Technology Plan Evaluation FRIT 8132 - Administration of Technology Resources Dr.

Charles Hodges Amy Womack & Rachel Stewart Fall 2012

Part 1:Technology Planning Analysis Rubric

Criteria 1 2 3

Executiv e Summar y

Executiv Provides Identifies e adequate clearly summar and and y is accurate concisely absent or informat for the incomple ion in reader

te. (Missing 2 or more compone nts of informat ion)

Executiv the e vision, Summar mission, y. goals and objective s, backgro und, findings, issues, conclusio ns, and recomme ndations of the technolo gy plan. Goals are broad and compreh ensive but are not complete ly clear. They are linked to objective s, but are not readily obtainab le or measura ble. Goals are Goals are broad and compreh ensive, addressi ng teaching and learning needs. The goals are clear, attainabl e, and measura ble. Objectiv es are delineate

Goals and Objectiv es

General learning goals are not clear or are absent.

loosely tied to the state or district documen ts. Staff Professio Develop nal /Staff ment is Develop absent or ment provides only minimal informat ion on current and needed technolo gy compete ncies or how the plan will help staff achieve the needed compete ncies.

d from goals, further defining how they will be met.

Provides Clearly a general describes overview current (not and detailed) needed of technolo current gy & compete needed ncies; technolo Describe gy s how compete plan will ncies. take Describe teachers s a few and strategie other s and staff recomme from ndations present for level of incentive technolo s and gy resource compete s. ncy and knowled ge to the level of skill required in the plan; describes

staff develop ment resource s. Needs Technolo Needs Assessme gy has Assessme nt is been nt absent, assessed incomple and te. analyzed, but may not include summari es of informat ion from all elements in the technolo gy surveys. Assessme nt is compreh ensive and contains detailed informat ion from hardwar e resource s, technolo gy needs assessme nt and Maturity Model Benchma rk surveys; identifies use by students and staff, and training received and desired. A compreh

Needs

An inventor

The inventor

Assessme nt Equipme nt

y exists, y moves ensive but is beyond equipme limited compute nt to rs only inventor compute (phone, y was rs only TV), but provided and does does not , not address including represen infrastru compute t vintage. cture or rs, vintage infrastru of cture, equipme access, nt. ITV, Telephon e and other equipme nt. No An An formal evaluatio evaluatio evaluatio n process n process n is is and describe describe instrume d. d, but nt are lacks describe detail d in and detail, compreh and is ensivenes compreh s. It does ensive in not refer nature. to Assessme learning nt is outcomes timely, . and tied to the objective s.

Evaluati on

Vision Vision Vision is Vision statemen statemen compreh Statemen t is not t ensive t included provides and deals or does adequate with not descripti learning address on of outcomes learning how , not just outcomes technolo technolo ; is gy will gy difficult improve outcomes to learning . Clearly understa but and nd. instructi concisely onal states outcomes your not fully teams addresse vision for d. using technolo gy to improve learning; identifies who will be the users of technolo gy and how it will be used to enhance learning; indicates the benefits that you envision will

result from the use of technolo gy by students, teachers, administ rators or others. Mission Mission statemen Statemen t is t missing or does not address instructi onal outcomes . Provides incomple te and/or is difficult to understa nd. Mission statemen t addresse s learning outcomes but provides limited informat ion about what, why, and for whom the school or district is doing the plan. Mission statemen t is focused on instructi onal outcomes and indicates clearly what the school or district will do to make its technolo gy vision a reality; why the school or district wants to do this; and for whom the school or district is

doing this. General Adequat Clearly Issues ely addresse missing addresse s issues or very s most, if: staff incomple but not develop te; all, of the ment, difficult most technical to significa support, understa nt issues technolo nd. specified gy in standard Excellent s; column. student access to compute rs,; integrati ng new with old technolo gies; capacity of present facilities to accomm odate new technolo gies; how technolo gy resource s and budget will be

General Issues

distribut ed among schools for equitable access; now needs of students with disabiliti es or limited English proficien cy will be addresse d; student access to compute rs; integrati ng new with old technolo gies; capacity of present facilities to accept new technolo gies, etc. Conclusi Conclusi ons and ons and recomme recomme Clearly identifies the most

Conclusi ons and

Recomm endation s

ndations are missing or are not adequate ly justified based on the informat ion gathered in planning process.

ndations are adequate ly justifies although the basis of some conclusio ns not entirely clear.

importan t needs and challenge s confronti ng the school and recomme nds the projects and steps to be taken to achieve the vision. Conclusi ons are strong and relevant. Describe s policies that are needed to ensure proper use of the technolo gy resource s (e.g., guideline s, software, and

Acceptan ce Use Policy

Policy issues are absent, incomple te, or difficult to understa nd.

