Bridgewater Middle School Technology Evaluation Jim Murtagh

Introduction Bridgewater MIddle school is a public school for students in grades 5 and 6. The school is located in a Waterloo county in a mixed suburban/rural setting. The town has strong agricultural roots, but over the past two decades, there has been a large influx of new residents. The school is considered a high performing school within the State. Students at Bridgewater generally come from well educated, financially stable, white families. The school is well staffed, except for a noticeable absence of a technology specialist. Class sizes average 23 students. Technology expenditures are part of the annual town budget, and while it varies from year to year, approximately $500,000 is allotted for the entire district. All classrooms in the school have interactive whiteboards, desktops computers, and access to a cart of laptops. Document cameras, iPads, student response devices and other technology are present in varying amounts. All faculty are provided with laptops. Broadband Internet and wireless access is available throughout the building. The following tables provide a profile of the town and the school. Town Profile Population (2011) Land Area Median Age (2011) Median Household Income (2011) Educational Attainment (2011) Race/Ethnicity (2011) Median House Price (2009) Poverty Rate (2010) School Profile Number of Schools in District Bridgewater MIddle School Grade Levels Bridgewater MIddle School Students (2009) Number of School Days Per Year Bridgewaters Technology Budget 7 (including one high school) Grades 5 and 6 544 180 $65,000 (annual, but varies with budget approval via town referendum, estimate for 2009) 22, 383 47 square miles 37 years $99,233 54% with Bachelors or more 91.2% White $400,000 2.8%

School Staff* 1

Full-Time Equivalent Count of School Staff (2009-10) General Education: Teachers and Instructors Special Education: Teachers and Instructors Special Education: Paraprofessional Instructional Assistants Library/Media Specialists and/or Assistants Administrators, Coordinators, and Department Chairs Instructional Specialists Who Support Teachers (e.g., subject area specialists) Counselors, Social Workers, and School Psychologists School Nurses Other Staff Providing Non-Instructional Services and Support Student Race/Ethnicity* Race/Ethnicity American Indian Asian American Black Hispanic White Total Minority Indicators of Educational Need* Need Indicator Students Eligible for Free/Reduced-Price Meals K-12 Students Who Are Not Fluent in English Students with Disabilities Students Identified as Gifted and/or Talented Kindergarten Students who Attended Preschool, Nursery School or Headstart Number in School 38 4 68 4 NA Number 0 24 4 32 484 60

Employees 41.05 5.4 16.0 2.0 2.5 0.0 3.5 1.0 15.2

Percent 0 4.4 0.7 5.9 89 11.0

Percent in School 7.0 0.7 12 .07 NA

* This profile was produced by the State Department of Education in accordance with General Statutes 10-220(c) using data and narratives provided by the school district or testing services for the 2009-2010 academic year.

Maturity Benchmarks The following material is an extract from Peter Sibleys and Chip Kimballs work The Technology Use Plan Primer. In this document, Sibley and Kimball describe the stages for adoption and use of technology by dividing the process into four discrete benchmark stages. 1 Emergent Stage 2 Islands Stage 3 Integrated Stage 4 Intelligent Stage Two factors, resource availability and behavioral changes, are requirements for advancement within each stage. The benchmark is a tool that school districts can use to perform a self-assessment on how effectively they are integrating technology, and then to determine where additional support of resources are necessary.
Note: the following descriptions of the four stages are direct;y from Sibley & Kimball

The Emergent Systems Stage is characterized by: Lack of formal support when using computing technology for instruction No formal plans, policies or procedures exist to ensure the efficient and appropriate acquisition or use of technology throughout the Institution Computers are used sporadically throughout the Institution Institution wide coordination to ensure grade level and program level access is absent Formal support for teacher training is minimal

The Islands of Technology Stage is characterized by: Regular use of computers at one or more grade levels and program levels at each school within the Institution on a regularly scheduled basis Formal plans, policies and procedures exist to facilitate the optimal use of technology in both instructional and administrative areas throughout the Institution Institution sponsored and school sponsored training is available Technology has budgetary visibility at the Institutional level and school/program level The instructional delivery system is somewhat dependent on technology 3

The Integrated Systems Stage is characterized by: Regular planned access for students to technology as a means of instruction and a focus of instruction Teachers' systems also support administrative functions, such as grading, attendance and electronic mail Technology has a high budgetary visibility at the Institutional and school/program level Comprehensive plans, policies and procedures for instructional and administrative use of technology are reviewed and revised regularly The Institution is an advocate of technology training for all personnel The instructional delivery system is very dependent on technology

