Section III - Suggested Action Steps and Guiding Questions

 

This section identifies specific issues to be addressed under each plan component. The suggested action steps are in bold and are followed by guiding questions that explore the step in depth. A form to track the persons responsible for implementing each step and setting completion dates is included in Section IV, “Technology Planning Toolkit.” The form is titled “Timeline of Suggested Action Steps.”

 

1. Plan Duration

The plan should guide the district’s use of education technology for the next three to five years. E-rate recommends that technology plans be three years in length.

 

2. Stakeholders

Description of how a variety of stakeholders from within the school district and the community-at-large participated in the planning process.

 

3. Curriculum

 

Needs and Resource Assessment

a. Assess the availability of appropriate technology for teachers and students both during the school day and outside school hours.

• Is technology currently available to all students and teachers? Do all student groups have equal and appropriate access to the available technology?
• Is technology currently available to students during after-school hours? Given that many school assignments require students to access technology after hours, where will students access technology to complete their work? Do they have access in their homes, in community libraries, and/or at community centers? Does access differ for different subpopulations of students?
• EdTechProfile, <http://www.edtechprofile.org>, provides summary charts and graphs within the following reports: the California School Technology Survey Report and the Technology Planning report.

 

From the data collected, describe the current status of technology access in the classrooms, library/media centers, and labs for all students and teachers both during the school day and outside school hours.

 

b. Assess the school district’s current use of hardware and software to support teaching and learning.

• How are hardware and software currently being used in classrooms at each grade level and in each content area?
• How is technology being used to provide powerful learning opportunities, especially for special-needs students and students who required additional resources to improve academic performance?
• How is technology being used in the library media center and labs?
• How is technology currently being used by teachers and administrators to promote effective classroom and school management?
• EdTechProfile, http://www.edtechprofile.org, provides summary charts and graphs within the following reports: the California School Technology Survey Report and the Technology Planning report.

 

From the data collected, describe how technology is currently used to support teaching and learning. Include typical frequency and type of use in narrative or graphic form.

 

c. Review the school district’s curricular goals as presented in various district and site comprehensive planning documents.

• What are the district’s curriculum goals and plans for assisting students to meet content standards and pass the high school exit examination?
• Are targets for improvement in student achievement being met?
• How do local improvement plans, immediate intervention plans, site plans, self-studies, program quality reviews (PQRs), accreditations  suggest the curricular focus for the district technology use to school improvement efforts?
• How will your curricular goals and needs influence your technology goals?

 

The plan summarizes the district’s curricular goals that are supported by the plan and cites district document(s) where the selected curricular goals are addressed.

 

Goals

d. Develop clear goals and a specific implementation plan for using technology to improve teaching and learning. This is the heart of your instructional plan for students.

• How will technology be used to create more powerful learning experiences to improve student academic achievement?
• What is the role of the library media center in using technology to support the district’s curricular goals?
• As you analyze data and develop technology goals, how will technology support the academic needs of your significant subgroups?
• How will technology be used to help students pass the California High School Exit Examination, improve CST scores, and state state and federal achievement targets?
• If an identified need, how will distance learning, including online Advanced Placement courses, expand content offerings and/or access to K–12 classes.

 

 Taking into account your curricular goals and needs, create clear goals, measurable objectives, annual benchmarks, and a clear implementation plan for using technology to support the district’s curriculum goals and academic content standards to improve learning.

(For more information regarding goals, objectives, benchmarks, and implementation plans, see Section IV, Planning Toolkit.)

 

e. Develop clear goals and a specific implementation plan describing how and when students will acquire the technology skills and information literacy skills needed to succeed in the classroom and the workplace.

• How and when will students acquire technology proficiency skills?
• How will the plan address the acquisition of information literacy skills?
• How will the plan address the technology proficiencies needed at each grade level or grade span?
• Will graduation or matriculation requirements include a technology component? If so, how will the plan address helping all students meet these requirements?

 

Taking into account how technology will be used to improve teaching and learning, describe how and when students will acquire technology proficiency skills and information literacy skills. The plan delineates clear goal(s), measurable objective(s), annual benchmarks, and an implementation plan detailing how and when students will acquire the technology skills.

