Education Technology Plan
Berkeley Unified School District
July 1, 2012 - June 30, 2015
William Huyett
Superintendent
Berkeley Unified School District Page 1
Appendix J -­‐ Technology Plan Contact Information (Required) Education Technology Plan Review System (ETPRS) Contact Information County & District Code: 01 -­‐ 61143 LEA Name: Berkeley Unified *Education Technology Plan Contact: Mr. Jay Nitschke *Job Title: Technology Director *Address: 2134 Martin Luther King Jr. Way *City: Berkeley *Zip Code: 94704-­‐1109 *Telephone: 510-­‐644-­‐8890 Fax: 510-­‐644-­‐8933 *E-­‐mail: jay@berkeley.net Backup contact information: 1st Backup Name: Wally Gutierrez E-­‐mail: wallygutierrez@berkeley.net 2nd Backup Name: Christina Faulkner E-­‐mail: christinafaulkner@berkeley.net * Required information in the ETPRS Berkeley Unified School District Page 2
Table of Contents 1. District Profile and Plan Duration………………………………………………………..4 2. Stakeholders…………………………………………………………………………………………8 3. Curriculum……………………………………………………………………………………………9 4. Professional Development…………………………………………………………………..48 5. Infrastructure………………………………………………………………………………………60 6. Funding and Budget……………………………………………………………………………..67 7. Monitoring and Evaluation…………………………………………………………………..71 8. Adult Literacy……………………………………………………………………………………….73 9. Effective, Research-­‐Based Methods………………………………………………………74 Appendices Appendix C – Criteria for EETT Funded Technology Plans ………………………77
Berkeley Unified School District Page 3
District Profile Berkeley Unified is responsible for educating more than 9,400 individual students in 11 public elementary schools, 3 middle schools, one comprehensive high school, and a continuation high school. In addition, the district has 3 preschool facilities and an Adult School serving several thousand students each year. Our students are diverse, both ethnically and in social-­‐economic status: Student Enrollment by Ethnicity
Percent
Asian
8%
Latino
22%
African American
22%
White
33%
Other or Multi-­‐Ethnic
15%
District Demographics
Percent
Free or Reduced Lunch Program
42%
English Learners
14%
Students with Special Needs
12%
Berkeley Unified is characterized by the talent and dedication of its approximately 700 certificated teachers. All are state credentialed, and the vast majority have clear professional credentials. Over 40% of the teaching staff boasts a Master’s or a Doctoral degree and the average Berkeley teacher has over 14 years of experience, both of which are significantly above the average for teachers statewide. Ten of our teachers are National Board Certified, including one of the few teachers in special education to achieve this certification. Community Support Over the past 25 years, the Berkeley Unified School District’s ability to provide well-­‐
rounded educational resources and opportunities to all students has been significantly boosted by the generous financial support of local taxes that augment the General Fund for specific purposes. Berkeley voters have overwhelmingly supported the Berkeley Schools Berkeley Unified School District Page 4
Excellence Program (BSEP), a special local tax first adopted in 1986 and renewed consistently since then, most recently as Measure H. In 2010, Berkeley taxpayers renewed Measure H, a $5 million special tax dedicated solely to building maintenance. Although these monies do not impact technology directly, they provide funds to ensure that district schools are clean, safe, and warm, and have the electrical and network infrastructure that form the basis of technology. In the November 2010 election, 17 school districts in California had parcel taxes on the ballot -­‐-­‐ Measure H was one of only 2 to pass and received almost 81% of the vote. Also in 2010, the district received voter approval to float $210 million in Prop. 39 General Obligation Bonds. The measure passed with 77% voter approval. One of the specific purposes of the bonds is to improve technology in the schools. Berkeley Unified School District Mission The Mission of the Berkeley Unified School District is to enable and inspire our diverse student body to achieve academic excellence and make positive contributions to our world. Berkeley Unified School District Vision Our Students are curious and creative learners who succeed through personal initiative and sustained effort to reach high academic goals. They are critical thinkers who seek knowledge and possess technological competence and collaborative skills. Our students embrace diversity, act responsibly, and contribute to our community. Our Educators believe that all students can meet or exceed rigorous academic standards. Teachers, staff, and administrators together form a rich professional learning community where all are supported to hone our professional craft and improve our effectiveness. Through the examination of our instructional practices and data, we adjust our teaching and operational systems in order to continuously improve. We are responsible in the stewardship of our fiscal resources and fair and equitable in their distribution. Our Families and Community are integral to the success of our students and schools. Families are active, engaged and welcomed partners in their child’s education, who give valued input and participate in making important decisions about our academic and enrichment programs. Our diverse community is passionate about equitable educational outcomes for all students. Our civic and community organizations partner with us to promote family engagement and the well-­‐being and success of our students. Our Schools are vital centers of community life enriched by the diversity of our city and welcoming to all families. Each classroom offers engaging and culturally relevant curriculum that builds on students’ interests and abilities. Student needs, as identified by regular assessment, inform our teaching and guide appropriate and effective intervention services. We offer an enriched learning environment and a comprehensive system of supports to address the needs of the whole child. Berkeley Unified School District Page 5
Values and Beliefs of Berkeley Unified School District • Students are our priority. • We take pride in our diversity. • We hold high expectations for ourselves and our students. • We treat each other with respect and act with integrity. The Mission, Vision, Values, and Goals of Berkeley Unified, are supported by Technology through: Excellence in Learning, in Teaching, and in Service to our Students, Staff and Community Equity in Access, in Resource Allocation, and Educational Outcomes Engagement of Students During Instruction Enrichment of the Core Curriculum Berkeley Unified School District Page 6
District Technology Plan Goals 2012-­‐2015
Curriculum Goals Goal 3d.1 All teachers will increase the academic achievement of all students by effectively incorporating appropriate technological tools and programs throughout the curriculum, instruction, and assessment. Goal 3d.2 Prepare all students for continued success in English Language Arts and Mathematics by providing high quality instruction geared to student needs including engaging technology, and appropriate modifications and accommodations. Goal 3d.3 Technology will be used to support instruction in English Language Development to ensure that every English Learner gains at least one English language proficiency level each year. Goal 3e: Students will develop grade-­‐level appropriate technology and information literacy skills as outlined in the National Education Technology Standards to succeed in the classroom and beyond. Goal 3f: Improve the implementation of a Cyber Ethics Program in order to increase student and teacher awareness of ethical use of information technology. Goal 3g: All students will understand issues surrounding Internet safety, cyber-­‐bullying, online privacy, and online predators. Goal 3h: All students will have equitable access to appropriate technology throughout the district. Goal 3i: Use data-­‐driven decision making to monitor student progress, guide and differentiate instruction, evaluate the effectiveness of our programs, and share this information with the staff, the Board and the community. Goal 3j: Teachers and administrators will make use of technology tools to improve two-­‐
way communication between home and school: including PowerSchool, Google Apps such as Gmail, Calendar, Sites; School Messenger; voicemail. Berkeley Unified School District Page 7
1. Technology Plan Duration The Berkeley Unified School District Technology Plan will be in effect from July 1, 2012 to June 30, 2015 for a total of 3 years. 2. Stakeholders Under the leadership of Jay Nitschke, the Director of Technology, the District Technology Committee was created by the Superintendent with three short-­‐term goals: 1. Implementing next-­‐generation email and communication tools 2. Set priorities for technology improvements in our schools 3. Revise and update the educational technology plan. This committee included: • Margaret Agbowo, Longfellow Middle School Technology Teacher • Matt Albinson, Berkeley High Technology Coordinator • Audrey Amos, Principal of John Muir Elementary School • Debbi D'Angelo, Director of Evaluation and Assessment • Susan Deutsch, Occupational Therapist • Christina Faulkner, Director of Curriculum and Instruction • Jeff Fillinghim-­‐Selk, King Middle School Humanities Teacher • Wally Gutierrez, TSA for Instructional Technology K-­‐8 • Bradley Hilton, Student Systems Specialist • Kristin Lono, Berkeley Arts Magnet 3rd Grade Teacher • Jay Nitschke, Technology Director • Ben Sanoff, Berkeley High Teacher and former BHS Technology Coordinator • Becca Todd, District Library Coordinator The committee conducted research, prepared draft documents, and analyzed the California School Technology Survey information and results from the district teacher and student technology surveys. As this plan was developed, there was an effort made to include as many of the parent (a few of the members of the District Tech Committee are parents of current and former students of BUSD) and community stakeholders as possible in the planning and writing process. Their ongoing input, feedback and suggestions were incorporated into the plan. The groups that will primarily carry out professional development and support of the BUSD technology plan is organized into three functional groups, Technology, Berkeley Evaluation & Assessment (BEA), and Curriculum & Instruction, with each group managed by its own Berkeley Unified School District Page 8
Director. Technology includes the Network Engineer, the Student Information Systems Specialist, 5 computer technicians, and 3 computer zone techs that provide technical support for all the schools in the district. BEA includes an Administrator Coordinator, Assessment Technician, and 3 Teachers on Special Assignment (TSA) that support administrators and teachers in reporting, evaluating, and managing assessment data. Curriculum & Instruction oversees the Library and Professional Development Staff. The Library staff consists of the Coordinator, 5 Teacher Librarians at the middle and high schools, 11 Library Media Technicians at the elementary schools, one Central Library Media Technician, and TSA for Instructional Technology K-­‐8. The Professional Development Staff consists of the Coordinator, TSA for Literacy, TSA for Math, TSA for English Language Development, TSA for Response to Instruction and Intervention. The role of Instructional Technology as mentioned in the plan is a team whose members are primarily the TSA for Instructional Technology K-­‐8, District Library Coordinator, Berkeley High School Technology Coordinator, and the Director of Technology, and depending on the activity or responsibility, collaborates with BEA, Library Staff, Technology Staff, and Professional Development. 3. Curriculum 3a. Description of teachers’ and students’ current access to technology tools There are approximately 9,410 students are enrolled in grades K-­‐12 in the Berkeley Unified School District: ● 3,430 high school students ● 1,940 middle school students ● 4,040 elementary students Currently, there are 2,578 instructional computers ● The student to computer ratio is about 3:1 ● 47% computers in classrooms ● 7 % in school libraries ● 13% in labs ● 32% in carts Table 1: Quantity and Location of Berkeley Unified School District Computers Location
Classroom
Lab
Library
Other
Total
48%
(1221) 418
13%
(146) 0
7%
(192) 78
32%
(833) 247 (on carts)
100%
(2578) 743
Page 9
Berkeley Unified
Elementary Schools
Berkeley Unified School District Middle Schools
High Schools
Table 2: Age of Computers Berkeley Unified
300
503
146
186
59
55
136 (on carts)
450 (on carts)
641
1194
< 1 Year
1 -­‐ 2 Years
2 -­‐ 3 Years
3 -­‐ 4 Years
4+ Years
29.62%
16.20%
8.80%
24.58%
36.31%
Technology is currently available in the classrooms, library media centers, and computer labs to all teachers and students at the elementary, middle, and high schools. All schools have teacher and student desktops, laptop carts, TV/DVD monitors, LCD projectors, document cameras, and printers. Many sites have digital cameras with video capability available for check out. Scientific Probes/Sensors are available at sites or checked-­‐out from Central Media Library. There are also pilot programs with wireless tablets and personal response systems (clickers) at some school sites. Students have access to computers in the library media centers throughout the school day including lunch and after school. Partnerships with Berkeley City Public Libraries and the City of Berkeley Parks and Recreation Centers have made available computers that students can use after school and weekends. Elementary Schools Berkeley is still following the grade K-­‐3 class size guidelines of 20 students in one classroom, and grade 4-­‐5 classrooms average less than 26 students per classroom. All elementary schools have classroom and library computers for student use. In addition, all schools have at least one mobile laptop cart with a minimum 10 computers (many have 20) that can be checked out by the classroom teacher during school hours and can also be used by students in the afterschool programs. Our local special tax, BSEP, provides about 0.2 FTE of tech support in the school, as well as a small budget ($15/student) allocation to purchase technology identified as a need. A few schools have ordered additional laptop carts for student use. ● At all sites, there are computers available at the school's library: two have 4, seven have 6, and two have 12. ● All classrooms have a computer for teacher use. Sites also have computers in staff rooms or office areas available for teacher use before, during, and after school. ● A concerted effort was made in the 2011-­‐12 school year to provide LCD projector and document cameras in each elementary classroom. Five sites (Emerson, MX, JM, Jefferson, BAM) have carts with an LCD projector and document camera in all or almost all of their classrooms. ● Pilot program started at LeConte Elementary for teacher and student use of clickers in 4th and 5th grade classrooms. Berkeley Unified School District Page 10
● Wireless is available in all school offices and libraries. The goal is to have the elementary schools 90% wireless by the end of 2012-­‐13. This work is funded by the facilities bond. Middle Schools The three middle schools have used a variety of categorical funds, including BSEP technology funds to support the use of instructional technology to increase student engagement and academic achievement. ● All classrooms have teacher workstations. ● Most classrooms have at least one student workstation and King Middle School has 4 student work stations in almost every classroom. ● Libraries contain enough student work stations to accommodate at least half a class and as many as 30 at King. ● Students have access to computers in the library media centers throughout the day for class assignments including lunch recess, before and after school. ● Longfellow and Willard have a computer lab that can be accessed by any teacher as they utilize technology to support classroom learning. ● All classrooms at King have an LCD projector and most classrooms have a document camera. ● Classrooms are transitioning away from TVs with a VCR or DVD player. High Schools There are computers available to all students and teachers. Regardless of Small Learning Community, there is access to computing resources. While some communities may have greater competition for computing resources depending on relative scarcity or higher demand, there are no “technology deserts” at Berkeley High School. While some of the technology resources are out of date, the school district is nevertheless adequately supplied with sufficient technology such that no group could accurately claim that they do not have access. The library computer lab remains open after school hours. There are also public computers available at the Berkeley Public Library. In addition, many teachers offer tutoring hours after school where computers are often available. Berkeley Unified School District Page 11
3b. Description of the district’s current use of technology to support teaching and learning Based on results from the Edtech Profile teacher survey, 51% of the teachers use technology occasionally (at least once a month) and 28% use technology frequently (once a week) in their classroom instruction overall. The results by category are displayed in the table and chart below: Table 1: Teacher Technology Use in the Classroom Category
Almost
Daily
Regularly Frequently Occasionally Infrequently Never
Tech Integration in Classroom
8%
9%
26%
33%
18%
6%
Use Multimedia Resources
4%
7%
17%
31%
22%
13%
Tech for Student Collaboration
1%
2%
11%
23%
27%
36%
Class Web Page
2%
3%
8%
7%
19%
62%
Use Tech to Communicate Home
9%
16%
36%
24%
10%
6%
Berkeley Unified School District Page 12
Chart 1: Teacher Technology Use in the Classroom (1/2012 survey) ● The results for Tech Integration in the Classroom, indicate that about 60% of the teachers integrate technology tools occasionally (33%) or frequently (26%) when they deliver classroom instruction. ● Approximately 43% use multimedia resources such as simulations, mind mapping, digital images, video, and multimedia occasionally (31%) or infrequently (22%). ● Over half have either infrequently (27%) or never (36%) used technology tools such as blogs, wikis, shared documents, and other online resources to encourage student collaboration and peer evaluation ● 62% have never used a classroom web page to publicize current class news, assignments, links to resources, etc. ● 50% have frequently (36%) and occasionally (24%) used email and other two-­‐way communication tools such as surveys to invite communication/feedback from parents and/or students. As for having students use technology to support their learning, a majority are at the Beginning/Intermediate level: 31% infrequently and 39% occasionally. Results according to category are displayed in the table and chart below: Berkeley Unified School District Page 13
Table 2: Student Technology Use Category
Almost
Daily
Regularly
(at least
once a
week)
Frequently
(at least
every other
week)
Occasionally
(a few times a
quarter)
Infrequently
Never
(once or twice
a quarter)
Tech Integrated in Student Activities
9%
10%
20%
27%
24%
10%
Use Tech to Achieve Instructional Goals
4%
5%
11%
20%
36%
23%
Use Tech to Collaborate
1%
1%
4%
12%
27%
54%
Chart 2: Student Technology Use ● The category “Technology integrated into Student Activities” refers to this question, “How frequently are technology tools integrated into student learning activities?” The majority of the teachers responses ranged between frequently to infrequently (71%). ● “Use Tech to Achieve Instructional Goals” refers to how often students use Web 2.0 tools, simulations, mind mapping, digital imaging, video, and other multimedia for assignments. A majority (79%) of the teachers answered occasionally, infrequently, and never. ● How frequently do students use technology resources such as blogs, wikis, shared documents, online resources, etc. to collaborate and/or give each other feedback? 54% of the teachers have never tried this with their students. Berkeley Unified School District Page 14
Elementary Schools ● Teachers use PowerSchool for daily attendance. ● Professional development for all Science Resource Teachers (SRTs) as well as criticial hardware and software support, is being continued by the TSA for Instructional Technology K-­‐8. The SRTs work with the TSA for Instructional Technology to infuse technology into the adopted FOSS science curriculum. Instructional materials are shared in the PBScience Wiki. Each teacher uses a laptop, document camera, and LCD projector in their instruction. Students use laptops from the mobile laptop carts to do activities in science related websites, conduct research, create multimedia presentations for Science Fairs, collect data from Vernier probes and sensors. Flipcams are used to document experiments and science fairs. Video clips, photos, podcasts, and links are incorporated into the SRT’s blog, which communicates the activities in class. In 2011, the Berkeley Public Education Foundation (BPEF) granted the group 3 additional Vernier Probeware devices that allow teachers and stduents to collect data while conducting experiments investigating CO2 gases, light waves/photosynthesis, and force. ● BPEF is increasingly granting classroom teachers a projector and document camera set. Five elementary schools now have a set in most of their classrooms. The TSA for Instructional Technology has begun initial training on how to use these tools and will follow-­‐up with effective strategies for instruction. ● Library Staff and Literacy Coaches at school sites use digital video cameras to share best practices among staff. ● Students use laptops from the mobile laptop carts to conduct research on the Internet, create PowerPoint presentations, write stories, and produce reports in English Language Arts, Social Studies, and Science. ● Students at Emerson are using an iPad in the library to film and produce video book talks. ● Students in the after school program at a few school sites like Malcolm X and LeConte, also use the laptop carts for Compass Learning, an adaptive software program where a student takes an initial assessment in an English Language Arts and Math standard and activities are adjusted according to the student’s learning level. ● Special Ed teachers at sites like Berkeley Arts Magnet and Rosa Parks use software programs such as Fast Math and Compass Learning as an intervention program (Tier 2 of RTI) for struggling students. Fast Math helps students develop automaticity in answering number equations in addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division. ● Everyday Math Online is being used to provide additional support in the classroom and at home. ● Cragmont uses Accelerated Math software program for their 4th and 5th grade classrooms to differentiate math instruction and to support struggling students. ● LeConte uses interactive voting devices or clickers in their 4th and 5th grade classrooms to get immediate feedback on what students have learned in Math. Berkeley Unified School District Page 15