The Intelligent Systems Stage is characterized by: Student access to technology as an indispensable component of instruction Every curriculum is augmented by intelligent learning systems Administrative functions are automated, integrated and paper less Student, teachers and stakeholders have access to appropriate systems from home Technology is one of the three highest expenditures of Institution funds Technology planning is an integral part of Institution planning The systematic adoption of new technologies is ongoing Technology advocates at each organizational unit assist in the introduction of the new technologies Instructional and administrative personnel are knowledgeable in the use of technology

Maturity Model The Maturity Model Benchmark Impact Table presents a tabular snapshot of your districts technology integration stage. There are five categories which allow users to focus on particular objectives, such as curriculum or connectivity. By examining a single category, they can help you filter your organizations technology needs. The five filters are: Administrative Filter 4

Policy, Planning, Budget and Administrative Information criteria Impacts Administrators and Staff the most

Curricular Filter Curriculum Integration, Assessment, Teacher Use and Student Use criteria Impacts Teachers and Students the most Support Filter Stakeholder Involvement, Administrative Support, Training, and Technical; Infrastructure Support criteria Impacts Teachers and Support Staff the most. Connectivity Filter Local Area Networking, District Area Networking, Internet Access and Communication Systems criteria Impacts all segments of the institution Innovation Filter New Technologies and Comprehensive Technologies criteria Impacts Teachers and Students the most

Bridgewater Analysis The following tables represent the maturity benchmarks for Bridgewater Middle School. Each organizational filter is examined separately. The first chart in each section employs different colors for the benchmark stages to give the reader a clear indication of where the school lies on that filter, from a quick glance. As the benchmarks advance from left to right, the technological maturity level increases. The second table provides the rational and includes details of why the school was identified as being at a specific benchmark.

Administrative Filter

Category Policy: Behavioral

Rating Integrated

Summary Technology is used by all admin staff but there is no written policy. There is an understood policy of how work is to be done. Staff use it willingly, but have no choice. Policy gets dictated by school principal or created independently by those most affected by decision. Yearly review of technology at budgeting time, and then again in summer when funds are to be spent. Decision made with principal, technology director and building network technician. Planning is in line with district plans but school is given option to pursue their own course if feel necessary. Budget is based on a fixed dollar amount. After budget referendum, school plan is then built yearly based on money awarded to 6

Policy: Resource/Infrastructure

Islands

Planning: Behavioral

Intelligent

Planning: Resource/Infrastructure

Intelligent

Budget: Behavioral

Islands

school. Multi-year projects are nearly impossible. Budget: Resource/Infrastructure Administrative Information: Behavioral Integrated Intelligent Technology budget is a line item in town budget. Systems exist for communication, student records, attendance, and many other admin tasks. There are still paper outputs but few all paper systems. Most staff have access to systems directly or can get information readily from another staff who has access. Access availability is primarily based on privacy concerns.

Administrative Information: Resource/Infrastructure

Integrated

Summary Bridgewater is on the upper end of the administrative filter. The district consistently invests in technology but needs to involve more stakeholders in the decision making process.

Curricular Filter

Category Electronic Information: Behavioral

Rating Intelligent

Summary Students and staff use electronic information on a daily basis. Laptop carts are available on a 1:3 ratio. We have multiple tech resources such as iPads, response systems and laptops. Only laptops are widely available. Most student work is generated electronically, but nearly all of it is printed and then assessed by teachers. Teachers have access to an electronic gradebook but few electronic students take place on a regular basis. Curriculum has broad references to technology and is not updated to reflect changes in technology. If teachers choose, technology is widely available to support most 8

Electronic Information: Resource/Infrastructure

Integrated

Assessment: Behavioral

Emergent

Assessment: Resource/Infrastructure

Islands

Curriculum Integration: Behavioral Curriculum Integration: Resource/Infrastructure

Islands

Intelligent

needs of teachers and students. Teacher Use: Behavioral Intelligent Teachers have laptops, and all classrooms are technology rich with interactive whiteboards, document cameras, and assorted other devices, Teachers use technology in their classroom continuously throughout the day. Students use technology for writing papers and doing online research. Sporadic other activities take place. Students have access to equipment in the classroom and in labs.

