Irving Independent School District Laptop Program

Irving Independent School District

Irving, TX
 

Introduction/Overview
Organizational Change
Budget & Finance
Professional Development
Technology Infrastructure
Outcomes
Evaluation
Contact Information
 

Introduction/Overview

Irving Independent School District (ISD) provides laptop computers to all of its 8,000+ high school students. The program began with the creation of the Academy High School 4 years ago as a unique school that emphasizes technology and careers. The program was so successful that the board approved to implement laptops at the other three comprehensive high schools in the district, phasing in 9th and 10th grades the second year and 11th and 12th grades the third year. This is the fourth year of the laptop program in Irving ISD and now we also have a vertical team involved in the Technology Immersion Pilot Grant that includes DeZavala Middle School and Lively Elementary School. This pilot grant will allow the district to be part of a larger study to investigate the impact of ubiquitous computing on student achievement.

Organizational Change

Through the development of the district's long-range plan for technology, all stakeholders were included in the planning process. A bond committee was also formed to plan for future technology needs. Title II, Part D funds were used to fund partial salaries of instructional technology specialists at the high schools to support this project. Extra hours were budgeted for campus technicians to work during the summer to re-image and repair laptops.

Budget & Finance

Through two bond propositions passed by the community, the district was able to fund the technology for this project. The original cost for providing 8,000+ laptops to all high school students was about $10 million. The annual refresh costs now will be about $4 million per year, which includes all ongoing maintenance costs for the laptops.

Professional Development

During the initial phase of the program with the Academy HS, all of their teachers had 5 days of training regarding the laptops. Since then, all teachers have had a least 3 initial days of training with followup provided by their campus instructional technology specialist (ITS). The district provides ongoing professional development at the campus and district level throughout the school year. Each summer, the district hosts a technology conference called "TEKSnology" to show teachers how to integrate the state standards and technology into their teaching. We have also created a learning community that we call "Job Alike" training, where we bring together teachers of like content areas to share ideas and best practices in this study group format. They will be developing curriculum and lesson plans this year to share with other teachers at their respective grade levels and content areas.

Technology Infrastructure

The district has a fiber backbone for its wide area network with GigE service to all campuses. Every classroom has connection to the Internet with elementary and middle school classrooms having 4–5 desktops per classroom. All of the high schools are wireless so that students can access the network from their laptops. All teachers and administrators have a laptop provided for them. The plan is to put wireless in the common areas of other campuses so that teachers can access the network from their laptops for training purposes throughout the year. The most common systems used for instruction are: Blackboard for course development, GradeSpeed for electronic grade reporting, EdSoft for curriculum management and benchmark assessments, and Pentamation for student data services and PEIMS reporting. Many other instructional software and online resources are used to support instruction such as Neufeld Understanding Math series, Thinking Maps, and TimeLiner to name a few.

Outcomes

The initial outcomes for the program were to give high school students a chance to build their technology skills before going on to college or into the work force. Originally it was thought that this was the last effort the district could provide for students in order to get them ready for the world they were going to enter as an adult. But the outcomes have been far more reaching than originally anticipated. From our recent program evaluation, it was noted that the program has benefited teachers tremendously as a professional development opportunity. Students and teachers have become more proficient in their technology skills as a result of the program. Teachers are changing their classroom instructional practices as a part of the initiative. Students are taking their laptops home and training other members of their family as well. We will continue to measure the impact on student achievement as a result of this program and the TIP grant vertical team with a focus on improving literacy skills.

Evaluation

The project has been going on for 4 years and both teachers and students are more comfortable with the program and how it is impacting instruction. There are many logistics to work through with such a program and on a scale as large as Irving ISD, it always presents a challenge. I would recommend to others to begin with a pilot and then slowly phase in other schools as warranted. Teachers will need a great deal of training and support especially in classroom management. Set expectations for all stakeholders in this project as it takes everyone's help. Don't forget to take into account refresh cycles, maintenance of hardware, and personnel support, which is so critical to making a project like this work well. You can find more information about the Irving ISD laptop program at our Web site www.irvingisd.net/one2one.

Contact Information

Alice Owen
aowen@irvingisd.net
972-215-5250