● Students in Emerson Library use Skype and Googlevideochat to have virtual author visits and to share poetry between classes with students in other states. ● LeConte Library has incorporated audiobooks in an mp3-­‐like device (Playaways) to provide targeted support for struggling 4th/5th grade readers. Middle Schools ● Teachers use PowerSchool for student attendance and entering grades in a Gradebook. Students and families access the assignments and scores through the internet. ● Many teachers use a document camera and projector in their instruction to display student work, model activities like evaluating and editing writing, using graphic organizers, performing science experiments, solving math problems, etc. ● General use of desktops and laptops by students: internet research, essays, reports, presentations, doing activities in educational websites, etc. ● All 3 middle schools provide technology courses for their students: ○ At Longfellow, the E.A.S.T. class combines a semester of computers with a semester of art. Applications covered include Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, and PowerPoint), iMovie and Garageband, and Scratch. Technology and Media class covers a range of creative projects including slide show presentations, posters, animations, web pages (HTML), 3-­‐D architectural models, and original videos. Students get an introduction to programming using Scratch and Python to create video games and other projects. They use digital devices including cameras, camcorders, and scanner to gather media for projects. The Digital Art class produces the monthly school newsletter. ○ At King, Digital Arts covers Photoshop, Photography, Google Apps, CyberSense, Styx and Flash. In the King CompMedia class, students also learn to use Scratch and do some basic programming. ○ At Willard, the computer classes cover Keyboarding, Internet Safety, Blogging, Online Research and Citing Resources, Computer Programming, and Web Design. ● Yearbook Publishing students design and create the yearbook while learning skills in digital photography, file management, scanning, image adjustment, data management and organizational skills. Students learn principles of layout and design and learn the yearbook software to create their pages. ● Scholastic’s Read180/System44 program is used as a Tier 3 Intervention in RTI at all middle schools. Four main components-­‐ whole group instruction, small group instruction, independent reading, and computer software-­‐ are combined into a program that improves student reading levels. ● Teachers use EssayScorer, a software program that scores student writing, to have students practice writing in different genres and to prepare students for the district writing assessments. Students are motivated to edit and revise their essays to score at the proficient or advanced levels. Berkeley Unified School District Page 16
● A few teachers use the assessment feature of SuccessNet, Pearson’s online resource for their English Language Arts textbooks in 6th, 7th, and 8th grade. Students test their comprehension of stories that they have read. ● King and Longfellow use Accelerated Reader to keep track of student reading levels, progress, and assessments. The program encourages the student to read at the appropriate reading level to increase comprehension and enjoyment, which leads to reading more books. ● All middle schools are using a combination of software programs, Fast Math, Fraction Nation, and Compass Learning, as a Tier 2 Intervention for students in math. Fraction Nation helps the student to understand fraction, decimal, and percent concepts to solve problems. In addition, King uses IXL software as a supplemental curriculum for math. ● Teachers and students use Google Docs. Teachers share lesson plans and other resources with each other. Students write, save, and share documents such as essays, reports, or other assignments in Google Docs. ● A few teachers have created classroom web pages in Google Sites as a way to communicate with students, parents, and the school community about what is going on in their classrooms. Homework, classroom assignments, projects, important dates and deadlines are just some of the things posted on their class web page. High Schools Computers are currently used in some respect in all classrooms across all discipline areas at Berkeley High School. Some examples: ● English classrooms use computers as tools for writing papers ● Social Studies classrooms use SMART Boards for presentation of information ● Math classrooms use document cameras and projectors as presentation tools ● Science classrooms use laptop computers for students to record lab observations The computer lab is used for CyberHigh daily allowing students who have failed courses in the past to recover credit and graduate on time. The Special Ed department has invested extensively in technology and has a much higher student to computer ratio then the rest of Berkeley High. The labs are reserved at capacity daily. Teachers use these computers to have students work on various projects such as paper research and writing, science projects, creating presentations and other technology based curriculum. Technology is used extensively by teachers and administrators at Berkeley High School. Teachers use PowerSchool, the Student Information System, to record student attendance daily. Teachers also input student grades into PowerSchool so that students and parents can follow student progress in their coursework. Administrators use technology to report on various student groups and to detect patterns in attendance and academic achievement across large groups of students. Administrators use Google Apps extensively for its Berkeley Unified School District Page 17
document sharing and calendaring functionality. Support staff use PowerSchool extensively to enter and access all pertinent student data. 3c. Summary of the district’s curricular goals that are supported by this plan. BUSD Theory of Action for Closing the Achievement Gap while Improving Academic Performance for All Students We believe that IF the District provides: ● A coherent curriculum that is aligned with assessments, addresses needs of our diverse student population and guides intervention for students ● Opportunities for professional learning communities to examine evidence-­‐based effective pedagogy at the district and the sites ● Instructional leadership that sets high expectations and maintains accountability And IF the District in collaboration with its partners provides: ● A framework for families, the City, and higher education to engage in our students’ education, and ● Equitable resources for programs that enable students to succeed THEN the performance of all students will improve, and the achievement gap will close. Instructional Technology is an integral component of the District’s 2020 Vision for Closing the Achievement Gap. As educators, BUSD staff recognizes the ability of technology to meet the individual needs of students and increase academic achievement for all students regardless of race, socio-­‐economic status, language ability, or unique educational needs. The Berkeley Unified School District Technology Plan is guided by the principle that technology will help drive student achievement and must support the overall District Goals as outlined in the BUSD Local Education Agency (LEA) Plan: District Goals I. Curriculum & Instruction: Increase the academic achievement of all students through effective instruction, a challenging and engaging curriculum, and aligned assessments. ● ELA and Math Instruction: Prepare all students for continued success in English Language Arts and Mathematics by providing high quality instruction geared to student needs including appropriate modifications and accommodations. ● English Language Development: Provide direct instruction in English Language Development to ensure that every English Learner gains at least one English language proficiency level each year. ● Evaluation and Assessment: Use data from multiple measures to monitor student progress, guide instruction and evaluate the effectiveness of our programs, and share this information with the staff, the Board and the community. Berkeley Unified School District Page 18
3d. List of clear goals, measurable objectives, annual benchmarks, and an implementation plan for using technology to improve teaching and learning by supporting the district curricular goals. Teachers will be trained to discern appropriate technology use and tools, which support students’ understanding and demonstration of content standards. As teachers recognize effective uses of electronic resources and tools, classroom lessons will be designed to reinforce both technology skill development and targeted content standards for students. Teachers will develop model lessons for using technology to improve teaching and learning in the core curriculum areas of language arts, mathematics, social science, and science which will be made available across the district via Google Docs in the berkeley.net domain. Technology outreach at the school site level will increase beginning in 2012-­‐13 with the further development of Site Technology Leaders for technical and curricular coaching. Site Technology Leaders are classroom or library teachers and other site educators who exhibit exemplary skills and abilities for technology-­‐integrated curricular implementation. Site Technology Leaders will conduct technology professional development at their school sites. Site Technology Leaders will be trained and begin coaching teachers in the use of Google Apps and document cameras and LCD projectors. Site Technology Leaders will also provide training and support for Illuminate and PowerSchool Student Information Systems as part of the district commitment to provide easy access to data reports in the area of English Language Arts and Mathematics and development of classroom benchmarks. Our library media centers embody the integration of old and new technologies-­‐-­‐print and digital resources. Every library’s catalog is online and embedded in a school library web page that provides seamless access to additional online resources that are useful for students. Students are able to submit online book reviews directly into the library catalog. The library teaching and paraprofessional staff guide students to identify, evaluate and use information to support their class assignments in all curricular areas and reading interests. The library collection offers materials with a wide range of reading levels to support students’ ability to make meaning of the content, thereby increasing their academic achievement be it in ELA, Math, EL, Science or History/Social Science, Visual and Performing Arts and even PE. The collection also reflects the multicultural community in which we live, both locally and internationally, and provides online access to books written in many languages through the International Children’s Digital Library and the Advanced World Book subscription. Our Cyber Savvy/Digital Citizenship lessons are hosted on the library web pages. Berkeley Unified School District Page 19
Teachers will use data driven decision making to design, implement and evaluate the effectiveness of lessons via student performance indicators. Illuminate, the Data and Assessment Management System, will be used to examine results from curriculum/grade level common assessments, district benchmark exams, and the CST. By analyzing the data, teachers are better able to identify specific needs of students, especially students in Title I, Special Ed, and EL programs. Data-­‐driven decision making in conjunction with good quality instruction and as part of the Response to Intervention process will help students pass the California High School Exit Examination, improve CST scores, and close the achievement gap in state and federal standardized tests. Goal 3d.1: All teachers will increase the academic achievement of all students by effectively incorporating appropriate technological tools and programs throughout the core curriculum, instruction, and assessment.
Objective 1: By June 2015, 90% of all classroom teachers will incorporate appropriate technological tools and programs throughout the core curriculum, instruction, and assessment.
Year 1 Benchmarks: By June 2013, 60% of all classroom teachers will incorporate appropriate technological tools and programs throughout the core curriculum, instruction, and assessment.
Year 2 Benchmarks: By June 2014, 75% of all classroom teachers will incorporate appropriate technological tools and programs throughout the core curriculum, instruction, and assessment.
Year 3 Benchmarks: By June 2015, 90% of all classroom teachers will incorporate appropriate technological tools and programs throughout the core curriculum, instruction, and assessment.
Activities, Monitoring Tools and Evaluation Timeline
All Technology and BEA staff assigned to Illuminate and PowerSchool support will be proficient in data management
Prior to August 2012
Site Tech Leaders, Instructional Technology and BEA staff will be trained in Illuminate and PowerSchool in the Summer of 2012. (See 4b for topics for training.)
August 2012
A comprehensive training will be provided at the annual Fall Staff Professional Development Day which will include how to create assessments, custom reporting, grading and using the data to drive instruction and monitor student progress.
Oct 10, 2012;
2013-­‐2015 Dates to be determined Berkeley Unified School District Page 20
Instructional Technology will develop and offer a summer technology institute to Site Tech Leaders that focuses on technology integration into the core curricula using document cameras and Google Apps.
Planning: Summer 2012 Training: August 14-­‐18 2012
Site Tech Leaders and Teachers will have time to collaborate on data driven decision making: analyze district and standardized assessment data, identify student strengths and needs, and plan next steps, including differentiation and intervention strategies using technology tools and resources.
2 Collaboration Days per year
Instructional Technology and Site Tech Leaders will provide technology demonstrations, training, and strategies for integration into core curriculum in at least one school site staff meeting per quarter.
At least 4 times per year at each site
Technology Staff, Instructional Technology, and Site Tech Leaders will continue to train administrators, teachers, students, and district/school staff in using Google Apps.
Monthly
Instructional Technology and Site Tech Leaders will collaborate Monthly
around educational use of technology and best practices of teaching and use Google Apps as tools for collaboration and sharing information.
At grade level meetings, Site Tech Leaders will plan units/lessons with Teachers that incorporate use of technology tools and resources into their instruction of the core curriculum.
Monthly
Students will take surveys based on NETS for Students; Teachers will update their EdTech Profile Technology Assessment Survey about technology integration in our schools.
May
Annually Teachers, Library Staff, Site Tech Leaders, and Site Administrators will communicate training needs to District Tech Committee.
Annually
The District Tech Committee will create and share Google Docs outlining levels of technology proficiency per grade level based on the NETS for Students.
Fall 2012
The District Tech Committee will review results from assessment tools measuring students' levels of proficiency and adjust goals, activities and implementation steps accordingly.
Annually
Berkeley Unified School District Page 21
The District Tech Committee will review new electronic learning resources that facilitate differentiated instruction of the core curriculum.
Annually
Instructional Technology will provide in-­‐class, after-­‐school and release time support on an as-­‐needed basis for Site Tech Leaders and Teachers
As needed
District Tech Committee will continue to leverage funding to Annually
increase access to technology resources, hardware, and peripherals
Teachers will have students utilize Google Apps such as Docs, Forms and Sites for assignments and projects.
Beginning 2012
Annually Goal 3d.2: Prepare ALL students for continued success in English Language Arts and Mathematics by providing high quality instruction geared to student needs including engaging technology, and appropriate modifications and accommodations.
Objective 1: By June 2015, 80% of all students in Grades 3-­‐12 will score proficient or above on the English-­‐ Language Arts and Math portions of the STAR: CST / CAHSEE test supported by state and district approved instructional resources, technology-­‐based supplemental resources, professional development, student achievement data analysis, and collaboration time.
Year 1 Benchmarks: By June 2013, 70% of all students in Grades 3-­‐12 will score proficient or above on the English-­‐ Language Arts and Math portions of the STAR: CST / CAHSEE test supported by state and district approved instructional resources, technology-­‐based supplemental resources, professional development, student achievement data analysis, and collaboration time.
Year 2 Benchmarks: By June 2014, 75% of all students in Grades 3-­‐12 will score proficient or above on the English-­‐ Language Arts and Math portions of the STAR: CST / CAHSEE test supported by state and district approved instructional resources, technology-­‐based supplemental resources, professional development, student achievement data analysis, and collaboration time.
Year 3 Benchmarks: By June 2015, 80% of all students in Grades 3-­‐12 will score proficient or above on the English-­‐ Language Arts and Math portions of the STAR: CST / CAHSEE test supported by state and district approved instructional resources, technology-­‐based supplemental resources, professional development, student achievement data analysis, and collaboration time.
Activities, Monitoring Tools and Evaluation
Timeline
The Assistant Superintendent, Director of Curriculum, Professional Beginning in Fall Berkeley Unified School District Page 22
Development staff will allocate time for systematic professional development and collaboration for site administration and teachers to align standards-­‐based instruction and quarterly assessments horizontally and vertically through grade levels in the district, review data, learn and share best practices including the use of technology.
2012 and every year thereafter
Curriculum Director and Instructional Technology will continue to identify software programs and online resources that will support the pedagogy, pacing, instructional strategies, and interventions according to the Common Core Curriculum and RTI Manual.
Annually
Instructional Technology and Curriculum Coaches will create videos and documents of best instructional practices and strategies to share with Teachers via Google Apps.
Annually
Instructional Technology will develop and continuously update a web Monthly
page of recommended technology resources that will support the pedagogy, pacing, instructional strategies, and interventions as detailed in the Common Core Standards and RTI Manual. District Tech Committee will track usage and evaluate effectiveness of district adopted academic software by analyzing status and student progress reports.
Annually
Instructional Technology, RTI Coach, and Program Supervisor will incorporate technology to support instruction, assessment, and intervention strategies of ELA and Math curriculum in extended day and summer programs.
May -­‐ June
Annually Instructional Technology will support teachers in use of supplemental curriculum based technology resources provided with ELA and Math standards-­‐aligned textbooks at middle schools.
Fall Quarter
Annually Director of Curriculum will continue to purchase and verify teacher use of appropriate state-­‐adopted instructional materials, standards-­‐
aligned textbooks and supplemental curriculum-­‐based technology resources.
Annually
Instructional Technology will provide training for Literacy and Math coaches on technology integration strategies, web-­‐based and electronic resources that support their content area and adopted textbook materials.
Fall quarter
Annually Instructional Technology and Response to Intervention Coach will support Teachers in incorporating technology in differentiation and Beginning Fall Quarter 2012
Berkeley Unified School District Page 23
intervention strategies of RTI. The District Library Coordinator will continue to update links on BUSD library websites of identified technology applications and resources such as web-­‐based lesson plans, assessment tools, and primary source materials that will support the pedagogy, pacing, instructional strategies, and interventions detailed in the Common Core Standards.
Quarterly
Instructional Technology, Teacher Librarians and Library Media Technicians will support teachers in implementing technology intervention programs such as Read 180 and Accelerated Reader at the Middle Schools.
Throughout each year
Instructional Technology will support Science Resource Teachers to continue to integrate technology strategies and tools into the FOSS curriculum and experiments.
As needed each year
Elementary School Students will write and increase their reading comprehension skills through desktop publishing programs, multi-­‐
media projects and presentation opportunities.
At least once a year
Secondary School Students will write and increase their reading comprehension skills through multi-­‐media projects, design, develop, publish, present using word processing, presentation, and other software/hardware in their core classes.
At least once a year
Goal 3d.3: Technology will be used to support instruction in English Language Development to ensure that every English Learner gains at least one English language proficiency level each year.
Objective 1: By June 2015, all English Learners will gain at least one English language proficiency level as measured by their CELDT scores the previous year.
Year 1 Benchmarks: By June 2013, 50% of the English Learners will gain at least one English language proficiency level as measured by their CELDT scores the previous year.
Year 2 Benchmarks: By June 2014, 75% of the English Learners will gain at least one English language proficiency level as measured by their CELDT scores the previous year.
Year 3 Benchmarks: By June 2015, 100% of the English Learners will gain at least one English language proficiency level as measured by their CELDT scores the previous year.
