Approved by the Texas Education Agency (TEA)

Status: Submitted for approval on 6/24/2014 and Approved by TEA on 11/14/2014 - View certificate

Supplemental ePlan Components

• Signed ePlan submission form faxed to TEA on 06/25/2014 (view fax confirmation page)
• Budget WorkSheet (Excel | GoogleDocs)
• Alignment Reports for NCLB, eRate, and Long Range Plan for Technology (LRPT)
• Email Received from Texas ePlan
• Email from TEA - Recommended for Approval 11/2014
• TEA Approved ePlan (11/14/2014)

ePlan Last revised: 06/24/2014

EAST CENTRAL ISD

Technology Plan

2014 - 2017

Roland Toscano

SUPERINTENDENT

DISTRICT PROFILE

Plan Introduction

Executive Summary

The Technology Planning Committee determined that a three-year plan was most appropriate for East Central. which will be implemented from Fall 2014 through Spring of 2017. The committee formulated strategies to better identify ways in which technology can be used to support district goals and objectives for improvement of student achievement.

The plan addresses infrastructure needs, focusing on strategies for increasing the efficiency of district networks and types of equipment needed for learning in the 21st century. The plan addresses staff development, which was identified as the primary need. Objectives and strategies have been developed that include a variety of techniques to provide hands learning and staff development for educators. The plan addresses student achievement through the district's on-going efforts to engage students in problem-based learning where possible and use of 21st century tools. We will also continue to focus on student technology competencies beginning at the elementary level and continuing through middle school. Finally, the plan addresses administrative effectiveness and efficiency through the support of many current practices and by continuing to explore ways to move to a "paperless" working environment for student data. Also addressing digital citizenship for all users.

Needs Assessment

Assessment Process:

Campus and district-wide feedback was solicited from key stakeholders, representing various relevant sources. These sources include but are not limited to staff inventories, surveys, group discussions, current campus improvement plans, TEKS for grade levels, site based decision making committees, analysis of current equipment and internet connectivity/access. Each campus completed the Texas STaR assessment. Each campus technology coordinator submitted a description of current status and anticipated hardware and software needs based on individual campus improvement plans.

Existing Conditions:

The ECISD Technology Operations Office conducted a needs asessment that addressed a variety of services, including the following: 1) Internet bandwidth; 2) Network infrastructure; 3) District data storage; 4) Computer Lab ratio relevant to student enrollment; 5) Classroom computer equipment; and 6) Support Staff. To address the needs identified, the District crafted broad goals to address the needs made evident by the data collection process.

1) Internet Bandwidth: The District has jumped from 64 megabits per second in Spring, 2012 to 250 megabits per second in Fall, 2012, and by July 1, 2014,bandwidth will be increased to 1 gigabit per second. This has eliminated many of the issues resulting from outsourced web-delivered Internet content.

2) Network infrastructure: The District has enjoyed a robust network backbone at the District level, purchasing multiple wireless LAN controllers to support increased wireless access at multiple campuses in support of Bring Your Own Technology (BYOT-http://tinyurl.com/ecisdbyot) and EC3 Program (an 1 to 1 iPad initiative for over 60 classrooms - http://tinyurl.com/ecisdec3).

It has put an aggressive plan to provide 100% wireless access in all classrooms, and will achieve 47% coverage in classrooms by Summer, 2014 and 100% by Summer, 2015. Furthermore, content filtering solutions have been enhanced to maintain CIPA compliance.

3) District Data Storage: Until Spring, 2013, the District saved most of its critical data on obsolete, donated servers and equipment with no backup system in place. To address this, the District invested in a VMWare 30 terabyte Storage Area Network, expanding it to 50TBs with a plan for annual upgrades, with disaster recovery planning.

The ECISD currently enjoys a 250 megabits per second connection to the Internet, with plans to upgrade to 1 gigabit by July 1, 2014. During the 2013-2014 school year, approximately 66% of computers in classrooms and computer labs across the District were deemed obsolete. A multi-year obsolescence plan was put in place to address strategic replacement of this equipment aligned to student assessment and intervention.

Technology Needs:

There is a continuing need to upgrade computers and related equipment for classroom instruction. This plan is articulated in detail online at http://tinyurl.com/ecisdblueprint. The District's multi-year plan includes ensuring a stable foundation of computer labs, mobile devices where appropriate for teaching and learning, network infrastructure and wireless.

There is a need for sustained, hands on staff development, as determined by the STaR assessments. Professional learning needs to address, how to blend technology into instruction, as well as access and use of software for assessment monitoring, and academic achievement. Furthermore, professional learning efforts are expanding to online to build capacity among all district staff.