 

f.  Describe how the district will address the appropriate and ethical use of information technology so that students can distinguish lawful from unlawful uses of copyrighted works, including the following topics: the concept and purpose of both copyright and fair use; distinguishing lawful from unlawful downloading and peer-to-peer file sharing; and avoiding plagiarism.

• What materials will be used to explain and illustrate examples of the concept and purpose of copyright, the fair use doctrine and other rights to use copyrighted works appropriately, potential penalties for use of copyrighted works without permission, distinguishing lawful from unlawful downloading, and how to avoid plagiarism?
• How will the library/media center assist in ensuring students become effective users of information technology? What efforts (including technology-based solutions) will the library/media center undertake to prevent or deter unlawful downloading or unlawful uses of copyrighted works?
• How and when will students learn about the implications of legal/illegal file sharing?

 

Separate from technology skills and information literacy skill training, describe (or create clear goals about) how students will learn about appropriate and ethical use of information technology in the classroom so that students can distinguish lawful from unlawful uses of copyrighted works, including the following topics: the concept and purpose of both copyright and fair use; distinguishing lawful from unlawful downloading and peer-to-peer file sharing; and avoiding plagiarism.

 

g.  Describe how the district will address Internet safety, including how to protect online privacy and avoid online predators.

• What district/school board policies will be or have been developed to implement Internet safety instruction?

• How are students using online communication technologies, including but not limited to social networking and instant messaging?
• What materials will be used to instruct students about Internet safety, including how to use technologies to protect themselves and their privacy online?
• How and when will teachers and/or librarians help students acquire Internet safety skills?

 

After reviewing board policies and Internet safety resources and curriculum, describe (or create clear goals about) how students will learn about Internet safety.

 

h. Describe the district policy or practices or create clear goals that ensure equitable technology access for all students.

• How can technology be used to extend the school day for students and to make learning resources available during after-school hours?
• What steps can the school district take to ensure equity of access for all students regardless of their academic standing, socioeconomic level, proficiency in English, or disabilities?
• How can technology be used to help support students with special needs?
• Is the school district’s acceptable-use policy for access to the Internet up-to-date? How is access to only appropriate Web sites accomplished?

 

Considering all student populations, describe how all students will have equal and appropriate access to instructional technology.

 

i. Develop clear goals and a specific implementation plan to utilize technology to make student recordkeeping and assessment more efficient and supportive of teachers’ efforts to meet each student’s academic needs.

• How will technology assist with student assessment?
• How will technology be used to track a student’s progress toward meeting the content standards, improving CST scores, and passing the High School Exit Examination?
• How can technology assist teachers and principals with their administrative tasks, attendance and grading?
• How will data be made more easily available to teachers and principals so that they can make informed decisions to meet individual student academic needs?

 

After investigating how teachers and administrators can and/or currently use assessment and recording keeping technology, create clear goals to increase the use of technology to make student record keeping and assessment more efficient and supportive of teachers’ efforts to meet individual student academic needs.

 

j. Develop clear goals and a specific implementation plan to utilize technology so that teachers and administrators can be more accessible to parents.

• What technologies are available to facilitate home/school communication such as email, web pages, and voice mail?
• What technology access do parents have at home? What technologies do parents prefer for home/school communication?
• What E-rate eligible technologies could be used to foster home/school communication?

 

After reviewing parent data, create clear goals, measurable objectives, annual benchmarks, and an implementation plan to use technology to improve two-way communication between home and school.

 

Monitoring and Evaluation

k. Develop a process to monitor whether the strategies and methodologies utilizing technology are being implemented according to the benchmarks and timeline.

