon
podcastingandusingiPodsintheclassroomanddevelopedlessonsplansintegrating
podcastingintothecontentareas.
ClassroomExamples
• Seventhgradestudentsstudywatershedsinboththescienceandsocialstudies
class.Theylearnaboutthewatercycleandusetopographicmaps.Usingthe
technologyprovidedbythisgrant,studentscreatedpodcastsaboutstormwater
drainagepondsandtheChesapeakeBay.Thisprojectofferedstudentsan
opportunitytopracticetheirinformationalreadingandwritingskillswhile
reinforcingimportantscienceconcepts.Wirelessbroadbandaccessallowedthemto
usetheinternettoresearchtheChesapeakeBaywatershedandfactorsaffectingits
waterquality.Theteacherledadiscussionaboutstormwaterponds.Theclassthen
tookawalktoapondonschoolgrounds,notingitslocation,layout,andsurrounding
landuse.Studentsansweredtheresearchquestionsofhowtheschool’sstormwater
drainagepondaffectswaterqualityintheChesapeakeBayandrecordedtheir
responses.Studentsthensharedtheirrecordingswiththeteacherandtheclass.
Usingthewirelessinfrastructurein
combinationwithaninteractive
whiteboard,allowsstudentsand
teacherstodisplayamap,simulation,
orotherinteractivewebsite.Students
candesignexperimentsanduse
simulationstotesthypothesesina
center,smallgrouporasawholeclass.
Companionworkcanbedone
individuallyorinpairsonlaptopsor
mobiledevices.Studentsandteachers
areabletotakeadvantageofa
multitudeofhigherlevelthinking
resources.
‐JudithConway,Instructional
TechnologyCoach
ARRACaseStudies2012|RedClayConsolidatedSchoolDistrict,Delaware
Page27StateEducationalTechnologyDirectorsAssociation|www.setda.org
EvaluatingEffectiveness
Thedataanddemographicinformationbelowstronglysupportsthepurposeofthisgrant
toprovideassistancetoschoolsthatservestudentsfrompovertyandthosewithspecial
needs.
Eachindividualdistrictalsoassessedtheimpactoftheprofessionaldevelopmentprogram.
Forexample,intheRedClayConsolidatedSchoolDistrict,teachersstronglybelieveda
classroomwebsitewouldfostercommunication(4.28averageoutof5onteachersurvey),
andteachersstronglybelievedclassroomwebsitessupportinstruction(4.13averageoutof
5onteachersurvey).Theaverageincreaseinpageviewsonschoolwebsites(where
classroomwebsitesarelinked)was270%overthecourseoftheproject.InSmyrnaSchool
District,43%ofteachers’LoTIscoresincreased,andasurgeincreativityandenthusiasm
wasnotedinthewayparticipantsusedtheinstructionaltechnologystrategiesasexplored
intheirprofessionaldevelopment.
Thebiggestchallengeinadministeringthisgrantwascommunicatingamonga
geographicallydispersedconsortium.Aconsortiumwebsite,conferencecalls,andemail
communicationhelpedtodistributeinformationandsuccessfullyorganizeefforts.
MovingForward
Thesuccessofthewirelessinfrastructurespurredanumberofdistrictstofindfundingto
expandtheproject.InRedClay,forexample,thedistrictallocatedanadditional$300,000
tocontinuetherolloutofwirelessinfrastructure.Inaddition,RedClayfoundsuch
overwhelminginterestinthedistrict’swebpagetool,thetrainingwillbecontinuedfor
teacherswhowerenotabletotakepartinthefirsttrainingthroughatrain‐the‐trainer
model.Inaddition,thetoolhasbeenutilizedforthedistrict’snewdistancelearninglabsto
serveasanelectronicspaceforsharing,distributing,andcollectingwork.Otherdistricts
alsoadoptedthetrain‐the‐trainermodeltoestablishexpertsineachschoolonusingthe
interactivewhiteboards.
ProgramData
• Ofthe83schoolsaffectedbythisgrant:
50%oftheschoolsthatreceivedPDand/orwireless
equipmentwereTitleIschools
78%oftheschoolswhereawirelessnetworkwasinstalled
wereTitleIschools
• Ofthe83schoolsinvolved,thegrantaffected:
75%oftheinstructionalstaff
79%ofthestudents
81%ofthelow‐incomestudents
78%ofthespecialeducationstudents
ARRACaseStudies2012|RedClayConsolidatedSchoolDistrict,Delaware
Page28StateEducationalTechnologyDirectorsAssociation|www.setda.org
Resources
RedClayConsolidatedSchoolDistrict
www.redclay.k12.de.us
Delaware21stCenturyWirelessConsortium
http://www.redclay.k12.de.us/jc/index.html
DelawareDepartmentofEducation
http://www.doe.k12.de.us/
SETDAARRAInformationandResources
http://setda.org/web/guest/ARRAresources
Page29
ThomasvilleCitySchools
StateEducationalTechnologyDirectorsAssociation|www.setda.org
E‐TextbookProgram
ThomasvilleCitySchools,Georgia
June2010‐June2013ThegoalofThomasvilleHighSchoolandthee‐Textbooksprogramwastomovefromtraditionaltextbookstodigitalcontenttohelpincreasestudentachievementbyengagingstudentsanddifferentiatinginstruction.Thisgrantalsoaddressedtheproblemsoflowlevelsofstudenttechnologyliteracyandlackofadequatetechnologyresources.
Demographics
WhilelocatedinaruralareaofsouthwestGeorgia,ThomasvilleCitySchoolsisoneofthelastcityschoolsystemsinGeorgia.TheschoolsystemhasacharterfromthecitybutfunctionsasothersystemsinGeorgiawithanelectedschoolboardandappointedsuperintendent.ThereisonehighschoolinThomasvillewith475students,andtheScholarsAcademyeducatesstudentsingrades6to12,ofwhich319wereimpactedbythisgrant.Fifty‐fivepercentofstudentsqualifyforfreelunchand8%qualifyforreducedlunch.ThegraduationrateforThomasvilleHighSchoolhasfluctuatedinrecentyears;graduationratewas60.7%in2007‐2008,74.9%in2008‐2009,and72.7%in2009‐2010.
BackgroundTheTheAmericanRecoveryandReinvestmentActof2009(ARRA)includeda$650millionallocationinESEATitleII,PartD,commonlyreferredtoastheEnhancingEducationThroughTechnologyprogram(EETT).ThiscasestudywaspreparedbytheStateEducationalTechnologyDirectorsAssociation(SETDA)–theprincipalassociationrepresentingthetechnologyleadershipofstateandterritorialdepartmentsofeducation–toprovideanexampleofARRAfundsworkingatthedistrictandclassroomlevelthatcreateseffective,viable,androbustreformineducation,andimprovesthewayteachersteachandstudentslearn.
Georgia’sEETTCompetitiveGrantsGeorgia’sARRAEETTcompetitivegrantssoughttocreatemodeleTextbookenvironmentstobeleveragedacrossallschooldistrictsinGeorgia.Thefocuswasonteacherprofessionaldevelopmentintheuseofdigitalcontenttodifferentiateinstruction,improvestudentengagement,andincreasestudenttechnologyliteracybyprovidingstudentswiththeopportunitytousedigitaltoolsandresources.ProgramsalsoconcentratedonparentengagementbyprovidingtrainingsessionsthatdemonstratedthepurposeofeTextbooksathomeandschool.
ARRACaseStudies2012|ThomasvilleCitySchools,Georgia
Page30StateEducationalTechnologyDirectorsAssociation|www.setda.org
ProjectDescription
ThomasvilleHighSchoolstudentsperformedatabasicleveloftechnologyliteracyandlackedaccesstotechnologytools.Whiletherewere39desktopcomputersand43laptopspriortothegrant,thesewerescatteredamongclassroomswithamajorityoftheclassroomsonlyhavingoneortwocomputerstoshareamongstthestudentsandteacher.Eightoftheclassroomshadinteractivewhiteboards.Onthe21stCenturySkillsAssessmentPretest,theaveragescoreatThomasvilleHighSchoolwas275basicproficiency,inascaledscorerangeof155‐450.Withthisgrant,a1‐to‐1programwasimplementedforall9thto12thgradestudentsinThomasvilleHighSchoolandtheScholarsAcademy,aswellas8thgradestudentsparticipatingintheScholarsAcademyprogram.Teacherswerealsosuppliedwithanetbook.Inthehighschool,593notebookswereintegrated,alongwith56projectors,44whiteboards,and149individualstudentresponsedevices.SubscriptionstoDiscoveryEducation,Scholastic,andGizmosprovidedaccesstointeractivedigitalcontentinallcontentareasande‐textbooksformostcoresubjects.WirelessinfrastructureintheThomasvilleHighSchoolandScholarsAcademy,locatedacrossthestreetfromthehighschool,wasimprovedwithgrantfundsbyprovidingallnewaccesspointsaswellasamanagementsystem.Inaddition,apartnershipwasestablishedwiththeCityofThomasvilletosetupfreewirelessaccesspointsthroughoutthecityinthebusinesscorridorandattheBoysandGirlsClubsincethecitywasnotabletoprovidefreeorreducedcostinternetaccessforstudentsattheirhomes.Professionaldevelopmentwaskeytothesuccessoftheprogram.Theon‐sitetechnologycoordinatorandmediaspecialistprovidedprofessionaldevelopmentthroughouttheschoolyear.After‐schoolsessionsandjust‐in‐timetrainingprovidedopportunitiesforteacherstoexploretoolsanddevicesforintegration.Moreintensivetrainingwasofferedduringthesummers.
ARRAEETTGrantDetails
GrantFocus High‐Access,Technology‐RichLearningEnvironmentandDigitaland/orOpenContent
Beginning/EndDateofGrant
June10,2010‐June30,2013
Locale Rural
Funding $1,335,184
GradeLevel(s) 8‐12
NumberofTeachersImpacted
90
NumberofAdministratorsImpacted
5
NumberofStudentsImpacted
800
ARRACaseStudies2012|ThomasvilleCitySchools,Georgia
Page31StateEducationalTechnologyDirectorsAssociation|www.setda.org
ProjectImplementation
Duringthesummerof2010,interactivewhiteboards,mountedprojectors,documentcameras,andsoundsystemswereinstalledinallclassrooms.Thenetbookswerepreparedwiththenecessarysoftwareforteachersandstudents.InAugust2010,netbooksweredistributedtoteachersfirst,andwerethenissuedtoall9thto12thgradestudentsand8thgradeScholarsAcademystudents.Studentsandparentsparticipatedinanorientation,whichincludedinformationoncareandmaintenanceofthenotebook,cybersecurity,andacceptableusepolicies.Fourteenorientationsessionswereofferedandavideowasproducedforparentswhowerenotabletoparticipateinasessionortransferredintotheschoollaterintheschoolyear.Duringtheschoolyear,teachersparticipatedinafter‐schooltrainingsessionsandjust‐in‐timetraining.Onstaff,themediaspecialist,technologycoordinator,andtechnicianprovidedongoingsupporttoteachersandstudents.Duringthefirstyearofimplementation,teachersworkedtogetherandwiththetechnologysupportteamtolearnhowtointegratethetechnologyande‐Textbooks.Attheendoftheschoolyear,athree‐dayintensivecontentandunitplanningworkshopwasheld.RepresentativesfromDiscoveryEducation,Scholastic,andtheGeorgiaEducationalTechnologyCenterhelpedteachersworkwiththedigitalcontentandplanunits.Inthe2011‐2012schoolyear,twoadditionalpart‐timespecialists,formerlyoftheGeorgiaEducationalTechnologyCenter,joinedthestafftoassistandsupportteachersthroughcoaching,modelinglessons,andco‐teaching.
ClassroomExamples
• Thedigitalcontenthashadahugeimpactonmathematicsclasses.Priortothegrant,studentsworkedoutofthetextbook.Gizmosandinteractivesimulationsofferopportunitiesforstudentstodigitallysimulateandalterdataandfunctions.TheQuadraticsinFactoredFormGizmoshowsverticalandhorizontalshiftsaswellasshrinksandstretchesbasedonhowthenumbersarechangedinaninstant.Studentschangethedatatoseetheeffectsgraphically,andmakepredictionsandtesttheirprojections.Toseethechangesviatechnologyisdramaticallyfasterthangraphingseveralquadraticsonpaperandviewingtheresults.
• IntheUShistoryclasses,thenotebookswereusedforavarietyoftasks.Forexample,inreviewingtheReconstructioneraandpreparingforthetest,eachstudentwasassignedatopicandcompletedaslidepresentation.SlideswereuploadedandcombinedviaGoogleDocs.Studentswereabletousethecombinedpresentationtoreviewforthetest.DigitalcontentavailableontheiCivicswebsite(http://icivics.org/)createdbytheUnitedStatesSupremeCourt,wasalsoused
Studentsareengagedandeagertoparticipateinclassroomactivitieswhenusingtechnology.Studentsappeartoretaininformationbetterwhenitispresentedindifferentways,suchasontheinteractivewhiteboard,ontheirnotebooks,orontheinternet.‐ThomasvilleHighSchoolTeacher
ARRACaseStudies2012|ThomasvilleCitySchools,Georgia
Page32StateEducationalTechnologyDirectorsAssociation|www.setda.org
throughoutthecoursewhichhelpedtoenhancethelessonsandproviderealworldexamples.
EvaluatingEffectiveness
StudenttechnologyliteracyaswellasteachertechnologyproficiencyisbeingmeasuredbyThomasvilleCitySchoolsthroughLearning.com’s21stCenturySkillsAssessmentandWayFindTeacherAssessment.StudentachievementismeasuredthroughtheGeorgiaEnd‐of‐CourseTestsandGeorgiaHighSchoolGraduationTests.Nogainshavebeenrealizedyetinthesecondcurrentyearofimplementation.Throughinformaldiscussionswithteachers,ithasbeenreportedthatstudentsaremoreengagedinclass.Inwalkingthroughclassrooms,engagementisapparentasstudentsinteractwiththecontentavailableviaclassroomwhiteboards,usenetbooksforcollaborativegroupwork,andaccessdigitalresources.
MovingForward
ThecitizensofThomasCountypassedanEducationalSpecialPurposeLocalOptionSalesTax(ESPLOST)inNovember2011totakeeffectinJanuary2013.TheESPLOSTwillprovidefundstoaidinkeepingtheinfrastructureandtechnologyequipment,includingnetbookupgradesandreplacementsasneeded.Also,theschoolsystemwillcontinuetofundinstructionaltechnologyandinfrastructuresupportbysystememployeesthroughstateandlocalfunds.
Resources
ThomasvilleCitySchoolshttp://tcitys.orgGeorgiaDepartmentofEducationhttp://doe.k12.ga.us/SETDAARRAInformationandResourceshttp://setda.org/web/guest/ARRAresources
!! ! ! ! !
!Page%33!
Des$Moines$Public$Schools$%
$%
State%Educational%Technology%Directors%Association%|%www.setda.org%
$$
Iowa$Ed$Tech$ARRA$Des$Moines$Public$Schools,$Iowa$
June$2010=September$2011$In!Iowa,!rural!students!did!not!have!access!to!the!same!depth!of!curriculum!as!urban!students,!and!urban!students!needed!support!for!credit!recovery.!This!grant!focused!on!acquiring!and!developing!online!courses!and!content,!as!well!as!training!teachers!to!develop!and!facilitate!courses!so!that!all!Iowa!students!would!have!access!to!online!content!through!a!common,!statewide!content!management!system.!Therefore,!it!was!also!the!goal!of!the!grant!to!increase!student!achievement,!increase!access!to!technology,!and!better!prepare!students!for!the!21st!century.!Two!projects!were!funded!by!ARRA!EETT!funds,!including!the!Des!Moines!Public!Schools!(DMPS)!initiative,!which!focused!on!increasing!access!for!secondary!students!to!online!coursework!and!content.!!Demographics$
Located!in!the!center!of!Iowa,!DMPS!is!the!largest!district!with!30,000!kindergarten!through!12th!grade!students.!On!average,!58.5%!of!DMPS!high!school!students!are!eligible!for!free!or!reduced!lunch,!45.9%!are!minority,!7.2%!are!English!Language!Learners,!and!20.6%!receive!special!education!services.%%
Background$$The!American)Recovery)and)Reinvestment)Act)of)2009)(ARRA)!included!a!$650!million!allocation!in!ESEA!Title!II,!Part!D,!commonly!referred!to!as!the!Enhancing)Education)Through)Technology)program)(EETT).!This!case!study!was!prepared!by!the!State!Educational!Technology!Directors!Association!(SETDA)!–!the!principal!association!representing!the!technology!leadership!of!state!and!territorial!departments!of!education!–!to!provide!an!example!of!ARRA!funds!working!at!the!district!and!classroom!level!that!creates!effective,!viable,!and!robust!reform!in!education,!and!improves!the!way!teachers!teach!and!students!learn.!
!Iowa’s$EETT$Competitive$Grants!
Iowa’s!ARRA!EETT!competitive!grant!focused!on!online!learning!for!both!teachers!and!students!with!the!goal!to!positively!affect!student!achievement!in!Iowa.!The!project!included!the!purchase!of!online!content!for!all!Iowa!students,!creation!of!a!repository!for!online!content!and!professional!development!for!teachers!to!help!them!create!lessons,!units!and!online!courses.!
ARRA$Case$Studies$2012$|$Des$Moines$Public$Schools,$Iowa$
!Page%34!State%Educational%Technology%Directors%Association%|%www.setda.org%
Project$Description$
The!grant!targeted!secondary!students!to!address!achievement!gaps!and!to!provide!equity!to!resources.!The!program!sought!to!reach!a!large,!highXneed!student!population!with!limited!access!to!technology.!At!the!core!of!the!program!was!a!rigorous!professional!development!program!for!teachers,%including!a!course!sequence!built!around!best!practices!in!online!teaching!known!as!OLLIE!(Online!Learning!for!Iowa!Educators).!In!addition!to!OLLIE!courses,!Iowa!teachers!have!been!using!Communities!of!Practice!and!Innovation!with!contentXspecific!focus!groups!to!sustain!the!work!and!apply!it!into!content!areas.!In!this!program,!teachers!met!to!analyze,!evaluate,!develop,!and!implement!online!courses!in!four!content!areas!(mathematics,!science,!social!studies,!and!English/language!arts)!from!across!Iowa!with!93!districts!out!of!359!represented.!In!a!statewide!effort,!Iowa!provided!hundreds!of!hours!of!professional!development!for!teachers!on!how!to!use!online!tools,!develop!online!content,!and!integrate!media!into!existing!content!areas.!Des!Moines!teachers!benefitted!and!expanded!on!these!efforts!in!this!grant!program.!%!!Project$Implementation$
During!the!summer!of!2010,!Des!Moines!Public!Schools!purchased!300!netbooks!for!students!and!provided!100!teachers!with!2!of!the!5!OLLIE!courses!in!professional!development.!Teachers!returned!to!the!classroom!and!immediately!implemented!the!Moodle!Learning!Management!System!(LMS)!with!1,000!students.!Students!had!access!to!course!materials,!homework,!assignments,!and!projects!both!in!school!and!at!home. Learning!to!use!online!resources!like!Moodle!in!the!classroom!was!transformational!for!teachers. !
ARRA%EETT%Grant%Details%Grant!Focus! Professional!Development,!
Online!Learning!!
Beginning/End!Date!of!Grant!
June!2010XSeptember!2011!
Locale% Urban!!
Funding% $402,987!!
Grade!Level!(s)% 9X12!!
Number!of!Teachers!Impacted!%
100!
Number!of!Administrators!Impacted%
6!
Number!of!Students!Impacted%
1,000!!
Using!Moodle!and!the!various!links!to!many!tools,!a!teacher!can!focus!on!the!needs!of!students!as!learners!and!be!very!creative!with!their!assessments!of!learning.!
XDMPS!Teacher!
ARRA$Case$Studies$2012$|$Des$Moines$Public$Schools,$Iowa$
!Page%35!State%Educational%Technology%Directors%Association%|%www.setda.org%
Classroom$Example$
• Des!Moines!teachers!use!a!blended!learning!model!to!implement!the!use!of!Moodle!in!their!classroom.!One!assignment!at!a!time!is!delivered!online!along!with!inquiry!and!discussion!activities!for!students.!Teachers!discovered!that!using!online!tools!provides!support!for!differentiated!instruction!in!the!classroom.!!
Evaluating$Effectiveness$
Enrollment!in!the!Iowa!Learning!Online!Virtual!School!is!700!students.!In!addition,!5,000!students!in!Des!Moines!and!9,000!students!statewide!were!learning!in!a!blended!learning!environment.!As!well,!the!grant!program!laid!a!foundation!for!the!training!and!tools!teachers!needed!to!effectively!use!technology!in!the!classroom.!For!the!first!time,!all!Iowa!Area!Education!Agencies!and!Urban!Education!Network!districts!worked!together!to!provide!economy!of!scale!solutions!on!a!statewide!basis!for!all!teachers!and!all!students!in!Iowa.!!!!!!!!!!!!Moving$Forward$
Despite!the!end!of!the!funding!in!Des!Moines!Public!Schools,!26!teachers!volunteered!to!act!as!building!leaders!to!continue!coaching!and!mentoring!teachers!in!how!to!use!the!online!content!and!Moodle.!At!the!beginning!of!the!2011X2012!school!year,!7,000!teachers!and!students!were!using!Moodle!in!Des!Moines.!!While!the!grant!funded!the!initial!startup!of!this!longXterm!project,!the!work!completed!during!the!grant!cycle!was!critical!to!the!longXterm!viability!of!education!in!Iowa.!With!declining!rural!enrollment!and!increasing!urban!enrollment,!online!learning!provides!equity!of!educational!content!for!students!and!allows!teachers!to!have!classes!composed!of!students!from!multiple!districts,!which!can!minimize!the!impact!of!changing!demographics.!Online!learning!also!offers!educational!opportunities!to!students!who!would,!in!other!educational!models,!have!restrictions!on!course!offerings.!With!the!establishment!of!this!program,!all!students!can!have!access!to!courses!offered!through!this!project!which!will,!in!turn,!allow!those!students!to!access!courses!required!by!institutions!of!higher!learning.!
District%Data%%
• In!2010X2011,!1,000!high!school!students!enrolled!in!an!online!course!in!Des!Moines.!!
• 80%!of!students!completed!an!online!course!with!a!GradeXtoXDate!of!60%!or!higher.!!
!
ARRA$Case$Studies$2012$|$Des$Moines$Public$Schools,$Iowa$
!Page%36!State%Educational%Technology%Directors%Association%|%www.setda.org%
!Resources$
Des!Moines!Public!Schools!http://www.dmschools.org/!!Iowa!Department!of!Education!http://educateiowa.gov/!!SETDA!ARRA!Information!and!Resources!http://setda.org/web/guest/ARRAresources!!
Page37
RapidesParishSchoolDistrict
StateEducationalTechnologyDirectorsAssociation|www.setda.org
EETTHIGHTechGrant
RapidesParishSchoolDistrict,Louisiana
July2010‐June2011TheHIGHTechgrantprojectcreateda1‐to‐1,digitalcurriculumlearningenvironmentatNorthwoodHighSchool.Teachersreceivedprofessionaldevelopmentthroughthesupportofafull‐timetechnologyfacilitatorandthroughapartnershipwithnearbyBoltonHighSchool’sDigitalAcademy.
Demographics
RapidesParishSchoolDistrictislocatedinrural,centralLouisianainthetownofAlexandria.NorthwoodSchoolisaK‐12schoolof800students;NorthwoodHighSchoolisapartofthisschoolcommunityserving225studentsingrades9‐12.Seventy‐sevenpercentofNorthwoodstudentsqualifyforfreeorreducedlunch,andtheschoolqualifiesforTitleI.TheLouisianaSchoolAccountabilitySystemprovidesaSchoolPerformanceScore(SPS)consistingoftestandgraduationresults,studentattendancerate,anddropoutrate.NorthwoodHighSchool,atthebeginningofthegrantperiod,scored77.1.By2014,thestate'sgoalforeachschoolisanSPSof120.
BackgroundTheAmericanRecoveryandReinvestmentActof2009(ARRA)includeda$650millionallocationinESEATitleII,PartD,commonlyreferredtoastheEnhancingEducationThroughTechnologyprogram(EETT).ThiscasestudywaspreparedbytheStateEducationalTechnologyDirectorsAssociation(SETDA)–theprincipalassociationrepresentingthetechnologyleadershipofstateandterritorialdepartmentsofeducation–toprovideanexampleofARRAfundsworkingatthedistrictandclassroomlevelthatcreateseffective,viable,androbustreformineducation,andimprovesthewayteachersteachandstudentslearn.
Louisiana’sEETTCompetitiveGrantsInLouisiana,ARRAEETTgrantswereawardedtoaddressschool‐wideimprovementeffortsthroughtheeffective,expandeduseofinstructionaltechnologytools.Grantprogramsdevelopedinstructionaltechnologymodelsthataddressedthegoalsandinstructionalstrategiesofthetechnologyplanandlocalschoolimprovementeffortstoassistteacherswitheffectivetechnologyintegration,improvetechnologyproficiencyandincreasestudentperformance.
ARRACaseStudies2012|RapidesParishSchoolDistrict,Louisiana
Page38StateEducationalTechnologyDirectorsAssociation|www.setda.org
ProjectDescription
RapidesParish,alowsocio‐economicruralschooldistrict,hadlimitedaccesstotechnologytools,digitalcontent,advancedplacementcourses,andhigh‐speedbroadbandpriortothisgrant.InNorthwoodHighSchool,therewerecomputerlabsforbusinessvocationalcoursesonlyandafewinteractivewhiteboards.Studentsalsostruggledwithdevelopingthe21stcenturyskillsofcollaboration,criticalthinking,andcommunication.Thisgrantprovidedatotalredesignoftheinstructionalenvironmentbyintegratinga1‐to‐1programandavarietyofonlineresourcesincludingadvancedplacementopportunities,distancelearningclasses,andsubscription‐basedservices.Studentswereprovidedwith24/7accesstonetbooks.Schoolandcommunitywirelesshotspotswereestablishedsothatstudentscouldaccessinternetresourcesduring,before,andafterschool,andoutsideofschoolpropertyatcommunitycentersandonthenearbyIndianreservation.Inadditiontostudenttools,classroomswereequippedwithinteractivewhiteboardsanddigitalcurricularesourcesincludingaschoolwidecontentmanagementsystem.Thetechnologycoordinatorprovidedcomprehensiveprofessionaldevelopmentforteacherswithin‐persontrainingandongoingclassroomsupport.Teacherslearnedhowtousethenewdevicesandhowtoimplementcollaborative,project‐basedlessonsintothecorecurriculum.NorthwoodteachersalsopartneredwithteachersfromBoltonHighSchool,thedistrict'sall‐digitalhighschool.
ProjectImplementation
Thefirststepinimplementingthisprogramwastoestablishatechnology‐richinfrastructureincludingacampus‐widewirelessnetwork,laptopsforteachers,andnetbooksforall9th,10th,11th,and12thgradestudents.Additionally,digitalcurricularesourcessuchasGizmos,Geometer'sSketchpad,ABC‐CLIO,Nettrekker,andBlackboardwereprovidedtohelpcreateatechnology‐richinstructionalenvironment.
ARRAEETTGrantDetails
GrantFocus High‐Access,Technology‐RichLearningEnvironmentandTechnologyCoaches/Mentors
Beginning/EndDateofGrant
July1,2009‐September30,2011
Locale Rural
Funding $414,600
GradeLevel(s) 9‐12
NumberofTeachersImpacted
19
NumberofAdministratorsImpacted
3
NumberofStudentsImpacted
225
Beforewehadthecomputers,Iknewverylittleabouttechnology.NowIthinkIammorepreparedformyfuture.
‐12thgradestudent
ARRACaseStudies2012|RapidesParishSchoolDistrict,Louisiana
Page39StateEducationalTechnologyDirectorsAssociation|www.setda.org
Atthestartofthe2010‐2011schoolyear,parentsandstudentswereorientedtothe1‐to‐1programandsignedusercontracts.Studentsreceivedtrainingatthebeginningoftheyearinlaptopmaintenanceandbasicwordprocessing,spreadsheet,andpresentationapplications.Teachersreceivedprofessionaldevelopmentinbasiccomputerapplicationsandproject‐basedlearningprinciples.Beforethebeginningoftheschoolyear,teachersattendedworkshops,whichthencontinuedthroughouttheyear.Teachersalsoreceivedtrainingoneachofthedigitalcontentandonlinemanagementresources.Afull‐timetechnologyfacilitatorwasaddedtothefaculty,whocoached,modeled,andprovidedsupportbothduringtheschooldayandafterschool.Inaddition,duringthesummerof2011,Northwoodteachersattendedatwo‐daycurriculumplanningeventduringwhichtechnologyteacherleadersfromVirginia,Florida,andBoltonHighSchoolassistedtheNorthwoodteachersinworkingwithintheircontentareasandwritingunitplansthatintegratedthetechnology.
ThepartnershipwithBoltonHighSchoolwascriticaltothesuccessofthegrantimplementation.NorthwoodteachersworkedwiththemoreexperiencedBoltonHighSchoolteachers,whohadthreeyearsofexperiencewiththeir1‐to‐1program.NorthwoodteachersvisitedBoltontwiceduringtheschoolyearbycurriculumdepartmentstoobserveclassesandworkwithteachers.BoltonteachersalsoprovidedworkshopsforNorthwoodteachers.Inaddition,studentsandteachersreceivedtechnicalsupportfromBoltonHighSchool.Aslaptopsneededtobeserviced,theyweresenttothetechnicalstaffatBoltonandaloanerlaptopwasmadeavailablesostudentswerenotwithoutacomputer.
ClassroomExamples
• InanAlgebraIclass,studentsbecametravelagentsandcompletedonlineresearchtodevelopthreedifferenttravelpackagesforafamilyoffour.Eachseven‐dayvacationpackagewasresearchedandplannedtoadifferentlocation.Studentsusedtheirlaptopsandtheinternetforresearchinginformationfortheirdifferentdestinations.Researchincludedexploringavailabletransportation,entertainment,food,andlodgingoptions,andaveragetemperaturesofeachdestination.Studentsgraphedtemperaturedatabasedondatacollectedfromvariousweather‐relatedwebsites.Studentsproducedaone‐pagereportofallcostsassociatedwitheachvacationpackage.Inaddition,theypresentedtheirworkviaabrochure,slideshow,ormovie.FinalproductswerepresentedatTechnologyNight,anopenhouseforteachers,parents,students,andcommunityleaders,focusingonstudent‐createdtechnologyprojectsthatshowcasedtheirtechnologyskills.
