School Improvement Plan Analysis

Johnson County has one Comprehensive School Improvement/Technology Plan that

covers the three schools in one. The system vision states: Johnson County Schools will
foster the development of literate and productive citizens for Johnson County !eorgia
and the "nited States for the twenty#first century. $ur students will attain a level of
literacy technological a%ility and patriotism to compete in the world economy while
preserving the democracy and li%erty of the "nited States of &merica.
The targeted area for improvement are covered in four goals: '( &t least )*+ of our
student populations will meet or e,ceed test scores for the relevant area %y -.'/0 1( 2y
3
th
grade all students will continue to %e Technology literate per the guidelines adopted
%y the state and Johnson County Schools0 4( Strive to continue to have students %e at
grade level0 5( Strive to have Johnson County Schools graduation rate will %e 3*+ or
higher.
Technology is including in the Johnson County 6igh School Improvement plan in several
areas. The first noted area is that teachers will administer the state developed $&S
%enchmar7 and framewor7 assessments to the students. Scholastic 8eading Inventory
will %e given to note and monitor le,ile levels of the students. This will %e given %y the
9edia Specialist. Teachers will use the S:;S system to gather data on students classes
and schools to show evidence of student progress toward mastery of !PS. Technology
development was included with some teachers attending the technology conference. To
my 7nowledge the only person attending this was the Technology ;irector. There was no
mention of technology literacy in the School Improvement Plan.
2asically I thin7 technology is included at a minimum in the School Improvement Plan
simply on a %asis of wording. <hen reading the plan myself and having a technology
%ac7ground I can see the spots were technology is %eing used to assess or demonstrate
mastery0 %ut to the average person the word Technology is only mentioned once. "nder
the su%=ect of Implementation of new Common Core !eorgia Performance Standards
>CC!PS( and current curriculum standards in other areas aligned with :iteracy &cross
the Curriculum in support of College and Career 8eadiness Performance Inde, >CC8PI(
it was stated the Technology ;evelopment would ta7e place %y attendance at the
technology conference.
I am not satisfied with amount of technology#related issues that are included in the SIP.
Technology is critical to all areas of the curriculum and to the school mission statement
which states ?The mission of Johnson County 9iddle/6igh School is to prepare students
to meet or e,ceed standards graduate on time and pursue post#secondary option.@ 9y
personal feeling is that the entire mission statement is %ogus without technology %eing
implemented into the plan other than having the students using technology for
assessments and this is the only place I see it mentioned. I feel we need to incorporating
technology into lesson plans and learning on a daily %asis. I do feel our administration is
aware of technology#infused lesson plans and it has %een mentioned %ut not carried
through to the level needed.
&s stated in the system Technology plan ?Technology integration into all areas of the
curriculum will help create technological literacy in our students@. This statement should
%e ta7en and infused in every area of the SIP. It should %e incorporated and stated into
each area: '( &ssessment A how are you going to assess student learning using
technology0 1( Curriculum A how are the teachers ad=usting the curriculum to include
technology to enhance student learning0 4( Instruction A how is technology %eing used to
improve instruction for &:: students0 5( Professional :earning A what technology P: is
ta7ing place to help the teachers understand the technologies %eing utilized0 /(
Sta7eholders/Parents A what are you doing to ensure to sta7eholders and parents that we
are utilizing technology in our school to ensure our students are ready for the world
%eyond high school.
9y thoughts are that the driving points of technology should %e far more than what we
are currently using technology for. I have several 7ey points I thin7 we should %e doing
several things to %etter prepare our students for the future. -irst we should include
training for teachers to help them integrate technology into their lessons at least once
wee7ly. <e have to start with the teachers and create a thirst for incorporating technology
%efore we can actually see the process %eginning to wor7. $ur administration also needs
to %e trained so that they can model the effectiveness of using technology as a resource
for integration into the curriculum. The teachers can only %e as effective as their leaders.
I feel our technology can %e implemented in the SIP %y simply ta7ing the System
Technology Plan and infusing the goals and %enchmar7s used into the SIP. The pro%lem
with our school system is the updates and follow#through that it will ta7e to accomplish
the goals we set. <e get caught up in the ?here and now@ and seem to forget the goals
and visions we originally set forth to meet.
School Tech Plan Status
<e do have a System Technology Plan that is separate from the SIP. It was developed in
'))B and was integrated in '))). The current plan is for the years 1*'1#1*'/ and has
%een updated to accommodate changes. It hasnCt %een updated for 1 D years as the
Superintended listed has %een gone for the period of time noted. &s stated a%ove updates
and follow#through are a definite wea7ness.
I do not %elieve the school community has 7nowledge of the tech plan. I as7ed did we
have one and my principal was not sure. The Technology ;irector said we did have one
%ut it was needed updates etc. Therefore the answer to the ne,t Euestion would %e no it
is not %eing implemented effectively. There is a ru%ric included for teachers to note
technology integration0 I dare say any of the teachers have ever seen it.