Technology Action Plan

Pasadena Independent School District Technology Organizational Chart

Roles and Responsibilities

The responsiblities of the personnel in charge of integrating technology and instruction from the district office to the campus and classroom are detailed below.

Associate Superintendent (District-level) – The Associate Superintendent ensures the technology needs and district direction is filtered into every aspect of the district. This position also ensures the Superintendent is aware of the needs for the campuses and the students.

Executive Director of Technology Services (District-level) – In this position, the Executive Director oversees the hardware and software used for the administration office and the campuses.  He keeps the Associate Superintendent aware of the status of software implementation and infrastructure needs.

Director, Student Information Services (District-level) – This position oversees the PEIMS data.  The staff in this area ensures the data is accurate and they are also able to combine requested information into useful reports for various departments and campuses.

Director, Network Services (District-level) – Through this position, the district technology infrastructure is managed.  This department is also responsible for troubleshooting and assessing the functionality of technology throughout the district.

Executive Director of Instructional Technology (District-level) – The Executive Director makes certain that acquired technology resources are properly used and that the district remains a frontrunner in using technology in instructional and organizational leadership. The Executive Director also shares resources and gathers feedback from principals during quarterly meetings.

Instructional Technology Specialists (District-level) – Campus Technology Liaisons assist the Specialists in sharing the proper use of resources with teachers.  The Specialists stay abreast of the current trends in technology and pass them to the campuses through district-wide trainings and campus professional development workshops.

Campus Technology Liaison (Campus-level) – The Campus Technology Liaisons attend monthly meetings with the district Technology Specialists to learn more on new technology available for use and how to model the use of current technology resources for the campus. The liaison then carries the information to the principal and shares strategies with the teachers and staff.

Principal (Campus-level) – In this role, the principal ensures the process works for the campus and is monitored. Additionally the principal makes decisions regarding hardware and software needs for the campus by allocating money to this are.

Students (Campus-level) – Students will use the technology resources with assistance from the teacher.  They will provide feedback that will be useful for the teacher on if the technology strategies implemented are successful or cumbersome.

Ensuring the Organizational Chart is Implemented and Monitored – The principal will utilize technology and information systems to support the development, management, delivery, analysis and monitoring of the written curriculum through instruction and assessment. Additionally, the principal will use the data to improve and maintain alignment to TEKS-based instructional targets and to make certain the rigor and relevance of instruction increases.

Professional Development  Plan for Park View Intermediate School (Pasadena I.S.D.)
Activity	Area of Improvement Addressed (Gathering, Analysis, Use of Data, Decision-making)	Rationale/Need Addressed	Outcomes
Regular guided data disaggregation in content areas	Analysis; Decision-making	The district improvement plan requires every campus disaggregate data continuously.  Tools used are the AEIS, AYP, and STaR Chart.	Weak objectives in each content area will be identified.
Explanation of STaR Chart data and use	Analysis	The district technology plan has made goals based on the Texas STaR chart. Every teacher must understand the chart to better understand their role and their responsibilities in meeting the Technology Plan’s goals.	Understanding of what the STaR chart means and what professional development gaps exist will occur.
Content specific training on how to integrate the Promethean interactive whiteboards into lessons daily	Use of Data; Decision-making	Many teachers on the campus have interactive whiteboards but rarely use them. The CIP states integration will take place in all content areas.	There will be an increase in the number of teachers using the interactive whiteboard for instruction.
Training of 6th and 7th grade teachers on Accelerated Reader and Successmaker	Use of Data; Decision-making	Based on 2010 TAKS results, 6th & 7th grade students struggled with Reading.  Both programs assist struggling readers.	After use of this computer-based program, students will show an increase in reading levels.
Train administrators on accessing eduphoria! for teacher assessments	Gathering	Administrators will use their Blackberries to conduct observational walkthroughs.	Administrators will complete the required observations in an efficient manner that allows for quicker feedback for the teacher.
Workshop on peer modeling	Use of Data; Decision-making	Peer modeling will show teachers how to integrate technology in an effective way. Teachers tend to learn better from other teachers in a one-on-one setting.	There will be an increase in the number of teachers using various forms of technology for instruction.
Parent Internet Awareness Workshop	Decision-making	Often, parents are unaware of internet safety and cannot be vigilant in keeping their child safe while they are online.	Post-survey results will reveal increased knowledge of the internet and how to keep their child safe while online.

Technology staff development has been a primary focus in order to integrate technology into the curriculum and instruction. The district provides face-to-face, computer-based, or web based instruction. Three categories of workshops have been designed to meet the needs of teachers and administrators:

·         Awareness - skills needed for staff to manage their needs, such as Basic Operations of Computers, Email, Use of the Internet, Internet Searches, and Technology Planning, Policies, and Procedures.

·         Application - skills needed for the staff to acquire the productivity skills they would need for word processing, spreadsheets, databases, thinking maps, and web design.

·         Integration - skills needed to provide teachers with resources and modeling on how to infuse the technology and the Internet into the curriculum and instruction.

Teachers are expected to complete the Awareness level courses within the first year they receive a computer. In the second year, they are required to begin the integration process. Since staff development is a large part of all the grants we receive, many of the teachers have completed the above requirements. Workshops are provided via the six district Instructional Technology Specialists, outside resources, or one of the sixty-two campus technology liaisons. The campus technology liaison is a certified teacher or librarian who assists with software and pedagogy. The district Instructional Technology Specialists are responsible for training and working with the campus technology liaisons.

The Instructional Technology Department developed its own Pasadena Technology Competency program to demonstrate educator technology proficiency.

Since 2005, PISD performed, or hired outside resources to complete, over 650+ technology workshops. The technology specialists and the campus technology liaisons have provided over 950 workshops with a technology emphasis. Staff members can also request a workshop and the district will either provide the training or hire someone from outside the district to perform the training if the need is deemed great.  

Evaluation Plan

A locally developed National Ed Tech Plan rubric will be used to measure the progress toward meeting the goals of No Child Left Behind (NCLB) and address the gaps in curriculum. The campus STaR Chart results will be used to assess progress toward meeting the goals of the district’s Long Range Technology Plan (LRTP.) Throughout the year, evaluation information with be compiled, evaluated, shared, reported and archived. This vital information will later be utilized in future planning for technology integration and professional development workshops, a strong need mentioned during interviews with critical staff in Week 3.

The District’s four step evaluation process is as follows:

·         Step I - Set Evaluation Goals (training of the evaluation committee, developing evaluation questions, and indicator rubrics.)

·         Step II- Monitor, Collect, and Analyze Data (using surveys, STAR data interpretation, National Ed Tech rubric interpretation, focus group interviews, and classroom observations; analyze and report data.)

·         Step III - Determine Recommendations-(score performance indicators against locally developed rubrics, recommendations for adapting or changing practices to achieve higher levels of performance.)

·         Step IV - Report to Stakeholders (Formal presentations to Board Technology Committee, Board of Trustees, campus administrators, and community members.)

            The campus will use walkthroughs by administrators to ensure technology is used appropriately and that strategies from professional development workshops are incorporated. Administrators will also attend team meetings to evaluate if information is gathered and analyzed to drive decisions for students.  Also, evaluated through attending the meeting is how the data-driven decisions incorporate the use of technology to address any identified needs. Administrators will also discuss data from AEIS, district benchmark test results, and the AYP to drive what is offered in the master schedule and if remediation classes or pull-outs are needed to help students succeed.