Berkeley Unified School District Page 24
Activities, Monitoring Tools and Evaluation
Timeline
EL Coach will collaborate with Instructional Technology to identify strategies where technology supports EL instruction.
Annually
Instructional Technology will collaborate with EL Coach in integrating technology during professional development trainings.
Annually
Instructional Technology will support EL Coach in sharing instructional strategies with Teachers using Google Docs.
Annually
PLC Community of EL Coach, Teachers, Staff, will collaborate using Google Apps.
Year 1, Year 2, Year 3
Site Tech Leaders will support Teachers who attended EL trainings in using technology for instruction and with students.
Year 1, Year 2, Year 3
Instructional Technology will support EL Coach in developing a web page Year 1
of resources for EL instruction.
Teachers will have students use online resources on EL web page to help improve language proficiency.
Year 1, Year 2, Year 3
Evaluation Instrument(s) and Data for 3d.1,2,3 to be Collected:
● CST and District Benchmark Exam Scores in English Language Arts & Math ● California English Language Development Test (CELDT) -­‐ Language Proficiency Level Scores ● EdTech Profile Technology Survey for Teachers ● District Student Technology Survey ● Usage data from Google Apps; PowerSchool ● Professional development registration, agenda, and evaluations ● Classroom observations ● Shared Google Docs ● Student Work Samples Schedule for Evaluation: See Timeline for implementation of activities above and objective analysis and modification process below
Objective Analysis and Modification Process:
● BEA Staff/Technology Department will upload CST, District Benchmark Exams, CELDT data into Illuminate and PowerSchool annually ● Literacy Coaches and Math Teacher Leaders will share CST data annually and District Benchmark Scores quarterly Berkeley Unified School District Page 25
●
●
●
●
●
●
EL Coach will analyze CELDT data and share results annually Instructional Technology will analyze and share data from spring technology surveys annually Instructional Technology, Site Tech Leaders will review classroom observations (Semi-­‐Annually) Technology Department will analyze Google Apps usage data Curricular Coaches and Instructional Technology will monitor activity of online PLC group in Google Apps semi-­‐annually District Tech Committee with input from Instructional Technology, Curriculum Coaches, Site Tech Leaders, Principals will examine and modify implementation based on results annually 3e. List of clear goals, measurable objectives, annual benchmarks, and an implementation plan detailing how and when students will acquire the technology skills and information literacy skills needed to succeed in the classroom and the workplace. The technology plan uses the ISTE NETS for Students as a guideline for technology skills and information literacy skills. The ISTE NETS for Students are categorized into 6 strategies: 1. Creativity and Innovation 2. Communication and Collaboration 3. Research and Information Fluency 4. Critical Thinking, Problem Solving, and Decision Making 5. Digital Citizenship 6. Technology Operations and Concepts This technology plan also takes into consideration the Common Core Standards, specifically the expectation that students use technology and digital media strategically and capably: “Students employ technology thoughtfully to enhance their reading, writing, speaking, listening, and language use. They tailor their searches online to acquire useful information efficiently, and they integrate what they learn using technology with what they learn offline. They are familiar with the strengths and limitations of various technological tools and mediums and can select and use those best suited to their communication goals.” Student use of technology is incorporated in the Anchor Standards in English Language Arts for grades K-­‐5 and for grades 6-­‐12: Berkeley Unified School District Page 26
Reading Integrate and evaluate content presented in diverse formats and media, including visually and quantitatively, as well as in words. Writing ● Production -­‐ Use technology, including the Internet, to produce and publish writing and to interact and collaborate with others. ● Research -­‐ Gather relevant information from multiple print and digital sources, assess the credibility and accuracy of each source, and integrate the information while avoiding plagiarism. Speaking/Listening ● Comprehension/Collaboration: Integrate and evaluate information presented in diverse media and formats, including visually, quantitatively, and orally. ● Presentation Knowledge: Make strategic use of digital media and visual displays of data to express information and enhance understanding of presentations. These considerations are also evidenced in the CDE’s School Library Standards for Students which incorporate information literacy skills throughout the curriculum. “Students learn to access, evaluate, use and integrate information and ideas found in print, media, and digital resources, enabling them to function in a knowledge-­‐based economy and technologically oriented society.” Goal 3e: Students will develop grade-­‐level appropriate technology and information literacy skills as outlined in the National Education Technology Standards to succeed in the classroom and beyond.
Objective: By June 2015, 80% of students in grades 3-­‐12 will meet grade level appropriate instructional technology standards, based on NETS Standards, when they demonstrate competency by creating at least one grade level appropriate desktop published research document per year, requiring them to locate, access, and evaluate information and resources from the Internet.
Year 1 Activities and Benchmarks: By June 2013, 60% of students in grades 3-­‐12 will meet grade level appropriate instructional technology standards, based on NETS Standards, when they demonstrate competency by creating at least one grade level appropriate desktop published research document per year, requiring them to locate, access, and evaluate information and resources from the Internet.
Year 2 Activities and Benchmarks: By June 2014, 70% of students in grades 3-­‐12 will meet grade level appropriate instructional technology standards, based on NETS Standards, when they demonstrate competency by creating at least one grade level appropriate desktop published research document per year, requiring them to locate, access, and evaluate information and resources from the Internet.
Year 3 Activities and Benchmarks: By June, 2015, 80% of students in grades 3-­‐12 will meet grade level appropriate instructional technology standards, based on NETS Berkeley Unified School District Page 27
Standards, when they demonstrate competency by creating at least one grade level appropriate desktop published research document per year, requiring them to locate, access, and evaluate information and resources from the Internet.
Activities, Monitoring Tools and Evaluation
Timeline
Instructional Technology will train Teachers, Teacher Librarians and Library Media Techs on the use of Web 2.0 skills for students.
Annually
Teachers and Teacher Librarians will continue to teach students how to apply digital tools to gather, evaluate and ethically use online information.
Annually
District Tech Committee will raise teacher awareness of the ISTE NETS standards for Students and analyze how they may apply to the curriculum.
Annually
Site Tech Leaders and Teachers will explore ways to embed technology skills Annually into the curriculum and develop assignments where students can demonstrate mastery of both the curriculum and technology skills at staff meetings, grade level/curriculum meetings.
Instructional Technology, Site Tech Leaders, Literacy and ELA Coaches will develop a rubric for research projects that integrate technology and information literacy skills.
Year 1
Instructional Technology, Library Staff, and Teachers will collaborate in grade level or curriculum group meetings to develop and share best practices for incorporating technology skills into research projects.
Semi-­‐
Annually District Tech Committee will work with schools to provide opportunities for students in grades 3-­‐8 to build their keyboarding skills at school and at home.
Year 1
Evaluation Instrument(s) and Data to be Collected: ● Training materials, agenda, sign-­‐in sheets, evaluation forms, etc. ● Google docs of shared best practice, instructional strategies, rubrics, etc. ● Student surveys based on NETS ● Edtech Profile Lite Assessment Survey for Teachers Schedule for Evaluation: Annually
Objective Analysis and Modification Process: The District Tech Committee, under the leadership of Instructional Technology, and with input from Site Tech Leaders will track the development and implementation of all activities and accomplishments, and will report progress at monthly District Tech Committee, Site Tech Leader meetings. Modifications to our district activities will be made as needed in order to insure that we meet or exceed this measurable objective.
Berkeley Unified School District Page 28
3f. List of goals and an implementation plan that describe how the district will address the appropriate and ethical use of information technology in the classroom so that students can distinguish lawful from unlawful uses of copyrighted works, including the following topics: the concept and purpose of both copyright and fair use; distinguishing lawful from unlawful downloading and peer-­‐to-­‐peer file sharing; and avoiding plagiarism (AB 307) Assembly Bill 307 requires that California students and teachers receive instruction in Internet Safety and the ethical use of information. Berkeley Unified School District’s Board of Education adopted Board Policy 6163.4 to reflect this new legislation. ISTE NETS for Students and Teachers include the following digital citizenship components: Standard V -­‐ Students Digital Citizenship Students understand human, cultural, and societal issues related to technology and practice legal and ethical behavior. Students will: 1. Exhibit leadership for digital citizenship 2. Advocate and practice safe, legal, and responsible use of information and technology 3. Exhibit a positive attitude toward using technology that supports collaboration, learning, and productivity. 4. Demonstrate personal responsibility for lifelong learning. Standard IV -­‐ Teachers Promote and Model Digital Citizenship and Responsibility Teachers understand local and global societal issues and responsibilities in an evolving digital culture and exhibit legal and ethical behavior in their professional practices. Teachers will: 1. Advocate, model, and teach safe, legal, and ethical use of digital information and technology, including respect for copyright, intellectual property, and the appropriate documentation of sources. 2. Address the diverse needs of all learners by using learner-­‐centered strategies providing equitable access to appropriate digital tools and resources. 3. Promote and model digital etiquette and responsible social interactions related to the use of technology and information. 4. Develop and model cultural understanding and global awareness by engaging with colleagues and students of other cultures using digital-­‐age communication and collaboration tools. The technology plan will incorporate these standards into transforming teachers and students to be responsible digital citizens. Berkeley Unified School District Page 29
Goal 3f: Improve the implementation of a Cyber Ethics Program in order to increase student and teacher awareness of ethical use of information technology.
Activities, Monitoring Tools and Evaluation
Timeline
District Tech Committee will continue to update, and recommend to the Board Annually
for adoption, policies on Copyright, file sharing, plagiarism, and other Cyber Ethics issues in the Acceptable Use Policy (AUP). The revised AUP will be published in print and on-­‐line, and in multiple languages.
District Tech Committee will reevaluate and update the digital literacy and citizenship curriculum for the district and develop a scope and sequence for students in grades 3-­‐5, 6-­‐8, and 9-­‐12.
Year 1
Instructional Technology will train Library Staff and Classroom Teachers in delivery of digital literacy and citizenship curriculum such as Common Sense Media. Year 1
Library staff and classroom Teachers will deliver digital literacy and citizenship curriculum to students in grades 3-­‐5, 6-­‐8, and 9-­‐12.
Year 2 and 3
District Tech Committee will collaborate with Parent Outreach to incorporate parent education on digital citizenship in ongoing parent forums such as PTA, ELAC, DELAC, GATE, etc.
Annually
The District Library Coordinator will continue to update the BUSD Cyber Savvy Wiki and make information available at library web page for each school site.
Annually
Evaluation Instrument(s) and Data to be Collected:
● Acceptable Use Policy ● Scope and Sequence for Digital Literacy and Citizenship Curriculum ● Training Meeting materials, agenda, sign-­‐in sheets, evaluation forms, etc. ● Cyber Savvy Wiki and library web page of school sites ● Student surveys based on NETS ● Edtech Profile Lite Assessment Survey for Teachers Schedule for Evaluation: Annually
Objective Analysis and Modification Process: The District Tech Committee, under the leadership of Instructional Technology will track the development and implementation of all activities and accomplishments, and will report progress at monthly District Tech Committee, Library Staff meetings. Modifications to our district activities will be made as needed in order to insure that we meet or exceed this measurable objective.
Berkeley Unified School District Page 30
3g. List of goals and an implementation plan that describe how the district will address Internet safety, including how to protect online privacy and avoid online predators. Current instruction on Internet safety includes short lessons on Internet safety and privacy, social networking and netiquette, and copyright, plagiarism and piracy. The lessons are often delivered during library visits. Much of what is taught to students about cybersafety is informal, which contributes to an inconsistency of Internet safety education. Lightspeed is used as our network Internet filter to prevent access to inappropriate or bandwidth-­‐
consuming websites including YouTube, MySpace, and Facebook. As educators, we are aware that our students use online communication technology outside of the school day, and that students are restricted from using it during school hours. We are in the midst of a sea change due to the district’s adoption of Google Apps in 2011, as all secondary students from Grade 6-­‐12 received Google Accounts, which include Gmail and Google Docs. Our students need to be able to collaborate and experiment in a safe and protected online environment in order to develop the 21st century skills they will need to function at school and beyond. Goal 3g: All students will understand issues surrounding Internet safety, cyber-­‐bullying, online privacy, and online predators.
Activities, Monitoring Tools and Evaluation
Timeline
Technology Director, District Tech Committee will update current District Acceptable Use Policy (AUP), including policies for students and staff use of technology on cyber-­‐bullying, cell phones, social networking, etc. Annually
Include Safe School Planning members to meeting when District Tech Committee updates Acceptable Use Policy.
Annually
District Tech Committee, Safe School Planning members will raise awareness of Anti Bullying Policy among administrators, teachers, staff, students, and parents.
Annually
Instructional Technology will share resources and information about Internet safety, cyber-­‐bullying, etc. on Google Docs and BUSD web pages.
Annually
District Tech Committee will collaborate with Parent Outreach Coordinator to continue parent education on digital citizenship in ongoing parent meetings such as PTA, ELAC, DELAC, GATE, etc. Annually
Instances of cyber-­‐abuse will continue to be taken seriously and reported in referral forms.
Ongoing
Berkeley Unified School District Page 31
Evaluation Instrument(s) and Data to be Collected:
● Acceptable Use Policy ● Anti-­‐Bullying Policy ● Training/Meeting materials, agenda, sign-­‐in sheets, evaluation forms ● Shared Google Docs, BUSD Web pages ● Referral forms documenting cyber-­‐abuse Schedule for Evaluation: Annually
Objective Analysis and Modification Process: The District Tech Committee, under the leadership of Instructional Technology will track the development and implementation of all activities and accomplishments, and will report progress at monthly District Tech Committee meetings. Modifications to our district activities will be made as needed in order to insure that we meet or exceed this measurable objective.
3h. Description of the district policy or practices that ensure equitable technology access for all students.
Berkeley Unified School District is committed to the following goals to ensure equitable access to appropriate technology tools and resources for all BUSD students: ● All students have equitable access to appropriate technology that includes Internet and LAN access, adequate Windows, Linux, or Apple computers and peripherals, and a suite of productivity tools, web-­‐based electronic learning resources, and enabling technologies. ● Students with special and diverse learning needs have access to appropriate adaptive and assistive technology tools. ● Students with an individualized education program have access to technology hardware, software and peripherals as deemed appropriate and defined by the IEP site team and the student’s IEP goals. ● English learners have access to technology hardware, software and peripherals needed to support their English language acquisition, as well as their achievement in the academic standards. ● Students who do not have computer access at home are able use school computers in the school libraries throughout the school day including the lunch hour, before and after school. ● Each school provides referrals to other locations that have public computer access including Berkeley Public libraries and City of Berkeley youth centers 3i. List of clear goals, measurable objectives, annual benchmarks, and an implementation plan to utilize technology to make student record keeping and assessment more efficient and supportive of teachers’ efforts to meet individual student academic needs. Berkeley Unified School District Page 32
Using publisher unit assessments, district benchmark assessments, supplemental tests, and annual STAR reports, teachers analyze student performance to guide their instructional planning individually and with their grade-­‐level or subject area teams. PowerSchool is currently used to provide access to student demographics, attendance, schedules, discipline, grades, extended test histories, and state reporting codes. Berkeley Unified School District currently uses DataWise, a web-­‐based data and assessment system. Using DataWise, District staff and School administrators have begun to compile test scores and analyze student performance across grade levels and longitudinally. Training for teachers was provided in prior years and all teachers have access to CST and District Assessment data in DataWise but it is used inconsistently. The district has approved the position of Data Integrity Specialist. This person's duties would include the coordination and validation of student data in all systems in addition to running annual CSIS, CBEDS, CALPADS, STAR, CELDT and other reports required by governmental agencies. As the district adopts a new data and assessment system / technology training plan this Spring 2012, the district feels it necessary to describe the process for Goal 3i separately as a narrative. It is our goal that this technology plan will serve as a road map to support district and site use of technology to improve student achievement data collection, analysis, reporting, and research/ data driven decision-­‐making. A mission for BUSD is that all educators are using student records and assessments to inform their work so that student individual academic, social and emotional needs are met and ultimately close the achievement gap. Berkeley has also established the 2020 Vision — a multi-­‐agency initiative aimed at closing the academic achievement gap that exists in Berkeley public schools. In the Fall of 2011, the Berkeley City Council and BUSD developed plans and models for internal and cross-­‐jurisdictional data-­‐sharing and collaboration to remove barriers to learning and to promote healthy development for all Berkeley children and youth. In order for all students to meet standards and become academically proficient, access to student records and up-­‐to-­‐date, accurate data is part of the BUSD roadmap. The programs that will be used in 2012-­‐2015 are referenced in the specific goal areas. The district has purchased and is fully implementing PowerSchool and is purchasing Illuminate Education, a web-­‐based data and assessment system to serve as a student achievement data-­‐warehouse. Using IlluminateEd as the central data-­‐warehouse, it is our goal that data-­‐driven decision making will be simplified by providing real-­‐time student information to all staff-­‐members over the Internet with simplified access to student records and assessment dashboards. Because both systems are platform independent, they Berkeley Unified School District Page 33
can be accessed from any Windows or Mac computer with a web browser and supports Windows and Mac server platforms. The ability of teachers and administrators to acquire on-­‐demand, disaggregated student data is essential to making informed decisions about student academic needs. To this end, the Director of Berkeley Evaluation and Assessment (BEA) convened an assessment task force after finding that the integrity of the multiple data-­‐systems that the district currently deploys do not communicate. With the adoption of IlluminateEd you will see goals to ensure teachers, administrators and classified staff have access to a data-­‐dashboard with drill-­‐down capabilities that includes the essential student information needed in their positions along with training to assure that each user is able to access the information they need to provide record keeping, assessment to ultimately inform student learning. It contains data from multiple school district databases, all collected together in one place. The data warehouse pulls relevant data from the student information system, human resources, special education, and student assessment. Using IlluminateEd, when data is disaggregated, administrators can understand whether variables such as student mobility, professional development for teachers, course sequencing or parental involvement are affecting student performance. Teachers will have a broad range of tools to collect and analyze data, and richer sets of student data to guide instructional decisions. This system will be piloted and beta-­‐tested by BEA. The pilot participants will work with the developer, to further refine the application and in summer 2012, a larger training group will utilize the updated application to plan training for the fall. It is the goal of the District Task Force to establish an “Data Integrity and Assessment Plan” to ensure data-­‐integrity and to make student and district record keeping and assessment more efficient and supportive of teachers’ efforts to meet individual student academic needs and to create accessibility to stakeholders based on the four sub-­‐strategies: New Assessment Software, Assessing and Monitoring Student Progress, Student Record Keeping / Grading and Attendance Monitoring, Using Data to Drive Decision Making. To ensure this process is aligned to the district goals, we use a measurable cycle for the district and school plans for student achievement. The process of goal setting, action plan development and monitoring the plans throughout the year is a process that includes all stakeholder groups yet looks different at each school dependent upon the leadership teams from both the staff and the community. This process is continuous and occurs throughout the year. A simple visual of this process is included below and the BEA and PD staff are available to train the teams on the process with sample clarifying and pushing questions that will include all staff and interested stakeholders in the process. Berkeley Unified School District Page 34
Goal 3i. Use technology as a tool for data-­‐driven decision making to monitor student progress towards the content standards, guide and differentiate instruction, evaluate the effectiveness of our programs, and share this information with the staff, the Board and the community.