• What data will you collect to monitor the curriculum goals and benchmarks (sections 3d through 3j)? Consider your resources (human, fiscal and time) when selecting the data source(s).
• How often will data be collected and summarized? Who is responsible?
• Describe the process and the personnel who will analyze the data and recommend program modifications, as needed?
• What indicators of success will be used to evaluate whether implementation of the plan has made a positive impact on student achievement?
• How will the school district know whether implementation of this plan has made a positive impact on teaching and learning?
• How will the district know whether implementation of this plan has made a positive impact on classroom, library, and school and school district management?
• What indicators of success will be used (e.g., passing score on the High School Exit Examination, number of students successfully meeting grade-level standards and advancing to the next grade, reduced dropout rate, increased attendance)?

 

4. Professional Development

 

Needs and Resource Assessment

a. Survey teachers’ and administrators’ current technology skills and needs for professional development.

• Assess teachers’ and administrators’ personal technology proficiency skills. (EdTechProfile, http://www.edtechprofile.org, provides summary charts and graphs within the following reports: the Proficiency Analysis report, the Student Survey, the RFA report, the California School Technology Survey report and the Technology Planning report. (See Section IV, Planning Toolkit.)
• Assess teachers’ ability to utilize technology in a standards-based curriculum. (See also Appendix G, “Standard 9: Using Technology in the Classroom, and Standard 16: Using Technology to Support Student Learning”)
• Do teachers have the classroom management strategies to work with the amount of technology actually available in the classrooms?
• What do teachers and administrators consider as their needs for professional development?
• After collecting and analyzing professional development needs, research local, regional, and online professional development opportunities.

 

After collecting and analyzing professional development needs from sources such as EdTechProfile, write a clear summary of the teachers’ and administrators’ current technology skills and needs for professional development. Summarize discrete skills that include CTC Standard 9 and 16 proficiencies.

 

Goals

b. Develop clear goals and an implementation plan for providing professional development opportunities based on your needs assessment data (4a) and the Curriculum Component objectives (sections 3d through 3j) of the plan.

 

• What professional development will be provided to meet the needs of the teachers and administrators as identified through the needs assessment and established curriculum priorities?
• How does it focus on using technology to improve the teaching and learning in a standards-based curriculum, as outlined in Section 3d through Section 3j?
• How does it address any needed technology skills development?
• How and when will professional development be implemented, and how will professional growth be supported as teachers and administrators apply what they are learning?
• Who is responsible for implementing the professional development plan? What departments will collaborate to implement the professional development program (ie. Curriculum, IT, purchasing, etc…)? How can or will TICAL <http://portical.org> be utilized to support the plan?

• Describe the types and frequency of professional development opportunities that will be offered.
• Describe strategies the district will use to encourage participation and accessibility (training times, incentives, stipends, shortened-day, etc)
• How will the district ensure that those participating in professional development have access to the technology tools they need to apply new skills immediately following the training?
• What time and technical support is available to teachers and administrators as they try to implement new skills?
• How will the professional development program incorporate “The Design Elements for High-Quality Professional Development” (Appendix F – Professional Development.) 
• Does the professional development coordinate with skills needed to implement section 3d’s through section 3j’s goals and benchmarks?
• What professional development is needed to implement the goals and benchmarks required through AB 307?

 

After analyzing professional development data and the skills needed to implement your curricular goals (sections 3d through 3j), create clear goal(s), measurable objective(s), annual benchmarks, and an implementation plan for providing teachers and administrators with sustained, ongoing professional development. Refer to Appendix F: Professional Development.

 

 

Monitoring and Evaluation

c. Develop a process to monitor the Professional Development (Section 4b) goals, objectives, benchmarks and planned implementation activities including roles and responsibilities.

• What data will you collect to monitor professional development goals and benchmarks? Consider your resources (human, fiscal and time) when selecting the data source(s).
• How often will data be collected and who is responsible?
• What procedures are already in place to document and support program requirements (E-rate, EETT, etc.)?
• What indicators of success will be used to evaluate whether implementation of the plan has made a positive impact on student achievement?

• Describe the process and the personnel who will analyze the data and recommend program modifications, as needed?
• How often will the implementation status of the Professional Development component be reported to stakeholders?
• What steps will be taken if parts of the plan are not being implemented on target?