• InAmericanhistoryclass,studentsstudiedChristopherColumbus.Inthepast,studentsreadanddiscussedgeneralinformationaboutChristopherColumbusandhisexplorations.Withthegrant,studentstooktheirexplorationofColumbusmuchfurther.Workinginsmallgroups,theyresearchedColumbus’sexpeditionsandoutcomes.EachgroupcreatedanelectronicflipchartinwhichtheyexplainedandsupportedtheiropinionsonwhetherColumbus’svoyagesshouldhavebeensupportedbySpain.Afterpresentingtheirflipchartstotheirclassmates,eachgroupscriptedandfilmedavideolettertothekingandqueenofSpaininwhichtheyeitherthankedthemforpayingforColumbus’expeditionortoldthemwhyitwasnotagooddecisionontheirpart.Thegroupssharedtheirvideoswiththerestofthestudentbodyata“VideoBreakfast.”A
ARRACaseStudies2012|RapidesParishSchoolDistrict,Louisiana
Page40StateEducationalTechnologyDirectorsAssociation|www.setda.org
sectionoftheschool’scafeteriawassetupwithtallcountertops,electricaloutlets,andalargeflat‐screentelevision.Onceaweekduringbreakfast,thestudentswereabletosharetheirprojectsusingtheirlaptopsandthetelevision.Allthestudentsinthecafeteriawereabletoseevideopresentations.
EvaluatingEffectiveness
Atthebeginningandendoftheproject,teacherandadministratortechnologyproficiencywasassessedusingtheLouisianaDepartmentofEducationSouthwestEducationalDevelopmentLaboratorysurvey,basedonISTEEducationalTechnologyStandardsanditsperformanceindicators.Basedonsurveyresults,technologyskillsandstudentattitudestowardlearningwithtechnologyimproved.
Anecdotally,thechangestothecurriculumandaccesstotechnologyandtheinternetexcitedthestudentsandprovidednewopportunitiesastheyconsideredtheirfutures.Teacherssawanincreaseininterestinpursuinghighereducationand/ortechnicalcareers.
MovingForward
Nearthebeginningofthisproject,alocalpropertytaxmillagetoprovidetechnologyfortheschooldistrictwasimplemented.Thistaxprovideslong‐termsustainabilityforthisprojectandhasprovidedtechnologytoolsandtrainingforthelowergradesduringthisgrantperiod.Ongoing,thelocalfundswillsupportthemaintenanceandreplacementofthehighschool’snetbooks.Northwoodwillcontinuetoreceivesupportfromdistricttechnologyfacilitators;however,theschool‐basedtechnologyfacilitatorwasonlyprovidedduringthegrantcycle.Theprogramallowedmanyteacherstobecomecampusleadersandthoseleaderscontinuetosupportandeducatetheschoolcommunity.
Resources
NorthwoodHighSchoolhttp://rpsb.us/northwood/RapidesParishSchoolDistricthttp://rpsb.us/
SchoolData
• TeacherProficiency:Forthestandardmeasuringoftechnology‐richlearningenvironments,teacherproficiencyincreasedfrom64%to85%basedonpre‐andpost‐grantassessments.
• On‐TargetforGraduation:Previousjuniorclassesmeasuredapproximately58%ontrackforgraduation;forthelasttwoyearsthejuniorclasseshaveimprovedto75.6and74.5%ontrackforgraduation.
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LouisianaDepartmentofPublicInstructionhttp://doe.louisiana.gov/http://louisianaschools.netSETDAARRAInformationandResourceshttp://setda.org/web/guest/ARRAresources
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Maine
StateEducationalTechnologyDirectorsAssociation|www.setda.org
OpenEducationalResourcesinMathematicsProfessionalDevelopmentProject
MaineRegionalSchoolDistricts#54and#11,StatewideGrant
April2010‐September2011TheprimarygoaloftheOpenEducationalResourcesinMathematicsProfessionalDevelopmentProjectwastobuildthecapacityofmathematicsteachersandtechnologyintegrationspecialiststoeffectivelyutilizeopeneducationalresourcesforselectedmathematicstopicstoimprovemathematicsachievementandtechnologicalliteracyforstudentsingrades7to12.Developmentteamsofteachersandeducationpartnersdesignedresourcesandactivitiestoconnectcontenttopicsandcurriculumneedstoassessmentpracticesandinstructionalstrategies.
Demographics
Thegrantrecipientsincludedtwopartnerdistricts:RegionalSchoolUnit(RSU)#54,whichincludesschoolsfromCanaan,Cornville,Mercer,Norridgewock,Skowhegan,andSmithfieldandRSU#11withschoolsfromGardiner,Pittston,Randolph,andWestGardiner.Bothdistrictsareregionalschoolunitsdrawingfromnearbyruralcommunities.ThreeofthepartnerschoolsareTitleIschools.
BackgroundTheAmericanRecoveryandReinvestmentActof2009(ARRA)includeda$650millionallocationinESEATitleII,PartD,commonlyreferredtoastheEnhancingEducationThroughTechnologyprogram(EETT).ThiscasestudywaspreparedbytheStateEducationalTechnologyDirectorsAssociation(SETDA)–theprincipalassociationrepresentingthetechnologyleadershipofstateandterritorialdepartmentsofeducation–toprovideanexampleofARRAfundsworkingatthedistrictandclassroomlevelthatcreateseffective,viable,androbustreformineducation,andimprovesthewayteachersteachandstudentslearn.
Maine’sEETTCompetitiveGrantsMaine’sARRAEETTcompetitivegrantfocusedontheintegrationofOpenEducationalResources(OER)intothedailycurriculum.ThegrantprovidedprofessionaldevelopmenttoincreaseawarenessofOER,research,andevaluationoftheresources.Inaddition,MainebuiltanonlinecommunitytoprovideanavenueforsharingandevaluatingOERbeyondtheendofthegrantcycle.
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ProjectDescription
TheMaineLearningTechnologyInitiative(MLTI)currentlyprovidesprofessionaldevelopmenttoMaineteachersand21stcenturytoolstomiddleandhighschoolstudentstosupportthestatecurriculumandstandards.AsofJanuary2010,226middleschoolsand66highschoolswereparticipatinginthe1‐to‐1MLTIprogram.Withtoolsandstrongprofessionaldevelopmentinitiativesinplace,Mainesoughttoutilizeandextendresourcesandassessmentdatatobettermeettheneedsofstudents,particularlyintheareaofmathematics.ThisprojecttookadvantageofthepotentialofOER,combinedwithtrainingandappropriatetechnologicalhardware,tosupportclassroomtechnologyintegrationwiththegoaltoimprovemathematicsachievementandtechnologicalliteracyforgrades7to12students.Stateanddistrictassessmentdatashowedstudentsstrugglinginfoundationalalgebraicconcepts.Therefore,MaineRSU#54andRSU#11,inpartnershipwithEducationDevelopmentCenter,Inc.(EDC),collaboratedtodevelop,pilot,andimplementacomprehensivepackageofprofessionaldevelopmentresourcesforteacherstohelpimpactmathematicsinstructionandstudentachievement.Theprofessionaldevelopmentfocusedonuseofresearch‐basedinstructionalmethodsformathematicsindicatorsintheMaineLearningResults(MLR):ParametersforEssentialInstruction(PEI)alignedwithidentifiedneedsinthepartnerdistrictsandthestate.Thetargetedindicatorswerecriticalfoundationalskillsforalgebraingrades7to12,includingrationalnumberconcepts.ProfessionaldevelopmentwasdesignedtouseOERandtechnologytoolstosupporttheconnectionsbetweenandamongAssessmentpractices,Curriculum,andInstruction(ACI).Inaddition,theprojectutilizedthetechnologicalpedagogicalcontentknowledge(TPACK)frameworkforprojectplanningandprofessionaldevelopmentactivitieswitheducators.Teachersweretrainedtouseformativeassessmentdatatodeterminespecificareasofstudentdifficultyandhowtoexplicitlytargetthoseareasofweaknessthroughtheonlineresources.
ARRAEETTGrantDetails
GrantFocus OngoingProfessionalDevelopment,Digital,and/orOpenContent
Beginning/EndDateofGrant
April1,2010‐September30,2011
Locale Rural
Funding $183,868
GradeLevel(s) 7‐12
NumberofTeachersImpacted
97
NumberofAdministratorsImpacted
5
NumberofStudentsImpacted
1,684
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ProjectImplementation
Theprojectwasdesignedasamulti‐tieredprofessionaldevelopmentinitiativewiththreecohortsinvolved;thedevelopmentteamofteachersfromthepartnerdistricts,thepartnerteachersfromthepartnerdistricts,andthestatewideonlinegroup.Theprofessionaldevelopmentactivitiesprovidedinstruction,guidance,andsupportforallparticipants.ThethreegroupswereengagedinusingOERandothertechnologiestoconnectAssessmentpractices,CurriculumtopicsandInstruction(ACI)throughthelearningcycle.Thefirstcohort,thedevelopmentteam,whichincluded14teachersfrom2partneringdistricts,receivedface‐to‐faceprofessionaldevelopmentinthespringandsummerof2010alongwithonlineprofessionaldevelopmentthatincludedbothsynchronousandasynchronouscomponentsfromthefallof2010throughthespring2011.Thisteam,alongwiththeEDCstaff,createdaseriesoflessonsets,whichwereorganizedbytargetedmathematicstopics,suchasthedistributiveproperty.Thelessonsets,nowavailableontheprojectwebsite(http://maine.edc.org/file.php/1/oermath.html),includedlessonmaterials,diagnosticassessmenttools,informationonanalyzingdata,classroomimplementationandinstructionalresources,andapost‐assessmenttool.Designedforteachersandstudents,atypicallessonsetincludedscreencasts—digitalrecordingsofthecomputerscreen—asademonstrationofstudentthinkingorasaguidetoimplementationoftheresources.Aswell,theinstructionalresourcesincludedappletsdesignedspecificallyforthelessonsandmanyotherappropriateOERresources.Fifteentopicsessionsweremadeavailableontheprojectwebsite(seehttp://maine.edc.org/file.php/1/oer/math_PDResources.html).Thesecondcohort,theparticipatingpartnerteachers,receivedface‐to‐faceprofessionaldevelopmentinthefallof2010andparticipatedinonlineprofessionaldevelopmentthatincludedbothsynchronousandasynchronouscomponentsfromthefallof2010throughthespringof2011.Trainingbeganwithreviewofbackgroundlessonmaterialsinordertodeterminethelearningtargetsfollowedbytrainingintheadministrationofpre‐assessmentstodeterminestudents’knowledgeandareasofweakness.Theparticipatingteachersthenanalyzedtheirstudents’dataandselectedinstructionalactivitiesandareasoffocususingtheonlineappletsandstudentexplorations.Aftereachlesson,teachersre‐assessedtodeterminewhatstudentslearnedandthefocusofthenextinstructionalactivities.Overthecourseoftheyear,participatingteachersandprojectstaffcustomizedandsharedresources,creatednewresources,andestablishedacommunityofpracticebothonlineandinsmallerschool‐basedgroups.Thethirdcohort,thestatewideonlinegroup,participatedinonlineprofessionaldevelopmentopportunitiesdescribedabovethatincludedbothsynchronousandasynchronouscomponentsfromthefallon2010tospring2011.Teachers,notapartoftheinitialdevelopment,gatheredtodefineOER,exploreresources,anduseOERtoimprovethelearningprocess.Webinarswereconductedtoguideparticipantsinutilizingthelessonsets.Uponimplementingthelessons,teacherswereencouragedtoparticipateinanonlinediscussionontheprojectwebsite,includingareflectionaboutanychangespre‐topost‐assessmentandpossiblenextstepsininstruction.Throughparticipationinthisproject,teachersgainedabetterunderstandingofOERandhowtoimplementOERinthe
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classroom.TeachersalsohadtheopportunitytocreateandshareOERthroughonlinediscussionsontheprojectwebsite.Atotalof58schoolssupportedteachersinthisprogramandinthespringof2011,face‐to‐faceprofessionaldevelopmentwasofferedtoadditionalmiddleandhighschoolteachersduringthestatewidedisseminationefforts.
ClassroomExamples
• Beforethegrant,evenwithlaptopsavailable,manyteacherstaughtintegeroperationsintheseventhgradeusingpaperandpencilactivities,andsomeusedhands‐onmanipulatives.Aspartofthisprogram,uponstartingthestudyofintegers,studentscompletedaformativeassessmenttaskandenteredthedatathroughtheuseofhandheldclickers.Thestudentsandteacherthenexaminedanddiscussedtheresults.Duringthisprocess,thestudentsandteacheridentifiedsomecriticalquestionstoexplore.Theteacherselectedteamsofstudentstoparticipateinanactivityinwhichthey"walkedthenumberline"toinvestigateintegeroperations.Studentsthenlaunchedaninteractiveapplettitled“WalkingtheNumberLine”ontheirlaptops.Thisappletmodelstheadditionandsubtractionofintegersbywalkingacharacteralonganumberline(http://maine.edc.org/file.php/1/tools/IntegerWalkNumLine2.html).
• Studentsineighthgrademathematicsengagedinalessonaboutequivalentexpressionsusingadistributivepropertyinteractiveapplet.Theybeganbypredictingwhetherexpressionsareequivalentornotonanonlineformativeassessmentprobe.Studentsandteacherdiscussedthewholeclasspredictionsthenpairedtoexplorethedistributivepropertywithaninteractiveapplet.Thestudentsdiscussedandcomparedtheirfindingswiththeiroriginalpredictions.Studentsrecordedtheirinteractionswiththeappletandtheirdiscussionsinascreencasttosharewithpeersandtheirteacher(foranexampleofascreencastsee:http://maine.edc.org/file.php/1/oer/math_StScreencast_EquivExprDistribProp3.html).
EvaluatingEffectiveness
Theformalevaluationoftheprojectincludedteacherandstudentdata.Evaluationresultssuggesteducatorsinthesurveysampleself‐reportedupwardshiftsinareassuchas:knowledgeofareasofstudentdifficulty;frequencyofimplementingformativeassessments;frequencyofuseofOER;frequencyofuseoftechnologytosupportacycleofinquiry;andcompetencywithtargetedtechnologyintegrationstrategiesandtools.
Iammorecomfortableallowingstudentstoworkattheirownpaceandtobemoreindependentintheirlearning.Ilikethatdifferentstudentscandothesameactivity,beginningwithdifferentskilllevels,butstilladvancetheirunderstandingofatopicthroughtheappletandtheassessments.
–Grade8MathTeacher
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AdescriptiveanalysisofprojectstudentformativeassessmentresultsshowsthatstudentachievementdidincreaseoverallintheMaineLearningResults(MLR):PEIindicatorstargetedbytheproject.Averagingthepercentcorrectscoresacrossthetargeteddomainsshowsthatincreasesvariedformatchedpre‐/postclassesfrom6%to17%,andformatchedpre‐/delayedpostclassesfrom0.2%to20%.Thegreatestgainsforboththepre‐/postmatchedclassesandthepre‐/delayedpostmatchedclasseswereinthedomainsofSymbolsandExpressions(17%and20%,respectively)andFunctionsandRelations(16%and12%,respectively).
MovingForward
ThelessonsandOERresourceswillbedisseminatedmorebroadlytoensureteachersstatewidecanimplementtheresourcesintheirclassrooms.Thewebsitedevelopedforthisprojectofferslessonsandappletsforglobaluse.
Resources
OERinMathematicsProfessionalDevelopmentProjecthttp://maine.edc.org/file.php/1/oermath.htmlMaineLearningTechnologyInitiativehttp://maine.gov/mlti/index.shtmlMaineDepartmentofEducationhttp://maine.gov/education/SETDAARRAInformationandResourceshttp://setda.org/web/guest/ARRAresources
AssessmentData
• Theaveragepercentcorrectscoresacrossthetargeteddomainsshowsincreasesfrompre‐topost‐assessmentsupto17%.
• ThegreatestgainswereinthedomainsofSymbolsandExpressions(20%)andFunctionsandRelations(16%).
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HowardCountyPublicSchools
StateEducationalTechnologyDirectorsAssociation|www.setda.org
TheCollegeandCareerReadinessSupportProject
HowardCountyPublicSchools,Maryland
July2009‐September2011TheCollegeandCareerReadinessSupportProjectprovidedhigh‐qualityprofessionaldevelopmentandresourcestohelpteachersindividualizeinstructionthroughtheuseofemergingtechnologiesintheirclassroomsandbyunderstandingandapplyingtheprinciplesofUniversalDesignforLearning.HowardCountypartneredwithnineMarylanddistrictstodevelopandofferanarrayofblendedlearningopportunitiesandup‐to‐datetechnologytoolsforteachers.ThepartneringdistrictsincludedBaltimoreCity,Calvert,Caroline,Carroll,Cecil,Dorchester,PrinceGeorge’s,Somerset,andWorcester.
Demographics
HowardCountyMarylandislocatedinthecentralpartofthestate,positionedconvenientlybetweenBaltimoreandWashington,D.C.HowardCountyisoneofthefastestgrowingregionsinthestate,increasingitspopulationby34%inthepast10years.Thepublicschoolsystemmanages71schoolswithapproximately49,000students,17.6%ofwhomqualifyforfreeorreducedmeals.
BackgroundTheAmericanRecoveryandReinvestmentActof2009(ARRA)includeda$650millionallocationinESEATitleII,PartD,commonlyreferredtoastheEnhancingEducationThroughTechnologyprogram(EETT).ThiscasestudywaspreparedbytheStateEducationalTechnologyDirectorsAssociation(SETDA)–theprincipalassociationrepresentingthetechnologyleadershipofstateandterritorialdepartmentsofeducation–toprovideanexampleofARRAfundsworkingatthedistrictandclassroomlevelthatcreateseffective,viable,androbustreformineducation,andimprovesthewayteachersteachandstudentslearn.
Maryland’sEETTCompetitiveGrantsTheARRAEETTcompetitivegrantfundsprovidedanopportunityforMarylandtoimplement21stcenturyclassroomsusinginnovativestrategiesthatenhancedinstruction,facilitatedteachingandlearning,andimprovedstudentachievement.ARRAfundshelpedtostabilizeLEAsandeligiblelocalentitiestoprovidenewandemergingtechnologies,andtoofferadditionaltrainingandsupportforteacherstohelpincreaseacademicachievementandacquiretheskillsneededtocompeteinaglobaleconomy.
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SinceMaryland’sdistrictsincludeeconomicallychallengedcommunitiesaswellaswealthierones,theStaterequiredapplicantsintheformercategorytoincludeoneormorehigh‐needdistrictsintheirconsortia.PrinceGeorge’sCountyPublicSchools,inwhich53percentofthe125,000studentsareeligibleforfreeandreducedmeals,wasoneofHowardCounty’s9partnerdistrictsintheconsortiumdescribedinthiscasestudy.
ProjectDescription
TheCollegeandCareerReadinessSupportProject(CCRProject)aimedtosupportsecondaryteachersinhigh‐needcontentareasasidentifiedbythestatewidehighschoolassessmentprogram,particularlyinthesubjectareasofalgebra,biology,English,andgovernment.Thegoaloftheprojectwastocreateanddelivereffectiveprofessionaldevelopmentcoursesfocusingonopencontentandsupportforintegratingtechnology,particularlyUniversalDesignforLearning(UDL)principles.Usingablendedmodeloftraditionalandtechnology‐infusedinstructionandresources,teacherswereinspiredtoexploreandintegratenewonlinetoolsandtechniquesintheirclassrooms.Additionalaspectstothisprojectincludedthedevelopmentofateacherresourceappandaresearchprojecton21stcenturylearning.Theteacherresourceappwasdevelopedtorunonthetechnologytoolmanyteachersalreadyown;theirmobilephone.Also,software,withaccompanyingtraining,waspurchasedforusebypartnerdistricts’onlinecontentdevelopers.
ProjectImplementation
Attheonsetoftheproject,effortsfocusedonthedevelopmentofprofessionaldevelopmentcoursesforintegratingtechnologyandusingtheframeworkofUDLprinciplesinalgebra,biology,English10,andgovernmentcontentareasrespectively.Thesecoursesincludedopenmaterialsfrom,butnotlimitedto,theNationalRepositoryofOnlineCourses(NROC),UDLCenterforAppliedSpecialTechnology(CAST)content,andCreativeCommons(CC)material.
ARRAEETTGrantDetails
GrantFocus OnlineandBlendedLearningandDigitalandOpenContent
Beginning/EndDateofGrant
July1,2009‐September30,2011
Locale Suburban
Funding $1,258,663
GradeLevel(s) 6‐12
NumberofTeachersImpacted
319
NumberofAdministratorsImpacted
120
NumberofStudentsImpacted
10,200
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CourseDevelopment:Inthefallof2010,traininginUDLandapilotofthepreliminarycoursematerialwereconductedin3face‐to‐facesessionswith29administratorsand26teachersfrompartnerdistricts.Participantsweredual‐enrolledinaTeachingOnlinethree‐creditcourseofferedbytheMarylandStateDepartmentofEducation(MSDE)andwerepaidwithastipendtoparticipateinthecoursematerialpilot.Inearlyspring,theparticipantsviewedthecoursecontentviathecoursesites,conductedusabilitytesting,andprovidedvaluablefeedbackforthefinaldevelopmentofcourses.Laterinthespring,theBiologyOnlineProfessionalDevelopmentcourseandGovernmentOnlineProfessionalDevelopmentcoursewereofferedtoteachersfrompartnerdistricts.Theseonlineprofessionaldevelopmentofferingsincludedanonlineorientationsession,twoface‐to‐facemodules,andthreeonlinemodules,eachincorporatingUDL.The36participatingteachersinteractedonlinethroughdiscussionboardsandwikis.Thesethree‐credit,hybridprofessionaldevelopmentcoursessupportedtheuseoftechnologyinteachingandlearningwithanemphasisontheuseoftheonlineMarylandHighSchoolAssessment(HSA)masterycourses.Duringthewinterandspringof2011,228teachersandadministratorsparticipatedintheonlineprofessionaldevelopmentcoursepilotsandregionalUDLprofessionaldevelopmentofferings.AsaresultofthesuccessoftheUDLprofessionaldevelopmentcourse,MSDEaskedtheCollegeandCareerReadinessSupportProjecttodevelopanotherthree‐creditcourse:UDLandNextGenerationLearning(http://udl.mdonlinegrants.org).
MobileApps:Thedevelopmentofanotherproject,amobileapp,UDLinks,emergedfromteacherfeedbackduringtheprofessionaldevelopment.Participantsintheblendedandface‐to‐faceprofessionaldevelopmentindicatedthattheywereinneedofspecificcontentresourcesthatwerereadilyaccessible,searchable,andcorrelatedtoUDLprinciples.Theappcurrentlyfeaturesacompilationofover1300resourcesandisafreedownloadintheAppStoreandtheAndroidMarketPlace.TheappiscurrentlyusedbytheCenterforAppliedSpecialTechnologies(CAST)intheirUDLprofessionaldevelopmentofferingsaroundthecountry.InstructionalResources:Additionalprojectstookplacein2010‐2011,includingthedevelopmentoftwosetsofinstructionalresourcesforteachersandstudentsalignedwiththeCommonCoreStandardsinalgebraandEnglish12.TheAlgebraInstructionalResourcesincluded20lessonsand10tasksforstudents,andtheEnglishInstructionalResourcescoveredargument,explanatory,andnarrativewritingin16lessons.Tomodellow‐tohigh‐techaccesstotechnology,aninteractivewheelwasdevelopedasanonlineresource(http://udlwheel.mdonlinegrants.org/).Thisresource’sdisplayofUDLprinciplesandguidelineshelpseducatorsdesignflexiblelessonsandcurriculathatreduce
OneofthethingsthatIvaluedthemostfromtheUDLcoursewaslearningaboutthethreebrainnetworks.Thishelpedmetofindwaystoofferstudentsmorechoicestoaccomplishthesamegoal.–LauraHerbers,ScienceTeacher
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barrierstolearningandprovideinnovativeandsupportivelearningtomeetthedemandsofalllearners.Italsohelpseducatorsevaluateexistingcurriculagoals,materials,methods,andassessments.21stCenturyLearnersResearchStudy:ThefinalprojectdevelopedwasacollaborativeresearchstudywithIDEO,adesign,thinking,andengineeringcompany,HowardCountyPublicSchools,andthelargestdistrictpartner,PrinceGeorge’sCountyPublicSchools.Inthespringof2011,thetwodistrictsandresearchpartnerconductedacollaborativeinvestigationtodiscoverthecharacteristicsofthe21stcenturylearnerwiththepurposetoguidepolicyandinstruction.Thestudyincludedaone‐weekworkshopandinterviewsinthefieldcenteredaroundtwofocusquestions:whatdoesitmeantobea21stcenturylearnertodayandhowmighttechnologyenable21stcenturylearning?Thestudyandsynthesisworkshopsconductedwithteachers,administrators,centralofficeleadership,andpartnerrepresentativesresultedinsevendesignprinciplesandseveninsights.Thesevenguidingprinciplesidentifiedwereintendedtohelpinformhowteachersandadministratorsshoulddesignfortoday’slearningenvironment.Web2.0Integration:Throughoutallaspectsoftheproject,numerousWeb2.0toolswereintegratedintotheprofessionaldevelopmentcourses,includingablogfortheUDLtraining,twitterpostings(@nextgenlearners)andawebsiteforquickdisseminationofcontent,includingvideoandwebconferencingforcourseorientations.TeacherswererequiredtoexploreandimplementatleastoneWeb2.0collaborativetoolintheirclassroomaspartoftheirtraining.
ClassroomExamples
• InanEnglishlessononnarrativewriting,studentslearnedtowriterealistic,effectivedialoguewithcorrectpunctuation.Studentsfirstcreatedacomicstripusingdialoguebetweentwocharactersusinganonlinecartoongenerator.Oncestudentsfinishedtheircomicstriporganizers,theysharedtheirworkwithpeersandrequestedfeedback.Studentsmadeeditsbasedonthepeercritique.Next,asaclass,studentslistenedtoanaudiorecordingofadialogueexcerptfromTheStoryofanHourbyKatieChopin.Studentsdiscussedthemoodcreatedbythedialogueandthecharacters'feelingsandreactionsasrevealedbydialogue.Additionallessonsandactivitiesinthisnarrativewritingunitincludedpunctuatingdialogue,andplotandcharacterdevelopmentthroughdialogue.Intheculminatingactivity,studentsusedtheirinitialcomicstriptowriteanarrative,whichhadtoincludedialoguetoadvancetheactionofthestoryandrevealtraitsofthecharacters.StudentsfirstcompletedadigitalStoryMap.Next,studentsworkedinpairsandsharedstorymaps,byswitchingcomputers,togainfeedbackandcritique.Studentsrevisedtheirstorymaps,wrotetheirnarratives,andsubmittedfinalproductstotheirteacherelectronically.
• Inascienceclass,utilizingtheUDLprinciplesofengagement,exploration,explanation,extension,andevaluation,studentslearnedthemechanismofevolutionarychangeandwereabletoexplainhownewtraitsmayresultfromnewcombinationsofexistinggenes.Studentsfirstexploredtheconceptofevolutionby
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watchingvideosonline.Asaclass,studentscomparedtheirhand‐spreadmeasurementsanddiscussedthevariablesthatexist(gender,age,numberofstudentsinsample)toidentifyiftheaveragehandmeasurementoftheclasswasagoodrepresentationfortheschool.Next,studentsusedthewebsite,http://www.bighugelabs.comtocreateamosaicofpicturesthatshowedvariationsinorganisms.Uponcompletingthisactivity,studentsrespondedtotheteacher’sblogpostingontherelationshipbetweenevolutionandvariation.Toextendthelearning,theycompletedapepperedmothlab,asimulationofmothstoidentifythevariationandconditionsaffectingthesurvivalofmoths.Toassesslearning,studentsweregivenachoiceofthreeactivities:tocompleteapodcast,conceptmap,orlabdesign.Studentsshowedimprovementincollaborativeactivitiesandhadextendedopportunitiesforindependentlearningandself‐expression.
EvaluatingEffectiveness
Inanend‐of‐the‐courseevaluation,teachersenrolledintheinitialUDLworkshopswereaskedhowtheyplannedtoapplywhattheyhadlearnedintotheirclassrooms,whileothereducatorswereaskedhowtheyplannedtoapplywhattheyhadlearnedtotheircurrentpositions.NearlyalloftheteachersattendingtheworkshopsindicatedthattheyplannedtodeveloporimplementalessonthatincorporatedUDLthefollowingschoolsemester.TheyplannedtoincorporateUDLintotheirlessonsbyprovidingmorestudentchoice,utilizingthewebsitesprovidedontheUDLchecklist,creatingengaginglessons,andintegratingWeb2.0tools.Othereducatorssaidtheywouldusewhattheylearnedfromtheworkshopintheircurrentrolesbyprovidingadditionalprofessionaldevelopmenttoteachersandadministrators,collaboratingwithstaffinlessonplanning,improvingandrevisingcurriculum,andaligningUDLprincipleswiththeCommonCoreStandards.Havingcompletedtheworkshop,participantsfeltmoststronglythattheycouldsupportteachersindevelopinglessonsusingtheUDLframeworkandincreatingengaginglessonsforstudents.
MovingForward
Inmovingforward,HowardCountyPublicSchoolscontinuestousetheUDLcoursewithitsMediaSpecialistsandTechnologyTeachersaspartoftheirprofessionaldevelopmentofferings.HowardCountyPublicSchoolsisalsoworkingonasystemicplantoincorporateUDLintonextgenerationcurriculumdesign.Inthespringof2012,theonlineprofessional
ParticipantData
• AllteachersparticipatingintheUDLprofessionaldevelopmentstronglyagreedoragreedthatUDLprincipleswillhelpindevelopingmoreengaginglessons.
• NinetypercentofteachersfeltpreparedtodeveloplessonsusingtheUDLframework.
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developmentcourseswillbeofferedtoalldistrictsinMarylandforteacherstoreceivecontinuingprofessionaldevelopmentcredits.