Objective 3i.1: New Assessment Software -­‐ By August 30, 2012, 100% of staff will have live access to the Illuminate Data and Assessment System. (No Benchmark as Goal is 100%)
Activities, Monitoring Tools and Evaluation
Start
Convene Committee comprised of teachers, administrators and classified staff for selection of a data and assessment system (DNA)
Present
April, 2012
Present
April, 2012
April, 2012
April, 2012
Present
6/1/12
4/30/12
4/30/12
5/15/12
Present
Present
6/1/12
5/15/12
5/15/12
6/30/12
6/30/12
6/30/12
6/15/12
May, 2012
6/30/12
Conduct DNA procurement study
Contract Award to Select DNA, Illuminate. Initial, verify and clean PowerSchool and DataWise for Data Migration to new DNA. Share implementation planning schedule, calendar and technology plan with the DNA Vendor, Illuminate. Identify additional data cleansing requirements
Conduct final cleansing of SIS and Assessment data
Establish Server / IT capabilities
Finalize implementation and training schedule
Conduct BEA / IT Department Training
Install New System Backend and create “Sandbox” Site for Training of Lead Teachers, beta test “Sandbox”
Berkeley Unified School District Page 35
End
Import Historical Data into new System
Create data bridge between Illuminate and PowerSchool
Convert all Datawise Assessments to new System
Verify EOY in PowerSchool Complete / Clean
Finalize master schedules, teachers, student data in PS
Upload data to new Assessment System / DataWarehouse
Conduct Lead Teacher training (see Goal 4b.2) 6/30/12
4/1/12
4/1/12
6/15/12
7/1/12
8/15/12
8/15/12
9/1/12
8/1/12
8/1/12
7/15/12
8/15/12
8/25/12
8/17/12
Go LIVE date for Data and Assessment System (DNA) 8/26/12
8/26/12
Mentors Conduct fall training for teachers and school staff (see Goal 4b.2)
BEA Team Conduct follow-­‐up training support for schools (see Goal 4b.2)
8/27/12
8/30/12 annually
8/28/12
6/30/12 annually
Objective 3i.2: Assessing and Monitoring Student Progress -­‐ By June 2015, 90% of all teachers will access and utilize IlluminateEd to create assessments and monitor student progress.
Year 1 Benchmark: By June 2013, 50% of all teachers will access and utilize Illuminate to create assessments and monitor student progress.
Year 2 Benchmark: By June 2015, 75% of all teachers will access and utilize Illuminate to create assessments and monitor student progress.
Year 3 Benchmark: By June 2015, 90% of all teachers will access and utilize Illuminate to create assessments and monitor student progress.
Activities, Monitoring Tools and Evaluation Timeline
As indicated in 3i.1, during the 2012-­‐13 school year and every year thereafter until the district meets our 2014-­‐15 school year objective, the district will continue its roll-­‐out of an integrated student assessment platform across all school sites. Participating teachers and administrators will receive necessary professional development for successful utilization. (See 4b.2)
Present
Standardize procedures for input / output. Establish a system of checks and balances to ensure data-­‐integrity and cleanliness of the data sources. Implement consistent and common data-­‐systems for entering of state and local assessments. Review annually. Summer, 2012. Annually
On the first day of school, each teacher will receive a paper “class-­‐
profile” while the BEA / Illuminate staff develops a goal-­‐monitoring dashboard for administrators and teachers to be utilized in Illuminate. (See 4b.2)
● In Fall, 2013-­‐2015, teachers will use Illuminate to access Aug. 30, 2012
Dashboard in subsequent years. Berkeley Unified School District Page 36
student and class profiles and have the ability to print these out for use in monitoring student progress. District and Sites will administer State Mandated Student Standardized Assessments (CAHSEE, CELDT, CAPA, CMA, STS, CST etc.) to appropriate students with accurate documentation and according to district and state timelines. Using the Data-­‐Warehouse, students will be accurately designated by August 30, 2012 and annually following. Appropriate test materials will be ordered each fall. Adhering to state and local deadlines. ● Pre-­‐ID and hand entered test documents will be completed accurately based on information in the MDW meeting state and local deadlines. ● Staff will be trained in handling of test materials and in administration of testing. (See 4b.2) ● Test materials will be securely distributed, stored, and returned District and Site Test Site Coordinators will be held accountable for the accuracy and security of the monitoring and return of testing materials. Make State Mandated Student Standardized Assessments (CAHSEE, CELDT, CAPA, CMA, STS, CST etc.) results accessible
● Scorable materials will be returned to state within set deadlines ● Returned results will be posted and accessible in Illuminate and PowerSchool within seven days of receipt of the testing upload or CD. ● Lead Teachers will receive training in understanding Test Results for Illuminate / PowerSchool during Summer Training. (See 4b.2) ● By Fall, 2012, Staff will have appropriate access to and training for use of data systems with a follow-­‐up full-­‐day training held on October 10th, 2012 and annually thereafter. ● Lead Teachers and BEA will provide site level support throughout the year on an annual basis. ● Parents will be informed in writing of test results within 30 days of District receipt (Fall SBCP Day, BTSA, BSEP, Technology Funds Collaboration -­‐ See Fiscal Alignment) As the state moves to the Smarter Balanced Assessments (SBAC), the district will provide professional development (See 4b.2) and training as aligned to the new assessment. Berkeley Unified School District Page 37
As listed in State Testing Calendars As listed in State Testing Calendars beginning Summer, 2012
As listed in SBAC Administer District common assessments (benchmark tests) to appropriate students following benchmark time-­‐lines in appropriate intervals matching the pacing guides and assessment calendar. Training for teachers provided as described above. ● Students enrolled in designated academic subjects will take benchmark tests with make-­‐up opportunities provided ● Professional Development will be provided in the use of standards-­‐aligned test banks. ● Lead Curriculum Task Force use Illuminate, Intel-­‐Assess, and curriculum test-­‐banks to finalize prompts and prepare standards-­‐aligned assessment documents (aligned to current State Standards while transitioning to Core Common Standards) ● BEA Designee uploads or links assessment to standards in Illuminate and shares will appropriate teachers for administration and scoring ● Assessment is duplicated and distributed for administration Teachers administer assessement according to timelines ● Assessment is uploaded into Illuminate for scoring using scanner, document camera or hand-­‐scoring device ● Teachers and Teacher-­‐leaders review results for accuracy and student / site-­‐level completion ● BEA / Illuminate compiles assessment results for teacher, site 3-­‐6 times a year based on and district progress monitoring (See 3i.4) and availability Assessment Calendar and for reporting to parents. (See 3i.3) District Timelines. Min. Fall, Mid-­‐Year and Spring.
BEA staff will work with Technology staff and Illuminate to ensure that District common assessment (benchmark) are accessible in a timely fashion
● Completed assessments will be entered into data system within 7 days using scanning, web and document cameras and hand-­‐scoring. ● Administrators will verify benchmark deadlines on the 7th day and take appropriate actions ● Results will be immediately accessible to staff within 24 hours of entry 3-­‐6 times using ● Parents will be informed of results within parameters of the Assessment and District grading/reporting system (See 3i.3) Timelines. Objective 3i.3: Monitoring and Maintenance of Student Records, Attendance and Grading-­‐ By June 2015, 90% of all teachers and administrators will access and utilize PowerSchool Berkeley Unified School District Page 38
to maintain student records, attendance and grading. Year 1 Benchmark: By June 2013, 50% of all teachers and administrators will access and utilize PowerSchool to maintain student records, attendance and grading.
Year 2 Benchmark: By June 2015, 75% of all teachers and administrators will access and utilize PowerSchool to maintain student records, attendance and grading.
Year 3 Benchmark: By June 2015, 90% of all teachers and administrators will access and utilize PowerSchool to maintain student records, attendance and grading.
Activities, Monitoring Tools and Evaluation Timeline
As indicated in 3i.1, during the 2012-­‐13 school year and every year thereafter until the district meets our 2014-­‐15 school year objective, the district will continue its roll-­‐out of an integrated student information system platform across all school sites using PowerSchool. Participating teachers will receive necessary training for successful utilization. (See 4b.2)
The Technology staff will standardize procedures for input / output and establish a system of checks and balances to ensure data-­‐integrity and cleanliness of the data sources. Implement consistent and common data-­‐
systems for entering of student information, attendance and grades. By August, 2012, Establish new protocols for Data management and procedures for input
● Develop checklist for data input by teachers and school admin staff ● All student information will be verified and entered by October of the academic year By August, 2012 (and each summer following), develop a timeline for Scheduling, grading and reporting in conjunction with the Board master calendar and following staff work schedules and college deadlines. (June, 2008)
● Teachers and counselors will receive timeline on first district training day Timeline will include deadlines for grading and student record keeping By June, 2013 (and each June following), design each year a Master Schedule conducive to the needs of the students at their individual schools using the District Course Catalog and Admissions guidelines (the site admin team). The District Course Catalog and PowerSchool will be updated to reflect CALPADs and District requirements for Middle / High School Math Course Alignment, Honors and Advanced Placement Courses, CTE Pathways and A-­‐G requirements. Illuminate will be updated to include a Counselors Module that includes Graduation Requirements, College and Berkeley Unified School District Page 39
Present
Summer, 2012. Annually
Summer, 2012 -­‐ Summer 2015 Spring, 2013 and Annually thereafter. Career Pathways and a section on College Readiness Tests such as Placement, AP, SAT and IB tests to enable teachers and administratos to monitor and map student college and career readiness.
● By Spring, 2013, the District Course Catalog will be updated to reflect new course mapping that includes CTE and A-­‐G requirements . Courses will be updated annually. ● By Spring, 2013, a transition plan from Middle and Middle to High will be in place to include Course Mapping guide lines. By, March, 2013, School Scheduling Staff will be trained to build the Master Schedule using Course Mapping and College / Career Readiness Guidelines. Following the training plan listed in 4b.2, (Summer Lead Teachers, Fall Introduction, October 10th Full-­‐Day) (and following up each Fall) staff will follow implementation procedures for grade input into PowerSchool
● All teachers will be trained by Site and District Technology Mentors ● Mid-­‐Quarter Progress Reports, Quarterly, Trimester and Semester Grades will follow District timeline. ● All Elementary Grades will be entered into PowerSchool using the Standards-­‐Based Report Card including District Assessment scores for Reading. (See next page for transition from PowerSchool to Illuminate.) ● All Middle and High School grades will be submitted through PowerSchool Teacher. ● Teachers who have missing grades will work with School Administrators to follow deadlines, if necessary missing grades MAY be mass published ● Incomplete grades and grade changes will follow District / Board Policy In Spring, 2013, the Elementary Report Committee will be re-­‐convened to establish a timeline for converting the Standards-­‐Based Report Card to Illuminate for ease of use by Elementary Teachers. ● The Goal of the Committee will be to transition the Report Card for Pilot Implementation, Fall, 2013 with Fall, 2014 serving as the full-­‐
implementation date. ● Training will be provided to accompany the new Report Card Implementation Year. Per Education Code and teacher job description, teachers will enter daily (for self-­‐contained) and/or period by period attendance (for secondary) into PowerSchool.
● All teachers will be trained by Site and District Technology Mentors when hired ● Substitutes will enter attendance based on site protocols Berkeley Unified School District Page 40
3-­‐8 times a year based on District Grading Timelines. Spring, 2013 -­‐ 2015
Training -­‐ Fall, 2013 Fall, 2014 Training, Aug., Fall Training, Follow-­‐
Up in Oct. Annually
Sites will submit their attendance protocol procedures to the Student Services Office (e.g. 8:30 am for Elementary and before the conclusion of the period for secondary) Beginning Fall, 2012, School Office Attendance staff will verify attendance using the “PowerSchool (Teachers who have not Taken) Attendance” report and present to the School Administrator for Action according to Administrative Regulations. School Office staff will work with Student Services and Technology Staff to be trained on attendance reporting
Monthly
Beginning Fall, 2012, Once all classes have been verified and substitute attendance has been entered, school office attendance staff will run attendance verification reports ● Known absences will be cleared ● The Auto-­‐dialer program or clerk will contact parent/guardian to clear absences ● Parent/guardian will file and maintain current contact information and emergency card with the school office ● Reconciled absences will be cleared by attendance period deadline. By August 30, 2012 Processes for dropping a student from school will follow district protocols and Annually Objective 3i.4: Using Data to Drive Decision Making -­‐ By June 2015, 90% of all teachers and administrators will use PowerSchool and Illuminate data (as listed above) to make informed instructional decisions at the district, site, classroom and student level to meet academic needs. Year 1 Benchmark: By June 2013, 50% of all teachers and administrators will access and utilize PowerSchool and Illuminate as a tool for data-­‐driven decision making to guide and differentiate instruction, evaluate the effectiveness of site and district programs, and share this information with the staff, the Board and the community. Year 2 Benchmark: By June 2013, 75% of all teachers and administrators will access and utilize PowerSchool and Illuminate as a tool for data-­‐driven decision making to guide and differentiate instruction, evaluate the effectiveness of site and district programs, and share this information with the staff, the Board and the community. Year 3 Benchmark: By June 2013, 90% of all teachers and administrators will access and utilize PowerSchool and Illuminate as a tool for data-­‐driven decision making to guide and differentiate instruction, evaluate the effectiveness of site and district programs, and share this information with the staff, the Board and the community.
Activities, Monitoring Tools and Evaluation
In order to effectively drive instruction, teachers and administrators will use a Berkeley Unified School District Page 41
Timeline
Continuous
process of Collaborative Inquiry when looking at student records, achievement and demographic data to inform their decisions to continuously improve instruction and student learning. This process will be embedded in the professional development (See 4b.2) and the use of data and an integral part of school and district operations and improvement initiatives. As indicated in 3i.1-­‐3, during the 2012-­‐13 school year and every year thereafter until the district meets our 2014-­‐15 school year objective, the district will continue its roll-­‐out of an integrated student information and assessment system across all school sites using PowerSchool and Illuminate as the tools and Collaborative Inquiry as the process. (See 4b.2)
Ongoing
To support the schools in the Results-­‐Oriented Cycle of Inquiry process, Present and stakeholder support will be built through sharing the process with different continuing stakeholder groups including: district administrators, site administrators, site annually
and district instructional leaders, union representatives, potential data team members, school board members, school governance councils (SGC), parents and community partners. The process has begun and will continue throughout the summer to include Board Meetings, Principal Meetings, SGC and PTA meetings, Staff Meetings and meetings with the Berkeley Federation of Teachers (BFT) and the 2020 Design Team. ● Results and progress will be presented to the Principals, District Office Staff and Governing Board at the Beginning of the Year (STAR, AYP, API), Mid-­‐Year (District Indicators and Single School Plans) and at the End of the Year (District Assessments, Grades, Attendance, Suspensions / Expulsions and Student / Family Engagement) ● For SGC, staff and other site teams, results are also reviewed as mid-­‐
year / mid-­‐term assessments become available to enable further analysis of tangible intervention or other programs. wiht modifications made as necessary. Using the processes listed in the 4b.2, the district will ensure that by Fall, 2012, all site and district educational services administrators and teacher leaders have the fundamental skills to interpret data at the site level and to assess and take steps to strengthen the collaborative culture a the site. On-­‐going support and training will be provided to update and train new administrators. Fall, 2012
By Summer, 2012 (and if necessary, each Spring), the district will select, prepare and empower BEA, Technology and Lead Teachers (Data Team) to ensure that they are proficient in data management and the use of technology tools to drive data-­‐driven decision making. By July 1, 2012 (and each year)
Using the expertise of the “Data Team”, the district will work with Illuminate to develop goal-­‐monitoring reports and dashboards for administrators and teachers to use by Fall, 2012. These dashboards will be refined annually based on stakeholder input. By August 15, 2012 and Annually Berkeley Unified School District Page 42
Based on site and district input given during the Assessment System selection process , the district will use Illuminate to expand the types of data collected and used for school improvement efforts beginning Fall, 2012 and each summer based on Professional Development surveys. (See 4b.2)
By August 30, 2012 and Annually Teach staff to use data thoughtfully. Site and district administrators will sustain the culture of continuous improvement through data driven decision-­‐
making which will be an integral part of all meetings (and more) listed below: ● Teacher Collaboration Time ● School Improvement Planning Process ● School Governance / Site Council and PTSA meetings ● District Board, Administrative Staff and 2020 Vision Design Team Meetings ● Parent Engagement / Community Meetings On-­‐going
Beginning during the 2012 Parent-­‐Teacher conferences, teachers will November, incorporate students’ data using the Illuminate Student Profile and Assessment 2012 and Reports in goal setting in the academic core areas of Mathematics and English ongoing
Language Arts for Elementary School and all subject areas for Middle and High School. Using Illuminate and Google Documents, by June, 2012 and annually thereafter BEA and Professional Development staff will gather details on the process in which teachers are using data to differentiate instruction in response to students who need additional support. These classrooms will serve as a model for other teachers to observe. June, 2012 and annually
Using Illuminate, after-­‐school and summer program staff will identify students needing intervention to receive additional tutoring and assisted support using computers to individualize the instruction based on their mastery of Mathematics and ELA standards. These programs will be evaluated based on student growth towards standards including the new Core Common State Standards (CCSS). On-­‐going In alignment with CCSS
Beginning in Fall, 2013 BEA will incorporate a pilot project where students will use data collected from different assessments to write their own goals at the parent, teacher, student conference in Mathematics and English Language Arts. BEA will gather teacher volunteers to be trained on the process. Data will be collected from parents to assess the success of the Pilot Project to inform future full-­‐implementation. PILOT: Fall -­‐ November, 2013
Evaluation Instrument(s) and Data to be Collected: Evaluation and Monitoring is included throughout the document with specifics listed below. All Sections -­‐ PowerSchool and Illuminate User Logs, Participant Sign-­‐in sheets and Implementation Plans Berkeley Unified School District Page 43
3i.1 -­‐ New Assessment Software -­‐ Implementation Calendar, Data-­‐Integrity Review, Data-­‐
Bridge Audit. 3i.2-­‐ Assessing and Monitoring Student Progress -­‐ Data-­‐Dashboards, Class and Student Profiles, District, Site and Classroom State and District Assessment Reports. 3i.3-­‐ Student Record Keeping / Grading and Attendance Monitoring -­‐ Grade and Attendance Dashboards, Report Cards, Monthly Attendance Reports 3i.4-­‐ Using Data to Drive Decision Making -­‐ District and Site Reports on Student Achievement and District Indicators. Single School Plans and District and School Accountability Report Cards. A mid-­‐year and end of year survey will be given to all users to assess the effectiveness of the items above. Schedule for Evaluation: The schedule for evaluation will follow timelines listed next to each activity. In addition, the following timelines will be followed. Usage Logs collected on a bi-­‐monthly basis. 3i.1 -­‐ New Assessment Software -­‐ by August 30, 2012 and annually thereafter. 3i.2-­‐ Assessing and Monitoring Student Progress -­‐ Following State and District Assessment Timelines. 3i.3-­‐ Student Record Keeping / Grading and Attendance Monitoring -­‐ Following District Report Card and Parent Conference Calendar. Attendance will be monitored on a monthly basis. 3i.4-­‐ Using Data to Drive Decision Making -­‐ Following Board and Site Reporting Calendars for Single School Plan and site indicators. Objective Analysis and Modification Process: All objectives will be analyzed through a Professional Learning Community model and modified as necessary. BEA staff will compile a calendar for timelines and mid / end of year surveys. District administrators and school site administrators will track the development and implementation of all activities and accomplishments through monthly progress reports at regular district/ site administration meetings. Modifications to our district activities will be made as needed in order to insure that measurable objectives are met or exceeded.