Teacher Use: Resource/Infrastructure Student Use: Behavioral

Intelligent

Islands

Student Use: Resource/Infrastructure

Intelligent

Summary Bridgewater is on the upper end of the curricular filter but lags in assessment and student use of cloud technologies. The districts technology plan does identify cloud computing as a target for next year.

Support Filter

Category Stakeholder: Behavioral Stakeholder: Resource/Infrastructure Administrative Support: Behavioral

Rating Emergent

Summary Staff and faculty are informed of technology changes most often during implementation. Planning is performed by 2-3 individuals. The building principal consults with the building network technician to discuss strategy. The technician often solicits input from staff and teachers. Principal is readily available for consultation. Since the State no longer requires continuing credits for technology work, staff and teacher training has dwindled. Training is primarily performed by the building network technician. Building network technician available to all staff and faculty. Building network technician 10

Emergent Integrated

Administrative Support: Resource/Infrastructure Training: Behavioral

Integrated Islands

Training: Resource/Infrastructure Technical & Infrastructure Support: Behavioral Technical & Infrastructure

Islands Intelligent

Intelligent

Support: Resource/Infrastructure

available to all staff and faculty.

Summary Bridgewater struggles the most with the support filter. The district seems to deliver technology to users and then lets them figure it out on their own. Training is another area where the district provides too few opportunities for teachers and staff.

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Connectivity Filter

Category Local Area Networking: Behavioral

Rating Intelligent

Summary Building is fully wired with hi-speed data cabling and wireless networking. High speed Internet access is available for everyone. Wireless equipment is aging but scheduled for replacement. High speed networking is available to all but voice and video are not widely used or implemented. WAN use is primarily for data and email communication. Connections between school buildings is not as robust as school's access to Internet. Internet is widely used but content filtering exists and students do not have unsupervised to video access. Internet access is widely available. Email is available to all staff and 12

Local Area Networking: Resource/Infrastructure District Area Networking: Behavioral District Area Networking: Resource/Infrastructure Internet Access: Behavioral

Integrated

Integrated Integrated

Intelligent

Internet Access: Resource/Infrastructure Communication Systems:

Intelligent Intelligent

Behavioral

faculty and used for all business matters. Students have no access to email. Islands All staff have email but few students do.

Communication Systems: Resource/Infrastructure

Summary Bridgewater has been investing in their infrastructure for five years and their benchmarks reflect this progress. They need to use their resources in more imaginative ways, and they need to address an aging wireless infrastructure.

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Innovation Filter

Category New Technologies: Behavioral

Rating Islands

Summary Majority of staff readily accept new technology but not everyone has the time or desire to implement them. Majority of staff welcome new technology that makes their jobs more productive or that enhance education for students. Technology is abundant but how it gets used is primarily up to individual teachers decide when and how to use it. Most technology use centers around Internet access, email and word processing.

New Technologies: Resource/Infrastructure

Integrated

Comprehensive Technologies: Behavioral

Integrated

Comprehensive Technologies: Resource/Infrastructure

Islands

Summary Bridgewater has a tremendous amount of technological resources, and staff and teachers willing to use it. Lack of time to experiment and explore the technology is frequently cited as the primary reason why the technology is not used to its full potential. Additional support from a integration specialist would benefit the district.

Category Analysis The following graphs show that the behavioral versus resource/infrastructure keys of the maturity index are working in concert with each other. The behavioral measure is slightly further along in the intelligent grouping, but both are showing positive results. Bridgewater is clearly successful in their technology integration, though there is room for improvement.

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Conclusion Bridgewater Middle School is a high performing school with a well equipped infrastructure and a diverse and abundant amount of technology. The school is on the mid side and approaching the upper limits of the benchmark scale in many areas. Teachers, staff and students all use technology daily to perform their tasks. While there is no formal written technology guidelines in the school, the school has learned to adopt and manage their resources effectively. Bridgewater needs to advance student use beyond basic word processing and Internet searches. Teachers would benefit greatly from an integration specialist who could educate and support them on more challenging uses of technology. The school would benefit from more involvement from staff on the direction of future technology initiatives, and the curriculum should be examined to see where instruction could be improved by incorporating appropriate technology.

Resources: 1 CERC Town Profile 2012. Downloaded from: www.cerc.com 2 CT State Dept. of Education,Strategic School Profile 2009-10. Downloaded from: www.sdeportal.ct.gov 3 Sibley, P. & Kimball, C., Technology Use Plan Primer. Teacher provided reference

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