Resources
TheCollegeandCareerReadinessSupportProjecthttp://ccr.mdonlinegrants.orgBiologyOnlineProfessionalDevelopmentCoursehttp://biology‐pd.mdonlinegrants.org/GovernmentOnlineProfessionalDevelopmentCoursehttp://government‐pd.mdonlinegrants.org/AlgebraInstructionalResourceshttp://algebra.mdonlinegrants.orgEnglishInstructionalResourceshttp://english12.mdonlinegrants.orgMarylandStateDepartmentofEducationhttp://marylandpublicschools.org/msdeSETDAARRAInformationandResourceshttp://setda.org/web/guest/ARRAresources
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EasternUpperPeninsula
IntermediateSchoolDistrict
StateEducationalTechnologyDirectorsAssociation|www.setda.org
SparkingBroadbandUseintheEasternUpperPeninsulaofMichigan
EasternUpperPeninsulaIntermediateSchoolDistrict(EUPISD)
September2010‐August2013ThepurposeoftheSparkingBroadbandUseintheEasternUpperPeninsulaofMichiganprojectwastoincreasetheuseofbroadbandinruralcommunities.TheprogramleveragedARRAEETTfunds,BroadbandTechnologyOpportunitiesProgram(BTOP)ifunds,andlocalfunds.Thegoalwastoaddresstheexpandingdigitaldividebetweenruralandurbanresidentsbyprovidingopportunitiestostudentsandtheirparentstoaccesseducationalresourcesbothinschoolandathomeorincommunitycenters.TeachersparticipatedinongoingprofessionaldevelopmentinWeb2.0tools,onlinecoursecontentdevelopment,anddataassessment.
Demographics
InMichigan,IntermediateSchoolDistrictsservepublicschooldistricts,charterschools,andprivateschools.TheEasternUpperPeninsulaIntermediateSchoolDistrict(EUPISD)isanextremelyruralareainNorthernMichigan,coveringover4,000squaremiles.Insomeareas,theone‐roomschoolhouseconceptstillappliesasgradesK‐12arehousedononecampus.Inthisregion,thereare7,400studentsin50buildingsacross17schooldistricts.ThereisahighconcentrationofNativeAmericanstudentsacrossintheregionwitharangeof10%to99%bydistrictandanaverageof30%intheEUPISD.
BackgroundTheAmericanRecoveryandReinvestmentActof2009(ARRA)includeda$650millionallocationinESEATitleII,PartD,commonlyreferredtoastheEnhancingEducationthroughTechnologyprogram(EETT).ThiscasestudywaspreparedbytheStateEducationalTechnologyDirectorsAssociation(SETDA)–theprincipalassociationrepresentingthetechnologyleadershipofstateandterritorialdepartmentsofeducation–toprovideanexampleofARRAfundsworkingatthedistrictandclassroomleveltocreateeffective,viable,androbustreformineducationandimprovingthewayteachersteachandstudentslearn.
Michigan’sEETTCompetitiveGrantsInMichigan,thegoaloftheARRAgrantprogramwastoprovideeducatorswithanopportunitytodifferentiateandindividualizeinstructiontoimprovestudentachievementutilizingstateandlocalstudentdata.Projectsincludedprovidingprofessionaldevelopmentonhowtousedatatoinforminstructionandhowtoindividualizeinstructiontobettermeettheneedsofstudents.
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ProjectDescription
Priortothisgrant,teachersandsomestudentshadsomeaccesstotechnology,andteacherswereprovidedwithtechnologyintegrationtraining,contentmanagementtools,andsoftware,butlackofaccessbothoncampusandathomeledtominimaluse.Thisnewprojectfocusedonincreasingbroadbandaccessand1‐to‐1studentaccesstomaximizetechnologyintegrationincluding,butnotlimitedtotheuseofonlinecontentanddatasystems.Essentialtothisgrantprogramwasthewidespreadtrainingopportunitiesforstudents,teachers,parents,andthecommunityatlarge.TheprogramleveragedgrantfundsfrommultiplefundingstreamsincludingARRAEETT,BTOP,andlocalfunds.TheEUPISDprojectimplementeda1‐to‐1netbookprogramingrades7to12.EUPISDworkedwithlocalbroadbandproviderstoofferdiscountedhomebroadbandconnectioncostsusinga$100perfamilyvouchersystem.Thevoucherwasaonetimeofferingtooffsetanyinitialconnectionfeesormonthlyfeesforfirstyear.Professionaldevelopmentwasprovidedusingworkshopsincluding50fullorhalfdaysessionsonavarietyofeducationalandWeb2.0toolstopicsinthesummerof2011andthroughouttheschoolyear.Inaddition,trainingextendedintothecommunitypromotingbroadbandadoptionandtheuseoftechnologytosupportlearning,finances,businessopportunities,healthcare,andcommunityoutreach.Additionalsupportwasprovidedfromoneinstructionaltechnologistandthreecomputersystemtechniciansfromthedistrict.
ProjectImplementation
Beginninginthefallof2010,thenetbooksweredistributedtostudentsingrades7to12.Allstudentsreceivedahalf‐daysessiontrainingonbasicdeviceuse,howtoaccessfilesremotelyusingcloudcomputing,andhowtoaddresstechnologyissuesandrepairs.Parentmeetingswereheldsimultaneouslywhereacceptableusepolicieswerereviewed,thevouchersystemforbroadbandconnectionwasexplained,andtheentireprojectwas
ARRAEETTGrantDetails
GrantFocus TechnologyInfrastructureandHigh‐Access,Technology‐RichLearningEnvironment
Beginning/EndDateofGrant
September1,2010‐August31,2013
Locale Rural
Funding $3,165,207FederalBTOPFunds$273,000ARRAEETTFunds$1,275,000LocalFunds
GradeLevel(s) 7‐12
NumberofTeachersImpacted
420
NumberofAdministratorsImpacted
56
NumberofStudentsImpacted
4,200directly(withnetbooks);7,400byextensionviateacherstrainedinenhancedtechnologyuseandbroadbandsupporttofamiliesandcommunities
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described.Localdistrictstaff,teachers,administrators,andtechnologistsreceivedsupportviaworkshopsonWeb2.0tools,Moodle(thedistrict’sadoptedonlinemanagementsystem),CompassLearning(amodular‐basedlearningproduct),andprogressmonitoringusingtheexistingregionaldatasystem.Face‐to‐facesessionsandwebinarsprovidedtheinitialinstruction,andtheinstructionaltechnologistvisiteddistrictsand/orschoolsforfollow‐upsupport.Afterthetrainingsonbasicuseandsoftware,participantsdiscussedopportunitiesandmethodsofintegratingtechnologyintolessons.Thedatasystemstraininghelpedteacherstousethenetbookstoconductmorefrequent,onlineassessmentsthathelpedtoguideinstructionandaidindifferentiation.Conductingpre‐andpost‐assessmentsfocusedonthestandardsbecameeasier.Datawasusedtohelptargetwholeclass,smallgroup,andindividualinstruction.OtherregionalprofessionaldevelopmentofferingssupportedthebroadbandeffortincludingtrainingthatwaspartoftheMid‐continentRegionforEducationandLearning(McREL)’s“UsingTechnologyintheClassroomthatWorks.”Thisthree‐daytraining,occurredthroughouttheacademicyearandlinkedintegrationoftechnologywithresearch‐basedinstructionalstrategiesattheclassroomlevel.Theonlinemanagementsystemandcoursesthatwereaccessibletotheruralstudentsprovidedmeaningfulalternativelearningexperiencesandassistedincreditrecovery.Likewise,studentswereabletotakecoursesofferedatotherschoolsusingMoodle.Otheronlineopportunitiesandcontentwereutilized,includingcoursesfromMichiganVirtualHighSchool,FloridaVirtualHighSchool,andWAV,aBritishonline,project‐basedprogram.Thestudentnetbooksandavailabilityofbroadbandaccessathomeprovidednewopportunitiesfortheentirefamily.Eachsemester,communityprogramswereofferedattheschools,whichtypicallyservedascommunitycenters.Topicswereselectedtoservethisremotearea,providingaccesstoinformationthattypicallycommunitymemberswouldhavetotravelconsiderabledistancestoobtain.Topicsincludedonlinebanking,onlinebusinessset‐up,andinstructionononlinecoursesenrollmentforadults.Studentsalsoprovidedsupporttotheirparentsandothercommunitymembers.Throughtheprogram“TeachingThroughGenerations,”studentshelpedadultswithtaskssuchassettingupemailaccountsanduploadingphotos.Additionalcommunitysessionswilleducatecommunitymembersontheavailabilityofonlinehealthcareservices,includingtheoptiontoteleconferencewithdoctors.
Thegranthasallowedstudentstounlocktheirpotentialinandoutoftheclassroom.Studentsfinditeasiertocompleteworksuchasnotetaking,presentations,andpapers.Studentsaregrowingwiththeexposuretothetechnology,beingabletounderstandandexecutetechnicalfunctionsthatmayhaveseemforeignlessthanayearago,butareessentialinapostgraduateworld.‐JasonByma,K‐12MusicTeacher,St.
IgnaceAreaSchools
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ClassroomExamples
• InEUPISD,onlyfiveschoolshaveSpanishteachers.Thisprogramhasallowedschoolstoshareteachersmoreefficientlyacrosstheregion.Forexample,aSpanishteacherataverysmallhighschoolcanofferclassesattwoothernearbyschoolswithouthavingtodriveapproximately30milestotheotherschools.DeTourHighSchool’sSpanishteacherusedMoodletodeliverheronlinecoursetoallofherstudentsinthethreeschools.ThecourseincludedtheaudiofilesandopportunitiesforstudentstopracticetheirSpanishspeakingandwrittenskills.Ms.LivingstontraveledtothenearbyschoolsatleastonceasemesterbututilizedtheexistingIATV(interactivetelevision)roomstoprovideinstruction.SpanishstudentswouldmeetintheIATVroomtotaketheclassand“meet”withMs.Livingston.Typically,theclassesformallymetface‐to‐faceonceaweekand“asneeded”forindividualstudentsupportorconferencing.
• LesCheneauxHighSchoolsocialstudiesteacherusedwhatshelearnedfromthetrainingsheattendedatMcRELtoapplyresearch‐basedinstructionalstrategiesinherclassroom.Theteacherworkedtoimproveherstudents’notetakingandresearchskills.Studentsreadinformationbothonlineandinprint.Usingtheirnetbooks,theywrotefivesummarizingsentencesandfoundfivevisualrepresentationsorimagestorepresenteachsentence.Thistechniquewasutilizedoftenforavarietyofresearchtopicsandnotonlyengagedstudentsbutsolidifiedtheresearchprocess.Theteacheralsointegratedsmartphonesasameansofcollectinginformationtobringintoclass.Studentswouldtakepicturesusingtheirsmartphonesandemailtheimagestothemselvesandclassmates.Thisgrantprogramimplementationprovidedmanyopportunitiesincludingtheabilityforstudentstoposttheirassignmentsonline.Theteacherintegratedonlinediscussionsintoherassignments.
EvaluatingEffectiveness
DistrictData
• EnrollmentinMoodlecoursesincreasedfrom0initialuserstoover1,000byFall2011.
• ThenumberofstudentusersinCompassLearningtripledtoover2,000.
• Improvementinsummativetestscoresingrades3to8studentswhoscoredproficientoradvancedinreading: 2008‐2009,82%students 2010‐2011,85%students
• Improvementinsummativetestscoresingrades3to8studentswhoscoredproficientoradvancedinmathematics: 2008‐2009,85%students 2009‐2010,85%students 2010‐2011,88%students
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Thestate‐level,summativetestscoresforbothreadingandmathhaveimprovedoverallandthegapinscoresbetweenthelargestethnicgroups,NativeAmericanandwhite,hasbeenessentiallyeliminated.Inadditiontotheincreaseofuseofdataindecisionmaking,teachersincreasedtheintegrationofonlinecontentintheirinstruction.
MovingForward
AllEUPISDdistrictsareworkingonasharedsustainabilitymodelthatincludesreplacementofdeviceseverythreeyearsaswellasincreasedclassroomleveltechnologies,includingtheadditionandupgradeofinteractivewhiteboards.Districtshaveprovidedmatchingfundsof$50peryearperdeviceformaintenanceandupgrades.Somelocaldistrictshavebeenfortunatetopasstechnologymillages,whichhavehelpedexpand1‐to‐1laptopstosixthgradeandenhanceclassroomleveltechnologiessuchasinteractivewhiteboards,digitalcameras,andinteractiveresponsedevices.Thedistrict‐leveltechnology,generaleducation,andspecialeducationstaffwillcontinuetosupporttechnologyenhancedteachingandlearningbeyondthetermofthegrant.
Resources
EasternUpperPeninsulaIntermediateSchoolDistrictwww.eup.k12.mi.usMichiganDepartmentofEducationhttp://www.michigan.gov/mdeBroadbandTechnologyOpportunitiesProgram(BTOP)http://www2.ntia.doc.gov/SETDAARRAInformationandResourceshttp://setda.org/web/guest/ARRAresourcesiAmericanRecoveryandReinvestmentActprovidedtheDepartmentofCommerce’sNationalTelecommunicationsandInformationAdministration(NTIA)andtheU.S.DepartmentofAgriculture’sRuralUtilitiesService(RUS)with$7.2billiontoexpandaccesstobroadbandservicesintheUnitedStates.Ofthosefunds,theActprovided$4.7billiontoNTIAtosupportthedeploymentofbroadbandinfrastructure,enhanceandexpandpubliccomputercenters,encouragesustainableadoptionofbroadbandservice,anddevelopandmaintainanationwidepublicmapofbroadbandservicecapabilityandavailability.
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ArcadiaValleyR‐IISchoolDistrict
StateEducationalTechnologyDirectorsAssociation|www.setda.org
TheAssessforSuccessProject
ArcadiaValleyR‐11SchoolDistrict,Missouri
June2009‐July2010AtArcadiaValleyR‐IIHighSchool,inArcadiaValleyR‐IISchoolDistrict,eachstudenthasaccesstoacomputer.Withtechnologyinplace,theAssessforSuccessProjectfocusedonusingassessmentdatatoprovideappropriate,technology‐richactivitiesinthecorecontentareas.Teachersreceivedinstructor‐ledprofessionaldevelopment,toeducateteachersonusinganddevelopingassessmenttoolstobetterservestudents.
Demographics
ArcadiaValleyR‐IISchoolDistrictislocatedinruralIronton,Missouri,75milessouthwestofSt.Louis.Irontondoesnothaveanyindustrytospeakof,andtheprimaryemployeristheschoolsystem.AtArcadiaValleyR‐IIHighSchool,47%ofstudentsreceivefreeorreducedlunch.Thegraduationrateis96.9%.Thepost‐secondaryentranceratebasedonMissouri’sdefinitionis59.8%.Withinthehighschool,thereisa1‐to‐1ratioofcomputerstostudents.ThetechnologywaspurchasedwiththeComprehensiveSchoolReformgrant,previousEETTfunding,andTitleVIBfunds.TheschoolwasalsotherecipientofaMissouri'sInstructionalNetworkedTeachingStrategiesprogram(eMINTS)grantpriortotheimplementationoftheAssessforSuccessproject.
BackgroundTheAmericanRecoveryandReinvestmentActof2009(ARRA)includeda$650millionallocationinESEATitleII,PartD,commonlyreferredtoastheEnhancingEducationThroughTechnologyprogram(EETT).ThiscasestudywaspreparedbytheStateEducationalTechnologyDirectorsAssociation(SETDA)–theprincipalassociationrepresentingthetechnologyleadershipofstateandterritorialdepartmentsofeducation–toprovideanexampleofARRAfundsworkingatthedistrictandclassroomlevelthatcreateseffective,viable,androbustreformineducation,andimprovesthewayteachersteachandstudentslearn.
Missouri’sEETTCompetitiveGrantsMissouri’sARRAEETTcompetitivegrantsprovidedprofessionaldevelopmentforteacherstomeetthedemandsfor21stcenturylearning.Missouri’sprofessionaldevelopmentfollowsaresearch‐basedapproachtoorganizinginstructionasameansofhelpingteachersintegratetechnologyintotheclassroombypromotinginquiry‐basedandproject‐basedlearning.
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ProjectDescription
TheAssessforSuccessProjectprovidedtechnologytoolsandprofessionaldevelopmenttoallArcadiaValleyR‐IIHighSchoolstaffwiththegoaltoraisestudentachievementbyplanninginstructionandremediationresourcesbasedonformativeandsummativeassessmentdata.Forthisproject,ArcadiaValleydistrictpooledfederalfundsincludingTitle1(formula),EETT(educationaltechnology),andTitleVI(smallschool)withdistrictfunds.Throughanalysisofassessmentdata,teachersrecommendedCAI(computer‐aidedinstruction)forremediation,enrichment,andproject‐basedlearningactivitiesforcoursecontentmastery.Studentsalsocompletedgrade‐leveltechnologyprojectsbasedontheNationalEducationalTechnologyStudent(NETS)standards.Inadditiontoprofessionaldevelopment,grantfundswereusedtopurchaseinteractivewhiteboards,teacherlaptops,classroomsetsofstudentresponsesystems,andcomputerstoprovideanadditionallabforstudents.
ProjectImplementation
Teachersaimedtoprovidetechnology‐richlearningenvironmentsandreceivedtraininginvariousareas,includingsessionsontheuseofinteractivewhiteboards,studentresponseunitsetup,dataacquisition,anddataanalysis.Teachersalsoparticipatedinasix‐weekonlinelearningcourse,entitledClassroomAssessmentEnhancedbyTechnology.Inthiscourse,teachersdefinedandidentifiedstrategiestobetterunderstandandutilizetherelationshipbetweenclassroomassessmentandincreasedstudentachievement.Theprofessionaldevelopmenthelpedteachersmakebetteruseofthetechnologyintheirclassroomtoenhancethepresentationofthecontentduringtheirlessons.Teachersalsolearnedtousetechnologytodevelopvarioustypesofformativeassessments.Theformativeassessmentprocessallowedteacherstodetermineweaknessesinstudentperceptionandlearning,andadjusttheirinstructionaccordingly.Thestudentresponsesystemssuccessfullyallowedteacherstoincorporatetheformativeassessmentprocessalmostseamlesslyintheir
ARRAEETTGrantDetails
GrantFocus Technology‐RichLearningEnvironmentandAssessment
Beginning/EndDateofGrant
June1,2009‐July30,2010
Locale Rural
Funding $200,000
GradeLevel(s) 9‐12
NumberofTeachersImpacted
29
NumberofAdministratorsImpacted
2
NumberofStudentsImpacted
359
Technologyiskeytohelpingteachersmodifyinstructioneffectively.
‐ArcadiaValleyHighSchoolTeacher
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classrooms.Whenapplicable,summativeassessmentswerealsocreatedandscoredthroughtheautomatedscoringdevices.TheearlyuseoftechnologyinformativeandsummativeassessmentsallowedArcadiaValleyR‐IIHighSchooltobeatanadvantageinmovingtothenewlyadoptedCommonCoreStateStandards.Theteachershaveasoundfoundationinassessmentandareadjustinginstructiontomeetstudentaswellasmeetcurricularneeds.In2009,thelanguageartsdepartmenttooktheleadinindividualizinginstructionbydesigningatechnology‐basedclassprojectrequirementforallstudents.Theyalsodevelopedtheirownassessmentstoindividualizeinstructionforstudentsbasedontheassessmentdata.
ClassroomExample
• Inan11thgradeEnglishclass,studentscompleteda"Historyvs.Hollywood"researchproject.Studentsselectedamoviebasedonarealeventandresearchedthehistoricalandliteraryaspectsofthefilmviaonlineresources.Theypreparedaslideshowpresentationfortheclasstocomparetheaccuraciesandinaccuraciesofthemovieversusreality.Thestudentsthendiscussedthecontentoftheslideshowsinsmallgroups.
EvaluatingEffectiveness
Thisproject’sgoalwastohave80%ofArcadiaValleyR‐IIhighschoolstudentsmaster80%ofthedistrict’sidentifiedstudentlearningobjectivesforeachcourseasmeasuredthroughtechnology‐basedsummativeassessmentsattheendofeachquarter/semesterduringthe2009‐2010schoolyear.
ArcadiaValleyR‐IIHighSchoolhasarelativelyyoung,newstaffthatwaseagertoembracetechnologytoolsaspartofeverydayinstruction.Administratorsprovidedthenecessaryprofessionaldevelopmenttimesothatteacherscouldlearnhowtoutilizethosetools,suchasstudentresponsesystemstoassessstudents,andremediateandindividualizeinstructionasnecessary.Teachersalsolearnedhowtousethetechnologytoolstoincreasestudentengagementonadailybasis.
SchoolData
• Studentsmasteredtheunitobjectivesforeachcourseasmeasuredbytechnology‐basedsummativeassessmentsatanaverageof83%.
• Studentsscoring80percentorbetteronthelanguageartsculminatingprojectasscoredusingdepartment‐createdrubrics:
74%of10thgraders 68%of11thgraders 92%of12thgraders
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MovingForward
ArcadiaValleyHighSchoolhasthetechnologytoolsandnecessaryprofessionaldevelopmentinitiativesinplacetocontinuetoprovidestudentswithahighaccess,technologyrichlearningenvironment.Since2010,thedistrictcontinuestohonebothformativeandsummativeassessmentstoguideneededchangesininstruction.In2011,thehighschoolteacherscontinuedtorefinetheirteachingandevaluationskillstoaugmentstudentsuccess.
Resources
ArcadiaValleyR‐IISchoolDistricthttp://avr2.org/MissouriDepartmentofElementaryandSecondaryEducationhttp://dese.mo.govSETDAARRAInformationandResourceshttp://setda.org/web/guest/ARRAresources
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EducationalServiceUnit6
StateEducationalTechnologyDirectorsAssociation|www.setda.org
ReadinginHandProgram
EducationalServiceUnit6,Nebraska
March2010‐September2011ReadinginHandsoughttoutilizeproven,researched-basedreadinginstruction,intervention,andassessmenttools(i.e.,Lexia,AcceleratedReader,DIBELS,andMAPS)onmobilecomputingdevices(iPodTouches)toimprovereadingachievementandliteracyskillsforK‐6studentsinfourruralNebraskaschools.
Demographics
In1965,theNebraskaLegislaturecreatededucationalserviceunits(ESU)toprovidesupplementalsupporttodistrictschools.ESUsofferservicesintheareasofadministration,media,professionaldevelopment,specialeducation,andtechnology.ESU6islocatedinthesoutheastcornerofthestate,aroundMilford.ThefourruralschoolsparticipatinginthisprogramincludedDorchester,Milford,York,andMcCoolJunctionElementarySchools.
BackgroundTheAmericanRecoveryandReinvestmentActof2009(ARRA)includeda$650millionallocationinESEATitleII,PartD,commonlyreferredtoastheEnhancingEducationThroughTechnologyprogram(EETT).ThiscasestudywaspreparedbytheStateEducationalTechnologyDirectorsAssociation(SETDA)–theprincipalassociationrepresentingthetechnologyleadershipofstateandterritorialdepartmentsofeducation–toprovideanexampleofARRAfundsworkingatthedistrictandclassroomlevelthatcreateseffective,viable,androbustreformineducation,andimprovesthewayteachersteachandstudentslearn.
Nebraska’sEETTCompetitiveGrantsNebraska’sARRAEETTgrantgoalsincluded:toimprovestudentacademicachievementthroughtheuseoftechnologyinelementaryandsecondaryschools;toassisteverystudentincrossingthedigitaldividebyensuringthateverystudentistechnologicallyliteratebythetimethestudentfinishestheeighthgrade,regardlessofthestudent’srace,ethnicity,gender,familyincome,geographiclocation,ordisability;andtoencouragetheeffectiveintegrationoftechnology.
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ProjectDescription
ReadinginHandprogram’sgoalwastoimproveliteracyskillsforstudentsingradesK‐6amongfourruralNebraskaschoolswithaconcentrationofhigh‐povertystudents.Specifically,theproject’sprimarygoalwastomovefrom30‐50%ofstudentswhowerereadingbelowgradelevelorbenchmark(variedaccordingtogradelevel),toachieving100%ofK‐6studentsreadingatorabovegradebythecompletionofthe2010‐2011academicyear.ThisprojectalsointendedtoshowsustainedreadinggrowthamonghigherachievingK‐6students,asbaselinedataindicatedthatthemajorityofhigh‐achievingstudentswereactuallydeclininginreadingachievementundercurrentpractice.DatawascollectedfromESU6schoolstodocumentcontentareaswherestudentswerenotreadingatanacceptablelevel.Scoresshowedthattheelementarystudentsinthefourtargetedschoolsneededinterventiontoimprovetheirreadingskills.Thetwogradelevelsateachschoolwiththelowestreadingachievementscoresfromthepreviousschoolyearwerechosentobeapartoftheprogram.Duetoschoolsizes,thisrangedfromonetofourclassroomsateachgradelevel.Eachteacher,includingspecialeducationteachers,involvedintheprojectworkedwiththeESU6literacycoachandtechnologyintegrationspecialisttoreceivetrainingthroughlargegroup,professionaldevelopment,1-to‐1coachingandwebinars,livechatorinstantmessagingsessions,andotheronlinelearningenvironments.EachselectedschoolreceivedacartofstudentiPodTouchestobesharedbetweenthetwoteachersperschool.AlaptopwasmadeavailableontopofthecarttoassistwiththesyncingofiPodTouches.Eachmemberoftheleadershipteamreceivedalaptop,andeachteacherreceivedaniPodTouch.Thewirelessnetworkinfrastructurewasimprovedtosupporttheuseofthewirelesscapabilitiesofthetools.
ProjectImplementation
Theprojectleadershipteam,consistingofrepresentativesfromeachschool,theliteracycoach,andtechnologyspecialist,playedaninstrumentalroleintheimplementationoftheproject.Theymetcontinuouslythroughouttheprojectandplannedthemajorityofthe
ARRAEETTGrantDetails
GrantFocus High‐Access,Technology‐RichLearningEnvironmentandTechnologyInfrastructure
Beginning/EndDateofGrant
March1,2010‐September30,2011
Locale Rural
Funding $300,057ARRAEETT$40,000FY10EETT
GradeLevel(s) K‐6
NumberofTeachersImpacted
35
NumberofAdministratorsImpacted
4
NumberofStudentsImpacted
450
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professionaldevelopment.InJuneof2010,participatingteachersmetalldayforanintroductionofthetoolsandanoverviewofapps.EachteacherreceivedaniPodTouchtouseoverthesummerwiththeintenttoincreasehisorhercomfortlevel.Theywereshownhowtodownloadfreeappsandpodcasts,includingresourcesfromNebraskaDepartmentofEducation'siTunesU.TeachersandadministratorsgatheredagaininAugustfortwodaystoreceivetrainingonliteracyandreadingfluency.Sinceresearchshowsastrongcorrelationbetweenfluencyandcomprehension,thistrainingcovereddiscussionsonconnectingfluencyandcomprehensioninclassroomactivities.Also,duringthistraining,thecoachesoutlinedthelogisticsofthefluency/comprehensionassessmentstoevaluatethestudents’readinglevels.Duringthe2010‐2011schoolyear,participatingteachersmetthreetimesindividuallywiththeprojectleadershipteam.InSeptember,theliteracycoachvisitedeachclassroomandmodeledlessonsforteachers.Thelessonfocusedonusingrubricstoteachstudentsaboutreadingfluency.StudentslearnedhowtorecordthemselvesontheiPodTouchesinordertoself‐assesstheirfluencyskills.Teachersdebriefedwiththecoachafterthemodeledlessontodiscussandassistwithlessonplanning.Thetechnologyspecialistwasalsoonsiteduringthesedaystohelpwithintegratingthetechnologyintothelessons,toprovidesupportandanswerquestions,andtoofferanyothertechnicalassistanceasneeded.InOctober,theliteracycoachobservedteachersandmeteachteachertodesignapersonalteacheractionplan.Theactionplanreflectedreadingandtechnologyuse,goals,andactionsthattheprojectleadershipteamneededtosupporttheteachers.InJanuaryof2011,coachingsessionsweredeterminedonanindividualbasisandincludedadditionalmodeledlessons,co‐taughtlessons,observations,and/orplanningsessions.
Teacherscreatedportfoliosofstudentfluencysamplesforeachstudentduringthefall.TeachersworkedtocompleteanalyticscoringofthesamplesinDecember,thencontinuedtheteaching,recording,andcollectingprocessthroughoutthespring.Teacherscamebacktogetherinlatespringtodoasecondanalyticscoringoftheaudiofiles,whichshoweduniversalgainsinfluency.Teachersusedthedatatovalidatethatgrantactivitiesweremakingapositiveimpactonstudentachievement.Thedataalsohelpedindicatewhichstudentsneededadditionalsupportstoreachbenchmarkfluencyrates. InadditiontousingtheiPodTouchesforliteracyrecordings,teachersdownloadedappropriateappsforstudentuse,suchasPuppetPalswherestudentscanchoosepuppets,animate,andrecordstoriestocreateapuppetshow.TeacherssharedandevaluatedappsusingtheReadinginHandprojectwebsite.
ClassroomExamples
• Insecondgrade,studentscompletedavarietyoffluencylessonsutilizingtheiPodTouchesasrecordingdevicestorecord,playback,andevaluatereadings.Toteachappropriateintonationwhilereading,studentslearnedtheimportanceofusingpunctuationasaguide.First,students,asawholegroup,recitedthealphabetornumbersasaconversation.Forexample,ABC?DE.FGH!I?JKL.MN?OPQ!RST!UV?WX.YZ!123.4!567?89.10!Next,studentsrecitedasentenceusingdifferentend
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punctuationmarks.Forexample,Cowsmoo.Cowsmoo?Cowsmoo!Topracticeplacingthestressondifferentwordsinthesamesentence,theteachermodeledreadingthefollowingsentences:Iamsad.Iamsad.Iamsad.Studentsthenworkedinpairsandpracticedreadingthesentences.Next,studentsrecordedtheirreadings,listenedtotherecordings,andevaluatedthemselves,usingaprovidedrubric,withapartnerorateacher.Studentsworkedtoimprovetheirreadingbasedonselfandpeerevaluations.Priortothegrant,studentshadneverrecordedthemselvesorevaluatedtheirownreading.
• Tohelpstudentschunktextastheyread,aparticipatingteacherfocusedongrammarskills.Studentslearnedtodifferentiatebetweenasubjectandapredicateasameanstohelpthemchunktextbasedonthesetwomainpartsofasentence.Duringonelesson,studentswereprovidedapapercopyofashortpassagewiththesubjectunderlinedonceandthepredicateunderlinedtwice.Inpairs,studentsunderlinedtheprovidedtexts.Afterpracticeanddiscussion,studentsworkedwithanewshortpassage.Theteachermodeledhowtousethesephrasechunkstoreadfluently.Afterstudentspracticedreadingthepassage,theyrecordedthemselvesontheiPodTouchesandevaluatedtheirownreadingfluency.Theyweretaughttoevaluatetheirfluencyandanalyzethedatatoknowtheirstrengthsandweaknessesaspartofthisgrantprogram.
EvaluatingEffectiveness
InDecemberof2010,participatingteachersworkedtogethertoevaluatetwoaudiofilesperstudent(totalof330students).Students’recordingswereevaluatedforthreereadingtraits;expression,smoothness/accuracy,andpacingusingadetailedfour‐pointscalerubric.