Berkeley Unified School District Page 44
3j. List of clear goals, measurable objectives, annual benchmarks, and an implementation plan to use technology to improve two-­‐way communication between home and school. In 2011 the superintendent made effective communication and service a priority for Berkeley Unified. Several initiatives to improve the district’s responsiveness to parents, families, and staff are underway, including developing standards for responding to parent concerns, formal complaints, and using technology to provide quick access to information and digital communication tools. Google Apps for Education was recently rolled out in August 2011 and both teachers and administrators are using Gmail to communicate with parents as well as posting school events on Google Calendar. The district calendar and each school’s calendar is posted on the district website. Some after-­‐school programs also post their calendar on their school’s page on the district website. School Messenger is a notification tool that was also recently adopted for school sites to notify all parents of events and school information quickly and efficiently. PowerSchool, the student information system, was also updated to the latest version which allows more efficient teacher to family communication. Parents of middle and high school students can view their student’s attendance and grades, in most cases on an assignment by assignment basis. Goal 3j: Teachers and administrators will make use of technology tools to improve two-­‐
way communication between home and school: including PowerSchool; Google Apps such as Gmail, Calendar, Sites; School Messenger; voicemail.
Objective 3j.1: By June 2015, 90% of teachers will regularly communicate with parents using PowerSchool, voicemail, and Google Apps such as Gmail, Calendar, and Sites.
Year 1 Activities and Benchmarks: By June 2013, 50% of teachers will regularly communicate with parents using PowerSchool, voicemail, and Google Apps such as Gmail, Calendar, and Sites.
Year 2 Activities and Benchmarks: By June 2014, 70% of teachers will regularly communicate with parents using PowerSchool, voicemail, and Google Apps such as Gmail, Calendar, and Sites.
Year 3 Activities and Benchmarks: By June 2015, 90% of teachers will regularly communicate with parents using PowerSchool, voicemail, and Google Apps such as Gmail, Calendar, and Sites.
Activities, Monitoring Tools and Evaluation
The District Tech Committee will use results of Berkeley Unified’s Berkeley Unified School District Page 45
Timeline
Year 1
communication study and from the Edtech Profile Technology Survey to improve policies and recommended practices for District, school, and classroom use of technology for two-­‐way communication between home and school. Instructional Technology will standardize or adapt and disseminate model Google Docs, Sites web pages to facilitate two-­‐way, home-­‐school communications. The templates may include: basic school and classroom information and policies, e-­‐mail links, grade and homework information, newsletters, calendars, event information, student work samples, videos and podcasts, surveys, and response forms. Year 1
Technology Staff will continue the use of password protected parent access to student information via the current web interface
Annually
Instructional Technology will collaborate with Parent Outreach to provide Annually
parent training on PowerSchool which allows access to their child’s attendance and grades, and also how to access information on district, school, and class web pages. Instructional Technology will provide support for Site Tech Leaders to follow the standardized format for classroom web pages, documents, or forms in Google Apps.
Year 1
Site Tech Leaders will conduct ongoing staff trainings in the effective use of recommended two-­‐way, home-­‐school communications tools for voice mail, web-­‐pages, e-­‐mail, etc. Annually
Public Information Officer will continue broadcasts of Board Meetings on Public Annually
Education Television Channel, post information on District Website.
Evaluation Instrument(s) and Data to be Collected:
● Google Apps, PowerSchool, School Messenger Usage Data ● Shared Google Docs in Berkeley.net domain ● Class Websites in Berkeley.net domain ● Number of teachers utilizing PowerSchool for grades and progress reports Schedule for Evaluation: Annually
Objective Analysis and Modification Process:
All persons responsible listed above will track the development and implementation of all activities and accomplishments through timely reports at monthly or quarterly meetings. Modifications to our district activities will be made as needed in order to insure that measurable objectives are met or exceeded. Berkeley Unified School District Page 46
Objective 3j.2: By June 2015, 100% of school sites will regularly communicate with parents using School Messenger.
Year 1 Activities and Benchmarks: By June 2013, 60% of school sites will regularly communicate with parents using School Messenger.
Year 2 Activities and Benchmarks: By June 2014, 80% of school sites will regularly communicate with parents using School Messenger.
Year 3 Activities and Benchmarks: By June 2015, 100% of school sites will regularly communicate with parents using School Messenger.
Activities, Monitoring Tools and Evaluation
Timeline
Technology Staff will continue training district/site administrators and administrative assistants in School Messenger.
Beginning of each year
Technology Staff will support district/site administrators and administrative assistants in using School Messenger.
Annually
Evaluation Instrument(s) and Data to be Collected:
● Usage data by school site in School Messenger ● Training materials, agenda, sign-­‐in, evaluation forms ● Help desk support logs Schedule for Evaluation: Annually
Objective Analysis and Modification Process: Technology Department will track the development and implementation of all activities and accomplishments through timely reports at monthly meetings. Modifications to our district activities will be made as needed in order to insure that measurable objectives are met or exceeded.
3k.Describe the process that will be used to monitor the Curricular Component (Section 3d-­‐3j) goals, objectives, benchmarks and planned implementation activities including roles and responsibilities. Instructional Technology and Site Tech Leaders will gather and evaluate the data on whether implementation of this plan has made a positive impact on teaching and learning. The Instructional Technology will meet with the Site Tech Leaders once a month. The data will include lesson plans, student work, meeting agendas, training evaluations, shared Google Docs, Google Site web pages, common assessments, etc. Teachers will complete the Edtech Profile Lite Technology Survey and students will complete a technology survey using Google Forms towards the end of each school year. Data from those surveys will be collected by Instructional Technology and evaluated by the District Tech Committee at the end of the year. The Student Information Systems Manager will provide data on PowerSchool use and the Technology Director will provide data on Google Apps use which the District Tech Committee will examine at the end of the year. Berkeley Unified School District Page 47
The results from the District Benchmark Assessments and California Standards Tests in English Language Arts and Math will measure how successful the implementation of the plan has made a positive impact on student achievement. Language proficiency scores from the California English Language Development Test will determine if English Learners have increased one proficiency level per school year. The scores will determine if the benchmarks in the technology plan were met. The Berkeley Evaluation & Assessment department will collect data from the District Benchmark Assessments quarterly and the CST annually. The data will then be shared with district and school site administrators, curriculum coaches, classroom teachers, students, and parents. The District Tech Committee, which is comprised by the Director of Technology, Director of Curriculum and Instruction, Director of Evaluation and Assessment, Coordinator of Library Services, Instructional Technology Coach and principal and teacher representatives is the group that will monitor success, provide oversight, and recommend revisions to the plan. They will meet quarterly to examine the evidence and data sources listed above, and monitor the progress toward the goals, objectives and benchmarks. 4. Professional Development 4a. Summary of teachers’ and administrators’ current technology skills and professional development needs Table 1: Teacher Technology Skills Adv Adv Intermediate
Intermediate Beginning Intermediate
Beginner None
General Computer
14
30
38
15
3
0
Internet
30
30
31
9
0
0
Information Literacy
11
25
40
16
4
4
Internet Safety
9
17
32
27
12
2
Email
2
34
34
9
2
0
Word Processing
22
40
27
10
1
0
Presentation Software
9
15
21
28
19
9
Spreadsheets
6
10
16
33
23
12
Berkeley Unified School District Page 48
Database
1
7
12
31
31
19
Ethical Use
10
22
28
19
16
6
PowerSchool
11
18
19
47
3
2
Datawise
4
7
17
31
28
13
Google Apps
8
10
30
27
17
8
Adaptive Tech
1
1
8
17
33
38
Chart 1: Teacher Technology Skills ● Based on the Edtech Profile Teacher Survey taken earlier this year, teachers are comfortable with word processing (89% Intermediate to Advanced) and using the internet (91% Intermediate to Advanced). ● Teachers consider themselves Advanced Intermediate and Intermediate when it comes to using Email (68%) and General Computer Skills (68%). However, more training will be needed with the recent adoption of Gmail and Macs being replaced by Windows PCs. ● As for the other application programs, teachers are more familiar with using presentation software (45% Intermediate to Advanced), then spreadsheets Berkeley Unified School District Page 49
(majority 68% No Experience to Beginning Intermediate), and are least familiar with database software (81% No Experience to Beginning Intermediate) ● Teachers are least knowledgeable with Adaptive Technology where a majority, 85% have No Experience to Beginning Intermediate. ● As for the software programs that have been adopted for use in the district, teachers need more training in using Datawise (72% No Experience to Advanced) and will definitely need training on the new data management and assessment system. ● Teachers can use additional training in Google Apps (57% Beginning Intermediate to Intermediate) and PowerSchool, the Student Information System (65% Beginning Intermediate to Intermediate). 4b. List of clear goals, measurable objectives, annual benchmarks, and an implementation plan for providing professional development opportunities based on the needs assessment and the Curriculum Component goals (sections 3d through 3j). Our two main Education Technology professional development goals over the next three years are: Goal 1: Teachers will become proficient with the same general technology skills, technology integration skills, technology safety skill, and information literacy skills required of students, as well as proficient with work specific productivity tools in order to prepare our students to be 21st Century Citizens and Learners. Goal 2: Administrators and teachers will become proficient in the use of technology to improve student achievement data collection, analysis, reporting, and decision-­‐making as it relates to the mastery of the English Language Arts and Mathematics essential standards and the identified sub groups as part of the Response to Instruction and Intervention process. Goal 4b.1.1: Provide essential professional development to teachers, school and district staff on the integration of technological tools and programs that help prepare our students to be 21st Century Citizens and Learners.
Objective 4b.1: By June 2015, 100% of teachers will increase their proficiency in general technology skills, technology integration skills, information literacy skills, and knowledge of cyberethics and cybersafety that is expected of students.
Year 1 Activities and Benchmarks: By June 2013, 60% of teachers will increase their proficiency in general technology skills, technology integration skills, information literacy skills, and knowledge of cyberethics and cybersafety that is expected of students.
Year 2 Activities and Benchmarks: By June 2014, 80% of teachers will increase their proficiency in general technology skills, technology integration skills, information literacy skills, and knowledge of cyberethics and cybersafety that is expected of students.
Berkeley Unified School District Page 50
Year 3 Activities and Benchmarks: By June 2015, 100% of teachers will increase their proficiency in general technology skills, technology integration skills, information literacy skills, and knowledge of cyberethics and cybersafety that is expected of students.
Activities, Monitoring Tools and Evaluation
Timeline
BUSD administrators and teachers will complete the short version of the EdTech Profile assessment survey.
Annually
District Tech Committee will analyze The EdTech Profile Assessment administrator and teacher technology and integration skills data to plan for professional development offerings for the summer and following year
June
Annually Tech Dept., Ed Services, and Instructional Technology will provide professional Annually
development training to teachers in the use of BUSD adopted software (such as Microsoft Office, Google Apps) and hardware peripherals (such as document cameras, LCD Projectors).
Instructional Technology will train Site Technology Leaders to support teachers in technology integration at the site level.
Annually
District will schedule and promote district sponsored technology integration and approved curriculum-­‐based software and resource workshops for Math and ELA teachers, aligned to the essential standards, NETS-­‐S, NETS-­‐T and to identified professional development needs.
Annually
District will provide systematic professional development and collaboration time for site administration and teachers to analyze student achievement data, align essential standards-­‐based instruction, learn and share best practices in instruction and intervention, including the use of technology, and develop quarterly assessments horizontally and vertically through grade levels in the district.
Annually
District Tech Committee will introduce administrators and teachers to ISTE NETS for students and teachers.
District Library Coordinator, Instructional Technology will provide training for Site Tech Leaders, Library Staff on NETS for students, NETS for teachers, and 21st century skills.
Partner with CTAP Region IV and other providers to train Library Staff and classroom teachers in delivery of the approved CyberEthics/CyberSafety programs. Continue to use CTAP Region IV online materials, develop and deliver training on information literacy.
Berkeley Unified School District Page 51
Year 1
Year 2
Year 1
Annually
Objective 4b.1.2: By June 2015, 80% of teachers will use online tools such as Google Apps, to
increase teacher to teacher and teacher to student collaboration; Google Apps, PowerSchool to
improve school to home communication.
Year 1 Activities and Benchmarks: By June 2015, 40% of teachers will use online tools such
as Google Apps, to increase teacher to teacher and teacher to student collaboration; Google
Apps, PowerSchool to improve school to home communication.
Year 2 Activities and Benchmarks: By June 2015, 60% of teachers will use online tools such
as Google Apps, to increase teacher to teacher and teacher to student collaboration; Google
Apps, PowerSchool to improve school to home communication.
Year 3 Activities and Benchmarks: By June 2015, 80% of teachers will use online tools such
as Google Apps, to increase teacher to teacher and teacher to student collaboration; Google
Apps, PowerSchool to improve school to home communication.
Evaluation Instrument(s) and Data to be Collected: ● Meeting Agendas, Training materials, Participant Sign-­‐In Sheets, and Professional Development Evaluations. ● Classroom observations ● Teacher and/or student usage logs in Google Apps and PowerSchool. ● Edtech Profile Technology Assessment survey for teachers and district created technology surveys for students. Schedule for Evaluation: 1. Professional Development will be evaluated at the end of each Professional Development Session 2. Training needs assessed monthly at Site Tech Leader meetings and Library Staff meetings 3. District Tech Committee will meet at end of the year to assess the overall professional development plan Objective Analysis and Modification Process:
Professional Development and Instructional Technology will continuously monitor the development and implementation of all professional development activities and accomplishments. This will be reviewed at monthly at Site Tech Leader meetings and Library Staff meetings, and shared with district and site administrators at their regular district/site administration meetings through quarterly progress reports. Modifications to our district activities will be made as needed in order to insure that measurable objectives met or exceeded. Berkeley Unified School District Page 52
Collaborative Inquiry With increased accountability, American schools and those who work in them are being asked to do something new—to engage in systematic, continuous improvement in the quality of the educational experience of students and to subject themselves to the discipline of measuring their success by the metric of students’ academic performance. Most people who currently work in public schools weren’t hired to do this work, nor have they been adequately prepared to do it either by their professional education or by their prior experience in schools. —
Elmore, 2002
Schools are gathering more and more data, but having data available does not mean that data are used to guide instructional improvement. Many schools lack the process to connect the data that they have with the results they must produce. —Love, 2004 The Process of Collaborative Inquiry offers schools a structured process for ongoing investigation of data with the goal of improving teaching and learning. The process addresses the critical capacity crisis described above by building the knowledge and skills of BEA and Professional Development Coaches—education leaders especially trained to guide the use of data—to lead Data Teams in collaborative inquiry. Collaborative inquiry is a process where site staff, administrators and inquiry teams (including School Governance Councils, School Site Councils and other local teams) work together to make sense of student learning and other data and embrace and test out solutions together through rigorous use of data and ongoing reflective dialogue. Through the Using Data Process, Data Teams become vital centers of collaboration, meeting regularly to engage in Data-­‐Driven Dialogue, using multiple data sources, including common and formative assessments, to make critical, research-­‐based instructional improvements and to monitor their impact. These improvements and ongoing monitoring of student learning are the final and necessary step to improve results for students. In sum, the purpose of Collaborative Inquiry is to guide Data Teams to influence the culture of schools, the district and the community to be one in which data are used continuously, collaboratively, and effectively to improve teaching and learning.
