Adams-Cheshire Rolls Out Technology Integration Plan
 The School Committee hears an update from the new technology director, Mark Kline. |
CHEHSIRE, Mass. — The Adams-Cheshire Regional School District will roll out a new technology integration initiative and address challenges mentioned in its Department of Elementary and Secondary Education report.
New technology director Mark Kline presented the SAMR model, which stands for "substitution augmentation modification redefinition," to the School Committee last week. He said the model will help teach educators how to use the technology in their curriculum.
The first steps are substitution and augmentation. This is when elements of education such as writing with a pencil and reading textbooks are replaced by technology. The technological tools do basically what the educational tools of the past did, but allow more features such as collaboration and interactive capabilities.
Kline said it is important to take advantage of the features.
"It is substituting a technology piece for something that we would do with manipulatives or pen and paper so something we talk about is to make sure that we aren't just ... putting a $1,000 pencil in a kid's hands."
He said modification comes into play when educators change the way they deliver information to students.
This could come in the form of having students use QR, or quick response, codes to receive information. Students could also utilize the computer's ability to convert their writing into speech.
"You can start to see the way we are changing the way education is being delivered and that it is not really being delivered anymore," Kline said. "The students are actively involved and getting things in a different way."
He said redefinition takes place when students begin changing the way they interact with technology and do things once deemed difficult such as publishing their work, editing video, or conducting videoconferences.
"We can take things that were virtually impossible years ago and we can use them to help students learn and to get that opportunity to get their ideas out there," he said.
Teacher training about SAMR, most likely in the form of professional development, will get them comfortable with the concepts and them use it more productively in their curriculum.
Superintendent Kristen Gordon also presented praises and challenges within the DESE report to the School Committee.
She said the report praised the research-based literacy model — the Bay State Reading Program — and said the business department was properly staffed and was transparent. It also praised the commitment, dedication, and hard work of staff and administration and said that students and parents feel supported by staff.
Gordon added that the report also gave high marks for collaboration between schools, problem solving, and creative thinking, and found that the staff had a "survivalist" attitude during fiscal adversity.
"This is what they saw in the classroom and also in interviews," she said. "This is where they came up with those conclusions."
The report also listed challenges the district faces such as the high transient population. Gordon said the district will put more efforts into analyzing data that confirms this perception.
She said the district also hired an elementary coordinator to streamline intake process and created a leadership team to analyze data.
The report also called for more curriculum leadership and consistency. Gordon said the district hired a curriculum director and created consistent educational protocols throughout the district.
Another aspect that Gordon pointed out from the report was a lack of rigor in a high percentage of class. She said the district will implement high engagement activities and accountability with a new focus on rigor.
She added that DESE noted slow Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System growth at the middle school level.
"We are really going to be focusing a great deal on what is rigor," she said. "It's not giving kids more homework or going faster. We will all go with the same presentation and same expectation."
She said DESE also noted the lack of technology use in the classroom, for which the district hired Kline. The district is also rolling out plans to better and more consistently analyze data, better evaluate teachers, and ways to engage in more professional development.
In other business at last Monday's meeting:
• Curriculum Coordinator Jill Pompi said the district received a $2,500 grant from BJ's Wholesale over the summer.
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"They say if you shoot for the moon you can land among the stars," she said. "We did go for the $10,000, but we were given one of the four $2,500 grant awards. We are still very excited."
She said Plunkett Elementary pupils sent in letters, pictures, and videos about the importance of technology in the classroom.
She added the district also received grants for professional development, homework help that will be extended to the middle school, and funds for family events.
The committee voted to raise some substitute teacher rates by 2 percent. Business Manager David Hinkell said recently the district reduced rates to save money but is now having a hard time finding substitute teachers.
• The committee will deliberate on a replacement for Adams representative Joshua Demarsico-Birkland on Sept. 28. The selected candidate will fill out his term that ends May 2, 2016.
• Gordon reported that although the marking period opened smoothly, the district is feeling the budget cuts.
"Now that they [cuts] are coming into play, and we are into school we are seeing them hit," she said. "We have higher numbers in classes and people are more tired than they have ever been before this time of year because they are working so hard to meet the needs of every kid."
• The School Committee welcomed two new teachers, Alison Collins and John Duval, to the CT Plunkett fourth-grade team.
Plunkett Principal Michelle Colvin said both have "hit the ground running."
"They are learning a tremendous amount of curriculum in a very short time but they are already foraging great relationships with kids and families," Colvin said. "I am just so pleased and proud of both of them."
Adams-Cheshire 2015 District Review Report by iBerkshires.com
Tags: ACRSD, curriculum, DESE, technology,