ComparingESU#6—330Students(December)toESU#6—335Students(May)
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MovingForward
ManycomponentsoftheReadinginHandprogramwillbecontinued.Theliteracycoachwillbefundedusingstatefunds,andadditionaliPodToucheswerepurchasedbyindividualschools.AdditionalapplicationsandfunctionalityisbeingutilizedwiththeiPods,includingiMovieontheneweriPods,andliteracyapps.Theparticipatingteachershaveservedasmodelsandadvocatesforthereadingprogramandcannotimaginetheirclassroomswithoutthesepowerfultools.
Resources
ReadinginHandProjectWebsitehttp://esu6rih.wikispaces.comNebraskaDepartmentofEducationhttp://www.education.ne.gov/SETDAARRAInformationandResourceshttp://setda.org/web/guest/ARRAresources
ReadingEvaluationData
• InDecember,17%ofstudentsscoredatlevel1or2,46%scoredatlevel3,and37%scoredatlevel4.
• InMay,10%ofstudentsscoredatlevel1or2,34%scoredatlevel3,and56%scoredatlevel4demonstratingsignificantgains.
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ClarkCountySchoolDistrict
StateEducationalTechnologyDirectorsAssociation|www.setda.org
PathwayProject
July2009‐July2011ThemainpurposeofthePathwayProjectwastoimprovemiddleschoolachievementbyengagingstudentsin21stcenturylearningexperiences.ThisstatewideprogramsoughttoprovideaccessibleprofessionaldevelopmentdespitethegeographyanddisparityofNevada’sschooldistricts.
Demographics
Nevadaisageographicallydiversestate.ClarkCounty,whichincludesLasVegas,isthelargestschooldistrict,andovertwo‐thirdsofNevada’spopulationlivesintheLasVegasmetropolitanarea.AstheseventhlargeststateintheUnitedStates,theremainderofthepopulationlivingoutsideLasVegasisspreadacrossvastruralareas.TheClarkCountystudentpopulationisapproximately314,000,whilethetotalstatestudentpopulationis437,000.Thereare341schoolsinClarkCountyandcurrentexpenditureperstudentis$7,615,wellbelowthenationalaverageof$10,190.
BackgroundTheAmericanRecoveryandReinvestmentActof2009(ARRA)includeda$650millionallocationinESEATitleII,PartD,commonlyreferredtoastheEnhancingEducationThroughTechnologyprogram(EETT).ThiscasestudywaspreparedbytheStateEducationalTechnologyDirectorsAssociation(SETDA)–theprincipalassociationrepresentingthetechnologyleadershipofstateandterritorialdepartmentsofeducation–toprovideanexampleofARRAfundsworkingatthedistrictandclassroomlevelthatcreateseffective,viable,androbustreformineducation,andimprovesthewayteachersteachandstudentslearn.
Nevada’sEETTCompetitiveGrantsNevada’sEETTcompetitivegrantaddressedthestatewideconcernregardingstudentengagementandachievement.Effortsfocusedonrecognizingandaddressingtheneedsof21stcenturystudentsthroughtheframeworkoftherevisedNevadaEducationalTechnologyStandards,whichaligntotheNationalEducationalTechnologyStandardsforStudents(NETS‐S).Inordertomeettheneedsofstudents,teachersweretrainedinproviding21stcenturylearningexperiencesforstudents.Tobestreachteachersacrossthestate,professionaldevelopmentwasprovidedonlineandarchivedforfutureprofessionaldevelopmentneeds.
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ProjectDescription
ThePathwayProject,inspiredbycollaborativediscussionswithtechnologyprofessionalsfromaroundthestate,providedprofessionaldevelopmentandtoolstocreate21stcenturylearningexperiencesformiddleschoolstudents.ThePathwayProjectadvisorycommitteechosetotargetmiddleschoolteachersandstudentstosparkinterestandcuriosityinadolescentlearners.Thetwo‐yearprofessionaldevelopmentprogramfocusedonchangingteacherbehavior,usingtheTechnologicalPedagogicalContentKnowledge(TPACK)model,anddeliveringeffectiveonlineprofessionaldevelopment.Teachersreceivedtrainingandworkedcollaborativelytodevelop,implement,andrevisestandards‐basedprojectsfortheirstudents.Aclassroompackageoftechnologyequipmentwasprovidedtoparticipatingteacherstosupportthischange,includingiPodTouchesandlaptopcarts.Alltrainingwasconductedonline,throughaMoodleenvironmentandbybuildingelectronic,professionallearningcommunities.Inaddition,trainingandcollaborationwasprovidedforthesiteadministratorswhosupportedtheparticipatingteachers.
ProjectImplementation
BeginninginJulyof2009,teachersacrossthestateappliedforacceptanceintothePathwayProject;teacherswereselectedinpairssothattheycouldprovidesupporttoeachotherastheyprogressedthroughthetwo‐yearprogram.Applicantswereselectedbasedonadministrationapproval,leveloftechnologysupportattheirschool,andgeographiclocationtoensurethateachdistrictwasrepresentedproportionally.Onehundredtwenty‐eightteacherswereselected,representing17
ARRAEETTGrantDetails
GrantFocus OngoingProfessionalDevelopmentandProject‐BasedCollaborativeLearning
Beginning/EndDateofGrant
July1,2009‐July31,2011
Locale Statewide
Funding $4,038,709FederalFunds$100,000LocalFunds
GradeLevel(s) 6‐8
NumberofTeachersImpacted
128
NumberofAdministratorsImpacted
30
NumberofStudentsImpacted
18,000
Ihaven’thadtopulloutthetextbooksatallthisyear.It'snotthatIneverusepencilandpaper;obviouslythatstillhasalotofvalue,butasmuchasIcan,Itrytogetthetechnologyusedinwhateverwaypossible.It'sanever‐endingsourceofinformationandreadingandwritingandcriticalthinkingskills,andit'sreallyallofthattogether.It'sbeenaverypleasantexperiencehavingallthisstuffinmyclassroom!
–PathwayTeacher
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districts.TheteachersreceivedaniPodTouchcartandalaptopcartperpairofteachers.Teacherswerealsoprovidedadditionaldevicessuchasalaptopandprojectorifnotalreadyinplaceattheschool.Theprofessionaldevelopmentconsistedoffourmodules,developedandfacilitatedbyUniversityofNevada,LasVegasprofessorsandschooldistrictprofessionaldevelopers.Module1providedanintroductiontothetechnologytoolsandatheoreticalfoundationoftheTPACKmodelandnationalandstatetechnologystandards.InModule2,teachersplannedproject‐basedactivities,collaboratingacrossthestate.InModule3,teachersimplementedprojectswithstudents.Module4providedtheopportunityforreflectionandrefinement.Throughoutallofthemodules,teacherscompletedassignments,attendedwebinars,participatedinonlinediscussions,andengagedinsynchronoussessions.
ClassroomExamples
• Inseventhgradescience,identifyingandexplainingseismicwavesispartofthecurriculum.Inpreviousyears,scienceteachersshowedavideoandaskedstudentstoreadaboutseismographs.InthePathwayclassroom,usingaseismographappontheiriPods,studentsrecordeddifferentwavesandmanipulatedthewavesinrealtime.Next,studentsworkedonlinetogatherdataandgraphseismicactivityinNevada.Studentswereengagedinthishands‐ondiscoveryofwavesandseismographfunctions.
• IntheunitonimmigrationinanAmericanhistoryclass,studentswouldtypicallyreadthetextbookandwatchavideoaboutimmigrationthroughEllisIsland.InthePathwayclass,pairsofstudentschosevideosegmentsfromthePBSFacesofAmerica.Studentsthenrespondedtopromptingquestionspostedontheteacher’sblog.Theyhadtheopportunitytoshareandreadthediversityofblogposts,resultingintheexpressionofempathyfortheimmigrantsandrealizingthateveryimmigratinggroupfaceddifferentandyetsimilarstrugglesanddreams.
EvaluatingEffectiveness
Thetwomainobjectivesofthisprogramweretochangeteacherbehaviorthroughonline,collaborativeprofessionaldevelopment,andtoidentifyandimplementeffectivetools,strategies,andresourcesforprofessionaldevelopment.Toevaluatethesegoals,qualitativeandquantitativedatawerecollectedthroughmultiplesurveyinstruments,interviews,classroomobservations,andreviewofartifacts(blogreflections,worksamplesandonlinediscussionthreads).Surveysincludedthefollowingtools:AttitudesTowardTechnologicalTools,DispositionsTowardTeachingwithTechnology,TechnologySelf‐Efficacy(Confidence),andTPACKsurvey.Teachersweresurveyedatthebeginningoftheprofessionaldevelopmentandtheendofeachofthefourmodules.Dataconfirmedthatthefirstobjectivewasmet;theprogrampositivelyaffectedteacherbehavior.Participantsnotedincreasedconfidenceandhigherattitudeswiththetoolsandpedagogies.Inexaminingaparticularvariable,participants’attitudetowardinteractiveanddeliverytools,therewaslittlechangeinattitudewitheachmodulebutasignificantpositivechangebytheconclusionoftheproject. Subsequently,ampleanecdotaldata,includingthatfromclassroomobservationsandteacherinterviews,indicatedincreasedstudentengagement.
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Findingsshowedthatstudentswereindeedmotivatedbythevarioustechnologytoolsandapplicationsemployed.Strengthsoftheprojectincludedtheaccesstothetoolsandresources,withthefreedomtoexplore,andthecollaborationandfeedbackfromtheprojectfacilitatorsandparticipants.See“Resources”belowforaccesstotheClarkCountySchoolDistrict:ARRAPathwaysProjectFinalReportFY2011.
MovingForward
ManyPathwayteachershavealreadyprovidedprofessionaldevelopmentwithintheirownschoolsanddistricts,andsomepresentedatthestateconference.Theseteachershavebecomeadvocatesandmentorsforintegratingtechnology.SmallpartsofeachmodulehavebeenarchivedwithplanstoadjustandcombineinaMoodleenvironmentsothatteachersmayparticipateinself‐pacedandunguidedprofessionaldevelopmentforcontinuingeducationcredit.
Resources
NevadaPathwayProjectWebsitehttp://cpdmoodle.ccsd.net/pathway/ClarkCountySchoolDistrict:ARRA‐PathwaysProjectFinalReportFY2011http://tinyurl.com/7fwy53dNevadaDepartmentofEducationhttp://doe.nv.gov/SETDAARRAInformationandResourceshttp://setda.org/web/guest/ARRAresources
Page71
NewHampshireSchool
AdministrativeUnit#53
StateEducationalTechnologyDirectorsAssociation|www.setda.org
TransformingClassroomsThroughTechnology
NewHampshireSchoolAdministrativeUnit#53
December2009‐September2011ThepurposeoftheTransformingClassroomsThroughTechnologygrantwastoincreasestudentachievementinsciencewithahands‐on,inquiry‐basedapproachinK‐12whileintegratingtechnology.Throughequipmentpurchases,professionaldevelopment,in‐depthcurriculumalignment,andacommitmenttohigherordercognitiveprocesses,thisprogramrevampedthesciencecurriculum.
Demographics
SchoolAdministrativeUnit(SAU)#53iscomprisedof10schoolsintheschooldistrictsofAllenstown,Chichester,Deerfield,EpsomandPembroke,NewHampshire.TheSAUprovidesPK‐12educationalexperiencesforapproximately3,500students.SAU#53schoolsareinthesuburbsofConcord,thestatecapital.
BackgroundTheAmericanRecoveryandReinvestmentActof2009(ARRA)includeda$650millionallocationinESEATitleII,PartD,commonlyreferredtoastheEnhancingEducationThroughTechnologyprogram(EETT).ThiscasestudywaspreparedbytheStateEducationalTechnologyDirectorsAssociation(SETDA)–theprincipalassociationrepresentingthetechnologyleadershipofstateandterritorialdepartmentsofeducation–toprovideanexampleofARRAfundsworkingatthedistrictandclassroomlevelthatcreateseffective,viable,androbustreformineducation,andimprovesthewayteachersteachandstudentslearn.
NewHampshire’sEETTCompetitiveGrantsInNewHampshire,the21stCenturyClassroomsInitiativeprovidedgrantstoschooldistrictsand/orconsortiaofschooldistrictsforinnovativeintegrationofeducationaltechnologyandinformationliteracytoadvancestudentlearning.Totransformtraditionalmodelsofschoolinginto21stcenturylearningenvironments,students,teachers,andadministratorswereimmersedinprojectsthatfocusedonmedia‐richteachingandlearningresourcesandstrategies.
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ProjectDescription
TheTransformingScienceClassroomsThroughTechnologyprojectfocusedonscienceeducationinnineschools,withmandatoryparticipationfromallfivehighschoolscienceteachersandvoluntaryparticipationbytheelementaryandmiddleschoolscienceteachers.RecentrevisionstotheNewHampshireScienceFrameworks,providedtheopportunitytoinfusetechnologyandencouragenewprofessionaldevelopment.Theequipmentpurchasedincludedtwolabstationsperschoolandfivelabstationsforthehighschool.Thelabstationsincludedalaptop,aninteractivewhiteboard,videocameras,scienceprobes(includingelectronic,motion,temperature,biology,andchemistryprobes),adocumentcamera,digitalmicroscopes,aweatherstation,highspeeddigitalcameras,andtheappropriatesoftware.ParticipatingteachersengagedinprofessionaldevelopmentanddevelopedlessonsusingtheUnderstandingbyDesign(UBD)model,whichincludedincorporatingthenewequipment.Theprofessionaldevelopmentalsoestablishedalearningcommunityforthescienceteachers.Aspartoftheprocess,teachersanalyzedtheeffectivenessoftechnology‐enrichedlessonsbycomparingthemtotraditionallydeliveredlessonsusingexperimentalandcontrolgroups.
ProjectImplementation
Duringthespringandsummerof2010,materialsandequipmentwereorderedandsetupintheparticipatingclassrooms.Inpreparation,teachersconductedtechnologyliteracypreteststoestablishabaseline.Projectleadersattendedstatewidemeetings,andmonthlymeetingswereheldforallSAU#53participatingteachersandadministratorstodiscussprojectgoalsandactivities,equipmentuse(i.e.,interactivewhiteboards,probes,andweatherequipment),andexperimentandevaluationstrategies.Afull‐timeintegrationspecialistwasemployedaspartofthisproject.SheguidedtheclassroomteacherstointegratethetechnologytoolsintothecurriculumbasedontheNewHampshireScienceFrameworksandISTEstandards.Thisspecialistalsoassessedindividualprofessionaldevelopmentneedsandalignedtheprofessionaldevelopmentwith
ARRAEETTGrantDetails
GrantFocus ContentStandardsandHigh‐QualityAssessmentsandHigh‐Access,Technology‐RichLearningEnvironments
Beginning/EndDateofGrant
December10,2009‐September30,2011
Locale Town/Rural
Funding $534,066
GradeLevel(s) K‐12
NumberofTeachersImpacted
27
NumberofAdministratorsImpacted
10
NumberofStudentsImpacted
482
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districttechnologyplansandthesciencegrade‐spanstandards.Shevisitedeachparticipatingclassroomonanalmostweeklybasistohelpwithintegrationandcollaboration.Sheorganizedthetemplateusedforsharinglessonsinthelearningcommunity’sonlinesite,whichwashostedbySakai,NewHampshire’scontentmanagementsystem.Shealsoorganizedmonthlymeetingsanddisseminatedinformationlocally,acrosstheproject,andstatewide.TeacherswerewellversedindevelopinglessonsusingUBDprinciplesthroughpreviousprofessionaldevelopment.EachparticipatingteacherwasresponsiblefordevelopingaminimumoftwolessonsusingaUBDtemplatetoshareviathelearningcommunity’ssite.Inaddition,awikiwaspartofthissite,andteacherscommunicatedwitheachotherviathewikithroughouttheschoolyear.Alistservprovidedanotheropportunitytocommunicateinformationtoandbetweentheparticipants.Manyoftheparticipantsalsoattendedregionalandnationalconferences.
ClassroomExamples
• Intwofirstgradeclasses,studentsstudiedplantgrowth.Twoseparateclassroomswereestablished,acontrolandtreatment(withtechnology‐enhancedinstruction)classroom.Inthecontrolclass,studentsstudiedplantgrowthastheyhaveinthepast,plantingaseedinsoil,documentingtheplant’sgrowth,andlabelingdiagrams. Inthetechnology‐rich classroom,studentsplantedseedsandobservedgrowthbutalsousedprobesandtechnologytoolstovarysunlightandwatertomanipulateandobservetheireffectonsimulatedplants.Studentsviewedvideoclipstoshowplantgrowthfromaseedtoafullplantinfasttime.Theyalsousedinteractivesitesonthecomputerstoalterplantgrowthviasimulations.Pre‐andpost‐testscoresonaplantgrowthassessmentwerecollectedforboththecontrolandtreatmentclassesandshowedhigherscoresforthetreatmentgroup(87%versus82%). Teacherobservationsindicatedthatstudentsweresignificantlymoreengagedwhenusingtechnology.Thesimulationfortheplantgrowthwasespeciallybeneficialandfunforthestudents.
• Inasixthgradescienceunitonsound,theobjectivewastohavestudentsexplainthatsoundvibrationsmoveatdifferentspeedsandfrequenciesandhavedifferentwavelengths.Twoclasses,acontrolandtreatment(withtechnology‐enhancedinstruction)completedactivitiestostudysound.Adifferentteachertaughteachclass.Bothteachersdevelopedthelessonsandtriedtomaketheexperience,withtheexceptionofthetechnology,similarforthestudents.Studentsdeterminedwhatawavelookedlikeifasoundwasloudorsoftandwhatitlookedlikeifasoundhasahighpitchoralowpitch.Inthetechnology‐richclassroom,studentsusedanMP3player,tuningforks,andadditionalinstrumentstocreatedifferentsoundsandusedprobestorecordthewavelengths.Studentsuploadedthesoundfilestoacomputer
Theintegrationoftechnologyinthefirstgradeclassroomhasbeenpositive.Thestudentsaresignificantlymoreengaged.Theyregardthelessonsasfunandcan'twaittohavetheirturnwiththetools.‐BarbaraNelson,FirstGradeTeacher
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andusedAudacitysoftwaretoviewandeditthesoundwaves.Inthecontrolclassroom,studentsworkedwithtuningforksandprobesbutdidnothavetheMP3playersusingtextbooksanddiagramsasreference.Attheendofthisactivity,allstudentstookaquiz.Studentsmatcheddiagramsofsixdifferentwaveswithitstype:loudandhigh‐pitched,loudandlow‐pitched,softandhigh‐pitched,softandlow‐pitched,loudandmedium‐pitched,orsoftandmedium‐pitched.Theaveragescoreofthetreatmentgroupwas5.29outofapossible6.Theaverageofthecontrolgroupwas3.88outof6points.Inaddition,70%ofthestudentsinthetreatmentgroupansweredallthequestionscorrectlyonthequizwhileonly47%ofthestudentsinthecontrolgroupansweredallthequestionscorrectly.
EvaluatingEffectiveness
AlldistrictsreceivingARRAEdTechgrantfundswererequiredtocompleteevaluationinstruments/surveyscreatedbyHezelAssociatesandinstrumentscreatedbyNHDOE,includingaWalkthroughObservationTool,EducatorSurvey,StudentSurvey,NHSchoolTechnologyandReadiness(STaR)Chart,NHDistrictTechnologySurvey,andNHSchoolTechnologySurveys.See"Resources"belowforaccesstothefullevaluationreport.Theprogramhadmultiplebenefitsforbothstudentsandteachers.Studentsbenefitedfromanengagingandinteractive21stcenturylearningenvironment.Informalobservationsanddatacollectionbythescience/technologyintegrationspecialistandadministratorsconcludedthattheintegrationoftechnologyhelpedtoincreasestudentcomprehensionandengagement.Teachersbelievethattheirproductivityandefficiencyincreased,astheywereabletoutilizethenewtechnologyintheirdailyplansandshareplanswithotherteachers.
MovingForward
Asotherclassroomteacherssawthetechnologyusedbytheircolleaguesandthegainsincomprehensionandengagementwithstudents,therewasademandinotherclassesforincreasedtechnology.AtEpsomCentralHighSchool,allotherclassroomswereequippedwithinteractivewhiteboards.AtHillSchool,additionalstudentlabswereinstalled,andlocalfundswereusedtorehiretheproject’sintegrationspecialistonapart‐timebasis.Theonlinemanagementsystem,Sakai,continuestosupportprofessionallearning,andteacherscontinuetomeettoshareideas.
Resources
NewHampshireSchoolAdministrativeUnit#53http://www.sau53.orgState-wide Evaluation of the New Hampshire ESEA Title II, Part D Grant Program Final Report,
October 2011
http://tinyurl.com/8yz3l5k
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NewHampshireDepartmentofEducationhttp://www.education.nh.gov/SETDAARRAInformationandResourceshttp://setda.org/web/guest/ARRAresources
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LawrenceTownshipPublicSchools
StateEducationalTechnologyDirectorsAssociation|www.setda.org
Talent21Grant,LawrenceTownshipPublicSchools,NewJersey
June2010‐September2011LawrenceTownshipwasoneoftenNewJerseydistrictsthatreceivedaTalent21grant.InLawrenceTownship,eachsixthgradestudentreceivedanetbookforuseinschoolandathome.Teachersandadministratorsengagedinsummerandafter‐schoolprofessionaldevelopmentsessions,in‐classcoaching,andone‐on‐oneconsultationwithprofessionalconsultantsinthefieldsofeducationaltechnology.Thefocusofthetrainingwasonintegratingtechnologyintoallcurriculumareas,implementingstudent‐centeredinstructionthroughtheUDLframework,communicatingmoreeffectivelywithintheschoolandcommunity,usingcollaborativetools,andmanagingchange.
Demographics
LawrenceTownshipPublicSchoolsisasuburbanschooldistrictlocatedinLawrenceville,NewJersey,geographicallybetweenPrincetonandTrenton.Itisadiversecommunitywithover40languagesspokenbystudents.Theschoolsystemismadeupoffourelementaryschools(K‐3),oneintermediateschool(4‐6),onemiddleschool(7‐8),andonehighschool(9‐12).
BackgroundTheAmericanRecoveryandReinvestmentActof2009(ARRA)includeda$650millionallocationinESEATitleII,PartD,commonlyreferredtoastheEnhancingEducationThroughTechnologyprogram(EETT).ThiscasestudywaspreparedbytheStateEducationalTechnologyDirectorsAssociation(SETDA)–theprincipalassociationrepresentingthetechnologyleadershipofstateandterritorialdepartmentsofeducation–toprovideanexampleofARRAfundsworkingatthedistrictandclassroomlevelthatcreateseffective,viable,androbustreformineducation,andimprovesthewayteachersteachandstudentslearn.
NewJersey’sEETTARRACompetitiveGrantProgramNewJersey’sTalent21(TeachingandLearningwithEssentialNewTechnologiesinthe21stCentury)programawardedtendistrictsgrantfunds,targetingsixthandseventhgradestudents.Studentswereprovideda1‐to‐1mobiledevice,theuseofWeb2.0tools,andonlinecollaborativelearningopportunities.Intensiveprofessionaldevelopmentforteachersandadministratorsprovidedparticipantswiththeabilitytochangethedeliveryofinstructionthroughtheacquisitionofskillstoeffectivelyintegratetechnologyand21stcenturyskillsandthemesacrosscontentareasusingtheUniversalDesignforLearning(UDL)framework.Teachersandadministratorsalsodevelopedasustainabilityplanextendingbeyondthegrantperiod.
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ProjectDescription
TheTalent21Projectprovidedtechnology‐enrichedclassroomsandprofessionaldevelopmentforschools.Grantfundsincludedtheestablishmentofareliableandrobustwirelessnetworkanda1‐to‐1wirelessmobilecomputingenvironment.Thegrantrequiredrecipientstoestablishaformativeassessmentsystemandprocesstocollect,manage,andanalyzestudentdatainordertoallowforindividualizedinstructionalstrategies.LawrenceTownship’sTalent21grantfocusedontheuseoftechnologytosupportandenhanceinstructioninthecorecontentareas.Intenseprofessionaldevelopmentforteachersandadministratorstargetedeffectiveintegrationoftechnologyand21stcenturyskills.
ProjectImplementation
Toaccommodatethenewtools,theoneintermediateandmiddleschoolinLawrenceTownshipfirstincreaseditsbandwidthtoaccommodatethemaximumnumberofnetbookusers.Approximately288sixthgradestudentswereissuedanetbookduringthesummerof2010and310sixthgradestudentsduringthesummerof2011.Thesummersof2010and2011werefilledwithintensiveprofessionaldevelopmentforstaff,students,andparents.TeacherswereinstructedonusingWeb2.0tools,includingDiigo,Googledocs,GoogleEarth,Brainpopresources,Quizlet,Jing,andWikispaces.NovemberLearningconsultantstrainedteachersonusingthecollaborativeGoogletools,includingdocs,calendars,forms,sites,andgroups.TheconsultantsdemonstratedhowtomanagestudentworkelectronicallyandtocommunicatewithstudentsandparentsthroughGooglesites,Wikispaces,andTeacherspages.Duringthistime,teachersdevelopedcollaborativesitesbyclassandbycontentareaasawaytobetterorganizeandcommunicateinformation.Teachersalsotransformedlessonstoadigitalformattoallowstudentstoaccessinformationfromhome.Atthesametime,administratorsparticipatedinprofessionaldevelopmenttolearnnewwaystocommunicatewithparents,communitymembers,and
ARRAEETTGrantDetails
GrantFocus TechnologyCoachesandHigh‐AccessTechnologyandTechnology‐RichLearningEnvironment
Beginning/EndDateofGrant
June2010‐September15,2011
Locale Suburban
Funding $1,400,000
GradeLevel(s) Grades6and7
NumberofTeachersImpacted
62
NumberofAdministratorsImpacted
9
NumberofStudentsImpacted
598
Thereisn’taplaceintheschoolthatisn’talearningspace.
‐LawrenceTownshipAssistantSuperintendent
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studentsthroughsocialnetworks,suchasTwitter,blogs,andFacebook.ContentsupervisorsinvestigatedusingnewWeb2.0toolstoinfuseadditionaltechnologyresourcesintothecurriculum.Supervisorsalsoutilizednewtoolstodisseminateinformationtostaff.ParentsparticipatedinaseriesofworkshopsthatintroducedthemtotheWeb2.0toolstheirchildrenwouldbeusing,andtheywereprovidedhelpfultipsforinternetsafetyandinmanaging“netbooktime”athome.Professionaldevelopmentcontinuedduringtheschoolyearthroughin‐classcoaching.Participatingteachersreceivedonedayofcontenttrainingwithtimetodevelopnewlessonsintegratingtechnology.Duringthenextweek,acoachvisitedtheclassroomtoassisttheteacherinimplementingthelesson.Teachersandstudentstogetherbecameexpertsinlearning,anddevelopersofcontent,helpingeachotherwiththetechnologyandtheapplications.Withthemobilityofthenetbooks,allcornersoftheschoolbuildingwereutilizedforlearningspaces.Engagedlearningoccurredintheclassroomsandevenhallwaysasstudentsworkedinsmallgroups.Studentactivitiesincorporatedcollaborativelearning,podcasts,andvideos.Integratingtechnologytoolsandonlinecontentallowedstudentstounderstandglobalconnections,differingpointsofview,anddiverseculturalvalues.
ClassroomExamples
• LanguageArtsstudentstookanewapproachtostudyingcurrentevents.Insteadofclippingnewspaperarticlesandbringingthemintoclass,studentsusedTweenTribune.com,asitefeaturingrelevantnewsstoriesspecificallyfortweensandteens.Afterexploringandidentifyingproperwebetiquette,students,asaclass,setguidelinesforusingtheTweenTribunewebsiteandleavingcommentsonthesite.Studentsweretaskedwithreadingarticles,submittingcommentstotheteacherforreview,andthenpostingcomments.Thisprocessengagedthestudentandteacherinthewritingandreviewingprocess.Bypostingcommentsonthesite,studentswereabletosharetheirwritingnotonlywiththeirclassmatesbutwithallTweenTribunevisitors.Studentswerehighlymotivatedtoreadcurrentarticlesandcraftthoughtfulresponsestoelicitdiscussion.
• Mathematicsstudentsengagedinanongoingstockmarketprojectthroughouttheschoolyear.Earlyintheschoolyear,studentswatchedanonlinevideoandparticipatedindiscussions,whichprovidedanoverviewofthestockmarket.StudentstrackedstocksusingYahoo!Financeandconductedindependent,onlineresearchofvariouscompanies.FromSeptemberthroughApril,studentsselectedstocks,trackedthem,andgraphedprogressviadesktoptools.Whenpricesroseorfelldramatically,theteacherledadiscussiononhowmajorevents(suchastheJapanesetsunami)affectedthestockmarket.Astheculminatingproject,studentsworkedinpairsandchosetwocompetingcompanies,suchasAdidasvs.NikeorSprintvs.AT&T,andresearchedeachcompany.Studentschoseoneofthecompaniesasarecommendedinvestmentandpresentedallfindingstotheirclassmatesusingpresentationtools.Presentationswerealsopostedonline.
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EvaluatingEffectiveness
Thekeytothissuccessfulprogramwasongoingprofessionaldevelopment.Teachersreceivedsupportfromadministrators,coaches,andstudents.Theteacherswhoreceivedthecoachingaspartofthisprogramwillbecomethecoachestootherteachersinthefuture.Otheraccomplishmentsincludedtheestablishmentofavirtualprofessionallearningcommunity,teacherwebsites,andweb‐basedlessonsandtutorialsforstudentsandparentstoaccessfromhome.StudentsandteachersintheTalent21programincreasedtheirtechnologyproficiency.Basedonthepost‐testresultsofastudentengagementsurveydevelopedbytheNationalCenterforStudentEngagement,thestudentsintheTalent21groupoutscoredtheirpeers,fromacontrolgroupwhodidnotexperiencetheprogram,by13percentilepoints.
MovingForward
Buildingonthesuccessofthisprogram,theprogramexpandedforthe2011‐2012schoolyear.Eighthgradestudentsreceivedanetbookprovidedthroughlocalfunds.Studentsmovingfromsixthtoseventhgradewereredistributednetbooks,andthenewsixthgraderswereissuednewnetbooksaspartoftheTalent21program.Allmiddleschoolstudentswillwork1‐to‐1withthetechnologyforthefirsttimeinthedistrict’shistory.Inaddition,Talent21grantees,includingLawrenceTownship,nowserveasbestpracticemodelsforschoolsacrossthestateinestablishingandimplementing21stcenturylearningenvironments.