Berkeley Unified School District Page 53
COLLABORATIVE INQUIRY PROCESS
References: Elmore, R. F. (2002). Bridging the gap between standards and achievement: The imperative for professional development in education. Washington, DC: Albert Shanker Institute. Love, N. (2004). Taking data to new depths. Journal of Staff Development, 25(4), 22-­‐26. Love, N. (2003). Uses and abuses of data. ENC Focus: Data-­‐Driven Decision Making, 10(1), 14-­‐17. Goal 4b.2 Train administrators and teachers on the effective use of district-­‐provided student record and assessment tools to improve student achievement through data collection, analysis, and data-­‐driven decision making.
Objective 1: By June, 2015, 90% of all teachers and administrators will be trained on the use of PowerSchool and Illuminate to effectively assess and monitor student progress, maintain student records including attendance and grades and access and utilize these tools to improve student achievement and make data-­‐driven decisions to meet individual student needs. Berkeley Unified School District Page 54
Year 1 Benchmark: By June 2013, 50% of all teachers and administrators will be trained on Illuminate and PowerSchool and be able to effectively utilize these tools to maintain student records, create and monitor assessments and access these tools to make data-­‐ driven decisions to meet individual student needs. Year 2 Benchmark: By June 2014, 75% of all teachers and administrators will be trained on Illuminate and PowerSchool and be able to effectively utilize these tools to maintain student records, create and monitor assessments and access these tools to make data-­‐ driven decisions to meet individual student needs. Year 3 Benchmark: By June 2015, 90% of all teachers and administrators will be trained on Illuminate and PowerSchool and be able to effectively utilize these tools to maintain student records, create and monitor assessments and access these tools to make data-­‐ driven decisions to meet individual student needs. Activities Timeline
As indicated in 3i.1, during the 2012-­‐13 school year and every year thereafter until the district meets the 2014-­‐15 school year objective, the district will continue its roll-­‐out of an integrated student information system platform across all school sites using PowerSchool. Participating teachers will receive necessary training for successful utilization.
Annually, provide systematic professional development and collaboration time and support for site administration and teachers with the following sub-­‐strategy goals. For the implementation of the new system, training will be provided as listed in the introduction using the following format: ● Prior to August, 2012, the district will ensure that all technology and BEA staff assigned to Illuminate and PowerSchool support are proficient in data management ● Lead Teachers, Instructional Technology and BEA staff will be trained in Illuminate and PowerSchool in the Summer of 2012. Topics for training are broken down by sub-­‐strategy. ● Lead Teachers in partnership with BEA staff will train teachers at the Sites in basic system navigation, accessing state and local assessments, viewing a Student Profile and taking Attendance prior to the start of school, 2012 with a refresher each year following. ● A comprehensive training will be provided at the annual Fall Staff Professional Development Day (Oct 10, 2012, 2013 -­‐ 15 dates to be determined) which will include how to create assessments, custom reporting, grading and using the data to drive instruction and monitor student progress. ● BEA will provide ongoing support for designated schools. (1.0 FTE Elementary, 1.0 FTE Middle School, .6 FTE High School) Professional development and collaboration time for teachers and site administration will include the following sub-­‐strategies in a rotating series Berkeley Unified School District Page 55
Present
Aug. 14-­‐16, 2012. Aug. 27, 2012 and Annually before start of School Oct. 10, 2012 and Annually Each Year. Following timelines above: broken down by Elementary, Middle and High School to differentiate the focus: Assessment Tools Professional Development Series will focus on how to design, track and report student achievement on state and district assessments and collect the results, including the use of technology and develop quarterly assessments horizontally and vertically through grade levels in the district. ● Training will focus on the creation, use and display of assessments to include: System Navigation, Dashboards, Creating Summative / Formative Assessments, Displaying State and Local Assessments using the Student Profile, Custom Reports and Uploading Partner systems. ● Training in subsequent years will also include how to access and use a student and class profile. Attendance and Grading Professional Development Series will focus on support for site administration and teachers to enter student attendance and grades into PowerSchool, including the use of technology. Teachers will enter attendance on a daily basis and use PowerSchool to enter Report Cards. (3 x year for Elementary School, 4 x year for Middle / High School.) ● Training in student record keeping will focus on: System Navigation, Taking Attendance and Entering Report Cards. ● BEA / Illuminate staff develops an attendance-­‐monitoring dashboard for administrators and teachers within Illuminate so teachers can track student attendance patterns. Monitoring Student Progress to Inform Instruction Series will be embedded throughout the series above and the October Staff Development will use “Collaborative Inquiry” as the theme for October 10, 2012. As teachers become proficient on how to use the system, they will also learn how to use student assessment, on the interpretation of Student Achievement Data to monitor progress and inform instruction. Following the October training day, BEA staff will offer bi-­‐weekly “Collaborative Inquiry” days at each school site and bi-­‐monthly Illuminate trainings in the District Lab. These “data drop-­‐in” days will be after-­‐school and a time for the BEA to meet with the lead teacher and to serve as a resource for site-­‐level teachers on using Illuminate to monitor student progress and to inform instruction. As depicted in the figure on the previous page, the Collaborative Inquiry Process is made up of five components. Within each component is a sequence of tasks that staff will carry out with the support of a lead teacher or “Data Coach”. (These components are broken out below). Summer -­‐ Lead Teachers Fall Mini-­‐Day-­‐ All Teachers October Full-­‐Day -­‐ All Teachers Building the Foundation. Beginning in September, 2012, Data Coaches will lay important groundwork with the Data Teams to get them off to a good start. The team will focus on: ● Creating norms to establishing the culture and commitment to Sept -­‐ Nov. 2012 Revisit annually Berkeley Unified School District Page 56
closing the achievement gap. This includes defining their purpose as a team, learning about the Collaborative Inquiry Model, and make commitments to each other regarding the work of looking at data. ● They reflect on their school by examining demographic data and assessing where their school is on the road to creating a high-­‐
performing Using Data culture. ● They raise their awareness of cultural proficiency and begin a process of open dialogue about issues of race/ethnicity, class, culture, gender, and diversity. ● Finally, they create a vision for a desired future for their school and create a plan for moving toward it. Sites will bring this plan to the October Staff Development Day During the Fall “Back to School” Administrative training, District Educational Services Managers and Site Administrators will begin a similar series focused on system navigation and the interpretation of Student Achievement Data to monitor progress, and inform instruction. ● We will ensure that administrators have the fundamental skills to interpret data at the site, grade and student level. ● The training series will continue during District Elementary and Secondary Principal Training in alignment with State Reporting, District Assessment and Single School Plan timelines. (See 3i.2) At the October staff-­‐development day, all administrators and teachers will be provided with training on how to use the Student Achievement Data to monitor progress, and inform instruction. (See 3i.4 for further information). Staff will be broken out by school. Guided by the Data Coach and a BEA, Technology or District Professional Team member, the staff will: Identifying a Student-­‐Learning Problem. ● Develop data literacy and examine multiple sources of student-­‐
learning data. ● They learn to use the Illuminate and PowerSchool tools to make sense of the data and surface assumptions and frames of reference. ● The outcome of this component is a clearly articulated student-­‐
learning problem that can be supported with evidence from the multiple data sources listed above Verify Causes. ● Staff will look carefully at the possible causes of their student-­‐
learning problems and examine data about their own practices as well as relevant research before drawing conclusions. ● The Data Team (Coach, District Leader and Principal) will make sure that the causes are supported in research and focused on policies, practices, and beliefs that are within educators’ control to act upon—not on blaming students or their circumstances Berkeley Unified School District Page 57
August, 2012 and annually thereafter Fall, Mid-­‐Year, Spring October, 2012 and annually thereafter
Generating Solutions ● Here, Data Teams apply logic-­‐model thinking to generate valid solutions to improve results. ● They draw on best practices in their own school and nationally as well as on research to create action plans that are clearly linked to improved student learning. ● They also identify the evidence that they will use to monitor implementation of new practices and measure impact on student learning. .Following the training day, the BEA Director will offer monthly Collaborative Inquiry support for Administrators. These days will be structured to support administrators in their site-­‐based Collaborative Inquiry process with teachers, parents and the community as well as a time for the Directors to meet with District Staff and to serve as a resource for site-­‐level administrators using Illuminate to monitor student progress and to inform instruction. This process will follow the model of Implementing, Monitoring, and Achieving Results where: ● The School Team implements new practices to solve the student-­‐
learning problem. ● The team gathers data to monitor implementation and results and identifies any mid-­‐course corrections needed. ● As evidence is produced that the school is achieving or progressing toward the goal, Data Teams organize celebrations to recognize the Monthly -­‐ 2012 -­‐ people and practices that are making a difference for students 2015
In Spring, 2013, the Elementary Report Committee will be re-­‐convened to establish a timeline for converting the Standards-­‐Based Report Card to Illuminate for ease of use by Elementary Teachers. ● The Goal of the Committee will be to transition the Report Card for Pilot Implementation, Fall, 2013 with Fall, 2014 serving as the full-­‐
implementation date. ● Training will be provided to accompany the new Report Card Implementation Year. Spring, 2013 -­‐ 2015
Training -­‐ Fall, 2013 Fall, 2014 Evaluation Instrument(s) and Data to be Collected: Evaluation Instruments are included within the description of activities. They will also include: Participant Sign-­‐In Sheets, Professional Development Evaluations and on-­‐going review during the “Collaborative Inquiry” days. In addition, implementation will be monitored through teacher / administrative usage logs in both PowerSchool and Illuminate. Implementation data will include administrator and teacher training materials, Single School Plan for Student Achievement (SPSA), and reports created in PowerSchool and Illuminate. Berkeley Unified School District Page 58
Schedule for Evaluation: 1. Professional Development will be evaluated at the end of each Professional Development Session with a comprehensive Professional Development Survey given at the end of the year to assess the overall professional development plan. 2. Usage logs will be collected bi-­‐monthly 3. Single Plans (SPSA) will be reviewed quarterly. The Principal and SGC President will present a draft plan to the Superintendent, Assistant Superintendent of Educational Services, Director of Curriculum and Director of Evaluation and Assessment. Objective Analysis and Modification Process: BEA staff will collect and tally all sign-­‐in sheets, evaluations and compile implementation data for their assigned schools. This will be reviewed at the monthly BEA meeting and shared with district administrators and school site administrators. Administrators will track the development and implementation of all activities and accomplishments through monthly progress reports at regular district/ site administration meetings. Modifications to our district activities will be made as needed in order to insure that measurable objectives met or exceeded.
4c. Description of the process that will be used to monitor whether the professional development goals are being met and whether the planned professional development activities are being implemented. Berkeley Evaluation and Assessment, Educational Services, and Technology Department will
use multiple measures, as indicated above (4b), to continually monitor the progress of
professional development activities in the Technology Plan. Site administrators and teachers are
responsible for completing all necessary professional development and ensuring student
instruction is based on standards-aligned objectives and research based programs, practices and
arrangements. Each year, the District Tech Committee will utilize results from data gathered by
the EdTech Profile Survey (with Winter 2012 as the baseline assessment), student performance
based measures such as the district benchmark assessments and CST, and usage reports in
Google Apps, Illuminate, and PowerSchool to evaluate the overall success of our professional
development plan. The District Tech Committee will also recommend program modifications so
that professional development opportunities are developed and delivered to increase teacher use
of technology solutions to improve teaching practices and support student achievement.
Berkeley Unified School District Page 59
5. Infrastructure, Hardware, Technical Support, and Software
5a. Describe the existing hardware, Internet access, electronic learning resources, and technical support already in the district that could be used to support the Curriculum and Professional Development Components of the plan. The Berkeley Unified School District network supports 16 locations including 11 elementary, 3 middle, 1 high school sites and 1 alternative school site. All sites have Windows and/or Apple computers. Hardware Throughout the district, 100% of computers have a broadband connection to the Internet. While most of the computers are desktop computers, in the last year increasing numbers of pseudo-­‐thin-­‐clients have been implemented. One example is using nComputing technology to power four computing environments with one CPU. At King Middle School, each classroom has 1 CPU powering 4 workstations. At Willard and at the high school, this technology has been implemented in a computer lab. The workstations are surprisingly robust, and function well even in a classroom teaching programming techniques. The limitation seems to be Read180 labs, where because of the interactivity of speaking back to the computer, a standalone CPU works better. Table 1. Quantity and Location of Berkeley Unified School District Computers 2011-­‐12 School Year Location
Classroom
Lab
Library
Berkeley Unified
48%
(1221) 13%
7%
(146) (192) Elementary Schools
418
0
78
Middle Schools
300
146
59
High Schools
503
186
55
Other
Total
32%
(833) 247
(on carts) 136
(on carts) 450
(on carts) 100%
(2578) 743
641
1194
Table 2. Age of Computers Source: CDE State Technology Survey (2011) Berkeley Unified
< 1 Year
1 -­‐ 2 Years
2 -­‐ 3 Years
3 -­‐ 4 Years
4+ Years
29.62%
16.20%
8.80%
24.58%
36.31%
Berkeley Unified School District Page 60
Electronic Learning Resources Google Apps for Education has been adopted as the email and calendaring platform of the district. All teachers, staff and secondary students have accounts. Gains have been made in replacing Microsoft Office with Google Docs. That said, browser-­‐based application are subject to the constraints of internet access, which occasionally goes down, so computers are provided with either Microsoft Office or open source productivity applications Open Office (Windows) or NeoOffice (Apple) on 100% of desktops. The middle schools have site licenses for Type to Learn. King Middle school lab has licenses for Flash and Sketch-­‐up. Software resources used in the classroom to support achievement in core academic programs include Read 180, Accelerated Reader, Compass Learning and FasttMath as well as media included with State-­‐adopted classroom materials purchased by BUSD, including Pearson’s middle school ELA curriculum, the Teacher’s College elementary curriculum, Every Day Math and others. Teachers also have access to web-­‐based activities, some of which may or may not be subscription based. Some of these websites are offered by museums, the Library of Congress and some universities and colleges. Library Services maintains an online catalog of all library holdings. It carries a district wide electronic subscription to World Book Online and TeachingBooks.net, and Rosen's Teen Health and Wellness database for all secondary sites. Berkeley High School has additional electronic subscription resources of ProQuest, Gale's Virtual Reference Library, Opposing Viewpoints, and ABC-­‐Clio, and hosts direct links to OWL, Purdues Online Writing Lab. The library web pages of each school library embed additional links to useful resources for students: Berkeley Public Library, Calisphere (digitized primary sources from UC Berkeley), International Children’s Digital Library, FOSS science games, Storyline, Toonbooks, and links to specific classroom teachers’ assignments. Internet Access, Infrastructure, Network Access and Core District Applications The District has a Comcast fiber backbone that connects all K-­‐12 schools and the 3 main district office buildings, the Adult School, all 3 preschools, by 100 Mbit or gigabit fiber (depending on site). Each school site has a fully operational Ethernet local area network that provides gigabit fiber connections to each MDF and IDF, and is connected to the gigabit WAN backbone. 100Mbit connections are provided to each desktop. Each school’s local area network configuration consists of connecting every classroom, computer lab, library, and administrative office by Category 5 data cabling to the building’s Intermediate Distribution Frame (IDF). Each IDF provides an individual port on a high capacity network switch to each Category 5 data drop. A fiber optic backbone connects outlying IDF locations to the Main Distribution Frame (MDF) that provide the interface to the district’s wide area network via gigabyte fiber connections. In new construction, Category 6 data cabling is used, and wiring infrastructure for future wireless deployment is provided. The Facilities Department oversees school modernization Berkeley Unified School District Page 61
efforts. The district wiring guidelines were rewritten in 2008 with the assistance of the Technology Department. The new guidelines to require data and electrical wiring in the ceilings of all new classrooms for wireless access points and for a short-­‐throw projector mount above the whiteboard. The target bandwidth on each school site’s local area network to classrooms and library/media centers has been 100 Mbit to the desktop with a 1 Gbit fiber optic backbone. Many existing computers are capable of gigabit connections, but it is unlikely the switch infrastructure will be available to support those speeds. All current uses, both instructional and administrative, at the desktop are fully functional with a 100 Mbit connections. Berkeley High School: The high school is completely wired, every instructional space contains a networked, workstation. The library is connected and has 11 connected search stations and a networked 30-­‐computer lab. All teachers and administrative workstations are networked to the student data system. A wireless connection is available throughout the school. Berkeley Technology Academy (continuation high school)/Independent Studies: 100% of the instructional areas are connected to the Wide Area Network, and wireless is available in nearly every classroom. Middle Schools: 100% of instructional spaces at all three middle schools are connected to the Wide Area Network. Wireless is available throughout all three middle schools. Elementary Schools: 100% of instructional spaces at all eleven elementary schools are connected to the Wide Area Network. A few of the classrooms are not physically connected to the Wide Area Network; all of these classrooms are in bungalows and are provided with internet connections through wireless access. Wireless access is planned for all classrooms in the 2012-­‐13 school year. All Berkeley Unified libraries are automated with the library circulation system software (Insignia) providing access to the library collections and Central Media Library video and DVD collection. All of the District’s school libraries are connect to the Wide Area Network. Appropriate content filtering software from Lightspeed Systems is in place and will continue to be used to prevent district staff and students access to inappropriate Internet content. Review and certification of filtering software takes place on an ongoing basis to ensure that all requirements of the Children’s Internet Protection Act are met. Internet access is provided through Comcast. A 50 mbit connection provides adequate access, 100 Mbit or more will be necessary in the future. The district has approximately 650 Centrex lines, all equipped with voice mail. The voice mail system also provides voice mail accounts for approximately 500 employees without Berkeley Unified School District Page 62
direct-­‐dial numbers, primarily teachers and other school site personnel. The new administration building, slated for occupancy in summer 2012 will be the first implementation of the district’s new VOIP system. Technical Support Overall technical support for the telecommunications, networks, and servers in the district consists of the Technology Director, 2.0 FTE computer technicians and a 1.0 FTE Network Engineer. In addition, sites have the technicians as described below. Helpdesk tickets are created by users at a website. Technicians log in and work on the tickets as needed at the sites they support. Berkeley High School: 2.8 FTE of computer technicians support the high School. 1.0 FTE is devoted to a small learning community program with a substantial digital video program. Average response time to Helpdesk requests is less than 36 hours. Berkeley Technology Academy (continuation high school)/Independent Studies: 0.2 FTE support. Average response time to Helpdesk requests is less than 48 hours. Middle Schools: 0.6 FTE of computer technicians support the middle schools. Average response time to Helpdesk requests is less than 48 hours. Elementary Schools: 0.2 FTE of computer technicians support the elementary schools. Technicians visit each school at least once per week. In addition to the above support, the 1.0 FTE Network Engineer mentioned above is on-­‐call to support the technicians. 5b. Describe the technology hardware, electronic learning resources, networking and telecommunications infrastructure, physical plant modifications, and technical support needed by the district’s teachers, students, and administrators to support the activities in the Curriculum and Professional Development Components of the plan. As described above, the district has a robust fiber-­‐based WAN, 100 mbit network to every desktop, internet in every classroom, so no physical plant modifications are necessary. Improvements in the speed of overall access to the internet, currently at 50 Mbs will be likely be needed during the term of this plan. Likewise, the technology hardware, networking and telecommunications infrastructure presently in place are largely sufficient to support the plan, with only the replacement of obsolete equipment (as described below) is necessary to continue the work of the plan. Berkeley Unified School District Page 63