Provides an adequate descripti on of the most relevant policy issues.

facilities use policies, parental consent for Internet use, etc.). Includes wellwritten draft of Acceptab le Use Policy. Technolo Technolo gy and gy and Learning Learning statemen Statemen t absent t or provides incomple te informat ion on the current use or future role of technolo gy in the school district and how it will enhance learning. Provides overview of the current and future use of technolo gy in enhancin g the teachinglearning process for students. Little detail on how technolo gy will be integrate d into Provides clear and strong descripti on of how technolo gy is currently used in learning environ ment and ways it will be used to achieve instructi onal outcomes ; describes how technolo

learning gy will and enhance curriculu curriculu m. m and teaching and learning strategie s; is tightly coupled to other reform efforts. Technolo Technica gy l Support support and and Mainten maintena ance nce are absent or provides vague or little informat ion on technical support requirem ents for plan. Provides adequate but not compreh ensive descripti on of technical support requirem ents and services. Provides clear and compreh ensive requirem ents and plans for services available and needed to support technolo gy use (network , compute r, and software support). This plan includes the repair

and replacem ent of equipme nt and staff develop ment. Technolo Provides Provides Technolo gy general clear and gy standard descripti compreh Standard s and on of ensive s, requirem hardwar descripti Require ents are e, on of the ments, missing software capabiliti and or and es of Models incomple connecti hardwar for te. vity e and Technolo standard learning gy and s and environ Learning requirem ments. It ents. identifies Although minimu clear, m may miss standard some s and informat requirem ion ents for elements. compute r hardwar e, software, and connecti vity; describes the types of

learning environ ments that currently exist and those to be created by the plan. Member Member Member Identifies ship is ship list ship list Contribu not listed is has tors and or is provided complete Stakehol inadequa and descripti der te to describes on of Groups determin constitue constitue e ncies ncies/sta represen represen keholder tation of ted. s groups. stakehol All areas der are groups. equitably represen ted. Projects, Budgets, or timelines missing; provides vague informat ion on project, budgets, or Provides Provides most but a not all of prioritize the d list of project, major timelines tech plan , and projects, budget tasks and estimate timelines inforamt . ion. Provides Appears budget

Projects, Budgets, and Timeline s

timelines to be summar ; project generally y appear consisten estimate not t with of captial relevant plan expenses to plan goals. (hardwa goals; re, budget software, estimates facilities, appear infrastru incongru cture, ent with staff plan or develop unrealist ment, ic. tech support, etc.). Identifies possible alternati ve funding resource s. Projects, timelines , and budgets are realistic and consisten t with plan goals and objective s. A timeline The plan only The plan is multi-

Multi-

Year is not covers year and Planning mentione one reference d. academic s multiyear or year project. funding, support, and planning activities. Specific support plans are articulat ed. This included the process for specific support issues and ongoing equipme nt replacem ent, staff develop ment, and repair. Writing is difficult to understa nd. Evidence Writing Writing is clear is concise but and unnecess clear; ary uses words active are used. voice

Clarity of Writing

of spelling, gramma r, and punctuat ion errors.

Meaning is not clear in some instances . Few errors in spelling/ gramma r.

when appropri ate. No misspelli ng, gramma r, or punctuat ion mistakes evident.

Technology Plan Evaluation

Introduction
A Technology Plan within a school district is vital when desiring to integrate technology successfully into the curriculum. The Technology Plan is a guide for teachers, administrators, and parents on how to effectively implement technology in the learning process. A plan is needed to describe the current uses of technology taking place in the school system, the needs of the system, the goals of the system, and also includes the budget of technology resources within the district. It is the Technology Plan that describes ways to successfully plan long-term technology integration, describes professional learning opportunities for educators, and the plan also highlights the use of technology resources available within the county. On July 1, 2011 a Three-Year Technology Plan was approved by the Burke County Board of Education. The Technology Plan will be effective through June 30, 2014. The plan is very accurate in illustrating current access to technology and the uses of technology within the schools. The plan breaks the software down by each school and administrative uses also. We believe the plan does well identifying the gap in achievement and the goals and benchmarks of the plan describe ways in detail on how to improve academics through the use of technology. There are nineteen components listed in the rubric. Each component of Burke Countys Technology Plan will be evaluated using a 1-3 scale.

Executive Summary
The first component to be rated in the Burke County School System Technology Plan is the executive summary. This component scored a three because it clearly identifies the vision, mission, goals and objectives, background, findings, issues, conclusions, and recommendations of the plan.

