Digital Content Evaluation & Selection Process

The following are tools that PLSD uses to properly select digital content, creation tools and digital curriculum.

Digital Content Questionnaire for Currently Used Digital Content

  1. What was the goal of using this program? (What was the program suppose to teach students?)
  2. What evidence do we have that this program supported the goal (from #1)?
  3. Was their appropriate usage of the program across the grade band, subject or building(s)?
  4. Is the program still aligned with our curriculum, pacing guides, frameworks, maps, etc?
  5. Did this program provide actionable data that was useful for educators?
  6. Does this program still support one of the main areas of the PLSD Plan 4 Progress? (Personalized Learning, Whole Child and Relationships, Authentic Experiences and Professional Learning)
  7. Does this program still support the PLSD 21st Century skills?
  8. Are there any major changes to the program since it was last evaluated?
  9. Are they any flaws that are preventing the effective use of the program?
  10. Do the students like the program?
  11. Has the training been appropriate for the educators?
  12. Is there anything we need from the vendor before we renew a contract for another year?
  13. Obtain a quote for what you will be recommending.

Digital Content Questionnaire for Newly Proposed Digital Content

  1. What does this digital content allow our students to learn?
  2. How will this meet the needs of our students better than what we were using?
  3. What research is available to show this will improve student learning?
  4. How will this help increase student engagement?
  5. How will this differentiated and allow for personalized learning?
  6. How will this align with our current curriculum frameworks, maps, pacing guides, assessments, etc?
  7. Is the digital content adaptive or same content for all students?
  8. What are the flaws of the new digital content?
  9. What data will this digital content provide, is the data usable, is the data exportable (to be used in different data programs), are there reports showing student progress?
  10. Does this program align properly with curriculum and district goals...or is this just the next shiny thing?
  11. Does this foster dialogue and empowerment among our students...or more compliance?
  12. How will leaders provide the essential resources and training to make sure the initiative works?
  13. Is the digital content easy to use (intuitive) or will it take time to train?
  14. How are we sure that this will not be one of those programs that we will need to get rid of next year?
  15. How does this program support the Pickerington Schools 21st Century Skills?

Additional Questions for the Vendor:

  1. Where have you seen this digital content used so that it produces effective results?
  2. Where have you trained teachers so they can uniformly perform within the guidelines of this digital content product?
  3. Where is the data that show you have achieved performance that is superior to that achieved by other programs?
  4. Where have you seen historically successful teachers (those whose students outperform demographic predictions)?
  5. Explain your customer support process if we have a problem with your product.
  6. Explain your pricing structure?
    1. District License? Building License?
    2. Per student or Per teacher
    3. Obtain a quote for what you will be recommending.

Pickerington Schools' Student Online Personal Information Protection Agreement

Pickerington Local School District (“PLSD”) takes the protection of student data very seriously and PLSD adopts all reasonable measures to protect personally identifiable information (“PII”) about students. PLSD asks each company that requests or is provided PII about students to agree to the terms of the following agreement. The purpose of this agreement is to protect the students of PLSD. Accordingly, PLSD and operator hereby agree as follows:

This agreement applies to the operator in which PII of a PLSD student is:

  • Provided by a student or parent for PreK-12 school purposes;
  • Provided by PLSD, agents for the PLSD, or the Fairfield County Educational Service Center
  • Gathered by the operator through the operator’s services that clearly describes a PLSD student or identifies a PLSD student.

The PII about students that is covered in this agreement includes, but is not limited to:

  • Information in the student’s educational record maintained by PLSD;
  • First and last name, home address, telephone number, email address, or other information that allows physical or online contact with the student and/or parent;
  • Date and place of birth;
  • Participation in officially recognized activities and sports;
  • Dates of attendance and graduation;
  • Discipline records, test results, special education data, juvenile dependency records, grades, and evaluations;
  • Criminal and/or juvenile court records, medical records, health records, social security number, any recognized disabilities;
  • Socioeconomic information, food purchases,
  • Text messages, student identifiers, online search activity, photos, videos, voice recordings, or geolocation.
  • Personally identifiable student information as referenced in Ohio Revised Code 3319.321;
  • Information contained in student records as defined by 20 USC § 1232g and 34 CFR Part 99

The operator is prohibited from using PII student data to:

  • Conduct targeted advertising on their website, mobile application, etc or use targeted advertising on other websites, when such targeting is based on information (as defined above or persistent unique student identifiers) acquired by the operator because of the use of the operator’s website or mobile app.
  • Create or gathering information about PLSD PreK-12 students and using that collected information to create a profile of the PreK-12 students, except in cases when the information is used for PreK-12 school purposes.
  • Selling student’s PII (including information defined above).

If the operator utilizes a subcontractor or other third party vendor to manage students’ data then, the operator shall require the subcontractor or other third party to prohibit the use of any PII about PLSD students for any purpose other than providing the contracted service to, or on behalf of, the operator. Also, the operator shall require the subcontractor or other third party to prohibit the disclosure or sharing of any PII about PLSD students with subsequent third parties, and shall require the subcontractor to implement and maintain reasonable information and data security procedures and practices.

Aside from the non-disclosure of PII about PLSD students, operators will comply with the following security and deletion requirements:

  • Implement and maintain security procedures to protect PII about students from unauthorized access, destruction, use, modification or disclosure;
  • Operator shall not release PII about students without parental or student (if age 18 or older) consent, other than the release of such information to authorized subcontractors and other third parties who provide services to operator to support operator’s service to PLSD under this Agreement;
  • Delete all PII about students if PLSD requests deletion of data under the control of PLSD.
  • The operator will indemnify, defend and hold PLSD harmless from any damages, costs, losses (including loss of state or federal funding), fines, claims, demands, suits, actions or causes of action in law or in equity, in state or federal court, or before any administrative body that are caused by or arise out of operator’s breach of this Agreement.

Operator may use PII about PLSD students for the following purposes, as long as all aggregated or anonymized data must be adequately de-identified :

  • Maintain, develop and improve the operator’s website or mobile app;
  • Legitimate research purposes as required by state or federal law;
  • Using de-identified data to improve operator’s products;
  • Learning purpose, such as for adaptive learning;
  • NOTE: This agreement is similar to the Student Online Personal Information Protection Act (SOPIPA) that was recently signed into law in California on January 1, 2016. You may also view the Student Privacy Pledge online.