Resources
LawrenceTownshipPublicSchoolshttp://ltps.org/NewJerseyDepartmentofEducationhttp://nj.gov/education/SETDAARRAInformationandResourceshttp://setda.org/web/guest/ARRAresources
SchoolData
• Studenttechnologyproficiencyincreasedfrom75%to87%inoneschoolyearasmeasuredbytheNJTAP‐INrubricfromtheNewJerseyDepartmentofEducation.
• Basedonresultsfromthepre‐testandpost‐testLOTIDigitalAge
Survey,theparticipatingteachersincreasedtheirtechnologyliteracybyapproximately11%inoneyear.
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RochesterCitySchoolDistrict
StateEducationalTechnologyDirectorsAssociation|www.setda.org
EETTModelClassrooms
RochesterCitySchoolDistrict,NewYork
September2010‐September2011Thepurposeofthisgrantwastoscale‐upRochester’sModelClassroomsprogrambyprovidingtheequipmentandprofessionaldevelopmentrequiredtoestablishadditionaltechnology‐rich,studentcentered,modelclassrooms.Throughprofessionaldevelopmentandtheadditionoftechnologytoclassrooms,teacherslearnedtointegratetechnologyintoastudent‐centeredmodelofinstruction.
Demographics
ThecityofRochesterislocatedinupstateNewYork.ItisconsideredoneofNewYork’sBig5districts,alongwithSyracuse,NewYorkCity,Buffalo,andYonkers.Theschoolsystemsupportsapproximately32,000PK‐12studentsand10,000adults.Studentsspeak35differentlanguages,from28differentcountries.InRochester,88%ofthestudentpopulationiseligibleforfree/reducedlunch,while22%ofthecityschoolsareat90%povertyorhigher.
BackgroundTheAmericanRecoveryandReinvestmentActof2009(ARRA)includeda$650millionallocationinESEATitleII,PartD,commonlyreferredtoastheEnhancingEducationThroughTechnologyprogram(EETT).ThiscasestudywaspreparedbytheStateEducationalTechnologyDirectorsAssociation(SETDA)–theprincipalassociationrepresentingthetechnologyleadershipofstateandterritorialdepartmentsofeducation–toprovideanexampleofARRAfundsworkingatthedistrictandclassroomlevelthatcreateseffective,viable,androbustreformineducation,andimprovesthewayteachersteachandstudentslearn.
NewYork’sEETTCompetitiveGrantsTheNewYorkStateEducationDepartment(NYSED)identifiedfourprioritiesareasforARRAEETTfunds:1)Todeveloptechnology‐rich,student‐centered,activelearningenvironments;2)Provideanonlineformativeassessmentdatamanagementsystemcompatiblewithcurrentdatasystem;3)DeliveronlineinstructionconnectedwiththedevelopmentofNYSED’sVirtualSchoolInitiative;and4)SupportEnglishlanguagelearners(ELLs)andstudentswithdisabilitiesthroughtheuseoftechnologytools.
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ProjectDescription
InRochesterCitySchools,adistrictsurveyrevealedthatmostteacherswerenotpreparedtoeffectivelyteachusingtechnologytools.Allteachershadacomputereach,andschoolshadatleastacomputerlab.Inaddition,someschoolshadmobilelabs,projectors,andinteractivewhiteboardsbutthiswasnotwidespread.Inresponse,thedistricttargetedfourththrougheighthgradeteacherstohelpensurestudenttechnologyproficiencybythetimestudentsenteredninthgrade.Usingacombinationoffederalandlocalfunds,thislargeendeavoraimedtocoupleappropriateaccesstotechnologytoolswithintense,professionaldevelopmentthatwouldbuildteachers’skills,supportinstruction,andchangeclassroompractices.Thisinitiativeinitiallybeganin2006withlocalfundsonasmallscale,andthenexpandedannuallywiththehelpoflocal,EETTformula,andcompetitivefunds.By2008,theprogramexpandedtoreacheachschoolinthedistrict.TheARRAEETTfundsawardedforthe2010‐2011schoolyearenabledtheModelClassroomprogramtoexpandto120additionalclassrooms.Theprogramprovidedmulti‐modalityprofessionaldevelopmentopportunitiesforteachersandbuildinglevelstaff,whichincludedface‐to‐facetrainingandcoachingbyatechnologyintegrationspecialist.Overall,sincetheModelClassroomsinception,396teachersfrom159classroomshavebeentrained,andthedistrictcontinuallyprovidestrainingsothatstaffmembersarepreparedasadditionaltechnologytoolsaredistributed.Overall,5,683uniqueparticipantshaveparticipatedinatleastoneModelClassroomtrainingsessionssince2006.Thetotalfundsforthisgrantsince2006include$3,000,000inlocalfunds,$953,216inEETTFormulaFunds,$2.4millioninEETTcompetitivefunds,and$1,857,403inARRAEETTFunds.
ProjectImplementation
Modelclassroomteacherswereselectedinpairsbasedontheirinstructionalexpertiseandtheirinterestintechnologyintegration.Eachparticipatingteacher'sclassroomwasoutfittedwithaninteractivewhiteboard,projector,documentcamera,ateacherlaptop,andapodofsixdesktopcomputers.Inaddition,eachparticipatingschoolwassuppliedwithamobilelabofnetbooks,classsetofinteractiveresponsesystems,anddigitalcamerasfor
ARRAEETTGrantDetails
GrantFocus OngoingProfessionalDevelopmentandHigh‐Access,Technology‐RichLearningEnvironments
Beginning/EndDateofGrant
September2010‐September2011
Locale Urban
TotalFunding $1,857,403
GradeLevel(s) 4‐8
NumberofTeachersImpacted
120
NumberofAdministratorsImpacted
150
NumberofStudentsImpacted
3,600
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themodelclassroomstoshare.Theteachersattendedfivetosevendaysoftrainingspreadoutoverthecourseoftheyear.Theface‐to‐faceinstructioncoveredtrainingofthetechnologyequipmentprovidedintheclassroom,softwareapplications,andtheoverallintegrationoftechnologyintoclassroompractices,includingTechnologicalPedagogicalContentKnowledge(TPACK)frameworkwithfocusoncontentandpedagogy.Followingeachtrainingsession,teachersbenefitedfromdirectsupportthroughclassroomcoaching.Forexample,ifteachersreceivedtrainingonusingtheinteractivewhiteboard,thecoachwouldworkwiththeteachertoeffectivelyintegratetheinteractivewhiteboardintothecontentinstructionaswellasdevelopstudent‐centeredclassroomactivities.
ClassroomExamples
• Infifthgradelanguagearts,studentswrotepoetryabouttheholidaysincludinghowdifferentcountriescelebrateChristmasandotherholidays.Usingtheirnetbooks,studentsresearchedothercountriesandtheircelebrationsincludingusingGoogleEarthtolocateandtrackthedistancestomultiplecountries.Studentspresentedtheirresearchusingaslideshowpresentationandsharedapoemabouttheircountry.Classmatesevaluatedotherstudents’presentationsusingarubric.Priortothegrant,limitedtechnologytoolsminimizedresearchandpresentationoptions.
• Inthefifthandsixthgrade,studentsstudiedgeologyandplatetectonics.Beforethegrant,studentsusedmapsprovidedbytheteacherandtextbookreadingstoexploreplatesandearthquakes.Withgreateraccesstotechnology,studentsparticipatedinaunitcreatedbyTheCenterforInnovationinEngineeringandScienceEducationduringwhichstudentstookontheroleofUnitedStatesGeologicalSurvey(USGS)scientiststoexplorelocationsofrecentearthquakesanddetermineareasthataremostpronetoearthquakes.StudentsusedmapsontheUSGSwebsitetoresearchearthquakeactivity.Theyexploredaprojectedtectonicplatemapandworkedinsmallteamstoexploretheconnectionsandcorrelationsbetweentheearthquakemapandtectonicmap.
EvaluatingEffectiveness
Basedonteachersurveys,75%ofparticipatingclassroomteacherssurveyedstatedthattheynowroutinelyusetechnologyinthedeliveryoftheirdailycontentinstruction.Technologyisincreasinglyutilizedfortheplanningofteacherlessons,thedeliveryoftheclassroominstructionalprogram,andtheadaptationofmaterialsforindividualstudentuse.Furthermore,participatingteachersbelievethattechnologyservesasamotivatingfactorforbothteachersandtheirstudents,whichfostersstudents’activeparticipationinlearningactivitiesanddrivesincreasedstudents’achievement.Bytheendofthesecondyear,teacherscelebratedthemanywaysthattechnologyhelpedtoprovideamoreeffective
TheengagementIhaveseeninmyfifthandsixthgradersisinspiring.Theyareinvestedintheirlearningandtakeprideintheworktheyturnintome.Ihaven'tseenthatprideinthepaper/pencilassignmentsforsomeyearsnow.
‐RochesterCityTeacher
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instructionalprogramandreportedthattheyhavebecomemorecognizantabouthowtoengagestudentsininstructionalcontentandprocessthroughtheuseoftechnology.Aswell,surveyresultsshowthatteachertraininghasapositiveimpactonteacheruseoftechnologyintheclassroomandthat,inturn,hasapositiveimpactonstudentacademicachievement.Thenumberofteacherswhoviewtechnologyasateachingtooltoenhanceandenrichstudents’learningexperienceshasgrown,andthenumberofteacherswhohavestruggledwithtechnologycontinuestodecline.Overallresultsinthesecondyearofthegrantimplementationshowthatinstructionfromtechnology‐trainedteachersinamodelclassroomsettinghadapositiveimpactontheachievementscoresofstudentsonthe2011NewYorkStateAssessments.TheNoChildLeftBehind(NCLB)subgroupsoffemale,disadvantaged,black,andHispanicstudentsnotedthehighestgains.ResultsindicatedthatthemostpositiveimpactwasmadeineighthgradeEnglishlanguageartswherenearlyallmeasuredsubgroupsdemonstratedscaledscoresthatweresignificantlygreaterthantheirregularclassroompeers.Overall,resultssuggestthatinstructionfromtechnology‐trainedteachersinaModelClassroomsettinghasapositiveimpactontheachievementscoresofstudentsonthe2011NewYorkStateAssessments.
Accessfullevaluationreportathttp://tinyurl.com/8xf5lxr.
DistrictData
• Inyearone,52%ofclassroomteacherssurveyednowstatethattheyroutinelyusetechnologyinthedeliveryoftheirdailyinstructionalprogram.
• Inyeartwo,75%ofclassroomteacherssurveyednowstatethattheyroutinelyusetechnologyinthedeliveryoftheirdailyinstructionalprogram.
• Englishandlanguageartshadthelargestpositiveacademicimpactwith44%ofthemeasuredstudentsbenefitingfromtechnology‐integratedinstructionbasedon2011NewYorkStateAssessments.
• Theaveragepositiveacademicimpactforallsubgroups;female,disadvantaged,blackandHispanicwasabove33%.
Usingtechnologyengagesstudentsandoffersthemanopportunitytodiscovertheworldattheirfingertips.Theinteractivewhiteboardsoftwareallowsmetoprepareengaging,eye‐catchinglessonsusingmediaresourcesthataddressstandardsinallacademicareas.IwouldfindteachingverydifficultifIhadtogobacktousingatextbook,markerboardonlymodel.
‐RochesterCityTeacher
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MovingForward
Forthe2011‐2012schoolyear,$525,000ofFY10EETTfundsand$570,000inlocalfundshavebeendedicatedtosupportandexpandtheprogram.Basedontheimplementation,buildingsarenowalsousinglocalfundstoscaleouttheprogramwithinindividualschools.Duringthe2011‐2012schoolyear,allcertifieddistrictstaffreceivedtrainingandwereissuedlaptops.Inaddition,usingthesameprofessionaldevelopmentmodel,includingacoach,teachersarecontinuallytrainedtointegratetechnology.Thisprofessionaldevelopmentmodelhasprovenmosteffectiveandwillbeusedtoteachandimplementotherdistrictinitiativesstrategies.Technologywillcontinuetoberefreshed,andalternativedeviceswillberesearchedforimplementationintheclassrooms.
Resources
RochesterCitySchoolDistrictInstructionalTechnologyWebsitehttp://rcsdk12.org/197310107101030933/site/default.aspNewYorkStateEducationDepartmenthttp://nysed.gov/SETDAARRAInformationandResourceshttp://setda.org/web/guest/ARRAresources
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AshevilleCitySchools
StateEducationalTechnologyDirectorsAssociation|www.setda.org
IMPACT:Leadershipforthe21stCenturyLearner
AshevilleCitySchools,NorthCarolina
September2009‐December2012ThisgrantwasdesignedtoincreasestudentlearningthroughthefullimplementationofNorthCarolinaDepartmentofPublicInstruction’sIMPACTmodelguidelines.AshevilleCitySchools’(ACS)teachers,mediacoordinators,instructionaltechnologyfacilitators,andothereducationleaderscollaborativelydevelopedcurriculumtoinfuselearningwithmediaandtechnologyresources.Thesecurriculaengagedstudentsinthecorecurriculumwhiledeveloping21stcenturyskills.
BackgroundTheAmericanRecoveryandReinvestmentActof2009(ARRA)includeda$650millionallocationinESEATitleII,PartD,commonlyreferredtoastheEnhancingEducationThroughTechnologyprogram(EETT).ThiscasestudywaspreparedbytheStateEducationalTechnologyDirectorsAssociation(SETDA)–theprincipalassociationrepresentingthetechnologyleadershipofstateandterritorialdepartmentsofeducation–toprovideanexampleofARRAfundsworkingatthedistrictandclassroomlevelthatcreateseffective,viable,androbustreformineducation,andimprovesthewayteachersteachandstudentslearn.
NorthCarolina’sEETTCompetitiveGrantsIMPACT(initiallytitled:InformationPower:BuildingPartnershipsforLearning)providestheoverallvisionoftheroleofmediaandtechnologyforNorthCarolinaDepartmentofPublicInstructionbyrecognizingthataneffectiveschoollibrarymediaandtechnologyprogramisessentialtosupportteachingandlearning.TheIMPACTLeadershipforthe21stCenturyLearnercontinuationgrantsprovidedfundingtoschoolsthatwereawardedIMPACTIIIandIMPACTIVfundsthroughtraditionalTitleIIPartD,competitivegrants.FundsawardedenabledIMPACTModelSchoolstoimplementadditionaltechnologyenhancementprograms,includinga1‐to‐1programforhighschoolsandprovisionofdigitalteachingtoolsformiddleandelementaryschools.Furthermore,theIMPACTmodelacknowledgesthataneffectiveschoolmediaandtechnologyprogramsupportsteachingandlearningandencouragescollaborativeplanning.
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Demographics
AshevilleislocatedinthewesternpartofNorthCarolinaintheBlueRidgeMountains.ACShastwohighschools,AshevilleHighSchoolandtheSchoolofInquiry&LifeSciencesatAsheville(SILSA),onemiddleschool,andfiveelementarymagnetschools.Elementarystudentsinthedistrictmayattendtheelementaryschooloftheirchoice;amagnetprogramallowsstudentstoattendtheschoolwhose“theme”bestmatchestheirinterests.ThemesincludeArtsandHumanities,Science,MathematicsandTechnologies,GlobalScholars,ExperientialLearning,andHumanDiversityandEcology.
ProjectDescription
ACStookthefirststepstowardimplementingtheIMPACTmodelduringthe2007‐2008schoolyearaspartofthe"DigitallyLiterateAsheville"(DLA)initiativethatthedistrictiscurrentlystrivingtofullyimplement.TheultimategoaloftheDLAinitiativeistotransformstudentlearningbyprovidingeveryteacherandstudentwithalaptopandastableinfrastructuretosupport21stcenturyteachingandlearning.AtthesametimetheDLAinitiativewasbeingdeveloped,ACSwasidentifiedasaNorthCarolinaDepartmentofPublicInstructionIMPACTModelDistrictandreceivedEETTfundstoprovideprofessionaldevelopmentanddevicestoteachers.BuildingontheinitialIMPACTgrants,theARRAEETTIMPACTLeadershipforthe21stCenturyLearnercontinuationgrantprovidedalleightACSschoolswithprofessionaldevelopment,supportforcollaborativeplanning,andequipment.Over25%ofgrantfundswereusedtoprovideprofessionaldevelopment,whichemphasizedtheuseofWeb2.0toolssuchaswikis,blogs,andMoodletosupportasocialconstructivistapproachtolearning.Teachers,mediacoordinators,instructionaltechnologyfacilitators,andothereducatorscollaboratedtodeveloprigorous,engaging,andstandards‐alignedcollaborativestudentlearningopportunitiesemphasizing21st
ARRAEETTGrantDetails
GrantFocus Project‐BasedCollaborativeLearningandProfessionalLearningCommunities
Beginning/EndDateofGrant
September2009‐December2012
Locale Rural
Funding $2,148,605CompetitiveGrant$32,170FormulaGrant
GradeLevel(s) K‐12
NumberofTeachersImpacted
335
NumberofAdministratorsImpacted
25
NumberofStudentsImpacted
4,017
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centuryskills.Theequipmentprovidedincludedteacherlaptops,networkinfrastructuretosupportwirelesscomputing,over900studentlaptopsforanytimeandanywherelearning,digitalprojectors,113interactivewhiteboards,33studentresponsesystemsclasssets,andotherdigitaltools.
ProjectImplementation
Implementationstartedwithprofessionaldevelopmentforteachers,movedtonetworkreadiness,andonlythenmovedtoprovidestudentsaccesstolearningtechnologies.Toguidetheproject,eachschool’sMediaandTechnologyAdvisoryCommitteedevelopedanimplementationplan.Theplansincludedaneedsassessment,equipmentacquisitionplan,professionaldevelopmentplan,andschedulesforcollaborativeplanning.Thehardwareimplementationinitiallywentintobuildingthenetworkinfrastructureandincreasingswitchcapacityandwirelessaccess.Thenextstepofhardwareimplementationsuppliedteacherswithlaptopsandtheinteractivepresentationtechnologies.Thefinalstepintroducedthestudentlearningtechnologies,whichincludedlaptops,interactivewhiteboards,software,scientificmonitors,andmultimediatoolsforstudentsandteachers.Deploymentofthesetechnologiesrequiredcarefulplanningforimplementation.The9thgradeclasseswereprovided1‐to‐1access,and10thto12thgradeclasseswereprovidedlaptopcarts.Professionaldevelopmentvariedbyschoolandwastailoredtotheneedsoftheteachersandschoolprogram.Schoolteamsdevelopedtheirprofessionaldevelopmentplansbasedonteachersurveys,observedneeds,andrecommendationsofthestateinstructionaltechnologyspecialists.Eachschoolhadaschoolmediacoordinatorandinstructionaltechnologyfacilitatorfundedbythedistrict.Additionalprofessionaldevelopmentintheformofsummerinstitutes,afternoonworkshops,gradelevelanddepartmentprofessionallearningcommunities,guestspeakers,andconferenceattendance,includingISTEandtheNorthCarolinaTechnologyinEducationSocietyconference,wasalsoprovided.Asimportantly,teachersreceiveddirectsupportinplanningandimplementingnewmethodsofinstructionduringcollaborativeplanning.Intheelementaryandmiddleschools,teamsofteacherswereprovidedcollaborativeplanningsessionsfourtimesduringtheschoolyeartodesignunitsandworkwiththeschoolmediacoordinatorandinstructionaltechnologyfacilitatortointegratetechnologyandinformationskills.Inthehighschools,teachersmetasadepartmenttwiceduringtheschoolyear.HighschoolteachersreceivedtrainingonparticulardevicesorWeb2.0toolsinthe
Throughtechnology,studentengagementincreasedaswellastheabilitytoaccessandinteractwithrigorousmaterial.
‐AshevilleCitySchoolsTeacher,Grade5
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morningandthenworkedasadepartmentintheafternoontoexploreinstructionaluses.Themostsuccessfulcollaborativeplanningteamsgrewintoprofessionallearningcommunitiesinwhichteachingprofessionalshelpedoneanotheranalyzeformativeandsummativestudentachievementdatainordertoidentifythebestwaystomeettheneedsoftheirstudents. Leadershipwascrucialinhelpingtheteachersseethenecessitytochangepracticeandmakeuseofnewtoolsandtechniques.Schoolleadershipwasparticularlyeffectiveintheinstanceswhereadministratorsmodelednewtoolsandallowedstafftoseethatmistakeswerepartofthelearningprocess.
ClassroomExamples
• Inacross‐curricularprojectinsecondgrade,studentsandteachersparticipatedinHeiferInternational’sChoresforChangeprogram.Teachersintegratedsocialstudies,researchskills,readingcomprehension,science,math,andpersuasivewriting.First,studentsparticipatedinareadaloudactivitywiththebookBeatrice’sGoat.InthisstoryinspiredbyHeiferInternational,Beatrice,aschoolgirlinapoorAfricanvillage,receivesthegiftofagoatandisabletosellthemilktohelpherfamilyofsix.Usingtheinteractivewhiteboard,studentslearnedmathematicalconceptsofdoublinganddivisionandinteractedwithalessonongeometricgrowthasdescribedinthebook.Studentsresearchedthevariousanimalsavailabletodonatethroughtheprogramandraisedfundstodonatetheanimal.Mathlessonsrevolvedaroundcountinganddividingthefundsreceived.Theseamlessaccesstointernetresources,theopportunitiesforsmallgroupresearchwithlaptops,andtheinteractivelessonsviathewhiteboardmadeanotherwisedauntingprojectmanageablefortheteacherstoengageandmotivatestudents.
• Inahighschoolsocialstudiesclass,studentsparticipatedina“MeetingoftheMinds”projectonCivilWartensions.Equippedwithlaptops,halfofstudentsconductedresearchandpreparedtotakeonthevoiceofanindividualfromtheCivilWareraduringaliveclassdebate.Therestoftheclasswasassignedtodeveloptheirbackgroundknowledgeofthehistoricalerainordertoanalyzethedebate.Theanalysistookplaceinliveonlinechatduringthedebate.Thisprovidedanopportunityforstudentstorecordreactionsandfactsasthedebatewastakingplacewithoutinterruptingtheflow.Debatestudentswereengaged,knowingtheirpeerswerechattingaboutthepointstheyweremaking,andthe“chat”studentswereengagedastheyhadthe
Ourgradelevelhasusedthequarterlycollaborativeplanningsessionstocreaterich,multidisciplinaryprojects,rangingfromstudent‐researchedandactedpublicserviceannouncementsaboutgermsandhealthtoservicelearningprojectsaboutworldhunger.
‐AshevilleCitySchoolsTeacher,Grade2
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opportunitytobuildknowledgethroughthechat.Atextarchiveofthechatprovidedadditionallearningopportunities.Priortothegrant,studentsdebatedtheCivilWar,buttheengagementwasminimalexceptforthefewstudentswhoplayedmajorrolesinthedebate.
EvaluatingEffectiveness
InpartnershipwiththeFridayInstituteatNorthCarolinaStateUniversity,ACSadministeredthefollowingsurveystostaffandstudents:SchoolTechnologyNeedsAssessment(STNA),TechnologySkillsChecklist(TSC),andNationalEducationalTechnologyStandardssurveyofPerformanceStandardsforIn‐serviceTeachers(NETS‐TSurvey).Basedonsurveyresults,technologyskillsandstudentattitudestowardlearningwithtechnologyimproved.
MovingForward
ThetwohighschoolshaveleveragedthisgranttoacquireadditionalfundingfromtheAppalachianRegionalCommissionandtheMebaneFoundationtosupporttheDigitallyLiterateAshevilleinitiative’sgoalof1‐to‐1computing.TheIMPACTgrantslaidthegroundworkthathasACSpoisedtoreapthebenefitsofadigitaltransformationinteachingandlearningandhasservedas“proofofconcept”,demonstratingthattheschoolswouldfulfillthepromiseof1‐to‐1.InFebruary2012,student‐to‐laptopratiowillincreaseto1‐to‐1in10ththrough12thgrade.AlthoughitmayprovedifficulttoequiptheschoolsatthesamelevelwithouttheIMPACTgrantfunds,thecollaborativepractices,professionallearningcommunities,andsocialconstructivistapproachestolearningbroughtaboutbytheIMPACTgrantswillsustainhighlevelsofstudentachievement.
DistrictData
• STNA:70.5%ofteacherseitheragreeorstronglyagreethattechnologyhasmadetheirstudentsbetterlearnersandself‐starters.
• STNA:74.3%ofteacherseitheragreeorstronglyagreethatstudentengagementissignificantlyincreasedasaresultoftechnology.
• STNA:Overthecourseofthegrant,thepercentageofteachersthatagreethat“technologyprofessionaldevelopmentisrelevant”increasedby30%inoneschoolandby27%inanother.
• NETS‐T:68.4%ofteachersreporttheynowregularlyteachstudentshowto“assessthequalityofinformationtheygatherviatheweband/orothertechnologies.”
• Studentpassingrateoftheendofgradelevelmathandreadingscoresincreasedby6%and7.5%respectively.Thepercentageofstudentsexceedingexpectationsalsoincreased.
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Resources
AshevilleCitySchoolshttp://ashevillecityschools.netNorthCarolinaIMPACTWebsitehttp://it.ncwiseowl.org/resources/i_m_p_a_c_t/FridayInstituteEvaluationoftheIMPACTModelhttp://tinyurl.com/6v4xbvpNorthCarolinaPublicSchoolshttp://ncpublicschools.org/SETDAARRAInformationandResourceshttp://setda.org/web/guest/ARRAresources
Page91
LakewoodCitySchools
StateEducationalTechnologyDirectorsAssociation|www.setda.org
21stCenturyLearning:TransformingTeachingandLearning,LHS2.0Program
LakewoodHighSchool,LakewoodCitySchools
May2010‐June2011LakewoodHighSchoolwasoneof96Ohioschoolsthatreceiveda21stCenturyLearningEnvironmentsTechnologygrant.Theyutilizedatechnology‐enhanced,newlyrenovatedschoolbuildingtobuildanacademicprogramembracingtechnology,project‐basedlearning,andtheteamapproach.
Demographics
LakewoodCitySchoolDistrictislocatedinawesternsuburbofCleveland,Ohio.Thedistrictcontainsahighlydiversestudentpopulationwithover30languagesspoken.Approximately,50%ofstudentsqualifyforfreeorreducedlunch.Thereisonehighschoolwith2000studentsinLakewood.Duetotheagingcommunity,theschoolhasnotedadecliningpopulationoverthelastfiveyears.
BackgroundTheAmericanRecoveryandReinvestmentActof2009(ARRA)includeda$650millionallocationinESEATitleII,PartD,commonlyreferredtoastheEnhancingEducationThroughTechnologyprogram(EETT).ThiscasestudywaspreparedbytheStateEducationalTechnologyDirectorsAssociation(SETDA)–theprincipalassociationrepresentingthetechnologyleadershipofstateandterritorialdepartmentsofeducation–toprovideanexampleofARRAfundsworkingatthedistrictandclassroomlevelthatcreateseffective,viable,androbustreformineducation,andimprovesthewayteachersteachandstudentslearn.
Ohio’sEETTARRACompetitiveGrantsOhio’s21stCenturyLearningEnvironmentsTechnologyprogramawarded96schoolsgrants,targetingstudentsingrades6to12.Ohio’sprogramfocusedonprofessionaldevelopmentandstudentlearning,.Throughintensive,collaborativeandjob‐embeddedprofessionaldevelopmentandtheuseofresearch‐basedmethods,teachersandadministratorsexperiencednewmodelsandstrategiesforteachingandlearning.Aspartoftherequiredsummerprofessionaldevelopment,eachschool’sgrantteam,madeupofthebuildingadministrator,fourteachers,andahalftimecoach,developedaneeds‐basedactionplanwhichhelpedinformtechnologypurchases.
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ProjectDescription
In2008,LakewoodHighSchoolcompletedapartialrenovation,andallnewclassroomswereequippedwithprojectors,interactivewhiteboards,andwirelessinternetaccess.Atthesametime,asetofninthgradeteachersbeganteachinginateam;theteamconsistedofanEnglish,history,mathematics,andscienceteacherwhosharedthesamegroupofstudents.Inspiredbytheincreasedaccesstotechnologyandcollaborativenatureofteamteaching,teachersbegantoreassesstheirteachingpractices.Aswell,thedistrictfocusedonenablingandsupportingteacher‐basedteamsandproject‐basedlearning.Withtechnologyinplaceandteamteachingbeginningtotakehold,LakewoodHighSchoolreceivedtheARRAgrant.Attheonsetofthegrant,2teamsofcoresubjectareateachersandaninterventionspecialist,oneinthe9thgradeandoneinthe10thgrade,beganworkingwithapproximately100studentspergroup.Eachstudentwasprovidedwithanetbookforschoolandhomeuse.TheparticipatingteacherswereeachprovidedaniPad,andeachteamsharedtwoclassroomsetsofiPodTouches.Theteamapproachallowedforflexibletimeandflexiblegroupingwithinthescheduleandcross‐curricularteachingopportunities.Anytime,anywhereaccesstothenetbooksprovidedtheopportunityforteacherstoleveragetheirMoodlesitestocreatecollaborativeworkgroupsforstudentstoaccesscontentbothinandoutoftheclassroom,blurringthelinesofatypicalschoolschedule.Professionaldevelopmentthroughworkshopsandtheeffortsofatechnologycoachsupportedtheintegrationoftechnologytoolsandproject‐basedlearningthroughtheschoolyear.Inaddition,teamplanningandcollaborationenabledteacherstoemployandsharebestpractices.
ProjectImplementation
Beginninginthesummerof2010,theteamparticipatedinthestate‐sponsoredTransformingEducationcoursefocusingonthedigitallearner,21stcenturyskills,Technology,PedagogyandContentKnowledge(TPACK),project‐basedlearning,andWeb2.0tools.Inthefall,teacherscompletedsmallprojectsandmetduringregularlyscheduledplanningtimestodiscusscurriculumandtheintegrationoftechnologytools.Studentsreceivedtheirnetbooksduringthesecondsemester.Teacherscontinuedtoincreasetheir
ARRAEETTGrantDetails
GrantFocus High‐Access,Technology‐RichLearningEnvironment,OnlineandBlendedLearning,andProfessionalDevelopment
Beginning/EndDateofGrant
May18,2010‐June9,2011
Locale Urban
Funding $225,000
GradeLevel(s) 9‐10
NumberofTeachersImpacted
10
NumberofAdministratorsImpacted
1
NumberofStudentsImpacted
200
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Page93StateEducationalTechnologyDirectorsAssociation|www.setda.org
collaborationandmovetowardamoreproject‐basedcurriculum,andbythefourthquartertheentirecurriculumwasproject‐based.Aninstructional,technologycoachwasassignedhalftimetotheprogram.Sheprovidedsupportintheclassroom,feedbackonlessons,andoverallsupport.Thecoachalsohelpedsupporttheteacherswithcurricularandtechnicalissuessotheycouldfocusonteachingandlearning.TeachersparticipatedinabookstudyofDougLemov’sTeachLikeaChampion,whichgenerateddiscussionsaroundbestteachingpractices.Teachersalsowereprovidedthreeseparatedaysduringtheschoolyeartospendwritingunitplans,usingtools,anddiscussingwhatwasworkingandwhatwasnot.Teachersformednaturalschool‐basedcommunities,sharingtheirideas,knowledge,andresearch.