Many of the electronic learning resources needed are available, and it is expected that many more will be available through the internet during the lifetime of this plan. Also, textbook publishers for the recent science and math adoptions have web sites and DVDs supporting the curriculum available for teacher and student use, and subsequent adoptions will likely have more resources included as part of the textbook purchases. Software site licenses for certain application may improve the ability to deliver the program. 5c. Benchmarks and timeline for obtaining the needed hardware, infrastructure, learning resources and technical support. The following table identifies the hardware and software that will need to be in place in order to
achieve the goals described in this plan:
Goal 5c.1 Upgrade infrastructure and hardware at all schools to meet curricular and professional development goals. Timeline Annual Benchmarks Person/Team Responsible Monitoring and Evaluation Year 1 Improve computer work Technology stations Services and Fiscal Services Technology and Fiscal Services will continuously monitor the development and implementation of all infrastructure upgrade and hardware/ software, and technical support activities and accomplishments with input from district stakeholders and provide annual progress reports to the Cabinet and School Board. The infrastructure upgrade and hardware/ software, and technical support plan will be modified as needed to maintain an infrastructure adequate to support plan objectives. Year 2 The District’s Internet connection will be upgraded from the current 50 MB As above Berkeley Unified School District Technology Services Page 64
connection to a 100 MB connection. Years 1, 2, 3 Advanced training for Technology Technology Services Providers staff will be implemented to support the new infrastructure. As above Years 1, 2, 3 K-­‐12 schools will purchase or upgrade computers, and peripherals so that they are capable of supporting the baseline package of hardware and software as outlined in Section 3h. As above Site Administrators, Technology Services Goal 5c.2 Provide approved technology applications, electronic learning resources, and enabling technologies needed to support other components of the plan. Year 1, 2, 3 Identify approved technology applications, and enabling technologies that will support the instructional strategies, and interventions consistent with district goals, school site plans, and activities detailed in this plan. Berkeley Unified School District Instructional Services, Technology Team, and Site Administrators Page 65
District instructional services, evaluation and assessment, technology, and school site administrators will continuously track the development and implementation of all activities and accomplishments and provide annual progress reports to the Cabinet and School Board. The program will be modified as needed to maintain a cycle of improvement that supports program objectives. Year 1 Implement new Student Information System Technology Team, As above and Assessment and Evaluation office Year 1, 2, 3 Annually review, update, and disseminate technology resources and adaptive and assistive technology tools that support the needs of special and diverse learners. Technology Services Department, Instructional Services, Special Education As above Years 1, 2, 3 K-­‐12 schools will purchase or upgrade computers, and peripherals so that they are capable of supporting the baseline package of hardware and software as outlined in Section 3h. Site Administrators, Technology Services As above 5d. Description of the process that will be used to monitor whether the annual benchmarks including roles and responsibilities. The Technology and Fiscal Services Departments have the responsibility for monitoring the progress of this component. While monitoring of many of these items is built into other plan components, the ongoing monitoring of infrastructure, bandwidth, and networking needs is accomplished through the utilization of network management software reports that are reviewed at department meetings. Technology support needs are monitored and evaluated through the help desk. Berkeley Unified School District Page 66
6. Funding and Budget
6a. List of established and potential funding sources. Currently, the technology budget is comprised of several funding sources: General Funds of the Berkeley Unified School District, site based coordinated programs, Facilities bonds, bond interest, E-­‐rate at a 60% discount, grants from the Berkeley Public Education Foundation, site PTAs, EETT, ROP, and donations. Two special taxes contribute to the district’s ability to maintain well-­‐equipped schools. Technology is directly funded by the Berkeley Schools Excellence Project (BSEP), which funds all site computer techs, 0.4 FTE of a district tech, and 0.2 FTE of the Technology Director. BSEP also funds $15/student in technology equipment. Measure I of 2010, which passed with 80% of the vote in November 2012. The new facilities bond provides a source of funds for technology hardware, smart classrooms, and other educational priorities for 10 years. The currently allocated funds are $253,000/year for the next three years and $556,000 for 6 succeeding years. The Technology Department will help to identify and alert school sites of federal and private grant opportunities as they become available. The department will explore and develop partnerships with businesses and/or other organizations for funding of technology initiatives or donation of technology. 6b. Estimate annual implementation costs for the term of the plan. (3 years) The table below includes only includes only microcomputer technicians assigned to sites, it does
not include the portions of the director, network engineer, or district techs that works on
instructional projects.
Component
Year 1
Year 2
Year 3
Possible Funding Source
Teacher technology PD
$5,000
$5,000
$5,000
EETT Formula grant
New Student Achievement System PD
$25,000
$10,000
$5,0000
A combination of Measure A, and other one-­‐time funds Professional Development
Berkeley Unified School District Page 67
Infrastructure
Wireless in secondary schools
$5,000
$5,000
$5,000
This project is 95% complete. Funds for new buildings, etc from bond
Wireless in elementary schools
$30,000
$5,000
$2,000
facilities bond
Elementary and middle school classroom computer replacement (Roughly 250 * $3000)$16/student $200,000
$200,000 $200,000
Mostly bond funds, site funds, Measure A, and one-­‐time funds
Secondary technology classrooms (10 classrooms, 2 per year)
$50,000
$50,000
$50,000
Mostly bond funds, site funds, Measure A, and one-­‐time funds
Various electronic databases
$20,000
$20,000
$20,000
Measure A library and technology funds
Software licenses
$20,000
$45,000
$20,000
Various one-­‐time funds. Other software costs are included with hardware costs.
$450,000
$468,000 $486,270
Hardware
Electronic Resources
Technical Support
School Technicians 6.4 FTE
Berkeley Unified School District Page 68
Measure A
6c. Describe the district’s replacement policy for obsolete equipment. One of the first priorities of the district in these times of both economic hardship and increased concern for the environment is to ensure that computer hardware be useful for as many years as possible, before needing to be declared obsolete. It is unfortunate that Google and Apple seems to implementing a three-­‐year cycle for hardware. One sales model for Google Chromebooks is for school districts to pay $20/month for a Chromebook, with the physical device replaced every 36 months. While this built-­‐in replacement cycle is beneficial, the cost implications for schools, which commonly use equipment for 6-­‐10 years, is expensive. Apple iPads are released annually, and the risk that device bought to use with textbooks in year 1 will be obsolete by year 4. Certainly that is our test experience with interactive textbooks on the iPad, where new textbooks work fine on the new iPad (iPad “3”), but not on an iPad “1”. That said, the computing power and interactive capabilities of a $500 device are astonishing. Even more astonishing will be if the device is not found in electronic waste bin in year 4, and has a useful life of 6-­‐8 years, like its predecessors from the same manufacturer. On the infrastructure front, district switches adequately support network traffic and have been replaced throughout the district in 2011. The new switches come with a “lifetime” warranty. While it is unclear what “lifetime” means in an era when 80-­‐year-­‐old companies disintegrate in the space of a few months (see Bear Stearns), it does indicate a belief that the equipment will still be viable in 2020. Our experience with pseudo-­‐thin clients using nComputing technology has been very favorable. Despite these efforts, some equipment needs to be replaced as it is no longer functional. Funding for these purchases is described in section 6.b. The district aims to be as efficient as possible in these efforts. For example, in elementary schools, a standard classroom has 4 desktop computers, the original cost of which was approximately $7200 including AppleCare or other warranty and software. A new 4-­‐seat nComputing installation can replace this setup, offer improved functionality, and cost less than $2500 per classroom. Through the use of cost-­‐efficient replacement strategies as described above, obsolete technology can be replaced with improved technology at a cost that can be budgeted annually. Funding sources for computer replacement is described above. As equipment is ready to be retired from active use, the district policy calls for site personnel to inventory serial numbers and call the distribution center for personnel to pick-­‐up any obsolete technology items. In their annual site plans for school improvement, sites identify funding sources to enable them to replace obsolete equipment, maintain baseline standards and acquire additional technology to support curricular and professional development programs Berkeley Unified School District Page 69
6d. Describe the process that will be used to monitor Ed Tech funding, implementation costs and new funding opportunities and to adjust budgets as necessary. The Director of Technology and the Deputy Superintendent will monitor and update funding and budget decisions on a yearly basis. The technology budget has been integrated into the general fund, with substantial portions being provided by special local tax dollars. All budget decisions are reviewed annually. General Fund expenditures for technology are reviewed annually as a necessary part of the district budgeting process. School Plans include technology components, which require annual review of expenditures. The Superintendent’s Cabinet includes representatives from Educational Services, Technology, and the Business Office who will share responsibility for district decisions regarding technology. Technology Services will collect and monitor information related to the purchase of technology at the sites. Technology purchase targets will be established jointly between the Technology Department and Educational Services in order to ensure that the desired technology addresses curricular program needs at each site. All of this information will be brought to the District Technology Planning Workgroup, which formulates proposed recommendations to the Superintendent’s Cabinet. Decisions regarding hardware, software, and infrastructure are made by the Technology Director in concert with site administrators and school site councils. Berkeley Unified School District Page 70
7. Monitoring and Evaluation 7a. Describe the process for evaluating the plan’s overall progress and impact on teaching and learning. The Berkeley Unified School District Education Technology Plan is a dynamic document. Our primary purpose in developing this plan is to provide direction for district and site technology and budget decision-­‐making processes. This plan will help the district assess the impact on student learning, teacher instruction and the management of technology resources. Measurable monitoring and evaluation criteria have been specified for each curricular goal and timeline throughout the plan. Ongoing monitoring of the technology plan will be the primary responsibility of the District Technology Committee. The committee consists of the Director of Technology, Director of Curriculum and Instruction, Director of Evaluation and Assessment, Coordinator of Library Services, Instructional Technology Coordinator at Berkeley High School, the TSA for Instructional Technology K-­‐8, principals and teachers. The Evaluation and Assessment staff will collect data regarding the implementation of curriculum and professional components of the plan and provide the results to the District Tech Committee. Usage statistics for the library data base resource will be analyzed semi-­‐
annually by the District Library Coordinator and shared with the District Technology Committee. These statistics on numbers of queries performed by students will help to determine utility of the resource and also the effect of staff development in promoting teacher and student use of online databases for research. The Technology Department will conduct an annual review of the infrastructure, hardware, technical support and software needs of the district. They will also provide a log of requests to provide a tool for analysis of the types of technical calls that are entered most frequently. This data can provide information for modifying service, support and training. The District Technology Committee will meet quarterly to review the collected data and measure success. Many of these measures are correlated to the criteria set, including standardized test scores, in other plans including the District's 2020 Plan for Educational Equity and the LEA plan. All teachers will participate in completing the Ed Tech Profile each year. Data collected from these surveys will aid the District Tech Committee in review of the successes and failures of the current plan. This information will aid in determining any revisions that need to be made to the technology plan. The areas that the Ed Tech Profile addresses include teachers' use of technology tools for both classroom management and instruction, how they use technology with their students as a tool to support classroom instruction, their preferences for professional development Berkeley Unified School District Page 71
and issues related to technical support. All of these areas are integral to the technology plan. Our technology plan is meant to guide the district's decision making over the next three years. it is understood that it will be monitored and revised as needed by the District Tech Committee. It will be the responsibility of this committee to report any findings regarding the increase in student achievement related to the use of technology as well as teacher productivity and improved classroom management. The plan will be presented to the Board of Education annually. 7b. Schedule for evaluating the effect of plan implementation. Plan effectiveness will be monitored and evaluated by the District Tech Committee once per quarter. This review will examine if the curriculum goals of the plan are being achieved and if student learning is improving as a result of the use of technology integration and instruction. A summary of progress will be formally presented to the Board of Education annually and will comprise a written record evaluating the effectiveness of the technology plan. 7c. Describe the process and frequency of communicating evaluation results to tech plan stakeholders. The District Tech Committee will continue to monitor, evaluate, recommend, and make modifications as necessary to the plan’s implementation and will prepare an annual report to be submitted to the Superintendent and Board of Education. This information will be shared with district stakeholders in a variety of methods including, but not limited to email and posting on the BUSD website. District stakeholders will be responsible for providing input and offer suggested improvements in the plan. As changes to the plan occur on an on-­‐going basis, the Technology Department will be responsible for posting any plan updates during the 2012-­‐2015 school years. Berkeley Unified School District Page 72
8. Collaborative Strategies with Adult Literacy Providers 8a. Description of how the program will be developed in collaboration with those providers. Within the boundaries of the Berkeley Unified district, adult literacy needs are served through a variety of agencies. BUSD Adult Education provides classes in basic literacy and numeracy, GED preparation, High School Diploma, ESL, and Career Technical Education including several specialty areas such as technology literacy, job interview skills, and parenting West Contra County ROP offers classes in a variety of job and life skills within BUSD, including technology skills such as basic word processing, home budgeting with spreadsheets, resources on the Internet, and MOUS certification. Additional adult literacy services are provided by the local and county libraries, HUD, Rubicon One-­‐Stop, Inter-­‐City Services and various social service agencies (BOSS). These agencies generally provide only basic reading instruction and GED preparation. Berkeley Unified School District Page 73
9. Effective, Researched-­‐Based Methods and Strategies 9a. Summarize the relevant research and describe how it supports the plan’s curricular and professional development goals. Our technology and instruction plans list clear goals and strategies for integrating technology into curriculum to improve student learning in the specific areas of English/ Language Arts and Math. The learning objectives are based on the California State Academic Content Standards and take into account the Common Core State Standards. Berkeley Unified School District’s philosophy supports the use of technology integrated across the core curriculum at all levels in order to improve student achievement. Technology is not a separate content taught for its own sake. Technology improves student performances when the application directly supports the curriculum objectives being assessed. Alignment of project or lesson content with state content standards is an important first step in infusing technology into the curricula. The Curriculum portion of the technology plan is supported by research from Marzano, R, Pickering, D., and Pollock, J. (2001). Classroom instruction that works: Research-­‐based strategies for increasing student achievement. Virginia: Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development. This book summarizes the research supporting a variety of instructional strategies with proven successes in improving student achievement. The research-­‐based strategies include 1) identifying similarities and differences; 2) summarizing and note-­‐taking; 3) reinforcing effort and providing recognition; 4) homework and practice; 5) nonlinguistic representations; 6) cooperative learning; 7) setting objectives and providing feedback; 8) generating and testing hypotheses; and 9) cues, questions, and advance organizers. A variety of instructional strategies and technologies will be used to assist teachers and students in acquiring Information and Technology literacy skills in all content areas. As described in the research, the use of nonlinguistic representations such as graphic organizers are effective tools for supporting understanding of key concepts, and graphic representations are highly effective tools for supporting new concepts and vocabulary. Simulation software allows students to generate and test hypotheses quickly and efficiently. Using presentation software to organize information, coupled with using a printed copy of the presentation to assist in note-­‐taking skills, helps students to better identify key concepts and summarize critical information. While the middle and high schools do offer some basic technology courses, technology integration will not be taught in isolation. Professional Development has, and will continue to emphasize the use of technology as a powerful teaching and learning tool that engages students while addressing content standards within the curricular, instructional framework and adopted curriculum. The Learning Return On Our Educational Technology Investment: A Review of Findings from Research, WestED (Ringstaff and Kelley, June 2002) is an extensive report that examines many studies related to educational technology and Berkeley Unified School District Page 74
school reform. Several key factors are identified as crucial elements for successfully using technology: ● Technology is best used as one component in a broad-­‐based reform effort ● Teachers must be adequately trained to use technology ● Teachers may need to change their beliefs about teaching and learning ● Technological resources must be sufficient and accessible ● Effective technology use requires long-­‐term planning and support ● Technology should be integrated into the instructional framework These key elements are addressed in several places in our Technology Plan. They are best found in the areas aligning technology with curricular and professional development goals emphasizing technology-­‐enhanced, standards-­‐based curricular lessons, units, and student projects. Our revised Education Technology Plan 2012-­‐2015 also includes the research-­‐based best practices integrated in: The EETT Technology Plan research-­‐based requirements for formula and competitive grant applications. http://www.cde.ca.gov/ls/et/ft/eettfortechplans.asp ISTE NETS for Students which are the technology sills standards and profiles for students. http://www.iste.org/standards/nets-­‐for-­‐students.aspx ISTE NETS for Teachers which are the technology sills standards for teachers. http://www.iste.org/standards/nets-­‐for-­‐teachers.aspx With the adoption of Illuminate data management and assessment system, data-­‐driven decision making will be a key component in professional development. The Collaborative Inquiry Process will be used to guide this training and is based on research from the following sources: Elmore, R. F. (2002). Bridging the gap between standards and achievement: The imperative for professional development in education. Washington, DC: Albert Shanker Institute. Love, N. (2004). Taking data to new depths. Journal of Staff Development, 25(4), 22-­‐26. Love, N. (2003). Uses and abuses of data. ENC Focus: Data-­‐Driven Decision Making, 10(1), 14-­‐17. Berkeley Unified School District Page 75
9b. Describe the district’s plans to use technology to extend or supplement the district’s curriculum with rigorous academic courses and curricula, including distance-­‐learning technologies Berkeley Unified is actively exploring ways to extend or supplement the district’s curriculum using new innovative teaching methods and technology resources. The district has implemented mainly online technology applications, programs, and resources to extend or supplement the curriculum. Students are using Compass Learning after school and at home to extend learning beyond the classroom. This adaptive software program adjusts to each individual’s learning level in English Language Arts and Math, also covers Social Studies, Science, and provides extension activities. Accelerated Reader enables students to take reading comprehension quizzes online and keep track of their reading progress. Online components of textbook or adopted curriculum in core subject areas are being utilized throughout. Everyday Math Online allows students to practice math concepts and EssayScorer allows students to submit an essay and get instant feedback in and out of classroom. BUSD uses the CyberHigh program for self-­‐guided e-­‐learning and credit recovery at both Berkeley High School (BHS) and the continuation high school Berkeley Technology Academy (B-­‐Tech). Students are able to complete required and elective courses through the web based, state-­‐approved, courses at their own pace through after school and summer programs. Access to this curricular content has already allowed many BUSD high school students to complete coursework deficiencies so that they may graduate. Currently there are two daily sections open to students at BHS. The program has been expanded to include the Independent Study Program and the BUSD Adult School is also looking at offering courses from the program in the future. Increasing numbers of teachers, library staff and schools within the district are using Web 2.0 technologies such as wikis, podcasting, blogs, Google Docs, and other online tools to not only access and create content, but to also promote collaborative learning. The district is looking into expanding blended or distance learning at the high schools and at the adult school. The district has made some improvements in terms of network bandwidth and infrastructure upgrades, but more needs to be done in order to have these technologies used district-­‐wide. Berkeley Unified School District Page 76
Appendix C – Criteria for EETT Funded Technology Plans
In order to be approved, a technology plan needs to have “Adequately Addressed” each
of the following criteria:
•
For corresponding EETT Requirements, see the EETT Technology Plan Requirements
(Appendix D).
