SCHOOL EVALUATION SURVEY Julia Tyler Bulldog (pseudonym) High School is located in a small town in Illinois with a population

of approximately 6,000 people. Five years ago, a town of approximately 1,200 people, 10 miles away from the high school, consolidated with them. Both of these towns are predominately farming communities with a low income ratio of 30.7% (Illinois Interactive Report Card, 2013). According to the Illinois Interactive Report Card, Bulldog High School has approximately 427 students and 85 teachers. The student demographics have a racial breakdown of 95.3% White, 0.2% Black, 1.2% Hispanic, 0.5% Asian, 0% American Indian, and 2.8% Multiracial. Of the 85 teachers, there are 28 males and 72 females, and all of the teachers are white. The student to staff ratio at the high school is 17.4 students per teacher. The four year graduation rate at the high school is 91.8%, compared to the State of Illinois at 82.3% (Illinois Interactive Report Card, 2013). Below is the racial demographic data from the Illinois Interactive Report Card displayed in a chart:

The School Evaluation Summary assignment required students to use the Technology Maturity Model Benchmarks table, from the Technology Use Plan Primer, created by Sibley and Kimball. This model is used to evaluate schools technology environment. I chose to evaluate the district where I teach, Bulldog High School, to see where it falls in the model, and to see what can be done to enhance our technology environment for the benefit of the teachers and students.

SCHOOL EVALUATION SURVEY Julia Tyler In the Maturity Model Benchmarks table, there are four stages: Emergent, Islands, Integrated, and Intelligent. The following is a detailed description of the four stages of technology use: 1. The Emergent Systems Stage is characterized by: Lack of formal support when using computing technology for instruction No formal plans, policies or procedures exist to ensure the efficient and appropriate acquisition or use of technology throughout the Institution Computers are used sporadically throughout the Institution Institution-wide coordination to ensure grade level and program level access is absent Formal support for teacher training is minimal 2. The Islands of Technology Stage is characterized by: Regular use of computers at one or more grade levels and program levels at each school within the Institution on a regularly scheduled basis Formal plans, policies and procedures exist to facilitate the optimal use of technology in both instructional and administrative areas throughout the Institution Institution-sponsored and school-sponsored training is available Technology has budgetary visibility at the Institutional level and school/program level The instructional delivery system is somewhat dependent on technology 3. The Integrated Systems Stage is characterized by: Regular planned access for students to technology as a means of instruction and a focus of instruction Teachers' systems also support administrative functions, such as grading, attendance and electronic mail Technology has a high budgetary visibility at the Institutional and school/program level Comprehensive plans, policies and procedures for instructional and administrative use of technology are reviewed and revised regularly The Institution is an advocate of technology training for all personnel The instructional delivery system is very dependent on technology 4. The Intelligent Systems Stage is characterized by: Student access to technology as an indispensable component of instruction All of the curriculum is augmented by intelligent learning systems Administrative functions are automated, integrated and paperless Student, teachers and stakeholders have access to appropriate systems from home Technology is one of the three highest expenditures of Institution funds Technology planning is an integral part of Institution planning The systematic adoption of new technologies is ongoing

SCHOOL EVALUATION SURVEY Julia Tyler Technology advocates at each organizational unit assist in the introduction of the new technologies Instructional and administrative personnel are knowledgeable in the use of technology