ClassroomExamples
• Tenthgradestudentsresearchedandidentifiedanenvironmentalproblemwithintheircommunity.StudentsusedcommunityresourcesandtheInternettoresearchissuessuchaslitterintheparksandtheappropriateuseofbikelanes.Usingpersuasivewritingandprinciplesofdesign,studentspresentedtheselectedenvironmentalproblemandposedsolutions.Theycreatedfinalpresentations,whichtookonavarietyofformatsincludingblogs(sampleblogsareaccessiblebelowunder“Resources”).Studentsalsoworkedwithlocalnewspaperreporterstogettheirfeedbackoncoverageandpresentationofcommunityissues.Theculminatingactivitywasapresentationoftheirfindingstocityofficials.
• TenthgradestudentsworkedtogetheronanAIDSDayproject.Undertheguidanceofthebiologyteacher,studentsstudiedthescienceofvirusesandtheAIDSvirus.InEnglishandhistory,studentsexaminedstereotypesandstigmainAmericanliteratureandstudiedthepoliticsofthe1980'sduringtheonsetoftheAIDSepidemic.TheculminatingactivitywasadayspentsharingwithlocalAIDSactivists.ThestudentssimulatedanAIDStestanddiscussedtheresultswithrealAIDScounselors.Studentsbloggedtheirreactionsandresearchduringtheentireproject,andtheycreatedvideodiariesabouttheirreactionstotheday.Studentsalsocreated30‐secondpublicawarenesscommercialsonAIDS.
EvaluatingEffectiveness
TheLHS2.0Program’soverallgoalwastoraisestudentachievementbycreatingamoreaccessible,flexible,andstudent‐responsivelearningenvironmentthatemploysinnovative21stcenturyskillsandtoolstoenablestudentstocreateauthenticandrelevantproducts
Throughthisgrant,ourteamhasreallycometothinkofourselvesaslearnersagain.Withsomanynewpossibilitiesopentousthankstoallofthenewtools,wehavereallyhadtogobackandthinkveryhardaboutwhatitmeanstobeastudent,whatitmeanstobeateacher,andwhatitmightlooklikeifwebecamebetterstudentsofourteaching.‐SeanWheeler,LakewoodHighSchool
Teacher
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forauthenticaudiences.Accordingtotheirlocalevaluator,theLHS2.0projectsuccessfullymetallgrantobjectivesandwasshowntosignificantlyaffectstudentlearning.PositiveoutcomesforstudentsincludedanincreasedlevelofattainmentofknowledgeandskillsasmeasuredbytheOhioGraduationTestandanincreasedsenseofpersonalengagementandprideinstudents’learning.TheLHS2.0ProgramaffectedasubsetofLakewoodHighSchoolstudents.Tenthgraderesultsofthe2011SpringOhioGraduationTestsshowhigherscoresinallfivesubjectareasfortheparticipatingstudentscomparedtolikepeers.Therewasasignificantincreaseintestscoresforstudentswithdisabilities.Thetransitiontoproject‐basedlearning,specificallytheworkonalocalcommunity‐basedEarthDayprojectandapartnershipwiththeClevelandHIV/AIDSTaskforceduringanHIV/AIDSunit,broadenedstudents’understandingofcollaboration,communication,andcreativityasessential21stcenturyskillsandvitalcomponentsofanyrelevantclassroomaimedatpreparingstudentsfortheworldoutsidethewallsofaclassroom. Theroleandnatureofprofessionaldevelopmentunderwentasignificantchangeinrelationtothegrantteamandhasgreatpotentialasamodelforprofessionaldevelopmenttoamuchwiderdegreewithinthedistrictasawhole.TheteacherstrulyembracedthenotionofdevelopingaPersonalLearningNetwork(PLN).Someofthebestthinkingandwritingabouttheteachingprofessionisoccurringonawide‐arrayofblogsandtwitterfeeds,andthegrantteamisinastateofcontinuallearningthankstoitsuseofGoogleReaderandTwitterhash‐tagsearches.
SchoolData
• Allstudentscomparisonscores: WritingLHS2.096%passrate;Non‐LHS2.092%passrate ReadingLHS2.095%passrate;Non‐LHS2.090%passrate MathLHS2.088%passrate;Non‐LHS2.083%passrate SocialStudiesLHS2.088%passrate;84%Non‐LHSpass
rate ScienceLHS2.084%passrate;Non‐LHS2.079%passrate
• Specialeducationstudentscomparisonscores: WritingLHS2.077%passrate;Non‐LHS2.055%passrate ReadingLHS2.077%passrate;Non‐LHS2.058%passrate MathLHS2.058%passrate;Non‐LHS2.038%passrate SocialStudiesLHS2.054%passrate;40%Non‐LHSpass
rate ScienceLHS2.042%passrate;Non‐LHS2.033%passrate
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MovingForward
Basedonthesuccessofthisprogram,LakewoodCitySchoolsismovingforwardwitha1‐to‐1model.Teamsofteachersacrossthedistrictwereabletoapplyforclasssetsofnetbooks.Usingfundsfromthetextbookbudget,500netbookswerepurchasedanddistributedforin‐classuseonly.Theschoolisresearchingthepossibilityofsupplyingallincomingninthgraderswithnetbooksinthe2012‐2013schoolyear.Traininginproject‐basedlearninghascontinuedwith15LakewoodHighSchoolteachersattendingtrainingbytheBuckInstituteforEducation,specializinginproject‐basedlearning.Newteamsofteachers,alongwiththeoriginalparticipants,meetonaregularbasistosupportoneanotherwiththeintegrationof21stCenturyskillsandtechnology,andnewteammembersarementoredbytheoriginalLHS2.0projectteamteachers.
Resources
LakewoodCitySchoolshttp://lakewoodcityschools.org/LakewoodHighSchoolStudentBlogshttp://kevinmarekblog.blogspot.com/2011/05/gum‐litter‐problem.htmlhttp://nattaliep.blogspot.com/2011/05/blog‐post.htmlhttp://imagine‐yesterday.blogspot.com/OhioDepartmentofEducationhttp://www.education.ohio.govSETDAARRAInformationandResourceshttp://setda.org/web/guest/ARRAresources
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UpperDarbySchoolDistrict
StateEducationalTechnologyDirectorsAssociation|www.setda.org
UpperDarbySchoolDistrictMiddleSchoolEETTProject
June2010‐September2011IntheUpperDarbySchoolDistrictofPennsylvania,theEETTcompetitivegrantfocusedonincreasingteacherproficiencyintechnology,andeffectivelyintegratingtechnologyinthemiddleschoolclassroomthroughprofessionaldevelopmentandmentoringbyanInstructionalTechnologyCoach.
Demographics
LocatedjustwestofPhiladelphia,UpperDarbySchoolDistrictisoneofthemostdenselypopulatedandurbanizedtownshipsinPennsylvania.Overthepast23years,thedistricthasgrownfrom7,523to12,041students,makingitthe11thlargestschoolsysteminthestateoutofover500Pennsylvaniaschooldistricts.Atthesametimethatenrollmenthasincreased,theeducationalandsocioeconomicneedsofUpperDarbystudentshavegrownincomplexityandseverity.Almost50%ofdistrictstudentsmeetthelow‐incomestandardsetbytheFreeandReducedLunchProgram,and6ofthe14schoolsreceiveTitleIschoolwideservices.Studentsalsorepresentanincreasinglydiversepopulation:43%AfricanAmerican,39%Caucasian(non‐Hispanic),13%Asian/PacificIslander,4%Hispanic,and1%other.Acrossthedistrict,studentsspeak66languageswiththetop5beingSpanish,Bengali,Vietnamese,Punjabi,andChinese.UpperDarbySchoolDistrictmadeAnnualYearlyProgress(AYP),withoutqualification,in2009and2010,aftersixyearsinDistrictImprovementorCorrectiveActionstatus.
BackgroundTheAmericanRecoveryandReinvestmentActof2009(ARRA)includeda$650millionallocationinESEATitleII,PartD,commonlyreferredtoastheEnhancingEducationThroughTechnologyprogram(EETT).ThiscasestudywaspreparedbytheStateEducationalTechnologyDirectorsAssociation(SETDA)–theprincipalassociationrepresentingthetechnologyleadershipofstateandterritorialdepartmentsofeducation–toprovideanexampleofARRAfundsworkingatthedistrictandclassroomlevelthatcreateseffective,viable,androbustreformineducation,andimprovesthewayteachersteachandstudentslearn.
Pennsylvania’sEETTCompetitiveGrantsPennsylvania’sARRAEETTcompetitivegrantsfocusedonclassroomtechnologytoolsandteachertrainingtohelpprovideacademicsettingsstructuredtodevelop21stcenturyskills,suchascollaboration,problemsolving,creativity,andinnovation.Teachersparticipatedinextensivetrainingtodeveloprigorous,relevant,student‐centered,technology‐richlessons.
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ProjectDescription
UpperDarbySchooldistricttargetedtheEETTgrantforitstwolargemiddleschoolstoadvanceitsstrategicplanthatwouldincreaseteacherusageandtheintegrationoftechnology.ThedistricthadprevioussuccessinusinganEETTgranttoprovideelementaryteacherswithlaptops,andaClassroomsfortheFuture(CFF)state‐fundedgrantprovidedlaptopstoselectedhighschoolteachers.InthetwoUpperDarbymiddleschools,thegoalwastoincreaseteachercomputerliteracyingeneralandtheirabilitytointegratetechnologyintotheteaching‐learningprocessinparticular.Specifically,thegrantsupportedthreemajorprogramcomponents:1)alaptopforeachofthe215middleschoolteachers;2)professionaldevelopmentdeliveredbyafull‐timeInstructionalTechnologyCoachsharedbybothschools;and3)fourstudentlaptopcarts(2perschoolwith30computerseach)tobeusedintheeighthgradeSocialStudiesprogram.Whilethisgrantequippedallteacherswithlaptops,thedistricthadinvestedinanewSocialStudiesprogramthatincludedextensivetechnologyresources,andthegoalofincreasedtechnologyintegrationwasparticularlyextendedtothesevenSocialStudiesteachersforstudentlaptopuseintheeighthgrade.Aspartoftheinitiative,thedistrictinvesteditsownfundsinawirelessnetworkforbothschools.In2010‐2011,withtheimplementationofthegrantandadditionaldistrict‐fundedtechnologypurchases,thenumberofcomputersforinstructionaluseincreasedfrom619to881computerswithalloftheoldestcomputerseliminated.EighthgradeSocialStudiesstudentsweretheonlystudentswhohaddirectaccesstotheadditional120laptopcomputers(60perschool).
ARRAEETTGrantDetails
GrantFocus TechnologyCoachesandHigh‐Access,Technology‐RichLearningEnvironment
Beginning/EndDateofGrant
June2010‐September2011
Locale Urban
Funding $522,000
GradeLevel(s) MiddleSchool(6‐8)
NumberofTeachersImpacted
215
NumberofAdministratorsImpacted
7
NumberofStudentsImpacted
2,707studentsimpactedduetoteacheruseoftechnology,with832eighthgradestudentsimpactedbydirectaccesstoclassroomlaptops
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ProjectImplementation
InJuneof2010,thedistrictconductedinitialteachertraining,whichincludedanoverviewofthelaptopfunctionalityandinstructionofspecificapplications.Aftertheinitialtrainingandthenthroughoutthesummerof2010,middleschoolteachersparticipatedinone‐daytrainingsessionsof6.5hoursingroupsof20ledbytheInstructionalTechnologyCoach.Thistrainingfocusedonintegratingtechnologyintolessonplanninganddelivery,includinghowtoconductcontent‐rich,visuallessons.Duringthe2010‐11schoolyear,theInstructionalTechnologyCoachworkedintensivelywithsubjectareadepartmentsupervisorsandteacherstoprovidetechnologyintegrationtrainingspecifictocurriculumareas.Theprofessionaldevelopmentincluded1‐to‐1sessions,smallgroups,modeling,andlargerworkshops.Teacherslearnedhowtocreatesolutionstotechnologicalissues,developinstructionalmaterials,andutilizethetechnologytoolsforinstruction.WhileallmiddleschoolteachersbenefittedfromthetrainingandworkwiththeInstructionalTechnologyCoach,theSocialStudiesclassroomshadaccesstotheadditionallaptopcartstoincreasestudenthands‐ontimewiththetechnology.Inadditiontothetechnologytraining,the7SocialStudiesteacherseachreceived120hoursofcoachingfromtheInstructionalTechnologyCoach.Anadditional60teachersreceived5hoursofcoachingbytheInstructionalCoach.
ClassroomExamples
• EighthgradestudentsusedonlinedigitalcontenttoresearchthehistoryoftheAlexanderHamiltonvs.ThomasJeffersondebateanddevelopedgrouppositionstatements,whichstudentsthenpresentedviaawiki.Theclassalsoparticipatedinavideoconferencingsessionwithauniversitydebateteam.Todemonstratemastery,thestudentscreatedvideopodcasts(orvodcasts)oftheirdebatesmodeledonthehistoricdebateofHamiltonandJefferson.Theteacherpostedlessonsandstudentproductsonlineasresourcesforotherteachersandstudents.Priortothegrantprogramimplementation,theteachertypicallyassignedtextbookreading,andthestudentscreatedaposter.
• Technologycoachesfromacrossthestatemeetregularlyfortheirownprofessionaldevelopmentandgrowth.Thisenablesthecoachestoconnectteachersandstudentsfromdifferentregionsofthestatetocollaborateonprojects.Forexample,theeighthgradestudentsfromUpperDarbyconnectedwithathirdgradeclassinPunxsutawney,Pennsylvania,asmall,ruraltown.BothgroupsofstudentswerestudyingtheOregonTrail,sotheymadepodcastsandsharedthemwitheachother.Throughtheircollaboration,theylearnedandtaughteachotherabouttheOregonTrail.Aswell,studentssharedinformationabouttheirhometownsandschools.
EverytimeImentionedtomyclassthatwewereusingcomputerstherewasmoreexcitementintheclassroom.Computersallowedustovisitplaceswewouldnormallyonlyreadabout,fromYorktowntotheHermitagetoEllisIsland.
‐UpperDarbyMiddleSchoolTeacher
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EvaluatingEffectiveness
Thisinitiativehashadmultiplebenefitsforteachersandstudents.Studentsbenefittedfromanengaging21stcenturylearningenvironment.InformalobservationsanddatacollectionbytheInstructionalTechnologyCoachandadministratorsconcludedthattheintegrationoftechnologyhelpedtoincreasecomprehensionandstudentengagement.Inaddition,teachersbelievethattheirproductivityandefficiencyincreased,astheywereabletoutilizethelaptopcomputersforadministrativetasks,suchasattendanceandgrading.Teachersalsoreportedmoretimelyandeffectivecommunicationwithparentsandstudents.Inthepastfiveyears,thedistricthasmovedfromoverfivestudentspercomputertoalittleovertwostudentspercomputer,inpartthankstothisprogram.Aprimaryconditionleadingtothesuccessofthisprogramimplementationwasthetimeandabilityforteacherstoworkcloselywithoneanother,andtheInstructionalTechnologyCoachwithsupportfromtheadministration.Thisprojectalsoleveragedthetechnologytoolsandbroadbandaccessavailablepriortoprogramimplementation.AdditionalinformationisavailableonPennsylvania’sCFF/EETTEvaluationProjectwebsiteaccessiblebelowinthe“Resources”section.
MovingForward
Thedistrictplanstomaintaintheequipmentpurchasedforuptofiveyearsandwilllooktotheirdistrict’stechnologybudgettocoordinatereplacements.Technologyintegrationcontinuestobeencouraged;however,theInstructionalTechnologyCoachpositionhasnotbeenfundedbecauseofdistrictcutbacks.
SchoolData
• Basedonpre‐andpost‐tests,themiddleschoolteachers’technologyproficiencyincreased47%to60%inoneschoolyearontheSimpleAssessmentTeacherEditiontoolfromSimpleK12.
• Studenttechnologyproficiencyincreasedfrom4%to17%inoneschoolyearontheSimpleAssessmentPlustoolfromSimpleK12
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Resources
UpperDarbySchoolDistricthttp://upperdarbysd.orgPennsylvaniaDepartmentofEducationhttp://www.education.state.pa.usPennsylvaniaCFF/EETTEvaluationProjecthttp://eett.psu.eduSETDAARRAInformationandResourceshttp://setda.org/web/guest/ARRAresources
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LexingtonSchoolDistrictTwo
StateEducationalTechnologyDirectorsAssociation|www.setda.org
iLearn21
LexingtonSchoolDistrictTwo,SouthCarolina
August2010‐June2012TheiLearn21programaddressedtheneedtoincreaseteacherandstudenttechnologyproficiencylevelsandtointegratetechnologyintothecorecontentareasofmath,science,socialstudies,andlanguageartsineighttargetedschools.Byprovidingacomprehensiveprofessionaldevelopmentprogramandongoingschool‐basedsupport,teachersgainedknowledgeandexperienceinplanningdynamic,technology‐richlessons.
Demographics
LexingtonSchoolDistrictTwoisadiverseschooldistrictservingalmost9,000studentsin17schools.ThedistrictislocatedinWestColumbiaandisincloseproximitytothecapitolthusmaintainsasmalltownfeel.SevenoutofthenineelementaryschoolsqualifyforTitleIfunding,andoneofthethreemiddleschoolsisalsoaTitleIschool.
BackgroundTheAmericanRecoveryandReinvestmentActof2009(ARRA)includeda$650millionallocationinESEATitleII,PartD,commonlyreferredtoastheEnhancingEducationthroughTechnologyprogram(EETT).ThiscasestudywaspreparedbytheStateEducationalTechnologyDirectorsAssociation(SETDA)–theprincipalassociationrepresentingthetechnologyleadershipofstateandterritorialdepartmentsofeducation–toprovideanexampleofARRAfundsworkingatthedistrictandclassroomleveltocreateeffective,viable,androbustreformineducationandimprovingthewayteachersteachandstudentslearn.
SouthCarolina’sEETTCompetitiveGrantsSouthCarolina’sEETTARRAcompetitivegrantprogramfocusedonincreasingachievementandtechnologyliteracyandprovidingnewapplicationsoftechnologytoenableteacherstoimprovestudentperformance.Professionaldevelopmentprovidedteachersandadministratorswiththeabilitytointegratetechnologyandaligninstructionwithstateacademiccontentthroughhigh‐qualityprofessionaldevelopmentprograms.
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ProjectDescription
Thegrantprovidedfundstopurchase1‐to‐1handhelddevices,iPodTouches,foralleighthgradestudentsinthreemiddleschools.TheiPodToucheswereassignedtoindividualstudentsforusethroughouttheschoolday;however,theywerenotprovided24/7accesstothedevices.Eighthgradeteachersalsoreceivedalaptop.ClasssetsofiPodToucheswerealsoprovidedtoninthgrademathematicsclassesandparticipatingteachersinthreeelementaryschools.Over1,000iPodToucheswereintegrateddailyintoinstructiontotarget21stcenturyskillswhileaddressingcorecontent.Overthe2yearsoftheprogram,75participatingteachersreceivedprofessionaldevelopmenttohelpensureseamlesstechnologyintegration.Teachersreceivedface‐to‐facetrainingfromcontractedtrainersandthedistricttechnologycoach.Aswell,aschool‐basedcoachwasassignedtoeachparticipatingschooltoprovideongoingsupportthroughouttheschoolyear.Eachteacherreceivedaminimumof20hoursofcoachingandsupportduringtheschoolyear.
ProjectImplementation
Inthewinterof2010and2011,alleighthgradeteachersreceivedonefulldayofprofessionaldevelopmentontheirnewlaptops.Trainingincludedbasicfunctionsandapplicationsofthelaptop.Theeighthgradeteachersandadditionalparticipatingteachersalsoattendedaone‐daytrainingsessionwiththehandhelddevices.Teachersweregroupedbycontentareaandweretrainednotonlyonhowtousethedevicebutalsohowtoidentifyandintegrateappropriateappsfortheircontentareaandgradelevels.Lessonsweredemonstrated,andteachersfinishedthedaybydesigningalessontobeusedintheirclassroom.Ongoingprofessionaldevelopmentwasconducted
ARRAEETTGrantDetails
GrantFocus TechnologyCoachesandHigh‐Access,Technology‐RichLearningEnvironments
Beginning/EndDateofGrant
August1,2010‐June1,2012
Locale Suburban
Funding $240,000
GradeLevel(s) K‐9
NumberofTeachersImpacted
75
NumberofAdministratorsImpacted
12
NumberofStudentsImpacted
1,350
Inthetwoandahalfyearsthatwe’veusedtheiPodTouchtechnologyasaprimaryclassroomtoolwehavetransformednotonlythewayteachersthinkaboutteachingbutthewaystudentsthinkaboutlearning.
‐Mr.Kinnett,LexingtonTwo
Teacher
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quarterlybythedistricttechnologycoach,whichincludedinstructionofWeb2.0toolsandotherclassroomapplications,includingGoogleDocs,Glogs,WordClouds,StoryKit,Edmodo,andMoodle.TeachersusedGoogleDocsandGoogleMailwithstudents.Thisprovidedstudents24/7accesstotheirworkandopenedanewlineofcommunicationforstudentsandteachers.StudentsalsousedGoogleDocstocollaborateonprojectsandpostdocumentstosharewiththeirteacher.Thestudentsemailedtheseassignmentsfromtheirhandhelddevices.Inonemiddleschool,studentsusedtheiriPodTouchestoaccessGoogleDocs,andintheotherschools,studentsusedcomputersinalabsetting.Teachersalsoreceivedsupportfromaschool‐basedtechnologyinstructionalspecialist,typicallytheschool’smediaspecialist,whoservedtheroleofcoach.Theseschool‐basedcoachesmetwithparticipatingteachersweeklytoprovidesupportandprofessionaldevelopment.Togethertheyexaminedbestpractices,apps,andlessonplanning.Theschool‐basedtechnologycoachesalsoreceivedcoachingandprofessionaldevelopmentonamonthlybasisusingtheMicrosoftCoachingmodel.CoachesandteachersusedGoogleDocstocollaborate,andparticipatingteacherswererequiredtoshareatleastonelessonperquarter.FinallessonswerepostedonthestatewidemediashareofDiscoveryEducationUnitedStreaming.
ClassroomExamples
• Inaneighthgradescienceclass,studentsworkedingroupstocreatesurvivalvideosaftercrashlandingonaplanetinoursolarsystem.Usingtheinternet,studentsresearchedtheconditionsofthedifferentplanetsinthesolarsystem.Aftertheresearch,studentswrotescriptsaboutlifeontheselectedplanetandplannedtheirvideoproduction.TheperformanceswererecordedonagreenscreenusingtheiriPodTouches.StudentsusediMovietoeditthevideos,includingaddingbackgroundsoftheplanet.ThecompletedvideoswerepostedonDiscoveryEducationUnitedStreamingmediashareandlinkedtotheteachers'webpage.Priortothegrant,studentscompletedworksheetsabouttheplanets’composition.
• SecondgradestudentsattheEarlyChildhoodCenterusediPodTouchestoimprovereadingfluency.Duringatypicalweek,studentsusedtheiPodsonMondaytorecordtheirbookoftheweek.Whenthestudentsfinishedrecording,theteacherusedtherecordingtoconferencewiththestudentandidentifyareasofimprovementandstrengthinfluency.Together,theteacherandstudentsetgoalsfortheweek’sreading.Throughouttheweek,thestudentsthenpracticedthereadingusingtheiTalkappontheiPodandratedtheirperformance.Attheendoftheweek,theteacherconferencedwiththestudentagaintoreviewthereadingandgoals.Thetechnologyofferedanaccessibletoolforthestudenttouseandpracticereading,anditcontributedtoaricherdialoguebetweenthestudentandteacher.
EvaluatingEffectiveness
SouthCarolinausestheePortfoliotechnologyproficiencysystemtotracktechnologyliteracyresults.Duetothisprogram,thedistrictsawanincreaseintechnologyproficiencyinstudentsandteachers.Inaddition,thedistrictalsosawimprovementinstate
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standardizedtestscoreinsituationswheretechnologyintegrationhastakenplace.
MovingForward
Duetothesuccessofthisprogram,LexingtonSchoolDistrictTwowishestocontinuethisrolloutofa1‐to‐1foreverystudentinthedistrict.Othergrantsourcesarebeingsought,andinsomeschools,TitleIfundshavebeenusedtoexpandtheprogram.LexingtonSchoolDistrictTwowasnamedanAppleDistinguishedProgramrecipientforthe2010‐2011and2011‐2012schoolyearsandisdeterminedtocontinuethislevelofwork.
Resources
LexingtonTwoSchoolDistrictwww.lex2.orgSouthCarolinaDepartmentofEducationwww.ed.sc.govSETDAARRAInformationandResourceshttp://setda.org/web/guest/ARRAresources
DistrictData
• Studenttechnologyliteracyscoresimproved15%fromthepre‐topost‐testinthe2010‐2011schoolyear.
• Inone7thand8thgrademathclass,27studentsmovedfrombelow‐averagetoproficient.
• Disciplinereferralsatoneoftheparticipatingmiddleschoolsdecreasedby40%.
Page105
EastDakotaEducationalCooperative
StateEducationalTechnologyDirectorsAssociation|www.setda.org
MasterTeacherAcademy
EastDakotaEducationalCooperative,SouthDakota
February2010‐July2011TheMasterTeacherAcademyeducatedleadteachersandadministratorstoimplementandshare21stcenturyskills.Teachersandadministratorsengagedinfocusedtrainingbothface‐to‐faceandonline,andtheyreceivedsupportintheclassroom.
Demographics
SouthDakotaisdividedinto7educationalserviceagenciesservingapproximately120,000studentsin703schools.TheEducationServiceAgenciesinSouthDakotabeganasawaytobetterdeliverservicestoschools.EastDakotaEducationalCooperativeservicestheschooldistrictsofBrandon,Lennox,andWestCentralineasternSouthDakotaandispartoftheEducationalServiceAgency,Region2(ESA2).ThisgrantwasdevelopedinRegion2butteachersstatewidewereinvitedtoparticipateintheprofessionaldevelopmentprogram.
BackgroundTheAmericanRecoveryandReinvestmentActof2009(ARRA)includeda$650millionallocationinESEATitleII,PartD,commonlyreferredtoastheEnhancingEducationthroughTechnologyprogram(EETT).ThiscasestudywaspreparedbytheStateEducationalTechnologyDirectorsAssociation(SETDA)–theprincipalassociationrepresentingthetechnologyleadershipofstateandterritorialdepartmentsofeducation–toprovideanexampleofARRAfundsworkingatthedistrictandclassroomleveltocreateeffective,viable,androbustreformineducationandimprovingthewayteachersteachandstudentslearn.
SouthDakota’sEETTCompetitiveGrantsSouthDakota’sARRAEETTcompetitivegrantawardsencouragedtheeffectiveintegrationoftechnologythroughhighqualityprofessionaldevelopmentmodels.Focuswasplacedon21stcenturyskillsinstructionandimprovedstudentacademicachievement.Thefourmaingoalsoftheprojectweretoincreasestudentachievementthroughtheuseoftechnology;buildcapacityfor21stcenturyskillsinstaffandstudents;increasetheleveloftechnologyintegrationamongstaffandstudents;andadvancedevelopmentofsystemwideintegrationprograms
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ProjectDescription
InSouthDakota,teachersandallhighschoolstudentshadaccesstolaptopsandtheinfrastructureforwirelessaccess.However,theteacherswereuntrainedinfullyutilizingthedevicesandweb‐basedtools,andhesitanttoexploretheeducationalusesfortheemergingtechnologies.Therefore,anincreasedneedexistedtoprovideprofessionaldevelopmentopportunitiestoimproveteachingandtheeffectiveintegrationoftechnologyintheK‐12classroom.Centralizedprofessionaldevelopmentopportunitieswerenotreadilyaccessibleduetogeography,travelconstraints,andprogramavailabilitywithinthevaststate.Teachersneededmoreopportunitiestocollaborate,andschooldistrictsneededtocreatelearnersequippedwithskillsnecessarytoexcelina21stcenturyworld.Thepurposeofthisprojectwastoeducateleadteachersandadministratorstorecognizeandimplement21stcenturyskillsthroughclassroomlessons.MasterTeacherAcademyoriginatedin2008throughacombinationofstateandfederalfunding.From2008‐2010,30teachersparticipatedinavarietyofprofessionaldevelopmentopportunitiesandcreatedabankoflessonplansfocusingon21stcenturyskills.AttheonsetoftheARRAEETTfundinginJune2010,asecondcohortof60teacherswasrecruited.Theprogramwasrefinedusingfeedbackfromtheoriginalcohortandincludedface‐to‐facemeetings,coaching,andsmallgroupwork.AthirdcohortwasestablishedinApril2011andprovidedacondensedprofessionaldevelopmentprogramconcludinginJuneof2011.
ProjectImplementation
Inthespringof2010,EducationServiceAgency,Region2acceptedapplicationsfortheinitialteachertraining.Sixtyteachersfromacrossthestatewerechosenfortheinitialfive‐daytraininginJune2010.GatheringattheUniversityofSiouxFalls,teachersmetformermembersoftheMasterTeacherAcademy,whosharedtheirexperiences.Theyalsoreceived
ARRAEETTGrantDetails
GrantFocus ProfessionalLearningCommunitiesandProject‐BasedCollaborativeLearning
Beginning/EndDateofGrant
February1,2010‐July30,2011
Locale Rural
Funding $460,878
GradeLevel(s) K‐12
NumberofTeachersImpacted
134
NumberofAdministratorsImpacted
20
NumberofStudentsImpacted
1,810
TheMasterTeacherAcademyhelpedmegrowasateacher,mentor,andtechnologyuser.IhavemoreconfidencetodothingsIwouldhavenevertried.‐MasterTeacherAcademyParticipant
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demonstrationsindifferenttechnologies,includingMoodleandWikispaces.Instructionalsessionsincludedtopicssuchasglobalawarenessandproject‐basedlearning.Teachersalsoparticipatedinamodel,project‐basedlessonandrole‐playedasstudentstoexperiencethisstyleoflearningfirsthand.Duringthe2010‐2011schoolyear,teacherparticipantsengagedin15hoursofonlinetrainingsessionsingroupsof8ledbytheInstructionalCoach.Thistrainingfocusedonhigherorderthinkingskills,assessment,andintegratingtechnologyintolessons.Twocoachesworkedwiththiscohortandvisitedeachclassroomatleasttwicetoprovidesupport.Teachersworkedthroughouttheyeartodeepentheirunderstandingof21stcenturyskillsandeffectivelyuseappropriatetechnologies.Teachersalsocoachedandofferedtrainingintheirschoolstoshareexpertiseandmentorcolleagues.Inthespringof2011,anadditional70teacherswereselectedtoattendaProject‐BasedLearningAcademy,taughtbytheBuckInstituteforEducation(BIE).Theteacherswrotelessons,implementedthem,andgatheredinJunetosharetheirsuccessesandchallenges.