 

5. Infrastructure, Hardware, Technical Support, and Software

 

Needs and Resource Assessment

a. Determine the existing hardware, Internet access, electronic learning resources, infrastructure, and technical support already in place in the school district that could be used to support the Curriculum and Professional Development components (sections 3 & 4) of the plan.

 

Hardware (For each site)

• What hardware currently exists at each school site?
• Does the district have an inventory system or does one need to be developed to track the type and age of hardware? (Visit the CDE web site http://www.cde.ca.gov/ls/et/ to download data from the CA School Technology Survey, an online technology census.)
• EdTechProfile, http://www.edtechprofile.org, provides summary hardware charts and graphs within the following reports: the California School Technology Survey Report and the Technology Planning report.
• Summary data, if lengthy, should be included in the appendices.

 

Electronic Learning Resources (For each site)

• What are the main electronic learning resources (software, online resources, courseware, or productivity software) currently being used for instruction and/or student assessment?  What grade spans or subjects encompass each of the resources?
• Which of these resources will be used to implement the goals and benchmarks in Sections 3d through 3j?
• Consider where electronic resources are located: classrooms, library/media centers, or computer labs?
• Do you have sufficient licenses and permissions to implement your plan?

 

Networking and Telecommunications Infrastructure (For each site)

• What is the capacity and configuration of networks in the district? Are any areas not connected to the network?
• Is the current Internet service provider able to meet the district’s needs?
• How many telephone lines are there to the site and what is the capability of the telephone system (e.g., is there voice mail)?
• What E-rate services or discounts are available to your district? (Consult Appendix E: E-rate.)
• Do all staff members have e-mail accounts? Do students have access to e-mail?

 

Technical Support (For each site)

• Who provides technical support and what is the response time (See CA School Technology Survey results)?
• What is the current level of technical support? Consider factors such as technical support personnel to computers, support response time, or formal and informal technical support.
• What level of technical support is required to meet the needs of teachers and administrators?

 

 

After collecting existing data, describe or create charts that clearly summarize the existing technology hardware, electronic learning resources, networking and telecommunication infrastructure, and technical support to implement the Curriculum and Professional Development Components. See sample data charts in Section IV, Planning Toolkit.

 

 

b. Determine the technology hardware, electronic learning resources, networking and telecommunication infrastructure, physical plant modifications, and technical support needed by teachers, students, and administrators to support the activities in the Curriculum and Professional Development components.

 

Hardware

• What technology is needed to implement the Curriculum and Professional Development components for students and staff?
• What technologies will teachers and administrators need to successfully implement the plan’s goals and benchmarks?
• What emerging technologies could be used to implement the plan’s goals?
• Where will the technology be placed to effectively support the Curriculum and Professional Development components (mobile labs, classrooms, handheld technologies, etc)?
• What additional technologies need to be acquired for underserved populations?
• Can existing equipment be modified to meet certain needs identified in the plan?
• Is the total cost of ownership of the technology being considered? If so, how is this addressed?

 

Electronic Learning Resources

• What electronic learning resources are needed to implement the Curriculum and Professional Development components for students and staff?
• What licensing opportunities (group buys, site licenses, open source,  or discounts) are available?
• Describe the process the district will use to select electronic learning resources that support the academic content standards. (Utilize the California Learning Resource Network (CLRN) <http://clrn.org> for resources that support the content standards)
• How will resources be distributed (individual license, server license, or online applications)?
• What resources are needed for data analysis, management, student recordkeeping, and home school communication?
• Will the management and student recordkeeping software be compatible with other local and state (CSIS) data collection systems?

 

Networking and Telecommunications Infrastructure

• What infrastructure improvements are needed to implement the Curriculum and Professional Development components?
• How will E-rate discounts support the infrastructure, hardware, and electronic learning resource components (if applicable)?
• What network improvements (bandwidth, reliability, and hardware) are needed to support the plan?
• Are the bandwidth and infrastructure sufficient to support the plan or to make use of emerging technologies.
• What security is necessary to protect confidential data and maintain the integrity of the system? What firewalls and encryption need to be implemented?
• What filtering software be used to prevent staff or student access to inappropriate Internet sites (AB 307 and CIPA)?
• Will students and teachers be able to access their work from any location in the school or from home?
• How will parents and community members be able to access school information from home computers?

