School Evaluation Summary School Demographics

Onourway Elementary is a pre-k-5 school in a large suburban district. In the last three years, this school has seen a big population shift both in number and demographics. The closing of a nearby elementary school caused a student population increase going from 500 to 818. Recent arrivals of middle-eastern refugees also increased the number of English language learners in the school. To put things in perspective, in 2010/2011 each kindergarten class had between 60 to 80% of middle-eastern students in their classes. Our current demographics are: 60.4% English language learners, 83.4% socioeconomically disadvantaged, 40.8% Hispanic or Latino, 44.5% white (deceiving as the middle eastern population is included in this group), 7% African American, 2% Asian, 1.5% Filipino, and 1.1% two or more races.

School Environment Evaluation Analysis Administrative

Policy Behavioral: integrated Stage Most teachers welcome the use of technology in a variety of ways: use of e-mail, Online assessment reporting, Online report cards, attendance taken online through Zangle, teacher websites through SchoolWorld, substitute system through SmartFindExpress, professional development sign up via district website. Resource Infrastructure: Intelligent Stage A comprehensive policy exists and the resources are there. Behavioral: Integrated Stage There are various technology projects being implemented at this school: Imagine Learning, Raz-Kids, and iPods (5 classrooms have full class sets and 5 classrooms have 7 each for small group implementation). Depending on the project teachers are involved in, there are planning meetings scheduled at different intervals. Resource/Infrastructure: Integrated Stage The principal and Title 1 Facilitator closely monitor how Imagine Learning is being implemented . Students who no longer need the program are immediately exited and the license is immediately put to use with another student.

Planning

Budget

Behavioral: Intelligent Stage Principal allocates and sets aside money for technology needs such as licenses for Imagine Learning, Raz-Kids classroom licenses, replacement /repair of old equipment, projector lamps, printer ink cartridges even USB

drives and dangles. Resource/Infrastructure: Intelligent Stage Technology is a priority at this school. Computers just got replaced in the computer lab and in several teacher classrooms. Every classroom has at least 5 student computers, a teacher laptop, a printer, an LCD projector and a Docucam. In addition we have two Laptop carts. Administrative Information Behavioral: Integrated Stage Monthly and weekly calendars are sent via e-mail as well as other communication such as grade level meeting notes. We are not completely paperless yet. Resource/Infrastructure: Intelligent Stage All of our assessment data, attendance data, and report cards are online and available to everyone district wide.

Curricular
Electronic Information Behavioral: Islands Stage Most teachers use some type of electronic information ranging from videos from YouTube, TeacherTube or SchoolTube, using Blogs to download support materials for their classes, researching activities or lesson plans on the Internet to downloading Apps and music for projects. While teachers are at the integrated stage in this area, our students are more in the emergent stage. This is why I am placing our school at the islands stage. Resource/Infrastructure: Islands Stage We have full Internet access with some restrictions for student protection for instance we cannot access YouTube in our classrooms. Again the problem is not that we dont have access it is that mostly teachers use it while students do not. Behavioral: Islands Stage Currently, very few students use technology to be evaluated but most teachers use technology to enter student scores and other data. Resource/Infrastructure: Islands Stage The school and the entire district uses OARS for data assessment and kindergarten report cards. Grades 1-8 use Zangle to do report cards online. It would be great if we could merge everyone to OARS. Behavioral: Islands Stage Technology is integrated in the curriculum in some way but it is not comprehensive nor in all subject areas. Some teachers use the computers for rotations of Imagine Learning, Raz-Kids, Starfall, or Math games either as an intervention or for enrichment. Teachers who are using iPods are finding new ways for students to learn, practice and show what they have learned through very creative projects. All teachers are dependent on the Docucams and LCD projectors to deliver and enhance their lessons.

Assessment

Curricular Integration

Resource/Infrastructure: Intelligent Stage We have a variety of resources available to us for every subject area. For Math we have the website Pearsonsuccessnet which provides a wealth of online resources on our Math adoption to be accessed from school or home. The Social Studies adoption also provides a website and DVDs for support materials. We all have Internet access and the hardware necessary. We also have access to United Streaming

Teacher Use

Behavioral: Intelligent Stage All administrative tasks are done with the use of some kind of technology: communication with the district, principal and colleagues, report cards, data entry, attendance, sub system, lesson plans, some professional development and more. Resource/Infrastructure: Intelligent Stage Every teacher at this school has appropriate access to the hardware. Everyone has a laptop, making it possible to take it home and during breaks also. Behavioral: Islands Stage All students use technology on a daily basis at this school but their quality use varies. Some students use it as an intervention, others as enrichment and very few of them use it for research or to produce multimedia projects. Resource/Infrastructure: Islands Stage Having five computers in each classrooms you could say students have regular access to appropriate technology if the teacher is allowing them to use them on a daily basis. However, when you consider five classrooms have iPod class sets and another five have seven iPods in addition to the computers, that means some students have more access and opportunities than others and it is not consistent.