Goals and Objective

The goals and objectives in this Technology Plan are directly related and linked together so we decided to evaluate the two together as one component in the rubric. Each goal that is listed is very specific in what is to be expected and of whom and what it is to benefit. The goals also have a timeline of when it should be met including the person who will be in charge of making sure the goal is achieved. A funding analysis of what the projected cost will be to achieve each goal is also included in the table. The objectives in Burke Countys Technology Plan are called benchmarks and they describe the ways in which each goal will be achieved through the use of technology equipment. The objectives(benchmarks) are very specific in the ways that technology resources will be improved to meet the goals that have been set. We gave the goal and objectives component of this Technology Plan a rating of score of three.

Professional /Staff Development

Professional development for staff in Burke County is very important because it plays a major role in the success of the students in the county. The Burke County School District believes that technology is a major part of instruction and the district is dedicated in seeing that teachers are comfortable and familiar with technology resources. The district believes that technology is a necessity and should be implemented into classroom instruction. The Burke County Technology Plan makes it very clear how technology is placed within the schools and how training sessions are scheduled to meet the needs of the staff on how to use the technology. We scored the staff development component with a score of three because of this very reason. Training sessions take place after hours, during the summer months and on teacher work days if needed. After the first training there is always a follow up session where teachers can ask questions about new technology. Burke County keeps teachers updated and trained on new technology and programs that are being implemented in the county.

Needs Assessment
The next component to be rated is the needs assessment component. The Burke County Technology Plan identifies this as the gap analysis. The gap analysis is complete and detailed in the list of the technology needs in the county. Based on the plan for the next three years the county lists the needs as additional technology integration in all content areas by advancing teacher training, a need for professional learning that will target utilizing technology to assess student learning, and the greatest need is to narrow the achievement gap between the subgroups of students. The main use of technology use is the Promethean Board in the classroom but in many cases it used as a fancy chalkboard so it is desired that teachers use hands-on individualized technology to be most effective. The needs were identified by conducting school inventories and teacher and administrator surveys. We scored this component with a rating of two because the gap analysis did not specifically address, in this component, the training received.

Needs Assessment Equipment

In the Technology Plan for the Burke County school district, there is a comprehensive equipment inventory list that includes the computers, infrastructure, access, ITV, telephone and other equipment. This list is provided by each school and is used in the assessment of the needs the school has for the goals and objectives for the next three years. With this list the plan provides information on the services the students receive in the classroom.

Evaluation
An evaluation process is provided in the goals, benchmarks, and strategies table that is part of this Technology Plan. For every goal in the table there is an evaluation plan included along with it. The way it is set up is very easy to follow. The only thing we think could use some work is the description of the evaluation process. Instead of it being listed we feel it should have a better description of how the evaluation process will be conducted. We gave this a rating score of two.

Vision Statement
Burke County Public School System is committed to offering the students the latest educational technologies. Burke Countys Technology Plan does a great job at describing exactly what the district envisions for the county to be successful academically through the use of technology. The plan is specific in describing how students, teachers, administrators, and parents will access and benefit from the use of technology resources and programs. We scored the vision statement with a rating score of three.

Mission Statement
The mission of the Burke County School District Technology Plan was not clearly identified in the document. It did not have its own section in the plan but in our opinion was still easily identifiable. The plan states that the district will become a learning environment where all administrators, teachers, students, parents, and school staff will use technology daily to effectively help students attain high academic standards and prepare for their future. Although the plan did not have a separate section for the mission it is clearly stated above. We scored this component with a two only because it was not easily found within the document.

General Issues
The Burke County School Districts Technology Plan address general issues throughout the document. Staff Development is addressed in two different sections. In the area of Technology plans and existing programs and in the needs of the staff such as trainings. The plan lays out the existing technology in the classroom and the needs in each grade levels by schools. With the need for new equipment and software, the need for Staff trainings on the new equipment is stated. The issue of technology support is address throughout the document. In the section with Budget and timeline, the document addresses the need for new funding sources and

examples of new fund resources. All of the issues that the Technology Plan addresses are consistent with the Technology Goals and Objectives for the Burke County School System.

Conclusions and Recommendations

The needs of the Burke County School District are clearly stated. The need for wireless mobile stations in each classroom. The need for advance teacher training on how to effectively use technology in the classroom, and on how to provide safe and productive experiences for students using the Internet continues to be an ongoing need. Another need is for further professional learning and staff utilizing technology to assess student learning. More training for
staff is need in the area of utilizing existing system such as Longitudinal Data System and Data Director to monitor student achievement in order to design interventions in a strategic and timely manner or maximize instructional time. In order to meet the needs of all students, more flexible grouping and differentiated instruction is needed. The recommendations are clear and precise about the needs of the Burke County School District. The plans in this document over the next three years reflect the act of the school board to act on these needs.

Acceptance Use Policy

The Acceptance Use Policy of the Burke County District Technology Plan describes the policies that are needed to ensure proper use of the technology resources. This includes the guidelines for software and facility use and parental consent for internet use. The plan also included a well-written draft of Acceptance Use for Teachers and students for internet use. The plan shares the purpose of use and describes the activities the students and teachers should use the equipment for. The plan is clear about consequences for misuse and the fact that a students files are open for parents review at any time.

