Tech Use Plan Evaluation

School Pseudonym: Nor Cal High School District (NCSD) Demographics: The Nor Cal High School District includes five comprehensive high schools, two alternative education programs, and an adult education program, serving approximately 10,000 high school students. All teachers have a desktop or notebook computer plus a network or directly connected printer for their use. Administrative and support staff also have computers and access to printers, which are often shared. Many classrooms have computers for student use. Classrooms supporting specific programs that use computers are also appropriately equipped, such as: Career Technical Education (CTE), Special Education, English Language Learners, etc. Further, all schools have computer labs and library media centers with computers that are open to students during the school day. In some cases, these computer labs are open before and after school. The local Adult School also offers classes utilizing technology in the afternoon/evenings four days a week during the school year. The District currently has deployed over 2,900 total computers throughout the District that meet the following minimum standards: Internet connectivity, office productivity software (Microsoft Office or equiv.), network printing, network file sharing, access to district hosted e-mail (staff only), the student information system, and the online course delivery system (Blackboard).

General level: Integrated

ADMINISTRATIVE
I. POLICY a. Behavioral 1. Integrated - All staff and students are required to sign a technology use agreement which holds them to abiding by legal and ethical guidelines when utilizing district technology. Most staff take extra precaution when communicating confidential information (e.g. using students initials instead of full names) as the district has conveyed several times that e-mails are district property and may be

subpoenaed and used in court. b. Resource/Infrastructure 1. Intelligent - All equipment and curricular materials must be submitted to and approved by administration before purchase. Major purchases must receive board approval. II. PLANNING a. Behavioral 1. Integrated - The development of a comprehensive 3 year technology use plan involved stakeholders from multiple levels and positions throughout the district. Parents and classified staff were absent or underrepresented from the committee. b. Resource/Infrastructure 1. Integrated -Timelines and benchmarks for the technology use plan are clearly outlined. Also indicated are who is responsible for following up on the aspects of the plan (most of this falls to the Director of technology for the district). III. BUDGET a. Behavioral 1. Integrated - The plan does not address intended outcomes (application) specifically; it is broad in scope. b. Resource/Infrastructure 1. Integrated - 10,710,000 Allocated to span 3-years (Unclear what percentage of total budget this represents). IV. ADMINISTRATIVE INFORMATION a. Behavioral 1. Integrated - Most systems are paperless, some conversions still needed (e.g. PE Requirement Packet). Attendance, grades, IEPs, etc. are all submitted through online programs. The network has a public drive with folders for each site and department that can be accessed with permissions from any computer on the network. b. Resource/Infrastructure 1. Integrated - Not all staff given access to necessary

technological resources (some still w/o email).

CURRICULAR
I. ELECTRONIC INFORMATION a. Behavioral 1. Integrated - ABI (Student Records, Attendance, Grading, etc). SEIS is used for IEP development and submission. b. Resource/Infrastructure 1. Integrated- Not all staff have access to the same resources. II. ASSESSMENT a. Behavioral 1. Islands - Most assessment done traditionally. b. Resource/Infrastructure 1. Islands - Resistance to transition from traditional assessment (largely due to test security issues). Training is a critical component of this piece, as most instructional staff is not familiar with how to develop and implement online assessment. III. CURRICULAR INTEGRATION a. Behavioral 1. Islands- There is blend of traditional textbook/lecture and online resources. In the past few years, the district has started offering credit recovery (summer school) through Blackboard. All teachers have access to Blackboard, however, it is not used consistently across the board. Many teachers use it for file storage rather than as an active class in which they facilitate peer/peer and student/instructor interaction. b. Resource/Infrastructure 1. Islands- Not all classes outfitted w/ technological tools. Some classes have document cameras, Smartboards, student computers, etc. Some dont even have an LCD projector. IV. TEACHER USE a. Behavioral 1. Integrated- Access prioritizes administrative tasks over

curricular materials b. Resource/Infrastructure 1. Integrated - All teachers have computers and can perform administrative tasks electronically, however, without equal access to tools that enhance the curriculum, effective use of electronic resources is compromised. V. STUDENT USE a. Behavioral 1. Islands- All students issued logon/folder on student drive; used intermittently. Some students access their drives and check their grades online frequently, and some are not aware that they are able to do so. b. Resource/Infrastructure 1. Integrated- Library, some classroom resources, computer labs (scheduled use). Some students bring personal computers but administration does not readily provide the password to access wifi (although many students have figured out the password or how to get around the security measures).

SUPPORT
I. STAKEHOLDER INVOLVEMENT a. Behavioral 1. Islands- Does not provide a process for using the evaluation results to improve the plan and disseminate findings. b. Resource/Infrastructure 1. Integrated - Describes process and frequency of communicating evaluation to stakeholders II. ADMINISTRATIVE SUPPORT a. Behavioral 1. Intelligent - Plan led by administration b. Resource/Infrastructure 1. Integrated-Unclear on time allocation

III. TRAINING a. Behavioral 1. Islands - Training optional, not targeted by specific needs or systematic. Low staff participation b. Resource/Infrastructure 1. Islands - Site and district resources provide training that is accessible to most staff. No district support staff dedicated specifically for technology training needs. IV. TECHNICAL/INFRASTRUCTURE SUPPORT a. Behavioral 1. Intelligent - Formal/Informal support utilized by all staff (Help Desk). b. Resource/Infrastructure 1. Intelligent -District & Onsite support resources to provide full-time technical support

CONNECTIVITY
I. LOCAL AREA NETWORKING (LAN) a. Behavioral 1. Integrated - Extensive tools used at every site by staff and students. b. Resource/Infrastructure 1. Integrated - Available at every site by WAN connection. II. DISTRICT AREA NETWORKING (WAN) a. Behavioral 1. Intelligent - Used throughout the whole district by staff and students. b. Resource/Infrastructure 1. Islands-Entire system over 15 years old III. INTERNET ACCESS a. Behavioral 1. Integrated- Used by most staff and students for curricular integration b. Resource/Infrastructure

1. Intelligent - All locations within district have Internet access (165 MB piped out). IV. COMMUNICATION SYSTEMS a. Behavioral 1. Intelligent - Email relied upon by staff and administrators b. Resource/Infrastructure 1. Islands - Email not available for students

INNOVATION
I. NEW TECHNOLOGIES a. Behavioral 1. Islands - Limited opportunities for experimentation b. Resource/Infrastructure 1. Integrated - Some new technologies available and readily accepted by staff II. COMPREHENSIVE TECHNOLOGIES a. Behavioral 1. Islands- Most use A/V, digitizing and scanning b. Resource/Infrastructure 1. Integrated - Additional technology availability is isolated to certain curricular areas and departments. Conclusion: When evaluated comprehensively, the Nor Cal School Districts technology use plan is integrated. The district should focus on improving curricular integration, connectivity (updating equipment), and innovation. Equitable access to training and equipment is required for the district to move from integrated to intelligent.