Learning Technology Grant Summary

The lessons and work presented here were made possible through the New York State Learning Technology Grant funding provided to select school districts in Suffolk County, under the leadership and in collaboration with the Models Schools Program of Eastern Suffolk BOCES and Eastern Suffolk BOCES Student Data Services. We would like to thank our participating teachers and administrators as well as their students, whose magnificent work is reflected in this website.

The Eastern Suffolk BOCES Learning Technology Consortium is comprised of four public school districts and four independent/religious schools in the Suffolk County region. Eastern Suffolk BOCES will serve as the lead applicant for the project. Our proposed program, Attaining NYSP-12SLS for Elementary Level ELLs and SWD will serve approximately 30,500 K-5 students, with a focus on students with disabilities (SWDs) and English Language Learners (ELLs). Each of the districts has an average of 50% poverty level and serves a high percentage of English Language Learners/Multilingual Learners (ELL/MLL) and Students with Disabilities (SWDs)

The goals of the program include: Goal 1: Improve instruction through the Implementation of personalized learning using digital learning technologies to improve instruction and student engagement in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics subjects; Goal 2: Increase the academic achievement of students in Science, Math, and ELA by June 2020 due to improved instruction through the delivery of personalized learning using technology; and Increase student engagement by 2020. To address these issues, teachers will participate in rigorous professional development that includes the effective use of technology in the classroom that will be conducted collaboratively to form a Learning Community that is sustainable across the region.

As part of our Technology Plan, we strive for educational opportunity equity and culturally responsive practices to promote each student’s academic success. We have a large number of ELL students that speak more than 30 languages. Therefore, securing the latest technology and supporting teaching learning requires intense attention to these students’ needs. Our professional development activities are designed to create professional learning communities that create culturally and linguistically responsive learning environments and give teachers the tools to address cultural needs through ELL and SWD supports and adaptive technology. We are able to translate materials and lessons as needed in multiple languages, and create courses for teachers on student cultures to increase their understanding of their backgrounds that may interfere with learning. The collaborative partnership for this project will further enhance these models by sharing culturally- and linguistically-responsive learning approaches and tools across the participating schools.

All teachers will have access to rigorous professional development so that they can utilize the information to successfully teach their students (SWD and ELLs) and reach the NYS Science Learning Standards and other core standards for learning. Our goal is not simply to provide them with the coursework, but to offer teachers supports so that they become proficient in the integration of learning technologies in the classroom. We will provide professional training supported by ESBOCES TIS supports for all teachers. ESBOCES Model Schools TIS provides customized, job-embedded teacher support along with helping them integrate newer technologies into teaching and learning for all learners.

ES BOCES will collaborate with the internal resources that will provide the following contributions: The Long Island Regional Bilingual Education Resource Network (L.I. RBERN) will showcase of Assistive Technologies for teacher and student use as well as provide subscriptions to online resources and support schools in promoting equity and excellence in educating ELLs. ESBOCES Special Education teachers and special area teachers will recommend software for SWD and ENL students; ESBOCES School Library Systems will provide a Teacher Integration Specialist (TIS) to assist with professional development and focus groups; ESBOCES Model Schools Program will provide a TIS to assist with professional development and focus groups. ESBOCES RSE-TASC will provide access to training for teachers on working with SWDs, such as Explicit Direct Instruction, Progress Monitoring for IEP Goals, and Test Access and Accommodations for SWDs. Our independent and religious school partners will share their expertise, lesson plans, and successes with each other and the public school teachers to continue to build a sustainable learning community.