 

Physical Plant

• Is there sufficient electrical capacity and outlets to support the hardware and infrastructure planned for each site? Has the electrical system been evaluated and any necessary upgrades planned?
• Are the storage rooms and classrooms in which infrastructure, hardware, and electronic resources reside secure or do they require modification to become secure?
• Is the planned layout of hardware and ancillary wiring configured in a way that is safe for students to move about without creating a fire hazard?
• Is there safe and secure access to labs that will be used during non-school hours by students and/or the community? Are school buildings, property, and users safe and protected based on district policies?

 

Technical Support

• How will technical support needs be addressed to ensure that the hardware, local area networks (LANs), WANs, and peripherals such as printers function adequately and that problems are addressed within an acceptable response time?
• What is the target ratio of hardware to technical support personnel?
• How will questions regarding software be handled to provide support to teachers within an acceptable response time?
• If the plan includes involving students in technical support, how will the plan be implemented to encourage all students to participate and be trained?
• How can or will TechSETS <http://techsets.org> be utilized to support the plan?

 

After assessing your district’s needs, describe or create charts that clearly summarize the needed technology hardware, electronic learning resources, networking and telecommunication infrastructure, and technical support to implement the Curriculum and Professional Development Components.

 

Annual Benchmarks

 

c. Develop annual benchmarks for obtaining the needed hardware, infrastructure, learning resources, and technical support required to support the other components. (Sample forms are provided in Section IV, Planning Tookit.)

 

•  
• Estimate annual implementation costs to include within Section 6b.
• Does the timeline for acquisition support the implementation of the curriculum and professional development components?
• Determine whether or how you will modify or scaffold the Curriculum and Professional Development components to match the available funding resources?
• Do district policies regarding technology purchases need to be updated? For example, are procedures going to change to promote using only electronic learning resources with features that allow universal access? If so, what is the timeline for these changes?
• Does the timeline coordinate with other efforts, such as building modernization or instructional material purchases, which could affect cost and timing?

 

 

Taking into account district needs outlined in Section 5b, develop clear annual benchmarks for obtaining the hardware, infrastructure, learning resources and technical support required to implement the plan.

 

Monitoring and Evaluation

d. Develop a process to monitor whether the annual benchmarks are being completed within the specified time frame.

• How often will progress be monitored and who will monitor the timeline and progress toward the benchmarks?
• How often will the inventory of technology resources be updated and who will be responsible for updating it?
• How often will the status of implementation of the Infrastructure, Hardware, Technical Support, and Software component be reported to stakeholders?
• What steps will be taken if parts of this component are not being implemented on schedule?

 

Describe the process that will be used to monitor the annual benchmarks including roles and responsibilities.

 

6. Funding and Budget

 

Needs and Resource Assessment

a. Identify established and potential funding sources, present and future.

• What funding sources are available to support the plan?
• What provisions in the current budget are made for technology expenditures, and what options exist to fund technology over time?
• What alternative sources of funding, such as those available through partnerships, been identified?
• What federal, state, or local programs could provide funding?
• What grant writing opportunities are available? Would allocating resources for grant writing proposals be a viable option?

 

Investigate and determine established and potential funding sources that could be used to implement plan activities.

 

Implementation Costs

b. Develop annual budgets for the term of the plan (three to five years). (Sample budget forms are provided in Section IV, Planning Toolkit.)

• Identify all costs associated with implementing each component.
• Does the budget include allocations to acquire the hardware, electronic learning resources, infrastructure, professional development, and technical support necessary to implement the plan?
• Within each year’s budget, have one-time costs been identified as well as ongoing costs?
• What other sources of low-cost professional development exist? Check with your local CTAP region for resources <http://www.ctap.k12.ca.us>.

 

Estimate annual implementation costs for the term of the plan.

 

c. Plan for the obsolescence of equipment.

• Describe the district’s policy or practice to replace equipment.
• What replacement cycle has been built into the plan?
• What funding is needed to support the replacement policy?