Student Use

Support
Stakeholder Involvement Behavioral: Emergent Stage We currently have a District technology plan that will expire in 2014. Five teachers district wide along with district personnel were involved in developing this plan. Very few teachers have read it or know it exists. Teachers who are piloting iPods and Google Docs are more aware of the implementation expectations so in this school that translates to five teachers out of 31 teachers. Resource/Infrastructure: Emergent Stage More people need to be involved in this process not just a select few. Administrative Support Behavioral: Integrated Stage Principal is involved with the various technology projects happening at the district and site level. She is more involved and

monitors closely site projects. Principal gets updates on district projects some of the teachers at this site are participating in. Resource/Infrastructure: Islands Stage The amount of support you get depends on the type of project a teacher is involved in. iPod and Google Docs pilots have monthly district meetings as well as a technology facilitator/coach to provide additional support and trainings. Imagine Learning is a site project so you might have three to four meetings per year. Whenever a problem occurs though, the person in charge of this program on site is very diligent at getting a Tech person to our school to resolve the problem immediately. Training Behavioral: Islands Stage

Unless teachers are participating in a technology pilot or a site technology project, few teachers attend any technology trainings.
Resource/Infrastructure: Islands Stage Technology training usually happens at the district level. It is tied to pilot projects or new software being implemented at our schools. It is usually not on going. A few exceptions have been the iPod/iPad and Google Docs projects. These trainings have been going on for two years.

Technical/Infrast ructure Support

Behavioral: Integrated Stage Most teachers seek help from the Site Lead Technology teacher to resolve minor technical problems with the Docucams, computers, LCD projectors or to learn how to use certain applications and programs. If there is something more serious the SLT puts in a work order to the District IT department. Resource/Infrastructure: Integrated Stage Whenever there is a technical problem, teachers at this school have two resources available to them: The Sitel Lead Technology Teacher (SLT) or the school assigned district tech person. The SLT takes care of everyday computer problems and teacher questions, while the district tech person resolves problems with our server, wireless connections, etc...

Connectivity
Local Area Networking (LAN) Behavioral: Islands Stage Staff and student use is regular but limited to accessing e-mail, entering student data, and performing other administrative tasks. It

is not used for student or teacher collaboration. Resource/Infrastructure: Intelligent Stage The network has been equipped to meet all the school needs. District Area Networking (WAN) Behavioral: Integrated Stage Staff mostly uses it for data but it has more extensive capabilities. Resource/Infrastructure: Intelligent Stage Its capabilities provides us with all the elements mentioned at this stage. Behavioral: Islands Stage Internet use is limited in curriculum integration and it is mostly used by teachers. Students access it only to use certain programs. Resource/Infrastructure: Intelligent Stage The Internet is available throughout the school via wireless or CAT 5 connection. Behavioral: Intelligent Stage Every staff member uses e-mail for work communication purposes with the principal, colleagues, district personnel and parents. Resource/Infrastructure: Emergent Stage Currently students do not have access to e-mail accounts although the district has begun piloting Google Docs and exploring the possibilities.

Internet Access

Communication Systems

Innovation
New Technologies Behavioral: Islands Stage Some teachers have taken the opportunity to pilot 1:1 iPod Touch technology in the classrooms. Two teachers at this school received a district grant to receive an iPod cart and three others were given the technology with school funds. The following year five more teachers wanted to experiment with this technology and were given seven iPods each using school funds. Not everyone is willing to embrace this project but every year there is an increasing number of teachers who will. Resource/Infrastructure: Emergent Stage Only ten teachers have access to iPod Touches. Its implementation is very limited. Students using the technology are very excited and capable of using it to enhance their learning and produce multimedia projects with them, only to find that the following year they will not have access to this technology. Behavioral: Emergent Stage Technology available is mostly used to access programs or as a teaching aid. It is not being used to its fullest potential. Resource/Infrastructure: Emergent Stage Technology used at this school is limited to computers, LCD

Comprehensive Technologies

projectors, Docucams, printers, and some mobile devices.

Conclusion
After studying carefully the Maturity Model Benchmarks and analyzing each component to evaluate Onourway Schools technology environment, I have concluded this school is overall in the islands stage. Although they have a strong infrastructure and adequate access to hardware and other innovative technologies they are lacking more support to move them to the next level. All teachers need to be trained and made aware of all the capabilities the hardware and network offer. They also need to explore new projects and ideas on how to incorporate it into their lessons and ultimately allow the students to do more with it. Currently, teachers are the ones benefiting mostly form Internet use for work purposes, but now they have to expand that use to students, so they can start benefiting too. They are on their way, but seem to be a little stuck in the mean time. By extending professional development to all their teachers, not just a select few, this school will be able to move the Integrated stage of the Maturity Model Benchmarks.