Richard Jones

EdTech 501

School Summary Evaluation for Canyon Valley High School Demographics Canyon Valley High School is located in Canyon Valley, California. The city itself has a population of about 20,413 people, many of whom recently migrated from the Bay Area region in central California. According to the 2010 Census data, Canyon Valleys racial breakdown is 54% Caucasian, 33% Hispanic, 6% African American, and 5% Asian. Canyon Valley is a middle-income town with most citizens working in the farming community, local warehouses, or commuting outside the region for other industries. Canyon Valley High School currently serves as an alternative education high school for students who are not able or allowed to attend our citys traditional high school. At any given time we have between 115 and 125 students on campus and 10-15 students on independent studies. Due to state law, students must be at least 16 years old to attend Canyon Valley High School. We also allow a fifth-year option for seniors who are close to graduating but are unable to complete the requirements within the four year model. These two traits make our population somewhat older than most high schools. The demographic breakdown at Canyon Valley High School is quite a bit different from the population within our city. This cause of this is debatable, but the statistics show a clear delineation between ourselves and the rest of the district. We currently have a racial breakdown of 63% Hispanic, 16% Caucasian, and 14% African American. At Canyon Valley High School, 61% of the students are classified as English Learners, a number that is disproportionately high compared to most other schools in the district. Finally, we have an 81% graduation rate. This is a number much higher than the state average of 74%. Demographics Tables The following charts and graphs reflect other demographics data at Canyon Valley High School:

Richard Jones

EdTech 501

Stages of Technology Use This report will utilize the Technology Maturity Benchmarks and Stages of Technology Use that are outlined in Sibley and Kimballs Technology Use Plan Primer. Thus, I felt it was necessary to include their descriptions so that there is a clear context for the criteria that I used in this evaluation. The following is the description that Sibley and Kimball provide for the stages of technology use: The Emergent Systems Stage is characterized by: 1 2 3 4 5 Lack of formal support when using computing technology for instruction No formal plans, policies or procedures exist to ensure the efficient and appropriate acquisition or use of technology throughout the Institution Computers are used sporadically throughout the Institution Institution wide coordination to ensure grade level and program level access is absent Formal support for teacher training is minimal

The Islands of Technology Stage is characterized by: 1 2 3 4 5 Regular use of computers at one or more grade levels and program levels at each school within the Institution on a regularly scheduled basis Formal plans, policies and procedures exist to facilitate the optimal use of technology in both instructional and administrative areas throughout the Institution Institution sponsored and school sponsored training is available Technology has budgetary visibility at the Institutional level and school/program level The instructional delivery system is somewhat dependent on technology

Richard Jones

EdTech 501

The Integrated Systems Stage is characterized by: 1 2 3 4 5 6 Regular planned access for students to technology as a means of instruction and a focus of instruction Teachers' systems also support administrative functions, such as grading, attendance and electronic mail Technology has a high budgetary visibility at the Institutional and school/program level Comprehensive plans, policies and procedures for instructional and administrative use of technology are reviewed and revised regularly The Institution is an advocate of technology training for all personnel The instructional delivery system is very dependent on technology

The Intelligent Systems Stage is characterized by: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Student access to technology as an indispensable component of instruction Every curriculum is augmented by intelligent learning systems Administrative functions are automated, integrated and paper less Student, teachers and stakeholders have access to appropriate systems from home Technology is one of the three highest expenditures of Institution funds Technology planning is an integral part of Institution planning The systematic adoption of new technologies is ongoing Technology advocates at each organizational unit assist in the introduction of the new technologies Instructional and administrative personnel are knowledgeable in the use of technology

Stages of Technology Use: Canyon Valley High School This summary reflects the current situation as it relates to Canyon Valley High School. The five areas, as specified by Sibley and Kimball, including Administrative, Curricular, Support, Connectivity, and Innovation. This summary will also attempt to address each of the subsections within these five categories. Administrative Filter

Category/Subsection Policy (Behavioral) Policy (Resource/Infrastructure)

Rating

Supporting Evidence and Statements CVHS has a formalized policy but it is not monitored or enforced at all levels. CVHS has a comprehensive user agreement policy that has been adopted by the school board. No staff or students are allowed to use

Islands

Intelligent

Richard Jones

EdTech 501

technology until the form is signed. CVHS does not have a formal planning process, but one exists at the district level. It is usually discussed at staff meetings as topics arise. CVHS does not have a formal plan for our site. We are asked to follow the plan as it is approved by the district technology committee. We have one representative on the committee. CVHS does not have a formal process for requesting technology monies or for submitting request for spending assistance at the classroom level. CVHS does not have a written plan for its allocation of technology funds, but does have an overall budget allocation in writing. The district level has a more formalized technology budget. The administrative systems are utilized on a regular basis by designated school officials. This system has partially reduced paper consumption but is not paperless at this point. Administrative systems are available to most staff members, but are only allowed to be used by designated positions. For example, the school secretaries act as a liaison between the teachers and district support staff in terms of submitting electronic work orders, time logs and other admin documents.