 

Describe the district’s replacement policy for obsolete equipment.

 

Monitoring and Evaluation

 

d. Establish a feedback loop to monitor and improve progress.

• Describe the process for regularly monitoring the budget. Has technology budgeting been integrated into the district general budget process?
• Who will be responsible for monitoring the budget process?
• What is the timeline for data collection, analysis, and program modification?
• What regular meetings are scheduled with the superintendent and/or district governing board to (1) update them on progress in obtaining funds to support implementation of the plan; (2) explain difficulties; and (3) offer revisions to the plan to resolve the problems?
• What steps will be taken if parts of the Funding and Budget component are not being implemented on schedule?

 

Describe the process that will be used to monitor Ed Tech funding, implementation costs and new funding opportunities and to adjust budgets as necessary.

 

7. Monitoring and Evaluation

 

Needs and Resource Assessment

 

a1. Summarize the process for monitoring the overall implementation of the plan.

• Describe the process to coordinate the individual evaluation components.
• What additional data might be collected and how often would it be collected?
• Describe the process for collecting and analyzing data.
• Who will oversee the data collection, analysis, and program modification process?
• Who will participate in the monitoring and evaluation process?

 

a2. Determine how to evaluate the plan’s impact on teaching and learning.

• What criteria will be used to measure success (e.g., test scores, student portfolios, percentage of students attaining grade-level content standards, attendance, dropout rate, matriculation to college, or full-time employment)?
• Does the plan use the same criteria established for measuring success in the school district’s comprehensive local improvement plan?
• Describe how stakeholders participated in determining the criteria used to measure success.

 

Describe the process for evaluating the plan’s overall progress and impact on teaching and learning.

 

b. Design a schedule for evaluating the effect of plan implementation.

• What is the schedule for collecting and aggregating data and analyzing results?

 

Describe or outline the district’s schedule for evaluating the effect of plan implementation.

 

c. Determine how and when the results of the monitoring process and evaluation will be used.

• How often will the status of plan implementation be reported to the district superintendent? To the local governing board? To other stakeholders?
• How will teachers, parents, and other stakeholders provide suggestions and opinions in the evaluation process?
• What process will be used to make mid-course corrections as a result of the monitoring effort or the evaluation?
• How will strategies that have had a positive effect on teaching and learning be communicated to others so that they can be replicated?
• How will technology success stories be documented and publicized?

 

Describe the process and frequency of communicating evaluation results to tech plan stakeholders.

 

8. Adult Literacy

 

Describe how the program will be developed in collaboration with adult literacy providers.

• What adult literacy programs does the district currently offer?
• What other adult literacy programs are available in your attendance area? (college, county offices of education, libraries, or ROP service groups)
• How will the district collaborate with adult literacy providers (sharing facilities, group buys, networking advice, etc)?
• What technology support could the district provide to adult literacy providers?
• If no adult literacy providers are available, describe the process used to identify providers or potential future outreach efforts.

 

If the district has identified adult literacy providers, describe how the program will be developed in collaboration with them. (If no adult literacy providers are indicated, describe the process used to identify adult literacy providers or potential future outreach efforts.)

 

9. Relevant Research

 

a. Summarize the relevant research and describe how it supports the plan’s curricular and professional development goals.

 

• Summarize the plan’s major curricular and professional development outcomes that are supported by research.
• Describe and cite the relevant research that supports the plan’s outcomes.
• Describe the connection between the research and the plan’s goals.

 

Summarize the relevant research and describe how it supports the plan’s curricular and professional development goals.

 

b. How will the district use technology to extend or supplement the district’s curriculum with rigorous academic courses and curricula, including distance-learning technologies?

 

• How is the district using current technologies to bring new or extended learning opportunities to students?
• Describe how the district investigates or becomes aware of emerging technologies that could be used to enhance or supplement a rigorous curriculum.
• How can distance-learning technologies be utilized to supplement academic courses?

 

Describe the district’s plans to use technology to extend or supplement the district’s curriculum with rigorous academic courses and curricula, including distance-learning technologies.