By Billye Darlene Jones EDLD 5362 Section ET8004-1B February, 2010

 Houston ISD is the largest school district in Texas  Houston ISD is the seventh largest school district in the United States  Approximately 202,000 students  Approximately 12,730 teachers

Student Population  58% Hispanic  30% African American  9% White  3% Asian/Pacific Islander  78% on Free or Reduced Lunch  More than 90 languages represented  55,000 Limited English proficient

Goal #1 -students will become technology literate and will acquire life-long knowledge and skills to be successful in the 21 st century. Objective: Provide developmental map of HISD technology curriculum that delineates the responsibility of instruction for student learning by grade level.

Goal #2 -Assure equity and access to technology- enhanced curriculum and equipment district- wide. Objective 2.1: Increase the integration of technology into everyday practice by providing access to tools, resources, and instructional practices that support the teaching and learning technology applications.

Objective 2.2: Support Teachers’ efforts to integrate technology to promote student- centered learning. Objective 2.3: Publish a school technology roadmap to establish baseline classroom and common area configurations for access to technology tools.

Objective 2.4: Determine and establish a school’s baseline technology tools for school libraries. Objective 2.5: Strive for minimum computer to student ratios of 1:5 in grades K-3 and 1:4 in grades 4-12.

Objective 2.6: As funding permits, establish a Pre-K to 12, year-round, “Technology Flagship” lab school Objective 2.7: Plan and determine how HISD will utilize 24/7 differentiated methods of delivery of specialized courses, rigorous course, and expanded offerings.

Goal #3: Promote responsible and appropriate technology use. Objective 3.1: Provide opportunities to orient students, teachers, and community in the appropriate use of technology.

Objective 3.2: Provide age-appropriate Internet safety instruction including identity theft, viruses, social networking awareness, and cyber-bullying.

Goal #4: Create a roadmap to provide anytime, anywhere, professional development opportunities for teachers, administrators, and support staff to facilitate a technology- enhanced learning environment.

Objective 4.1: Provide opportunities for staff to self assess, set goals, and progress to the Target Technology level as measured by the Texas Teacher STaR Chart to support student achievement. Objective 4.2: Provide online opportunities for staff to develop technology skills and strategies to integrate technology tools and resources into teaching and learning.

Goal #5: Increase the amount of training received by all educators on innovative and effective strategies for integrating technology into all areas of curriculum, instruction, and assessment in order to increase student achievement.

Objective 5.1: Increase teacher and administrator participation in instructional technology training available through HISD professional development services, Region IV ESC, and additional opportunities offered through other HISD departments and state and national conferences to increase their knowledge of and access to technology.

Objective 5.2: Increase the availability of on- campus peer mentoring assistance to educators. Objective 5.3: Provide more specialized training opportunities for staff, along with a method to track the ongoing achievement over time.

Goal #6: Develop a comprehensive, ongoing Long Range Technology Planning process that includes input from all stake-holders, meets all local, state, and federal requirements, and creates a positive district culture. Objective 6.1: Increase district staff participation in Technology planning activities.

Goal #7: Encourage community interaction in HISD’s educational programs in order to improve public support and confidence in schools.

Objective: 7.1: Increase opportunities for parental involvement; including parents from high- poverty and high needs schools or schools identified for improvement or corrective action, in addition to adult literacy service providers from those communities; in district activities in order to ensure that all students have access to technology.

Objective 7.2: Increase the availability and usage of technology tools to facilitate and enhance staff communication with parents, to promote parental involvement, and to increase access to technology for all students and teachers.

Goal #8: Identify and implement instructional programs that extend instruction beyond the boundaries of the traditional classroom setting through the increased use of technology to provide additional educational opportunities to all students.

Objective 8.1: Increase staff’s utilization of on-line instructional materials that are aligned with State academic content and State achievement standards, including student technology literacy, in order to integrate software and electronically delivered learning materials including distance learning technologies, to provide specialized and rigorous courses to areas that do not have access so such courses due to geographic distances or insufficient resources, into curricula and instruction.

Objective 8.2: Continue to provide access to the catalog of on-line instructional materials that are aligned with State academic content and State achievement standards.

Goal #9: Provide technology tools to increase management efficiency and to support data- driven, sound, decision-making.

Objective 9.1: Increase the use and mastery of technology tools by staff to support data-driven, sound, decision-making with an emphasis on the development and utilization of on-line performance management systems and reported results of the STaR Chart data collection process to ensure that these process and accountability measures are effective in assisting all students in achieving technology literacy as an integral part of their overall academic achievement.

Objective 9.2: Increase the availability of advanced technology tools and on-line data to support data driven decision-making in order to expand the capacity of support staff to perform their duties more effectively, for teachers to integrate technology effectively into curriculum and instruction, and to better inform parents of the technology being applied in the child’s education.

The National Educational Technology Plan focuses on four specific areas of need:  Learning  Assessment  Teaching  Productivity

 Students must have equal access to quality education and instruction. Including: Students with disabilities English language learners

 Measure what matters, and provide information that will enhance improvement at all levels of the educational process.  Use data to drive the decision making process.

 Provide new ways of supporting teachers through technology. Teachers should have access to anytime professional interaction and collaboration in order to refine and share effective resources.

 Take advantage of the new technological and content solutions in order to reduce spending on inefficient systems.

 Provide 1:1 computers to student ratio in grades  Provide ongoing Professional Development for teachers.  Provide 2 Technologists for each campus. One would teach Lab, the other would assist teachers with lessons and lesson planning in the classroom.

 Provide 24/7 Internet/Intranet access for parents, teachers and students.  Provide a laptop for each grade 3-12 student to take home.  Provide adequate infrastructure and support for the technology.

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 hods/technlgy/te300.htm hods/technlgy/te300.htm  Houston Independent School District. (2006). Long-range strategic plan for technology : Planning documents. Provided February 11, 2010 by Robert Adams, member of the planning committee.