There is a need to continue efforts to upgrade existing infrastructure. Current point-to-point Giga-Man Service lines are generally adequate. Giga-Man services have been established at all campuses throughout East central except Bexar County Learning Center. Continued saturation of wireless access will be a demand as more mobile devices become available for teaching and learning. Additionally there will be a need to monitor lifespan, effectiveness and efficiency of current equipment in MDF/IDF locations around the district to optimize connectivity. A comprehensive list of top technology priorities for the ECISD can be found online at http://tinyurl.com/ectopriorities

Goals, Objectives, and Strategies

Budget

Evaluation

Evaluation Process:

Progress on this plan will be monitored and documented by the Director of Technology Operations, the Assistant Superintendent of Curriculum & Instruction, the Superintendent's Cabinet and the Board of Trustees.

Members of the ECISD's Technology Operations Action Team Office will meet throughout the year to evaluate the technology plan for effectiveness in serving the students of the district. Timelines for specific projects will be established by the project leader and be reported on a regular basis. Based on evaluation results, recommendations by the department will be made for updates and improvements to the plan.

Both quantitative and qualitative data will be gathered to provide information regarding implementation and impact of technology in East Central ISD. General questions that are an integral part of our evaluation process include:

1. What has been and is being accomplished as part of the technology implementation?

2. How can the implementations be improved?

3. What are the next steps?

Findings of the evaluation will be communicated and distributed to district personnel upon request.

Evaluation Method:

Data sources that will be used to evaluate technology in East Central ISD include:

Integrating technology into curriculum:

* Teacher STAR Charts

* Campus STAR Charts

* Internal Technology Department assessments

* Technology integration reports and surveys

* Campus improvement plans

* District improvement plan

Increase the ability of teachers to effectively teach:

* Student assessments results

* STAAR results

* Staff development records (evaluations and sign in sheets)

* Documents walk-throughs

* Rubrics

* Teacher appraisal instrument

Enable students to acquire critical skills elaborated on in the revised Technology Applications TEKS:

* Student contests

* Project or products created by students

* Analysis of student performance on technology testing

* Master schedules for course selection

Acquiring and deploying technologies and telecommunications services:

* Increased bandwidth implementation results

* Internet usage reports

* Hardware and software inventories

* E-rate records

Appendix

Attachment item A:

ECTO Strategic Plan web site includes a variety of ePlanning documents and initiatives, including timeline for projects, etc. Archive copies of STaR Chart data, House Bill 5 Digital Learning Environments Assessments, performance metrics are also housed online.

• Web site: http://tinyurl.com/ectoplan

Attachment item B:

The ECISD Technology Operations web site includes links to the Lesson Showcase, ongoing professional learning initiatives and serves as a master list of all initiatives relevant to the 4 key areas of the School Technology and Readiness (STaR) Chart.

• Web site: http://bit.ly/ecto

Attachment item C:

The Professional Learning site (a web-based Moodle) provides access to online professional learning opportunities for staff that are compliance focused.

• Web site: http://ecpro.ecisd.net/learn

Attachment item D:

The ECISD Hornet411 web site provides students, parents and East Central Community members with access to self-paced learning opportunities, including digital citizenship, productivity Office suite tutorials (e.g. MS Office 2013), and other tool-based software.

• Web site: http://ecpro.ecisd.net/hornet411

Attachment item E:

ECISD Digital Citizenship Online course for staff.

• Web site: https://tinyurl.com/ecisddco

Attachment item F:

ECISD Digital Citizenship resources for K-12 Students are available online.

• Web site: https://sites.google.com/a/ecisd.net/ecisdtech/campus-resources/digital-citizenship--cybersafety/curriculum

Attachment item G:

Mapping of ECISD's Technology Infrastructure is available online, and includes copies of the District's Multi-Year Plan to enhance services for students, staff and community.

• Web site: https://sites.google.com/a/ecisd.net/km/infrastructure

Attachment item H:

Campus/District Technology Blueprints site provides historical, archive data for the ECISD, as well as budget allocations, improvements, wireless access point and video surveillance information.

• Web site: http://tinyurl.com/ecisdblueprint

Attachment item I:

The ECTO Long-Range Plan includes a variety of short-term and long-term priorities that are encompassed in the Top 10 Priorities for the ECISD. These priorities are adjusted and updated periodically as progress and completion is achieved.

• Web site: http://tinyurl.com/ectoplanpriorities

Attachment item J:

The ECTO blog documents various initiatives and ongoing projects, and serves as a primary vehicle for communication.

• Web site: https://sites.google.com/a/ecisd.net/ecisdtech/home/ecto-updates

EAST CENTRAL ISD does not discriminate on the basis of sex, disability, race, color, age, or national origin in its educational programs, activities, or employment as required by Title IX, Section 504 and Title VI.