The Issue Is:

NCLB and TEA have decided that now it IS REQUIRED TO report on whether students graduating 8th grade have met the State’s expectations for Technology Literacy. It is up to the District to determine how that will be decided. Documentation must be provided.

It is significant because:

1. Data is required, auditable, must have supporting documentation and failure to provide it may negatively impact future funding per the Texas Education Agency and No Child Left Behind.
2. Since December, 2006, eighth graders have had to meet Technology Applications:TEKS graduation requirements.
3. Assessments may show that the District is not sufficiently prepared to assess students in grades K-8 in the area of Technology Applications.
4. Campus averages (100%) are at a Level 1 or 2 of technology integration (Teaching and Learning). This means campuses are at early and developing levels of technology per the Texas STaR Chart. Categories covered in this area with district average score:
1. Patterns of Classroom Use - 2
2. Frequency/Design of Instructional Setting Using Digital Content - 2
3. Content Area Connections, Technology Applications (TA) TEKS Implementation (TAC Chapter 26) - 2
4. Student Mastery of Technology Applications (TA) TEKS - 2
5. Online Learning - 1 (high school was only campus at a 2 in this category)

Important to Note:

These are from notes from a tech coordinator who was at the meeting:
Reporting Information

• STaR Chart data
• Competitive and formula
• Teaching and Learning
• Educator Preparation and development
• TEA is required to report since it is an essential part of the process, as well as measure the success of the activities. It is critical to continued funding.

Administrator Addressed Letter

• New requirements—first group to introduce—early part of next week, look out for this letter. This will prepare districts for new reporting requirements.

Requirements Include

• Unduplicated number of computers available to students for instruction by Internet access type (don’t report old machines, there are min requirements):
  • No Connectivity
  • Dial up
  • High speed (wireless or wired)
• Another report is assessing whether schools can do online TAKS test…survey is being created now.
• Unduplicated number of 8th graders evaluated for technical literacy under the district’s methodology as defined by the state at the end of the 8th grade. This has never been asked for before.
• Unduplicated number of school personnel achieving acceptable performance on standards-based performance profiles of technology user skills as defined by the State by staff categories.

  • Teacher and librarian information can already be pulled out.
  • School administrator information is not available.

• Electronic reporting system - opens in September 2008 and closes November 2008 and report is due in early Spring! Very short timeline.

Next Step

• Look out for announcement for reporting notice.
• Prepare in the summer
• Data is required and tied to funding
• Document your data. Make sure that you document your source in case of an audit. What is your supporting documentation is one of those questions?

Unanswered Questions

• Does a District want to go through all this accountability if they’re not getting a lot of Title 2 Part D money? (Mark Gabehart)
• If a school district decides to NOT apply for Title 2 Part D, will that hurt Title 1 funding? Will opting out hurt the District? It will not impact Title 1, but responder is not sure.

• What is meant by “the District’s Methodology?”
• What methodology are other school districts using?
• Are we assessing 2007–2008 8th graders BEFORE school ends in May, 2008? OR
• Are we assessing incoming 9th graders in September 2008?
• What assessment should we use? Will the State create one or will we have to create one of our own?
• How are we going to assess 3500 8th graders?
• Don’t we first need to assess our computer labs?
• What is our lab situation at middle school?
• Could we use the built-in assessment in our technology applications:TEKS electronic textbook?
• Is there a built-in assessment in Glencoe’s TechConnect? (Answer: sort of…is it available to students?)
• Can TechConnect aggregate results?
• If another district is using Learning.com, is that assessment available at cost to my district online?

Options:

• Assess all eighth graders this school year using one of the options outlined below.
• Assess all ninth graders at the very beginning of the 08-09 school year using one of the options below.

Choice	Description	Cost	NCLB's Perceived Validity
Option 1	Learning.com assessment	$1,812	Valid. Being used in Pilot.
Option 2	Place Another ISD's Assessment in Moodle*	Free	Unsure
Option 3	Place Another ISD's Assessment in Kamico*	Free	Unsure

*Deer Park shared their locally created assessment

Future Options:

WOISD is currently investigating eportfolios for student and staff use. Universities across the nation have implemented eportfolios for students to prove mastery of content as documented throughout their degree process. The idea for WOISD is that users will be given access to a space where a template will have been prepared with each of the standards that they are responsible for. It will be their responsibility to upload products and narratives that show mastery of the given standard. This will be defined for both student TEKS and staff Technology Applications (new and lifetime certified teachers). This system is very cost efficient and is considered the most accurate method of assessment. The difficulty is with creating and implementing a consistent, fair rubric (time needed to assess, content areas covered will differ among users, etc).