ClassroomExamples
• Inonefifthgradeclass,intypicalpractice,studentsbegantheyearbyrecyclingpaperintheclassroom.Theclassroomteacherdesignedaproject‐basedlessoninspiringstudentstoresearch,investigate,andtakeactiononexpandingtheirrecyclingefforts.Withtheteacher’sguidance,studentsresearchedonlinethecostofrecyclingmaterialsandcollectioncontainersandbegantorecycleproductsinthelunchroomandatschoolevents.Thestudentsinterviewedrecyclingexpertsandcreatedavideooftheirtriptothelandfillabouttheimportanceofpreservingtheenvironmentbyrecycling.VideosweresharedwithstudentsandthePTAintheirschool.Theirprojectculminatedwithanorganizedprocessofrecyclingpaperthroughouttheschool.ThevideoandPTApresentationwasthefinaleventastheschoolyearconcluded.
• Amongotherexpectations,fifthgrademathstudentssolveone‐andtwo‐stepproblemsusingaddition,subtraction,multiplication,anddivisionofwholenumbers,useappropriateunitswithwhichtomeasurelength,weight,andcapacity,andsolveproblemsinvolvingperimeter,area,capacity,andvolume.Atypicalassignmentinvolvedmathworkfromthetextbook.WiththesupportoftheMasterTeacherAcademy,aproject‐basedlessoninvolvingtheredesignoftheplaygroundofferedrealworld,inspirationaluseofmathconcepts. Studentsstudiedandmeasuredtheircurrentplayground,thenbrainstormedideasforanewplayground.Onpaper,theydrewtheirconcepttoscale.Usingtheinternet,studentsresearchedthecostofmakingplaygroundequipmentandmaterials.ThestudentsalsointerviewedcommunitymemberstodeterminecostandensuretheymetallmunicipalandAmericanswithDisabilitieslaws.Thestudentscreatedwrittenandoralpresentationsformembersoftheschoolboard.SomestudentsusedMicrosoftPowerPoint;othersusedvideofortheirpresentations.TheyalsousedMicrosoftExceltobuildtheirbudgets.Theschoolboardagreedtofundsomeoftherequestsiftheyprioritizedneedsandpresentedrecommendationstotheboard.Technologywasusedseamlesslythroughoutthisprojectasstudentsgatheredinformationand
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resourcestodesignaplaygroundandmaketheirpresentation.Theteacherwastheretoguidetheprocessbutthestudentswereleadersintheirlearning.Inthisclass,studentsgaveuptheirrecesstimetocompletetheproject.
EvaluatingEffectiveness
Thisinitiativeresultedinmultiplebenefitsforbothteachersandstudents.Studentsbenefittedfromanengaging21stcenturylearningenvironment.Datacollectionconcludedthattheintegrationoftechnologyhelpedtoincreasehigherorderthinkingskillsandstudentengagement.Basedupononlinecollaborativecommunityresponses,comments,andclassroomvisits,MasterTeacherAcademyparticipantsindicatedanincreasedawarenessofhigherorderthinkingskills(criticalthinking,reflection,authenticlearning)from7%atthebeginningoftheprojectto92%attheendoftheproject.Inaddition,basedupononlinecollaborativecommunityresponses,comments,andclassroomvisits,MasterTeacherAcademyparticipantsindicatedanincreasedawarenessinincorporating21stcenturyskills(collaboration,communication,creativity)inteachinginacurrentcontextfrom9%atthebeginningoftheprojectto100%attheendoftheproject.Baseduponapre‐andpost‐surveydevelopedbytheSouthDakotaStateDepartmentofEducation,40ofthe54teacherssurveyedincreasedtheirunderstandingofthe21stcenturyskillsandtools,13participants’understandingremainedthesame,andoneteacherreportedthathis/herunderstandingof21stcenturyskillsandtoolsdeclined.Oftheschoolsparticipatingintheyear‐longMasterTeacherAcademy,cohort2,10schoolswereidentifiedforschoolimprovementin2010.ThreeoftheseschoolsmadeAdequateYearlyProgress(AYP)andarenolongeridentifiedforimprovement,adecreaseof12%.Asaresultofthisprogram,136teachersbecameteacherleaderswithintheirschoolsinregardto21stcenturyteachingandproject‐basedlearning.
ProgramData
• MasterTeacherAcademyparticipantsindicatedanincreasedawarenessofhigherorderthinkingskills(criticalthinking,reflection,authenticlearning)from7%atthebeginningoftheprojectto92%attheendoftheproject.
• MasterTeacherAcademyparticipantsindicatedanincreasedawarenessinincorporating21stcenturyskills(collaboration,communication,creativity)inteachinginacurrentcontextfrom9%atthebeginningoftheprojectto100%attheendoftheproject.
Project‐basedlearningprovidesstudentswitha“senseofaccomplishment”ratherthanlet’sjustgettheassignmentfinished.Studentsreallydigintotheirthinkingprocessandbecomemoremetacognitivelyaware.
‐MasterTeacherAcademyParticipant
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Page109StateEducationalTechnologyDirectorsAssociation|www.setda.org
AdditionaldataisavailableinthefullEETTProjectNarrativeaccessiblebelowinthe“Resources”section.
MovingForward
Theadministratorsmadethecommitmenttoensurethatteachershavethelocalsupporttocontinuetoimprovethecurriculumthroughproject‐basedlearningandprofessionaldevelopmentopportunities.Theteachersineachofthedistrictsexpressedthedesiretochangetheirteachingstylesafterseeingtheengagementofstudents.ThesuccessoftheMasterTeacherAcademyisattributedtothecollaborativeandsupportivelearningenvironment.Thedesignoftheprogramprovidedsupportforparticipantsthroughouttheyear.Teacherswerecontinuallyencouragedintheirefforts,includingsharingandlearningfromeachother.
Resources
SouthDakotaMasterTeacherAcademyhttp://sdmasterteachers.wikispaces.com/EETTProjectNarrative:Outline.SouthDakotaStimulatingInnovationARRA.Program
FundsMadeAvailableUnderAmericanRecoveryandReinvestmentActof2009
http://tinyurl.com/7d3tzmgEastDakotaEducationalCooperativehttp://edec.org/SouthDakotaDepartmentofEducationhttp://doe.sd.gov/SETDAARRAInformationandResourceshttp://setda.org/web/guest/ARRAresources
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TiptonCounty
StateEducationalTechnologyDirectorsAssociation|www.setda.org
E4000TNStatewideStimulusStrategye‐LearningProgram(e4TN)
TiptonCounty,Tennessee
January2010‐July2011Thepurposeofthee4000TNStatewideStimulusStrategye‐LearningProgram(e4000TN)
wastoexpandtheonlinelearningopportunitiesacrossthestateofTennesseebyproviding
fundingandaccesstoe4TNcoursesandestablishingaregionalconsortiummodelingtheexistinge4TNprogram.E4000TNprovidedfundingande4TNcourse“seats”to60
TennesseeLEAssothatmoredistrictswouldhaveexposuretothee4TNonlinecontent.Additionally,byestablishingaregionalmodel,thegoalofthegrantwastopromotethe
sharingofteachersandcoursesacrossdistrictlines.Throughparticipationinthegrant,
studentsgainedaccesstorigorousonlinecontent,aswellastocertified,highlyqualifiedteachers,andwereofferedopportunitiestotakeonlinecoursestoachievecreditsthatmay
nototherwisehavebeenavailable.
Demographics
TiptonCountywasthehuboftheregionalareaservedbythisprogramaswellasthefiscal
agent.TiptonCounty,locatedinWestTennessee,ishometothe13thlargestschoolsysteminTennessee.Theschoolsystemserves11,947studentsandisthelargestemployerinthe
county.Inthisarea,thereisdecreasedteacheravailabilityforspecificcoursesinthemore
ruralregions,particularlyinsubjectssuchasforeignlanguagesandphysics.
BackgroundTheAmericanRecoveryandReinvestmentActof2009(ARRA)includeda$650
millionallocationinESEATitleII,PartD,commonlyreferredtoastheEnhancingEducationThroughTechnologyprogram(EETT).Thiscasestudywaspreparedbythe
StateEducationalTechnologyDirectorsAssociation(SETDA)–theprincipalassociationrepresentingthetechnologyleadershipofstateandterritorial
departmentsofeducation–toprovideanexampleofARRAfundsworkingatthe
districtandclassroomlevelthatcreateseffective,viable,androbustreformineducation,andimprovesthewayteachersteachandstudentslearn.
Tennessee’sEETTCompetitiveGrantsTennessee’sfocusedtheirgrantonexpandingopportunitiesforstudentstoenrollandsucceedinonlinecoursesthroughtheEffectiveEngagingE‐learning
EnvironmentforTennessee(e4TN’s)onlinelearningprogram.Individualdistricts
wereencouragedtopersonalizetheprogramandusetheprogramastheyseebesttomeettheirstudents’needs.
ARRACaseStudies2012|TiptonCounty,Tennessee
Page111StateEducationalTechnologyDirectorsAssociation|www.setda.org
ProjectDescription
Whileonlinecourseswere
availableinTennesseethroughthee4TNprogram,the
enrollmentandacceptabilityof
onlinelearninginTiptonCountyandwesternTennessee
wasprimarilylow.Initially,96participatingteachersreceived
professionaldevelopmentand
trainingtofacilitatecourses,whichincreasedthenumberof
onlineteachersandthevarietyofonlinecoursestheregion
wasabletooffer.Thee4TN
catalogincludedapproximately30courses(primarilyhigh
schoollevel)suchasEnglish,
ComputerLiteracy,Wellness,Algebra,Geometry,Biology,
Physics,French,Spanish,Latin,History,GlobalStudies,Economics,Government,PersonalFinance,CareerManagement,
andArtAppreciation.Subject‐matterexperts(SMEs)andTennesseecertifiedteachersin
theparticularsubjectareadevelopedthecourses.Asnewcoursesweredeveloped,theyweresubjecttoarigorousbetatestperiod.Oncethe18‐monthtestperiodwascomplete,
coursesbecamepartoftheregulare4TNcatalog.Creditrecoveryandvendorcourseswerealsomadeavailablethroughtheprogram.
Theprogramnotonlystrivedtoprovideaccesstocoursesthatwerepreviouslynotavailable,suchasArtAppreciationandLatin,butalsoprovidedaccesstoupdateddevices,a
reliablenetworkandtheopportunitytoincreasetechnologyskillsusingtheonlinecourses.
Sixtydistricts,includingTiptonCountySchools,wereeachawarded$20,000touseforequipmentorteachersinordertofacilitateonlinelearning,and52%ofARRAcompetitive
fundswereusedtopurchaseequipment.Twenty‐ninedistrictsusedARRAformulafundstopurchasenetworkinghardwareresourcesandservices.Forexample,inSumnerCounty
Schools,atrafficanalysisoftheexistingT1linesshowedthatmanyoftheirschoolsmaxed
outtheiravailablebroadbandthroughouttheday.Teachershadtroubleconnectingtoresourcesintheclassrooms.Usingthesefunds,SumnerCountyinstalledfiberconnections
inalloftheirschoolsandincreasedtheirbandwidthto100mbpsintheirhighschools.
Regional,districtwide,andschoolwideprofessionaldevelopmentontopicsincludingweb
toolsandproject‐basedlearningnotonlyaddressedtheuseoftechnologyforonlinelearningbuthelpedenhanceoveralltechnologyintegrationintotheclassroom.The
professionaldevelopmentalsohelpedtogrowlocalandregionaltechnologyexperts.
ARRAEETTGrantDetails
GrantFocus OnlineandBlendedLearning
andDigitaland/orOpenContent
Beginning/EndDate
ofGrant
January2,2010–July31,
2011
Locale Rural
Funding $475,000
GradeLevel(s) 6‐12
NumberofTeachersImpacted
96
Numberof
AdministratorsImpacted
86
NumberofStudents
Impacted
2687
ARRACaseStudies2012|TiptonCounty,Tennessee
Page112StateEducationalTechnologyDirectorsAssociation|www.setda.org
ProjectImplementation
Theregionalmodelallowedfortrainingand
professionaldevelopmenttobedirectedthroughthreeregionaloffices,oneofwhichwaslocated
inTiptonCounty.Theinitialstepin
implementingtheprogramwastoincreaseparticipationofteachersandstudents.Recruited
teachersreceivedone‐daytrainingandparticipatedinmonthlymeetings.Theinitial
trainingincludedinstructioninusingthelearningmanagementsystem,expectationsofan
onlineinstructor,anduseofthetechnologytools.TheInstructionalSupportRepresentativetrainedteachersandprovidedsupportthroughouttheyearviaemailandphoneasneeded.
Throughtheregionaloffice,theRegionalServicesRepresentativeworkedwithschooldistrictstoenroll,train,andsupportstudentsacrosstheregiontoparticipateinthe
courses.Withthenewprogram,therewere2,687enrollmentsfromthespring2010
throughsummer2011,upfromtheaverageof500enrollmentseachyearfrom2006‐2009.
Thee4TNcoursesmetstudentneedsinmultipleways.Theprogramprovidednecessary
remediationforstudentsincludingcourserecovery.Thisallowedsomestudentstograduatewiththeirclasswhentheywerelackingcoursesduetotransferfromanother
stateordistrict.InShelbyCounty,morethan150studentsenrolledinthee4TNcoursesaspartofthesummerschoolprogram,inmanycaseseliminatingthetransportationbarrier,
whichotherwisepreventedthesestudentsfromtakingsummerschoolcourses.
Additionally,studentswhowereotherwiseunabletoenrollinupperlevelcoursesbecause
ofschedulingissuesorlackofqualifiedteacherswereabletocompletecoursesbyenrollingine4TN.Inaddition,e4TNservedgiftedstudentsinthemiddleschoolbyallowing
themtotakehighschoolcoursesonlinewithoutneedingtravelingtothehighschooleach
day.
Manyofthee4TNcoursesofferedaccesstoinnovativeinteractivitytogivestudentsvirtual
optionsthatsimulatedalabsetting.OrganTrail,forexample,wasdevelopedtobeanin‐depthsimulatorfore4TN’sbiologycourse.Studentsperformedvirtualdissectionson
specimens.Thevirtualenvironmentwasdevelopedwiththeideatoteachorganrecognition,showhoworgansrelatetoeachother,identifygeneralpurposesoforgans,and
showhoworgansfunctioninthecompletebiologicalsystem.Studentswereguided
throughthelessonsbyinstructordialoguedescribingwhatthestudentseesandtheproperstepsfordissectionandidentification.Virtualforcepsandscalpelscutandremovedorgans,
simulatingthewayanactualdissectionwouldbedoneinareallaboratory.Thistypeof
learningallowedstudentsthefreedomtoexploreeachspecimen,zoominginandoutonindividualpartsandinteractingwithspecimenstocompareandidentifyorganparts.
Itissoimportantforothersto
understandthatthetraditional
schoolsettingdoesnotbenefitall
students,especiallysincesmall
schoolsarenolongerthenorm.
‐Parentofe4TNstudent
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Page113StateEducationalTechnologyDirectorsAssociation|www.setda.org
ClassroomExamples
• InMilanCounty,eighthgraderstook
AlgebraIonline.ThecoursewasfacilitatedbyanexperiencedAlgebraI
teacherfromTiptonCountySchools.
TheMilanteacherwascertifiedAlgebraIteacherbuthadnottaughtAlgebrain
severalyears.Byworkingalongwiththestudentsandcollaboratingwiththe
onlineteacher,theMilanteacherwas
betterpreparedtosupportthestudentsandpreparedtoteachAlgebraIduringthenextschoolyear.
• Usingtheonlineforeignlanguagecoursesthroughe4TN,theTiptonCountyAlternativeLearningCenterwasabletoprovideSpanishandFrenchtostudentsto
stayontargetforgraduation.Theschooldoesnothaveaforeignlanguageteacher
onstaff.Usinge4TNcoursesinalearninglab,studentswereabletocompletecoursesinFrenchorSpanishtocompletetheforeignlanguagerequirementfor
graduation.Thisprovidedaneconomicalandequitablesolutionforthedistrict.
EvaluatingEffectiveness
Theexternalevaluationofthee4TN,aspartoftheEETTprogram,isstillinprogressand
willbesubmittedtotheUSDepartmentofEducationinDecember2012.Theevaluationofe4TNisbeingcompiledbyTNCRED‐Vanderbilt.
MovingForward
Asaregionalofficefortheprogram,TiptonCountyreliedonthestatetoprovidethecurriculum,learningmanagement,andstudentmanagementprograms.Thestateof
Tennesseeownsthecurriculumandhasofferedittoanyschooldistrictinthestate.The
learningmanagementandstudentmanagementsystemssupportisnolongeravailableduetolackoffunds.TiptonCountywillassessthecostofrunningaprogramforTiptonand
othersinWestTennessee.
NewstatelegislationallowsLEAstoopentheirownvirtualschoolsinTennessee.Someof
theseLEAsarecollaboratingwitheachothertoofferonlinesolutions,notonlytostudentsintheirowndistrictbuttostudentsinotherdistricts.
E4TNhashelpedmecontinually
challengemyself.Ihavebeenableto
graduateearlybecauseofit,andIwill
alwaysbegratefulforthe
opportunitiesithasopenedforme.
‐Jordan,DicksonCountyStudent
ARRACaseStudies2012|TiptonCounty,Tennessee
Page114StateEducationalTechnologyDirectorsAssociation|www.setda.org
Resources
TiptonCountySchools
http://www.tipton‐county.com
TennesseeDepartmentofEducation
http://tn.gov/education/
SETDAARRAInformationandResourceshttp://setda.org/web/guest/ARRAresources
Page115
ManorIndependent
SchoolDistrict
StateEducationalTechnologyDirectorsAssociation|www.setda.org
ThinkForward,Project‐BasedLearningInstitute
ManorIndependentSchoolDistrict,Texas
October2009‐October2011ThinkForward,Project‐BasedLearning(PBL)Instituteisadynamicprofessionaldevelopmentprogramdesignedtotraineducatorsintechnologyuse,bestpracticesinPBL,leadership,and21stcenturyskillapplications.TheprofessionaldevelopmentofferedtoK‐8teachersintheManorIndependentSchoolDistrict(MISD)andtohighschoolteachersinHarlingenConsolidatedIndependentSchoolDistrict(HCISD)teachersincludedface‐to‐facetrainingandfollow‐up,job‐embeddedcoaching.
Demographics
MISDislocatedjustoutsidethecitylimitsofAustin,Texas.TheCityofManorwasestablishedinthemidtolate1800s.Bytheearly1900s,itwasahubforthecentralTexascottonandrailroadindustries.Today,ManorplaysakeyroleintheTexastechnologyindustryandishometocorporateofficesofAppliedMaterialsandSamsung.TheCityofManorisgrowingrapidly.Asaresult,MISDisexperiencingaphenomenalgrowthinstudentenrollmentwith80%growthfrom2004to2008.Theenrollmentfor2011‐2012iscurrentlyat7,600studentsintwelveschoolswith82%qualifyingforthefreeorreducedlunchprogram.
BackgroundTheAmericanRecoveryandReinvestmentActof2009(ARRA)includeda$650millionallocationinESEATitleII,PartD,commonlyreferredtoastheEnhancingEducationThroughTechnologyprogram(EETT).ThiscasestudywaspreparedbytheStateEducationalTechnologyDirectorsAssociation(SETDA)–theprincipalassociationrepresentingthetechnologyleadershipofstateandterritorialdepartmentsofeducation–toprovideanexampleofARRAfundsworkingatthedistrictandclassroomlevelthatcreateseffective,viable,androbustreformineducation,andimprovesthewayteachersteachandstudentslearn.
Texas’sEETTCompetitiveGrantsTheTexasEducationAgencydistributedARRAEETTfundsthroughtheTargetTechinTexas(T3)CollaborativeGrant‐AmericanRecoveryandReinvestmentActof2009.“TargetTech”isthehighestleveloftechnologyintegrationprogressaccordingtotheTexasCampusandTeacherSchoolTechnologyandReadiness(STaR)Chart.ThepurposeoftheT3grantwastoencouragetheuseofeducationaltechnologytoolstoimproveteachingandlearning.
ARRACaseStudies2012|ManorIndependentSchoolDistrict,Texas
Page116StateEducationalTechnologyDirectorsAssociation|www.setda.org
ProjectDescription
In2007,MISDreceivedafour‐yearTexasSTEMgranttointegratetechnologyandPBLattheManorNewTechnologyHigh(MNTH).Theenormoussuccessoftheprogramresultedinabove‐averagestandardizedtestscores,highattendancerates,anda100%completionratein2010,comparedtoManor’straditionalhighschool’s82.4%completionrate.However,whileMNTHwasexcelling,othercampusesinMISDwerecontinuingtostrugglewith2ofits11othercampusesreceivingthestate'slowestrating.WiththeuseofT3/ARRAfunds,MISDsoughttoexpandtheuseofproject‐basedlearningthroughtheestablishmentoftheThinkForward:PBLInstitute.Teachersappliedtoparticipateintheprogramanduponcompletionofthefour‐dayinstitutereceivedatechnologypackageforclassroomuse.ThefirstMISDcohortincludedtwoteachersfromeachelementaryandmiddleschoolcampus.Subsequentcohortstrainedadditionalteachersfromthesecampuses,aswellascounselors,campusprincipals,centralofficecurriculumstaff,andalldepartmentheads.Eachclassroompackageincludedateacherlaptop,fourclassroomlaptops,andfiveiPodTouches.Additionally,classroomsnotalreadyequippedwithinteractivewhiteboardsorprojectorswereprovidedaprojectorandwhiteboard.Thefour‐dayThinkForward:PBLInstituteprovidedinstructioninbasictechnologyuse,PBL,andtechnologyintegrationfromMNTHteachermentors.AftertheInstitute,attendeesreceivedongoing,job‐embeddedsupportfromtheirdesignatedmentor.TheselectedMNTHteachermentorswereidentifiedaseffectiveintheimplementationofPBLbasedonatrackrecordofstudentsuccess.PriortotheinitialInstitute,thementorswereprovidedprofessionaldevelopmentrelatedtoeffectiveadultlearningtechniques,includingsuccessfulmentoringpractices.While29teachersweretrainedaspartofthisgrant,additionalteachersattendedtheInstituteusinglocalfunds.Bytheendofthegrantperiod,allfourthandfifthgradeteachers,specialeducationinclusionteachers,middleschoolmathteachers,districtcurriculumstaff,schooladministrators,andcentralofficeadministratorsreceivedthetraining.ThefocusoftheadministratorstrandtrainingwastoeliminateanybarrierstowardsuccessfulPBLimplementation.Thecurriculumstaffreceivedtrainingtoensurethatcurriculum,assessments,andprofessionaldevelopmentsessionsprovidedby
ARRAEETTGrantDetails
GrantFocus DeeperLearning/Project‐basedCollaborativeLearningandHigh‐Access,Technology‐RichLearningEnvironment
Beginning/EndDateofGrant
October1,2009‐October30,2011
Locale Rural
Funding $964,299FederalFunds$700,000LocalFunds
GradeLevel(s) K‐12
NumberofTeachersImpacted
44
NumberofAdministratorsImpacted
12
NumberofStudentsImpacted
1075
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Page117StateEducationalTechnologyDirectorsAssociation|www.setda.org
thedistrictssupportedPBL.MISDalsopartneredwithHCISDtoprovidetrainingforteachersandtoestablishaninter‐regionalpartnership.FifteenHarlingenteachersattendedtheoriginalinstitute.Approximatelyonemonthlater,MNTHmentorsvisitedtheHCISDteachersfortwodaystoofferclassroomsupport.Mentorsalsoofferedsupportthroughouttheschoolyearviaemailandvideoconferencing.Approximately200educatorshaveparticipatedintheInstitute.
ProjectImplementation
Participantsreceivedaninitialfour‐dayintensivetrainingduringwhichtheyeachdevelopedaprojectfortheirclassroomsandsharedwiththegroup.ThetrainingbeganwithareviewofbasictechnologyuseandanintroductiontoPBL.ParticipantsalsoobservedclassesatthesuccessfulMNTHandidentifiedkeyelementsofPBLinpractice.Onthesecondday,participantsexploredhowtocreateaPBLproject,includingmanagingcollaborativestudentworkandusingrubricstodeterminestudentprogresstowardstatestandards.Onthethirdday,participantslearnedhowtoscaffoldstudentactivitieswithcontinuedworkontheprojectindevelopment.Onthefinaldayoftheinstitute,mentorteachersconductedworkshopsprovidingguidancetailoredtotheindividualneedsoftheparticipantsbasedontheircontentareasandgradelevels.Also,participantssharedtheirindividualprojectsandreceivedfeedbackonthenextstepsofimplementation.Uponreturningtotheclassroom,teachersimplementedtheirprojectwithcontinuedsupportfromtheirmentors.Mentorsandparticipantscontinuedtointeractthroughouttheschoolyearthroughsitevisits,onlinelearningcommunities,lessonplandevelopment,andphoneandemailsupport.Teacherspostedprojectsonaprojectwikiasawaytoshareandreflect.ThiscontentisnowavailableforallMISDandHCISDteachersforfutureimplementation.
ClassroomExamples
• InafourthgradeSocialStudiesclass,studentsworkedinsmallgroupstoexplorehowthemediacoversnewsstories,andtheycreatedtheirownnewscast.UsingmediacoverageoftheGulfofMexicooilspill,theteacherandstudentsdiscussedandviewednewsvideos.Usingteacher‐providedrubrics,studentsevaluatednewsstoriesforcontent,location,expertcredibility,andreportingtechniques.Next,insmallgroups,studentsworkedtocreatetheirownnewscastoftheGulfoilspill.Theyresearchedfacts,wroteascript,createdprops,andpracticedtheirnewscast.Throughoutthegroupwork,studentsusedawikitoshareandcollaborateinformation.Thisallowedtheteachertocheckinontheirprogress.Studentgroupsfilmedtheirnewscast,andallnewscastsweresharedwiththeclassandpostedonline.Throughouttheproject,theteacheralsousedtheinteractivewhiteboardtosharevideos,rubrics,andfinalproducts.Theprojectclosedwithteamsevaluating
TheInstituteprovidednewopportunitiesandmethodstoengagemystudents.Studentsperformbetterwhentheirworkismoremeaningfultothem.
‐FourthGradeTeacher
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Page118StateEducationalTechnologyDirectorsAssociation|www.setda.org
theirprocessandproductandcelebratingwitha"wrap"party.SomeoftheproductswerepostedontheMISDwebsiteandonindividualteacherwebsites.
• Infourthgrademathandreading,studentsreceivedaspecialrequestfromthethirdgradeteam.Thefourthgraderswereaskedtocreateabooktohelpthirdgraderslearnmultiplication.Thebookwastocontainacover,titlepage,tableofcontents,numbers,words,anddrawingstorepresentthemultiplicationtables,propertiesofmultiplication,andtipsforlearningthemultiplicationtables.Tobegin,fourthgrade
studentsexploredwebsitesaboutbookmakingandideasforcreatingengagingpublications.Studentsalsoreadvariouspicturebooksandexaminedthepictures,amountoftextonapage,andotherelementsofpicturebookdesign.Aftermakingdecisionsonthetypeofbooktocreate,studentsstoryboardedtheirideasandfocusedonhowtopresentthemathcontentviaanonlinetool.Finally,studentscreatedtheirbooksusingonlineresourcesand
desktoppublishingtools.Thebookswerefinalizedandsharedwiththirdgraders.
EvaluatingEffectiveness
Theexternalevaluator,EducationalResearchInstitute(ERI),assessedandmeasuredperformancemeasuresthroughperiodicsurveysandobservationsofstudents,parents,andteachers.Whilesomeexpectationswerenotfulfilled,theeffortofincreasingtechnologyintegrationandprovidingteacherprofessionaldevelopmentwasachieved.Thepercentageofstudentswhoseuseoftechnologyliteracyincreasedbecauseofthegrantwas100%.ThenumberofcampusesthatimprovedtheirSTaRChartlevel,targetgoalofeight,wasachieved.See“Resources”belowforaccesstofullevaluationreport.
MovingForward
TheThinkForward,PBLInstitutecontinuestothrive.Theprogramiscurrentlybeingsustainedwithlocalfunds.By2012,themajorityofMISDteacherswillhaveparticipated.UsingTexasTitleIPrioritySchoolsfunds,highschoolteachersinthetwootherhighschoolsofMISDwillreceivetrainingattheInstitutein2012.
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Page119StateEducationalTechnologyDirectorsAssociation|www.setda.org
Resources
ManorIndependentSchoolDistricthttp://manorisd.net/HarlingenCISDandManorISD(T3)FinalProgramEvaluation
http://tinyurl.com/7bj8e89TexasEducationAgencyhttp://www.tea.state.tx.us/SETDAARRAInformationandResourceshttp://setda.org/web/guest/ARRAresources
Page120
PulaskiCountyPublicSchools
StateEducationalTechnologyDirectorsAssociation|www.setda.org
iLearnProject
PulaskiCountyPublicSchools,Virginia
January2010‐September2012TheiLearnprojectaddressedanincreasingneedtouseemergingtechnologiestoimprovefundamentalknowledgeincoretargetareasandtoincreaseproblemsolvingskills.InPulaskiCounty,K‐12teachersintegratediPodTouchesandlaptopstocreateengagingandeffectivelearningenvironments.TheRadfordUniversityGames,Animation,Modeling,andSimulation(GAMeS)LabworkedinconjunctionwithPulaskiCountySchoolsandotherpartnerstocreateappsthatalignedwithVirginia’sStandardsofLearning.