Technology and Learning Statement

In the Technology Plan of the Burke County Schools, the use of technology in the curriculum is listed by grade level. The plan is clear on the technology integration in the curriculum with detail for each grade level but does not have a Technology and Learning Statement. Current programs are laid out to match with instructional outcomes. Current uses of technology used in the county are mentioned in sections broken down by students, teachers, parents, and administrators. The table included in the Technology Plan breaks down how many computers and other additional technology equipment will be used at each school within the school system. Students will have access to software such as iPass, Reading Plus, and Waterford Early Reading Program. These are just software programs that students have access to not to mention Activboards, digital cameras, laptops with wireless capabilities etc. The plan goes on to mention what administrators and parents will have access to when it comes to the use of technology. We gave this component a rating score of two because it failed have a component that mentioned Technology and Learning specifically. Although it did not mention a

Technology and Learning Statement it is clear to the anyone reading the plan what is desired and in place.

Technical Support and Maintenance

Technical Support is found within the goals, benchmarks, and strategies table in the Technology Plan. This component receives a rating of three. For each goal/strategy listed the person responsible is also listed. The table states which strategies the technology coordinator will be responsible for and it also states how it will be evaluated. The Technology Director for the most part is responsible for access to technology, the administrative uses of technology, and the parent and community uses. This goes to show how much responsibility a Technology Director has in the implementation of a strong technology plan.

Technology Standards, Requirements, and Models for Technology and Learning

Within the Burke County Technology Plan the description of the hardware and software is very general and it discusses the variety of capabilities that the county would like to have in place by the end of the three year plan. The plan discusses the numerous software programs offered by the county to assist with test scores, reading and math skills, and other student data software. The only thing it does not do is describe the software programs in great detail.. The technology standards are not mentioned in the plan that we can tell so this is why we only rated this portion a score of two. We would suggest to directly relate the goals with a technology standard.

Identifies Contributors and Stakeholder Groups

Contributors and stakeholders in the Technology Plan are somewhat mentioned in the Communications and Marketing portion of the document. The plan mentions that parents, community members, and stakeholders are important when considering how to meet student achievement. The document also says that planning meetings occur monthly to evaluate the needs of the system. The meeting is an opportunity for stakeholders to develop strategies to include all stakeholders successfully in the development of technology development for the county. Although the plan does state the opportunity for stakeholders the opportunity to help in the building of strategies it fails to be specific in naming the the stakeholders directly. It is important, in our opinion, that stakeholders and contributors to be mentioned and that is why we gave this component a rating of two.

Projects, Budgets, and Timelines

The Technology Plan for the Burke County School systems documents a prioritized list of major technology plan projects for the coming three years. These plans are well document in a chart format to resource tasks and a timeline for accomplishing the goals set. This chart provides a budget summary that includes existing hardware, software, facilities, infrastructure,

staff development and technology support. This chart also identifies new possible alternative funding resources. The projects identified and the budget and timeline for these projects are consistent with the goals and objectives for the Districts Technology Plan.

Multi-Year Planning
The Technology Plan for the Burke County District School Systems is for the 2011 through 2014 years. This plan is a three year plan. This document supports the plans for the upcoming three years. A chart is in the document that shows funding, support, and planned activities to achieve the objectives for the coming three year projection.

Clarity of Writing
We scored this component of the Technology Plan with a three. It is very easy to understand and is very well organized. The document is descriptive in the needs, goals, and visions of the system. We did not find any grammar or punctuation errors.

Summary
I am actually a teacher in the Burke County School System and I see the majority of the programs that are mentioned in this plan on a daily basis. The Burke County School System is very fortunate because we have an extra funding source that many counties do not have the luxury of having access to. Burke County is the home of Plant Vogtle. I can speak from experience that the technology resources mentioned in the Technology Plan are being implemented and teachers are encouraged to use them on a daily basis. The faculty and staff receives adequate training in the the newest technology being implemented by the county. The Technology Plan mentioned that Promethean Boards are the main use of technology that is being used and this holds true. Many times teachers use the Promethean Smart Boards for their own use, like a fancy chalkboard as the Technology Plan mentions, but the school administrators are very clear that they are for student use just as much. My partner for this project was very impressed at the Technology Plan for the Burke County School System. She scored each component based on an external evaluator and they seem to match my scores and I am what is considered an internal evaluator. We both went back through the rubric to be sure we carefully reviewed each component taking into consideration the requirements for each. After careful review of the Technology Plan we both agreed that Burke County is well on its way to meeting the goals it set out to accomplish in 2011. The plan is up for re-evaluation in 2014.