Learning.com offers a pre and post test package that runs $5 per student per year plus a $1500 one time set-up fee. This is available for both 5th and 8th grades.

Recommendations to Improve Scores:

• Require all instructional staff—teachers, administrators, librarians—to complete a minimum number of hours of online professional learning aligned to ISTE National Education Technology Standards (NETS-T) and a minimum number of hours of face to face workshops—in preparation to integrate Technology Applications:TEKS to meet expectations by October, 2008.
• Refine the Curriculum & Instruction Scope and Sequence to reflect integration of Technology Applications:TEKS in the core content area.
• Update every computer lab so that each has a digital projector and other necessary peripherals (e.g. digital camera, scanner) and software needed to meet needs. The portable items should be available for check-out for staff and student use.
• Fully fund and staff at every campus at least an aide that is familiar with the pertinent grade levels' Technology Applications standards. This aide/teacher should also be held to the same technology proficiency standards as the instructional staff.

Relevant Background Information:

• The primary and intermediate campuses have adopted technology applications programs currently (adopted SRA for grades K-5 since 09/05).
• The middle school adopted Achieve 3000 in February, 2006. TEA allowed Achieve 3000 out of its contract effective the end of the 07/08 school year. Their renewal costs is too high (proposal submitted was nearly $14,000). No replacement has been recommended as of yet.
• Middle school lab does not a have full-time teacher/aide to support staff. The elementary lab does.
• The Technology Integration Survey completed after the fall 2007 training (focused on email, iTunes, and Google Earth) showed the following results:
• Content of training was either very or extremely valuable: 76.3%
• 87.8% of our instructional staff are aware that there are technology standards ties to their teaching certification
• 82.2% of our instructional staff are aware that there are technology standards in NCLB that students must master
• 76.9% of our instructional staff had at least limited knowledge of TEA piloting technology literacy assessments of our students
• Our instructional staff listed these limitations of integrating technology into their curriculum:
• 52.3% knowledge/training
• 75.6% time
• 55.8% access to equipment
• 32.6% equipment not owned by campus or district
• Other NCLB Requirements that must be reported between September, 2008 and November, 2008:
  • Unduplicated number of computers available to students for instruction by Internet access type (unduplicated is assumed to mean one computer used for multiple programs (CATE, spec ed, etc) is only counted as one machine)
    • Minimum requirements will be provided for machines that should be included in the report. (some machines may be too out of date to count in this number)
    • Internet access type refers to whether the computers are dial-up, high speed, or no connection to the Internet).
  • Unduplicated number of school personnel achieving acceptable performance on standards-based performance profiles of technology user skills as defined by the State by staff categories. This includes administrators, teachers and librarians. (tracked by STaR Chart currently) and administrators (new assessment being developed for them).

What Instructional Technology (IT) has done up to this point:

Now

• Added a staff position that bridges the curriculum and technology departments to support all staff in technology integration into the curriculum. Hired 08/07.
• Crafted a monthly newsletter (Roughneck Tech Update) that is emailed to all staff and posted on the podcast blog. Began 02/08.
• Adopted Atomic Learning community wide to aid staff, students, and community members in mastering programs and sites they choose to use.
• Investigated the various options for 8th Grade Assessment

Help Needed:

• Advise as to which option WOISD will choose
• Communicate that option to administrative council and all instructional staff with a high level of urgency; even lower campus staff needs to be aware of and understand this new level of accountability
• Obtain support to implement and achieve the ideal outcome above.
• Continue to promote the need of technology integration into core area curriculum both in campus level meetings, grade level meetings, content team meetings, and both campus and district level committees.
• Promote technology resources available to the community

Resources:

• White Oak ISD District Technology Plan (pdf) (approved through 2011)
• White Oak ISD Technology Webpage
• SBEC Teacher Certification Standards:
• Technology Applications (All Beginning Teachers) NOTE: These Technology Applications standards are expected of ALL beginning teachers and will be incorporated into the new TExES for Pedagogy and Professional Responsibilities at each certification level.
• Technology Applications (EC-12 or 8-12) - NOTE: Veteran Educators
• Texas STAR Chart (pdf)
  
• TEA Presentation to TCEA TEC-SIG concerning new technology assessment requirements (link to ppt file)