•
Include this form (Appendix C) with “Page in District Plan” completed at the end of your
technology plan.
1. PLAN DURATION
CRITERION
The plan should guide the
district’s use of education
technology for the next
three to five years. (For a
new plan, can include
technology plan
development in the first
year)
2. STAKEHOLDERS
CRITERION
Corresponding EETT
Requirement(s): 7
and 11 (Appendix D).
Description of how a
variety of stakeholders
from within the school
district and the
community-at-large
participated in the
planning process.
Page in Example of Adequately
District
Addressed
Plan
The technology plan
8
describes the districts use of
education technology for the
next three to five years. (For
new plan, description of
technology plan
development in the first year
is acceptable).
Specific start and end dates
are recorded (7/1/12 to
6/30/15).
Page in
District
Plan
8-9
Berkeley Unified School District Example of Not
Adequately Addressed
The plan is less than three
years or more than five
years in length.
Plan duration is 2012-15.
Example of Adequately
Addressed
Not Adequately
Addressed
The planning team
consisted of representatives
who will implement the plan.
If a variety of stakeholders
did not assist with the
development of the plan, a
description of why they were
not involved is included.
Little evidence is included
that shows that the district
actively sought
participation from a variety
of stakeholders.
Page 77
3. CURRICULUM
COMPONENT
CRITERIA
Corresponding EETT
Requirement(s): 1, 2,
3, 8, 10, 12 (Appx D).
Page
in
District
Plan
Example of Adequately
Addressed
Example of Not
Adequately Addressed
The plan explains
technology access in terms
of a student-to-computer
ratio, but does not explain
where access is available,
who has access, and when
various students and
teachers can use the
technology.
The plan cites district policy
regarding use of
technology, but provides no
information about its actual
use.
a. Description of
teachers’ and
students’ current
access to technology
tools both during the
school day and
outside of school
hours.
8-11
The plan describes the
technology access available
in the classrooms,
library/media centers, or labs
for all students and teachers.
b. Description of the
district’s current use
of hardware and
software to support
teaching and
learning.
c. Summary of the
district’s curricular
goals that are
supported by this
tech plan.
d. List of clear goals,
measurable
objectives, annual
benchmarks, and an
implementation plan
for using technology
to improve teaching
and learning by
supporting the
district curricular
goals.
e. List of clear goals,
measurable
objectives, annual
benchmarks, and an
implementation plan
detailing how and
when students will
acquire the
technology skills and
information literacy
12-18
The plan describes the
typical frequency and type of
use (technology
skills/information
literacy/integrated into the
curriculum).
The plan summarizes the
district’s curricular goals that
are supported by the plan
and referenced in district
document(s).
The plan delineates clear
goals, measurable
objectives, annual
benchmarks, and a clear
implementation plan for
using technology to support
the district’s curriculum goals
and academic content
standards to improve
learning.
18
19-26
26-28
Berkeley Unified School District The plan delineates clear
goal(s), measurable
objective(s), annual
benchmarks, and an
implementation plan
detailing how and when
students will acquire
technology skills and
information literacy skills.
Page 78
The plan does not
summarize district
curricular goals.
The plan suggests how
technology will be used, but
is not specific enough to
know what action needs to
be taken to accomplish the
goals.
The plan suggests how
students will acquire
technology skills, but is not
specific enough to determine
what action needs to be
taken to accomplish the
goals.
skills needed to
succeed in the
classroom and the
workplace.
f. List of goals and an
implementation plan
that describe how the
district will address
the appropriate and
ethical use of
information
technology in the
classroom so that
teachers and
students can
distinguish lawful
from unlawful uses of
copyrighted works,
including the
following topics: the
concept and purpose
of both copyright and
fair use;
distinguishing lawful
from unlawful
downloading and
peer-to-peer file
sharing; and avoiding
plagiarism (AB 307)
g. List of goals and an
implementation plan
that describe how the
district will address
Internet safety,
including how to
protect online privacy
and avoid online
predators. (AB 307)
h. Description of or
goals about the
district policy or
practices that ensure
equitable technology
access for all
students.
29-30
The plan describes or
delineates clear goals
outlining how students will
learn about the concept,
purpose, and significance
of the ethical use of
information technology
including copyright, fair
use, plagiarism and the
implications of illegal file
sharing and/or
downloading (as stated in
AB 307).
The plan suggests that
students will be educated in
the ethical use of the Internet,
but is not specific enough to
determine what actions will
be taken to accomplish the
goals.
31-32
The plan describes or
delineates clear goals
outlining how students will
be educated about Internet
safety (as stated in AB
307).
The plan suggests Internet
safety education but is not
specific enough to determine
what actions will be taken to
accomplish the goals.
32
The plan describes the
policy or delineates clear
goals and measurable
objectives about the policy
or practices that ensure
equitable technology
access for all students.
The policy or practices
clearly support
accomplishing the plan’s
goals.
The plan does not describe
policies or goals that result in
equitable technology access
for all students. Suggests
how technology will be used,
but is not specific enough to
know what action needs to be
taken to accomplish the
goals.
Berkeley Unified School District Page 79
i.
List of clear goals,
measurable
objectives, annual
benchmarks, and an
implementation plan
to use technology to
make student record
keeping and
assessment more
efficient and
supportive of
teachers’ efforts to
meet individual
student academic
needs.
j. List of clear goals,
measurable
objectives, annual
benchmarks, and an
implementation plan
to use technology to
improve two-way
communication
between home and
school.
k. Describe the process
that will be used to
monitor the
Curricular
Component (Section
3d-3j) goals,
objectives,
benchmarks, and
planned
implementation
activities including
roles and
responsibilities.
32-44
The plan delineates clear
goal(s), measurable
objective(s), annual
benchmarks, and an
implementation plan for
using technology to
support the district’s
student record-keeping
and assessment efforts.
The plan suggests how
technology will be used, but
is not specific enough to
know what action needs to be
taken to accomplish the
goals.
45-47
The plan delineates clear
goal(s), measurable
objective(s), annual
benchmarks, and an
implementation plan for
using technology to
improve two-way
communication between
home and school.
The plan suggests how
technology will be used, but
is not specific enough to
know what action needs to be
taken to accomplish the
goals.
47-48
The monitoring process,
roles, and responsibilities
are described in sufficient
detail.
The monitoring process either
is absent, or lacks detail
regarding procedures, roles,
and responsibilities.
Berkeley Unified School District Page 80
4. PROFESSIONAL
DEVELOPMENT
COMPONENT
CRITERIA
Corresponding EETT
Requirement(s): 5 and
12 (Appendix D).
Page in
District
Plan
Example of Adequately
Addressed
Example of Not
Adequately Addressed
Description of current level
of staff expertise is too
general or relates only to a
limited segment of the
district’s teachers and
administrators in the focus
areas or does not relate to
the focus areas, i.e., only
the fourth grade teachers
when grades four to eight
are the focus grade levels.
The plan speaks only
generally of professional
development and is not
specific enough to ensure
that teachers and
administrators will have the
necessary training to
implement the Curriculum
Component.
a. Summary of the
teachers’ and
administrators’
current technology
proficiency and
integration skills and
needs for professional
development.
48-50
The plan provides a clear
summary of the teachers’ and
administrators’ current
technology proficiency and
integration skills and needs
for professional development.
The findings are summarized
in the plan by discrete skills
that include CTC Standard 9
and 16 proficiencies.
b. List of clear goals,
measurable
objectives, annual
benchmarks, and an
implementation plan
for providing
professional
development
opportunities based
on your district needs
assessment data (4a)
and the Curriculum
Component
objectives (Sections
3d through 3j) of the
plan.
c. Describe the process
that will be used to
monitor the
Professional
Development (Section
4b) goals, objectives,
benchmarks, and
planned
implementation
activities including
roles and
responsibilities.
50-59
The plan delineates clear
goals, measurable objectives,
annual benchmarks, and an
implementation plan for
providing teachers and
administrators with sustained,
ongoing professional
development necessary to
reach the Curriculum
Component objectives
(sections 3d through 3j) of the
plan.
59
The monitoring process,
roles, and responsibilities are
described in sufficient detail.
Berkeley Unified School District Page 81
The monitoring process
either is absent, or lacks
detail regarding who is
responsible and what is
expected.
5. INFRASTRUCTURE,
HARDWARE,
TECHNICAL
SUPPORT, AND
SOFTWARE
COMPONENT
CRITERIA
Corresponding EETT
Requirement(s): 6 and
12 (Appendix D).
a. Describe the existing
hardware, Internet
access, electronic
learning resources,
and technical support
already in the district
that will be used to
support the
Curriculum and
Professional
Development
Components
(Sections 3 & 4) of the
plan.
b. Describe the
technology hardware,
electronic learning
resources, networking
and
telecommunications
infrastructure,
physical plant
modifications, and
technical support
needed by the
district’s teachers,
students, and
administrators to
support the activities
in the Curriculum and
Professional
Development
Components of the
plan.
c. List of clear annual
benchmarks and a
timeline for obtaining
Page in
District
Plan
Example of Adequately
Addressed
Example of Not
Adequately Addressed
60-63
The plan clearly summarizes
the existing technology
hardware, electronic learning
resources, networking and
telecommunication
infrastructure, and technical
support to support the
implementation of the
Curriculum and Professional
Development Components.
The inventory of equipment
is so general that it is
difficult to determine what
must be acquired to
implement the Curriculum
and Professional
Development Components.
The summary of current
technical support is missing
or lacks sufficient detail.
63-64
The plan provides a clear
summary and list of the
technology hardware,
electronic learning resources,
networking and
telecommunications
infrastructure, physical plant
modifications, and technical
support the district will need
to support the implementation
of the district’s Curriculum
and Professional
Development Components.
The plan includes a
description or list of
hardware, infrastructure,
and other technology
necessary to implement the
plan, but there doesn’t
seem to be any real
relationship between the
activities in the Curriculum
and Professional
Development Components
and the listed equipment.
Future technical support
needs have not been
addressed or do not relate
to the needs of the
Curriculum and Professional
Development Components.
64-66
The annual benchmarks and
timeline are specific and
realistic. Teachers and
The annual benchmarks
and timeline are either
absent or so vague that it
Berkeley Unified School District Page 82
the hardware,
infrastructure,
learning resources
and technical support
required to support
the other plan
components as
identified in Section
5b.
d. Describe the process
that will be used to
monitor Section 5b &
the annual
benchmarks and
timeline of activities
including roles and
responsibilities.
6. FUNDING AND
BUDGET
COMPONENT
CRITERIA
Corresponding EETT
Requirement(s): 7 &
13, (Appendix D)
66
Page in
District
Plan
a. List established and
potential funding
sources.
67
b. Estimate annual
implementation costs
for the term of the
plan.
67-68
c. Describe the district’s
replacement policy for
obsolete equipment.
69
d. Describe the process
that will be used to
70
Berkeley Unified School District administrators implementing
the plan can easily discern
what needs to be acquired or
repurposed, by whom, and
when.
would be difficult to
determine what needs to be
acquired or repurposed, by
whom, and when.
The monitoring process,
roles, and responsibilities are
described in sufficient detail.
The monitoring process
either is absent, or lacks
detail regarding who is
responsible and what is
expected.
Example of Adequately
Addressed
Example of Not
Adequately Addressed
The plan clearly describes
resources that are available
or could be obtained to
implement the plan.
Cost estimates are
reasonable and address the
total cost of ownership,
including the costs to
implement the curricular,
professional development,
infrastructure, hardware,
technical support, and
electronic learning resource
needs identified in the plan.
Plan recognizes that
equipment will need to be
replaced and outlines a
realistic replacement plan
that will support the
Curriculum and Professional
Development Components.
The monitoring process,
roles, and responsibilities are
Resources to implement the
plan are not clearly
identified or are so general
as to be useless.
Cost estimates are
unrealistic, lacking, or are
not sufficiently detailed to
determine if the total cost of
ownership is addressed.
Page 83
Replacement policy is either
missing or vague. It is not
clear that the replacement
policy could be
implemented.
The monitoring process
either is absent, or lacks
monitor Ed Tech
funding,
implementation costs
and new funding
opportunities and to
adjust budgets as
necessary.
7. MONITORING AND
described in sufficient detail.
Example of Adequately
Addressed
Example of Not
Adequately Addressed
71-72
The plan describes the
process for evaluation using
the goals and benchmarks of
each component as the
indicators of success.
b. Schedule for
evaluating the effect
of plan
implementation.
72
Evaluation timeline is specific
and realistic.
c. Describe the process
and frequency of
communicating
evaluation results to
tech plan
stakeholders.
72
The plan describes the
process and frequency of
communicating evaluation
results to tech plan
stakeholders.
No provision for an
evaluation is included in the
plan. How success is
determined is not defined.
The evaluation is defined,
but the process to conduct
the evaluation is missing.
The evaluation timeline is
not included or indicates an
expectation of unrealistic
results that does not
support the continued
implementation of the plan.
The plan does not provide a
process for using the
monitoring and evaluation
results to improve the plan
and/or disseminate the
findings.
8. EFFECTIVE
COLLABORATIVE
STRATEGIES WITH
ADULT LITERACY
PROVIDERS TO
MAXIMIZE THE USE OF
TECHNOLOGY
CRITERION
Corresponding EETT
Requirement(s): 11
(Appendix D).
If the district has
Page in
District
Plan
EVALUATION
COMPONENT
CRITERIA
Corresponding EETT
Requirement(s): 11
(Appendix D).
a. Describe the process
for evaluating the
plan’s overall
progress and impact
on teaching and
learning.
Page in
District
Plan
detail regarding who is
responsible and what is
expected.
Example of Adequately
Addressed
73
Berkeley Unified School District The plan explains how the
Page 84
Example of Not
Adequately Addressed
There is no evidence that
identified adult literacy
providers, describe how
the program will be
developed in
collaboration with them.
(If no adult literacy
providers are indicated,
describe the process
used to identify adult
literacy providers or
potential future outreach
efforts.)
9. EFFECTIVE,
RESEARCHEDBASED METHODS,
STRATEGIES, AND
CRITERIA
Corresponding EETT
Requirement(s): 4 and
9 (Appendix D).
a. Summarize the
relevant research and
describe how it
supports the plan’s
curricular and
professional
development goals.
b. Describe the district’s
plans to use
technology to extend
or supplement the
district’s curriculum
with rigorous
academic courses and
curricula, including
distance-learning
technologies.
Page in
District
Plan
program will be developed in
collaboration with adult
literacy providers. Planning
included or will include
consideration of collaborative
strategies and other funding
resources to maximize the
use of technology. If no adult
literacy providers are
indicated, the plan describes
the process used to identify
adult literacy providers or
potential future outreach
efforts.
the plan has been, or will be
developed in collaboration
with adult literacy service
providers, to maximize the
use of technology.
Example of Adequately
Addressed
Not Adequately
Addressed
74-75
The plan describes the
relevant research behind the
plan’s design for strategies
and/or methods selected.
The description of the
research behind the plan’s
design for strategies and/or
methods selected is unclear
or missing.
76
The plan describes the
process the district will use to
extend or supplement the
district’s curriculum with
rigorous academic courses
and curricula, including
distance learning
opportunities (particularly in
areas that would not
otherwise have access to
such courses or curricula due
to geographical distances or
insufficient resources).
There is no plan to use
technology to extend or
supplement the district’s
curriculum offerings.
Berkeley Unified School District Page 85