Conclusion: After reviewing my results from the Maturity Model Benchmarks Table, I have found that in the administrative filter, we are currently at the Islands stage. We do have a current technology agreement in place for the teachers and students, but the policy has exposed a few holes. If the student and their parent/guardian do not sign the agreement, students are allowed on the computers but are not supposed to access the internet. My concern with this is that the students are not blocked from the internet and they can still get access. My other concern is that teachers do not know who has and who has not signed this agreement. Most teachers just assume or act like they do not know they have not signed it, just so the student can get their work done. To move from the Islands stage to the Integrated or Intelligent stage we must first monitor our acceptable use policy. Secondly, the school must come up with a more detailed budget plan to include new technologies, access, trainings, and support. After speaking with our technology coordinator for this assignment, he informed me that the majority of his $10,000 budget goes to purchasing ink for classroom printers and computer labs for the entire district! He said that he would like to purchase more technology for classrooms, but typically he does not have the funds. If he does have money left over at the end of the school year, he tries to update classrooms with projectors to get rid of the old overhead projects. I have compared the technology that I have in my classroom to technology available in other classrooms within our high school and I am very fortunate. The classes I teach fall under the Career and Technical Education (CTE) curriculum and every year our school receives money from the Carl D. Perkins National Grant for career and technical education classes. This grant money has allowed my classes (Family and Consumer Sciences), our Business classes, and Agriculture and Industrial Arts education classes to receive money to update our programs with what is needed for our students to be career ready. In our classrooms, we have the most technology in the district with the use of desktop computers, projectors, Promethean Boards, and Elmos (document cameras). In the Curricular Filter we also fell in the Islands stage. Most of the staff members at Bulldog High School are just using their technology to present their PowerPoints through lecture to their students and the students are writing the information down. PowerPoint has made the traditional classroom notes move along a little faster, instead of the teacher writing the notes on the board, erasing, and writing again. As teachers, we really need to look for new ways to integrate technology resources and assessment tools into our classrooms. To move from the Islands stage to the Integrated or Intelligent stage the school must place a bigger emphasis on teacher, parent, and student access.

SCHOOL EVALUATION SURVEY Julia Tyler The Support Filter shows that we are also in the Islands stage. Our one technology coordinator for the entire district does a great job in providing support to the teachers with computer problems, and he has been very supportive of getting CTE teachers new technology for classrooms. However, because much of the technology is new to him also, the support and training for the new technology is very limited and he is learning too! Our technology coordinator and the CTE teachers would really like to purchase a mobile lab with the Perkins Grant to share among classrooms, but our principal has looked at the dollar amount and also does not see the benefit of purchasing new technology when we have computer labs. Instead this year he purchased new lockers in the shop area. Hopefully, we can collaboratively come up with evidence to present to him the benefits of using this technology in our classrooms. As a school we rank the highest in the Connectivity Filter. Our infrastructure is very good, and many staff members and students are using it daily. I believe we can be in the Intelligent stage by adjusting our lessons and by getting training so we know what is available to us. The CTE classrooms at Bulldog High School are ranked very high in the Innovation Filer, however, the rest of the high school has ranked in the Islands or Emergent stage due to the lack of their technology. Many teachers are purchasing their own laptops, iPads, etc. to use in their classrooms because they want to stay current with new technologies, but they are not able to purchase one for every student in their classroom. Teachers are very eager and accepting of emerging technologies, but budget cuts at schools are not allowing the majority of the classrooms to receive the technology. Through this school evaluation survey, it provided a structured method of evaluation for our high school. I learned that it is critical to have a strong policy in place and schools must provide support systems. Some of our classrooms have a lot of technology, but we recently received it. No training or support was provided and because of this many teachers have gone back to their old ways of teaching. Whats the moral of this story? Schools must have a comprehensive policy in place. They must have a plan to implement new technology into their school, and a plan to evaluate the technology. They need to ask themselves, What will the school look like when the plan is implemented? After talking with our technology coordinator, schools could save a lot of money if they trained their staff on how to save ink, paper, etc. so they can purchase more technology. Our school needs to provide proper training to teachers, so they can utilize new technology in their classrooms. Lastly, schools need to have a committee that includes the administration, the technology coordinator, and staff members so teachers can express their wants versus needs list and explain how technology will be used in the classroom. There needs to be a collaborative vision that is aimed toward improving student learning in this century.

SCHOOL EVALUATION SURVEY Julia Tyler

Reference Illinois Interactive Report Card. (2013, April 29). Retrieved May 1, 2013, from http://iirc.niu.edu