Demographics
PulaskiCountyislocatedinSouthwesternVirginiaintheheartoftheNewRiverValley.ThepopulationofPulaskiCountyis35,000people.Therearefiveelementaryschools,twomiddleschools,andonehighschool.PulaskiCountybenefitsfromcloseproximitytoVirginiaTech,RadfordUniversity,NewRiverCommunityCollege,andthecitiesofWythevilleandRoanoke.Oftheparticipatingschools,between37%and63%ofthestudentsreceivefreeorreducedlunch.
BackgroundTheAmericanRecoveryandReinvestmentActof2009(ARRA)includeda$650millionallocationinESEATitleII,PartD,commonlyreferredtoastheEnhancingEducationThroughTechnologyprogram(EETT).ThiscasestudywaspreparedbytheStateEducationalTechnologyDirectorsAssociation(SETDA)–theprincipalassociationrepresentingthetechnologyleadershipofstateandterritorialdepartmentsofeducation–toprovideanexampleofARRAfundsworkingatthedistrictandclassroomlevelthatcreateseffective,viable,androbustreformineducation,andimprovesthewayteachersteachandstudentslearn.
Virginia’sEETTCompetitiveGrantsTheprimarypurposeforVirginia’sEETTARRAcompetitivegrantcompetitionwastoimplementprogramstoencouragetheuseofeducationaltechnologytoimproveteachingandlearning.Divisionsandschoolsusedthefundstodevelop21stcenturyclassroomsasenvisionedbytheEducationalTechnologyPlanforVirginia:2010‐15,whichencouragestheeffectiveuseoftechnologytoprepareVirginiastudentstolearnandworkinthe21stcentury.
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Page121StateEducationalTechnologyDirectorsAssociation|www.setda.org
ProjectDescription
TheiLearnproject,acollaborationamongPulaskiCountyPublicSchools,RadfordCityPublicSchools,NewRiverCommunityCollege,AppleInc.,andRadfordUniversity,includedthreecomponents:1)thedevelopmentandintegrationofmobilegamesandsimulations;2)developmentandintegrationofiPodTouchapplicationsintothecorecontentcurriculum;and3)professionaldevelopmentforparticipatingteachers.Thisprojectemployedstrategies,whichnotonlyreflectedthelearningstylesandpersonalinterestsofstudentsbutalsoexpandedthecurrentunderstandingofclassroompracticesandcreated21stcenturylearningenvironments.InPulaskiCountySchools,thefocusonspecificcontentareaswasdeterminedbyananalysisofstateassessmentscoresforthespecificgradelevel.Twoelementaryschools,twomiddleschools,andonehighschoolparticipatedintheproject.
ProjectImplementation
Attheonsetofthisproject,twoclassroomteacherswereselectedperschool.Eachschoolreceivedacartwith2setsof20iPodseachandacartwith30laptops.EachteacheralsoreceivedalaptopandaniPodTouch.Professionaldevelopmentwaskeytothisprogram’ssuccess.First,theteachersanddistricttrainersengagedinprofessionaldevelopmenttrainingtolearnthefunctionalityofeachtool.Next,thetrainingfocusedmoreonintegratingtheiPodsandlaptopsintothecurriculumandtheoverallinstructionalprocess.Atrainervisitedthecountyfourtimesandprovidedtraininginthebasicuseofdevices,iWorks,integrationofapps,andcurriculumsupport.Theparticipatingteachersalsohadongoingsupportfromthecounty’stechnologyspecialiststoassistintroubleshootingproblems,updatingandsyncingiPodTouches,andcreatingclassactivitiesandlessons.Throughthelifeofthegrant,teachershadanonlinelearningcommunitycreatedthroughNing,whichprovidedasocialnetworkingplatformallowingmembersto
ARRAEETTGrantDetails
GrantFocus TechnologyInfrastructureandProfessionalLearningCommunities
Beginning/EndDateofGrant
January1,2010‐September30,2012
Locale Rural
Funding $435,000
GradeLevel(s) K‐12
NumberofTeachersImpacted
17
NumberofAdministratorsImpacted
21
NumberofStudentsImpacted
700
iPodToucheshavegivenustheabilitytodifferentiateinstruction.Timeon‐taskhasincreasedgreatly.
‐iLearnTeacher
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Page122StateEducationalTechnologyDirectorsAssociation|www.setda.org
sharetheirexperiencesandideas,receivefeedback,anddecideuponandcommunicateneededmodificationstotheprojectinasecureenvironmentintegratingwikis,blogs,andchatrooms.Inaddition,appsweredevelopedbytheGAMeSlabandsharedwithteachers.ArepresentativefromtheGAMeSlabvisitedtheschoolandworkedwithteacherstodeterminetheirneedsfororiginalappstargetingspecificcontentareas.TheappswerealignedwithVirginia’sStandardsofLearning(SOL).Integrationoftheseappswasexploredwiththetrainer.Overthecourseoftheproject,20SOL‐alignedappsweredevelopedandhavebeendownloadedover120,000timesbyconsumersinsevendifferentcountries.
ClassroomExamples
• Thefifthgradesciencecurriculumincludesthestudyofcells.Studentslearnthebasicstructuresofacellandthefunctionsofthestructures.Inteachingthisunit,oneofthefifthgradeiLearnteachersusedanappontheiPodTouchthatallowedeachstudenttoseea3Dviewofthepartsofacell.Bytappingeachpart,thefunctionofeachpartofthecellwasexplained.Afterworkingthroughthedifferentparts,thestudentscreatedtheirownmodelsofacellonpaperandcheckedtheirdrawingwiththecellapp.Beforeusingthetechnology,studentsgleanedinformationoncellsfromateacher’spresentation,textbook,and/orvideo.
• Tohelpincreasestudentengagement,seventhgrademathstudentsworkedindependentlyandcollaborativelyinstationstoreviewproportions,functions,andintegers.Attheproportionstation,studentsusedanapptohelpthemcreatetheirownwordproblemsdealingwithproportions.Thisnotonlygavethempracticeapplyingtheconceptbutalsoallowedstudentstosharetheirproblemswitheachother.Atthefunctionstation,studentusedadifferentapptoreviewtheconcept,andusedanotherapptocreatetheirownfunctionsthattheysharedwitheachother.Atthelaststation,thestudentsusedanapptopracticeadding,subtracting,multiplying,anddividingintegers.Priortothisproject,studentspracticedthesemathconceptsbyusingpencilandpaper.Basedonteacherobservation,useofthetechnologytoolshelpedtoincreasestudentfocusandinterestinmath.Teachershopethiswilltranslateintoincreasedstudentachievement.
EvaluatingEffectiveness
TeachersrespondedpositivelytotheclassroomuseofiPodTouchesandlaptops.Thetoolsprovidedopportunitiestodifferentiatethecontentanddeliverytobettermeettheneedsofstudents.Manyappshavedifferentlevelsthatcanbeassignedtostudentsbasedonability.Anecdotally,asreportedbyteachers,studentsweremoreengagedwhentheirlessonsincludedopportunitiestousetheiPodTouchesandlaptops.
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Page123StateEducationalTechnologyDirectorsAssociation|www.setda.org
MovingForward
Participatingteacherswereempoweredtoassumeleadershippositionsbyofferingtoinformallysupporttheircolleaguesthroughpeer‐to‐peertrainingstherebysustainingthegrant’sproposedgoalsbeyondthelifeofthegrant.Aswell,thefocusonprofessionalgrowthincreasedthelevelofeducationaltechnologyintegrationexpertisethroughouttheregion.
Resources
iLearnWebsitehttp://gameslab.radford.edu/ilearn/PulaskiCountyPublicSchoolshttp://pcva.usVirginiaDepartmentofEducationhttp://doe.virginia.gov/SETDAARRAInformationandResourceshttp://setda.org/web/guest/ARRAresources
Page124
KanawhaCountySchools
StateEducationalTechnologyDirectorsAssociation|www.setda.org
SissonvilleHighSchool
KanawhaCountySchools,WestVirginia
January2010‐August2011ThepurposeoftheprogramatSissonvilleHighSchoolwastoimproveacademicachievementthroughtechnologyintegration,particularlymathandreadingproficiency,andtodecreasedropoutrates.ThegrantprovidedthesupportofaTechnologyIntegrationSpecialist(TIS)tohelpteachersimprovetheirtechnologyskills,makecurricularchanges,andmoreeffectivelyutilizeexistingtechnologydevicesandsoftware.
Demographics
SissonvilleHighSchoolisapublichighschoollocatedinruralSissonville,WestVirginia,outsideofCharleston.SissonvilleispartofKanawhaCountySchools(KCS),thelargestschoolsysteminWestVirginia.Thedistrictservesover28,000studentsin44elementaryschools,14middleschools,8highschoolsand2careerandtechnicaleducationcenters.
BackgroundTheAmericanRecoveryandReinvestmentActof2009(ARRA)includeda$650millionallocationinESEATitleII,PartD,commonlyreferredtoastheEnhancingEducationThroughTechnologyprogram(EETT).ThiscasestudywaspreparedbytheStateEducationalTechnologyDirectorsAssociation(SETDA)–theprincipalassociationrepresentingthetechnologyleadershipofstateandterritorialdepartmentsofeducation–toprovideanexampleofARRAfundsworkingatthedistrictandclassroomlevelthatcreateseffective,viable,androbustreformineducation,andimprovesthewayteachersteachandstudentslearn.
WestVirginia’sEETTCompetitiveGrantsBasedonresearchandtherecommendationsoftheWestVirginiaStateTechnologyPlan,thisgrantprogram’sfocuswastohaveaTechnologyIntegrationSpecialist(TIS)provideand/orcoordinateappropriateprofessionaldevelopmentactivitiesforallteachersandadministratorsinWestVirginia’sTechnologyModelschools.
ARRACaseStudies2012|KanawhaCountySchools,WestVirginia
Page125StateEducationalTechnologyDirectorsAssociation|www.setda.org
ProjectDescription
Priortothegrant,SissonvilleHighSchoolhadadequatetechnologyinplace,includingthreeschool‐widelabsandprojectorswithinteractivewhiteboardsinmanyclassrooms.Aswell,manystate‐fundedsoftwareprogramswereavailableforteacherandstudentuseincludingcontentsitessuchasTechSTEPS,ThinkFinity,andtheonlinemanagementsystemEdline.ThemathematicsdepartmentwasscheduledtoreceiveamobilelabtosupporttheCarnegiemathcurriculumfundedbythecounty.However,evenwiththetechnologyavailable,devicesandprogramswerenotfullyutilized,andoftenthelabswereindisrepairwithnumerouscomputersunavailable.ThefacultyatSissonvilleHighSchoolwaseager,buttheydidnotknowwheretobegintointegratetechnology.Hence,SissonvilleHighSchoolwasagoodmatchtothestategoalsforthisgrantprogramandreceivedafull‐timeTIStoprovideon‐going,embeddedprofessionaldevelopmentforallstaffmembersatSissonvilleHighSchool.Withthelocalfunds,eachteacheralsoreceivedalaptopandadditionalsoftware,includingDiscoveryStreamingBasic,GradeQuick,andSkillsTutor.
ProjectImplementation
Inthespringof2010,teacherswereissuedlaptops,andtheyreceivedtrainingprovidedbythedistrictforsomeofthesoftwareprograms.TheTISbeganthesummerof2010.HeattendedprofessionaldevelopmentprovidedbytheWestVirginiaDepartmentofEducationduringthesummerof2010.Healsometwiththestaffpriortostartingworkattheschooltoassesstheirneedsandtodevelopaninitialprofessionaldevelopmentplanalongwiththeteachersandadministrators.Teachersattendedsubject‐specificsessionsduringthesummerof2010,whichallowedthemtoshareideasandlearnhowtobettersupportoneanother.TheTISprovidedprofessionaldevelopmentworkshopsforteachersandadministratorsonvarioussoftwareapplicationsandinteractivewhiteboarduse.Teachersalsoreceivedtraininginsmallergroupsorone‐on‐oneinsuchareasastheuseofGoogledocumentsforcollaboration,content‐specificsoftware,andthecontentmanagementsystems.ThemajorityofcurricularsupportprovidedbytheTISoccurredinone‐on‐oneorsmallgroupsessions,utilizingteachers’planningtime.Forexample,theTIS
ARRAEETTGrantDetails
GrantFocus High‐Access,Technology‐RichLearningEnvironment,andOnline/BlendedLearning
Beginning/EndDateofGrant
January30,2010‐August15,2011
Locale Rural
Funding $187,625FederalFunds$25,000LocalFunds
GradeLevel(s) 9‐12
NumberofTeachersImpacted
60
NumberofAdministratorsImpacted
3
NumberofStudentsImpacted
630
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workedwithateacherduringhisplanningtimetopreparealesson.Withablockschedule,thetypicalschooldaywasthreeperiods.TheTISwouldmodelthelessonduringthefirstblock.Duringthesecondblock,theTISandteacherwouldteamteach.And,duringthethirdblockoftheday,theteacherwouldteachthelessonwithsupportfromtheTIS.TheTISalsomanagedmanytechnicalissues,suchasensuringthatallcomputerlabswerefullyfunctionalandmaintainingbandwidthsupportintheschool.TheTISalsobuiltacadreofteachers,aninformalprofessionallearningcommunity,tosupportthestaff.SomeofthestaffparticipatedinaThinkfinitycommunitysetupfortheschooltosharetheirideasandthoughts.TheTISwasinstrumentalinencouragingandassistingtheuseofstate‐mandatedprograms,suchasTechSteps,atechnologyliteracycurriculumandassessmenttool.TeachersarerequiredtouseandassessTechStepsingradesKto8butoptionalforgrades9to12.Bytheendoftheschoolyear,80%ofteacherswereusingTechSteps’activitiesandtoolscomparedtonoteachersusingthetoolinthebeginningoftheyear,itssecondyearofimplementationinthestate.TheTISalsoworkedwithteachersusingEdline,acontentmanagementsystemforpostingclassroomresources,settingupclasswebpages,andusingasaparentcommunicationtool.TeachersalsousedasharedEdlinecalendartoschedulecomputerlabtime.
ClassroomExamples
• Inthe9thand10thgradereadingclass,studentsworkedtousevocabulary‐buildingtoolsandincreaseself‐esteemandparticipation.ThestudentsbuiltanonlinedictionarybyusingPowerPointtocreatetheirownVisual‐VerbalWordAssociationcharts,convertedthefilesintojpegformat,anduploadedthemtotheclasswebsite.Thestudentswereabletoseehowothersinterpretedwordsandtheirmeanings.Theteacherfoundincreasedcollaborationandinterestamongthestudentsincompletingthisactivityversusmoretraditionaldrillingandpracticeofvocabularywords.
• Inan11thgradeEnglishclass,studentsstudiedtypesofrhetoricandwritingpersuasively.Studentswereprovidedonlinearticlestoreadcriticallyandannotatetherhetoricaldevices,exploringhowdeviceswereappliedinthearticle.Thenthestudentsweregivenaneditorialtowhichtheyannotatedandrespondedusinglogos,ethos,andpathos.Theseresponseswerepostedontheclasswebsiteforcommentanddiscussionamongsttheclass.Traditionally,theteachersimplyexplainedlogos,ethos,andpathosandhowitwasexpressedintheworksofWilliamShakespeare.Studentspreferredtheonlinemethodofsharingtheirresponses.
Duringtheyear,asteachersmovedfurtherintotechnologyintegration,Isawtheirteachingstyleschangetobemoreinteractiveandinquirybased;andwiththatcameincreasedperformancelevelsandmorepositiveattitudesfromtheirstudents.
‐KevinGoff,SissonvilleHighSchoolTIS
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EvaluatingEffectiveness
InexaminingtheWESTEST,WestVirginia’send‐of‐yearproficiencytests,progresswasmadeineachofthecoresubjectareas,includingmathandEnglishasindicatedintheprogram’sgoal.
MovingForward
SissonvilleHighSchoolcontinuestomoveforwardintheirintegrationoftechnologyinclassroominstruction.WhiletheTISpositionwasonlyfundedforayear,acoregroupoftech‐savvyteachersidentifiedduringtheyearofthegrantcontinuetoprovidetechnicalsupportandideasforintegrationtoimproveacademicachievement.Inaddition,teacherscontinuetomeetduringplanningtimetodiscussideastoimproveclassroominstructionandacademicachievement.
Resources
KanawhaCountySchoolshttp://kcs.kana.k12.wv.usWestVirginiaDepartmentofEducationhttp://wvde.state.wv.us/SETDAARRAInformationandResourceshttp://setda.org/web/guest/ARRAresources
SchoolData
• Englishproficiencyscoresforthe2009‐2010schoolyeartothe2010‐2011schoolyearshowed11.14%improvement.
• Mathproficiencyscoresfromthe2009‐2010schoolyeartothe2010‐2011schoolyearshowed7.51%improvement.
• Scienceproficiencyscoresfromthe2009‐2010schoolyeartothe2010‐2011schoolyearshowed11.12%improvement.
• SocialStudiesproficiencyscoresfromthe2009‐2010schoolyeartothe2010‐2011schoolyearshowed8.92%improvement.
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SchoolDistrictofJanesville
StateEducationalTechnologyDirectorsAssociation|www.setda.org
Together—21stCenturyLearningEnvironment(ToTLE)Program
SchoolDistrictofJanesville,Wisconsin
July2009‐September2011TheSchoolDistrictofJanesville’sproject,Together—21stCenturyLearningEnvironment(ToTLE),engagedteamsofeducatorsandtheirstudentstobuildteachingandlearningstrategies,assessmentinstrumentstohelppersonalizestudentlearning,andtechnology‐rich,21stcenturyclassrooms.Teachersworkedinteamstodesign,implement,andassessproblem‐basedlearningunits.
Demographics
Janesvilleisacityofover60,000citizenslocatedinsouthernWisconsin,about40milessouthofthestatecapital,Madison.JanesvillewasonceastrongmanufacturingcommunityuntilGeneralMotorsshutdownitsplantinDecember2008.Unfortunately,theunemploymentrateof10.2%inJune2011issteadilygrowing.TheSchoolDistrictofJanesvillehasapproximately10,400prekindergartenthrough12thgradestudentsservedby21schools.WashingtonElementarySchoolhasapproximately500studentsand2computerlabs.Theyadded75netbooksinmobilecartsasaresultofthegrants.
BackgroundTheAmericanRecoveryandReinvestmentActof2009(ARRA)includeda$650millionallocationinESEATitleII,PartD,commonlyreferredtoastheEnhancingEducationThroughTechnologyprogram(EETT).ThiscasestudywaspreparedbytheStateEducationalTechnologyDirectorsAssociation(SETDA)–theprincipalassociationrepresentingthetechnologyleadershipofstateandterritorialdepartmentsofeducation–toprovideanexampleofARRAfundsworkingatthedistrictandclassroomlevelthatcreateseffective,viable,androbustreformineducation,andimprovesthewayteachersteachandstudentslearn.
Wisconsin’sEETTCompetitiveGrantsWisconsinsoughttoincreasestudentuseoftechnologyasalearningtooltoimprovestudentacademicachievementwithinalearningenvironmentwhereWisconsin’sModelAcademicStandardsforInformation&TechnologyLiteracyareembeddedwithinthecontentcurriculum.Inaddition,programsincreasedteachers’understandingoftechnologyasameanstosupportstudentacademicachievement.
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ProjectDescription
Janesvilleusedmultiplefundingstreamsforthisinitiativetoprovideteachertraining,onlinecommunitiesofpractice,hardwareandsoftware,andupgradestotheirinternetaccess.Technologytoolspurchasedincludednetbooks,interactivewhiteboards,responsesystems,andvideoequipment.Teachersparticipatedinongoingprofessionaldevelopment,whichwascomprisedofworkshops,commonplanningsessions,coaching,andonlinecourses.Teamsofteachersparticipatedintheprofessionaldevelopmentevenwhennotallteacherswereabletoreceiveallofthetechnologytools.Administratorsencouragedthisteamapproachsothatallstaffwascognizantofthepowerofintegratingtechnologyandinpreparationfortheadditionaltechnologytoolstobeaddedinfutureyears.ThedistrictinitiatedtheirARRA2009CompetitiveGrantprojectinWashingtonElementarySchool,whichhasahighpercentageoffreeandreducedlunchstudents,andaneedforimprovement.TestscoresonPearson’sDevelopmentalReadingAssessment(DRA)indicatedthethirdgradestudentshadhigh‐levelreadingskillsbutthefourthgradestudentswerescoringatsignificantlylowerlevels.TheWisconsinKnowledgeandConceptsExamandtheNorthwestEvaluationAssociationMeasuresof AcademicProgressproficiencylevelscorroboratedthefindingsfromtheDRAtestscores.Inaddition,thestudentsatWashingtonElementaryonlyhadaccessto2computerslabswith28computersineachlab.TheinitialARRAgrantprovidedwith2cartsof15netbookseachforthe4grade3and4grade4
ARRAEETTGrantDetails
GrantFocus Problem‐BasedCollaborativeLearningandCommunitiesofPractice
Beginning/EndDateofGrant
July2009–September2011
Locale Rural
Funding
$50,000(CompetitiveARRAEETT1)$80,000(CompetitiveGrantARRAEETT2)$27,000(ARRAEETTFormulaGrant)$14,501(PartialfundsFY09EETTFormulaGrant)$762,303(MicrosoftProgramVouchers)$150,000(WisconsinTechnologyInitiative,TOSAFoundation)$1,083,804Total
GradeLevel(s) 3‐12
NumberofTeachersImpacted
192
NumberofAdministratorsImpacted
14
NumberofStudentsImpacted
3,532
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classroomstoshare.Subsequentgrantsprovided4additionalcartsforatotalof75netbooksforuseinclassrooms.Duringthesameyear,thedistrictprovidedwirelessaccessfortheschool.Seventy‐fourpercentoftheinitialARRAgrantfundswereusedforprofessionaldevelopment,andtheremainingfundswereusedforthehardwareandinfrastructureupgradesalongwithotherfunds.Teachersengagedinprofessionaldevelopmentthroughsummertraining,graduatecoursework,andpeercoachingtolearntocollaborateonandcreate21stcenturyclassroomswithtechnologytools.WashingtonElementarybecameamodelschoolforallotherJanesvilleschools.Infact,teamsfromneighboringdistricts,Wisconsin’sDepartmentofPublicInstruction,andeventheUkrainehavevisitedthismodelsitetoobserve.AsecondARRAawardwasgrantedinDecember2009,whichledtothecontinuationoftheprofessionaldevelopmentprogramatWashingtonElementarySchoolplustwomiddleschoolsandfiveadditionalelementaryschools.SomeARRAfundswereusedforthepurchaseofadditionalnetbooks,videoproductionequipment,andinteractivewhiteboardswithprojectors,butthemajorityoffundswereusedforprofessionaldevelopment.Inaddition,otherfederalfundsandprivatefoundationfundswereusedtoprovideadditionalnetbooks,iPads,interactivewhiteboardswithprojectors,andstudentresponsesystems.AthirdEETTgrantwasalsoawardedduringthesametimeperiodtoexpandtheentireprogram,onceagainonalargerscalethatincludedtwoentireelementarybuildings,additionalgradesatthreeelementaryschools,onemiddleschool,thetwohighschools,andonecharterschool.
ProjectImplementation
Inthesummerof2009,agroupof12teacherscomprisedof3rdand4thgradeclassroomteachers,schoolleadersinspecialeducationandEnglishLanguageLearner(ELL),thelibrarymediaspecialist,thelearningsupportteacher,andoneadministratorfromWashingtonElementaryparticipatedinasummerinstitute,whichincludedinstructionincollaborationstrategies,UniversalDesignforLearning(UDL),problem‐basedlearning,21stlearningstandards,Web2.0tools,anddigitalresources.Thetechnologywasdistributedtotheclassroomsinthefallandthroughoutthe2009‐2010schoolyear.Professionaldevelopmentcontinuedwithmonthlysessions.ThemeetingshelpedtoestablishaprofessionallearningcommunitythatfollowedtheCriticalFriendsProtocol,aprofessionallearningcommunitymodeldesignedbytheAnnenbergInstituteforSchoolReform.Throughouttheschoolyear,teachers,librarymediaspecialists,andinnovativelearningspecialistsplanned,implemented,andsharedmodellessons,studentworksamples,andassessmentsviaawiki.
ThetechnologytoolsprovidedaccesstosocialnetworkingsitessuchasEdmodowherestudentsnowconverseandproblemsolvecollaboratively.Theseareconversationsthatourstudentsdidn’thavewhentheycompletedpaperandpenciltasks.Theonlinecollaborationleadstohigherlevelthinkingandstudentsmakeconnectionstotheirdailylives.
‐ShelleyBlock,InnovativeLearningSpecialist,AdamsandWashington
ElementarySchools
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Duringthesummerof2010,104classroomteachers,includinggradelevel/contentteachers,giftedandtalentedchallengeteachers,specialeducationteachers,ELLteachers,andlibrarymediaspecialists,formedprofessionallearningteamstocompletea30‐hoursymposium.Teamsdevelopedproblem‐basedlearningactivitiesandlessonsalignedwiththeCommonCoreStandardsforEnglish/languageartsandmathematicsthatfollowedtheUDLmodelandtargetedPartnershipfor21stCenturySkills(P21).Also,atotalofsevencohortsofteacherstookatwo‐creditgraduateclassthroughViterboUniversity.TheclassofferedinstructioninUDLprinciplesofdesignandassistedteachersindevelopingproblem‐basedcollaborativeunitplans.OngoingsystemicprofessionaldevelopmentcontinuedthroughouttheschoolyearfromSeptember2010untilJune2011.ByJune2011,atotalof206additionalsocialstudies,science,mathematics,worldlanguage,languagearts,art,andhealtheducatorsfromotherelementaryandsecondaryschoolsparticipatedinatleast30hoursofprofessionaldevelopment.ThesharingofmodellessonsincludingvideosofclassroombestpracticescontinuedviaaGooglesite.Amonthlyonlineschoolnewsletterincludedparticipantinterviewshighlightingprofessionalactivities.Articlesandvideoswerefeaturedonthedistrictsuperintendent’s“What’sRightinJanesvilleEducation”monthlyblog.Face‐to‐faceandonlinepresentationsatregionalandstateconferencesprovidedtheopportunitytomodelbestpracticesandshareperformanceassessments.Throughoutbothschoolyears,teammemberslearnedtobe“CriticalFriends”andmutualpeercoaches.CriticalFriendsreviewedoneanother’slessondesigns,studiedstudentworksamples,andhelpedtoreviselessons.Teacherslearnedtosupporteachotherastheygrewtobecometheclassguideandfacilitatorfortheirownstudentsbychallengingthem,posinghigherlevelinformationquestions,andcreatingproblem‐basedlearningopportunitieswithinatechnology‐richlearningcommunity.Togethertheseteamsalsobuiltcommonformativeassessmentsforeachlesson,whichguidedfuturelessondesignanddeliveryworkingtowardhigherlevelsofthinkingandcontentproficiency.Eachteamdevelopedaminimumofthreedigital‐agecommonassessmentsbasedontargetedP21skills:collaboration,informationinquiry,criticalthinking,problemsolving,communication,andtechnologyliteracy.
ClassroomExamples
• Infourthgradescience,studentsstudiedthefoodchain.Workingwithintheircollaborativeteacherteams,teacherscreatedanewunitemployingUDLprincipleswiththeguidingquestionofwhatwouldhappentofoodchainsandwebsifadisasteroccurred.Studentsresearchedandparticipatedinonlinediscussionsaboutorganismfoodchains,andtheflowofenergyandinterdependenceoforganismswithinafoodchain.Next,studentsworkedwiththeirteachersandthemediaspecialisttoresearchfoodchainsonlinefromoneofthreebiomesandcreateda
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slideshowonhowanaturaldisastermightaffecttheirfoodchain.StudentsusedtheBig6researchmodeltoplanandconducttheirresearch,andtheyusedastoryboardtoplanandcompletetheirfinalproduct.Assessmenttoolsincludedachecklist,formalrubric,andstudentreflectionjournalentry.Studentsalsopairedtoevaluateoneanotheraspartoftheprocessforpreparationofpresentingthefinishedprojectsatthespringtechnologyfair.
• Instudyingcivilrights,eighthgradesocialstudiesstudentsaddressedtheessentialquestionofwhyandhowpeoplehavestruggledforsocialjustice.Theclassexploredquestionsaboutsocialjusticeinteamsandthenstudentschoseacivilrightsleadertoresearchviaonlineandtraditionalresearchtools.StudentsthencompletedaGlogster(anonlineposter)sharingdetailsabouttheirleader.TheypresentedtheirGlogstertotheclassandpublisheditonline.AsaculminatingactivityintheTechnologyEducationclass,studentscreatedagraphicdesignrepresentingcivilrightsandprinteditouttobeironedonaT‐shirt.
EvaluatingEffectiveness
BaselinedataforWashingtonElementarySchool,theschoolimpactedbythefirstARRAaward,showed3rdand4thgradersscoringwellbelowtheminimalscoreof80.5inreadingand68.5inmathonPearson’sDevelopmentalReadingAssessment(DRA)formeetingAdequateYearlyProgress.Oneyearlater,studentsshowedmarkedimprovement.
MovingForward
FundingfromaprivatefoundationcontinuestosupportJanesville’s21stCenturyLearningEnvironmentprogram. Futureplansincludeafocusoncontinualimprovementofthecourseworkofferedtoeducatorstoreflectchangingtechnologies.Also,buildingontheirexperiences,JanesvilleisadoptingMoodleasacontentlearningmanagementsystemforthedistrictin2012.LocalfundsandfederalEETTfundswillsupportcontinuedstaff
WashingtonElementarySchoolData
• 2009‐2010thirdgraders: 96%significantlyincreasedtheirreadingcomprehensionto
minimaloraboveasmeasuredbytheDRA. 98%reachedtheirgrowthtargetontheMeasuresof
AcademicProgress(MAP)assessment.• 2009‐2010fourthgraders:
100%increasedtheirreadingcomprehensiontoproficientasmeasuredbytheDRAtest.
• 2010‐2011eighthgraders: Studentsscoringproficientoradvancedonthebaseline
NextGenerationAssessmentforStudentInformationandTechnologyLiteracyincreasedby9.96%.
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developmentincludingonlinecoursesforteachersandtransformingtheToTLEsymposiumintoahybrid‐learningenvironment.Currently,librarymediaspecialistsandinnovativelearningspecialistscontinuetocoachandteamteachlessonsasawayofmentoringandofferingadditionalsupporttoteachersthroughtheprocess.
ContactInformation
SchoolDistrictofJanesvillehttp://janesville.k12.wi.us/WisconsinDepartmentofPublicInstructionhttp://dpi.wi.gov/SETDAARRAInformationandResourceshttp://setda.org/web/guest/ARRAresources