Planning (Behavioral)

Islands

Planning (Resource/Infrastructure)

Islands

Budget (Behavioral)

Islands

Budget (Resource/Infrastructure)

Islands

Administrative Information (Behavioral)

Integrated

Administrative Information (Resource/Infrastructure)

Integrated

Curricular Filter Category/Subsection Rating Supporting Evidence and Statements CVHS staff members are very dependent upon electronic information and systems. Student reliance has increased but has not become utilized universally.

Electronic Information (Behavioral)

Island

Richard Jones

EdTech 501

Electronic Information (Resource/Infrastructure)

Integrated

Technological resources are comprehensive and include several technologies for teacher and student use. The options are diverse but the school has not offered the depth of training required to use them effectively. All of the CVHS teachers are trained and utilize electronic assessment tools for evaluating student work. Some students have access to the results but expectation does not exist. Our school district adopted PowerSchool as a web-based grading and attendance tool that can be accessed by staff, students, and parents. We have also adopted School City as our electronic assessment grading system. We lack training for parents and students on how to use these tools. CVHS staff members are somewhat dependent upon technology for implementing curriculum. We have courses that require access to a computer lab or mobile carts. We also have courses that are 100% online through CyberHigh. Our school has a computer lab and two mobile carts, but those resources are limited due to specific classes requiring them to be used on a daily basis. This leaves teachers outside of those areas struggling to gain access to the resources that are available. CVHS teachers use technology for administrative tasks such as completing grades and attendance. They use this technology regularly, but it has not been included on a daily basis. CVHS has provided each teacher with a laptop, document camera, LCD projector, printer, set of student response clickers and Mobi pad. The access is currently limited due to site construction. This has caused regular wifi outages. Students who have access will use technology on a daily basis, but that is limited to those completing Senior Project, CyberHigh, and Yearbook. Other uses are sporadic based on access to mobile laptop carts.

Assessment (Behavioral)

Integrated

Assessment (Resource/Infrastructure)

Integrated

Curriculum Integration (Behavioral)

Islands

Curriculum Integration (Resource/Infrastructure)

Islands

Teacher Use (Behavioral)

Islands

Teacher Use (Resource/Infrastructure)

Integrated

Student Use (Behavioral)

Islands

Richard Jones

EdTech 501

Student Use (Resource/Infrastructure)

Islands

Some students have access to appropriate technologies, but the access is limited to specific classes (depending upon availability of the mobile laptop carts). Also, the carts were designed to cover two classes of 20 students, but our class sizes have increased to 25, thus requiring both carts to cover one class.

Support Filter Category/Subsection Stakeholder Involvement (Behavioral) Rating Supporting Evidence and Statements Most staff members at CVHS are aware of the planning procedures and reports of the technology committee; however, few are part of the process itself. Many of our employee groups (certificated, classified, and management) are included in the adoption and implementation of new technologies; however, students and parents are often left out of the process. CVHS teachers and classified staff are always involved in ongoing discussions regarding technology support and assistance. Teachers are to submit requests for assistance through the site secretary, but the administrator is always available if issues arise.. Our site meets twice per month as a staff and technology concerns are addressed in at least one of these meetings. The breakdown in service and support usually occurs between the site and the district. Nearly all of our staff members are included when site or district technology trainings occur. This is not the case district wide, but is possible at our site given the fact that we only have 6 teachers. CVHS does provide occasional technology trainings, but these are often hosted by myself and a teacher from the independent studies site. We do provide time for others to talk about new tools that they have located, but these are not done through a formal process.

Islands

Stakeholder Involvement (Resource/Infrastructure)

Islands

Administrative Support (Behavioral)

Integrated

Administrative Support (Resource/Infrastructure)

Integrated

Training (Behavioral)

Integrated

Training (Resource/Infrastructure)

Islands

Richard Jones

EdTech 501

Technical and Infrastructure Support (Behavioral)

Islands

All CVHS staff members utilize technical support, but that is often done through the use of mentor teachers and not district personnel. There does tend to be a higher priority given to administrative level issues rather than those at the classroom level. CVHS has access to a district computer technician for 3 hours every Tuesday, but this service has been limited recently due to the resignation of our technician. We utilize a work order system for issues when a technician is not on site. These must be submitted through the site secretaries.

Technical and Infrastructure Support (Resource/Infrastructure)

Islands

Connectivity Filter Category/Subsection Rating Supporting Evidence and Statements The staff at CVHS consistently relies on the use of our local area networking to access data, stored documents, and district communications. This allows us to automatically save documents to our servers and print even when taken offline for a brief period of time. Our high-speed networking is currently limited due to a lack of wireless access points. This is only a temporary problem as we are undergoing major construction at this time. Our staff members use district services, but in traditional ways (printing, document sharing, and telecommunications). Our district does have a district networking system including connections through high speed lines. Every classroom has a wired connection to these services. We are in the process of building wireless access points throughout the district. At CVHS, all staff members and some students use the internet daily. Nearly every student has a class that meets in the computer lab every day. This is subject to change based on each students schedule and courses offered in the trimester..

Local Area Networking (Behavioral)

Integrated

Local Area Networking (Resource/Infrastructure)

Islands

District Area Networking (Behavioral)

Islands

District Area Networking (Resource/Infrastructure)

Integrated

Internet Access (Behavioral)

Integrated

Richard Jones

EdTech 501

Internet Access (Resource/Infrastructure)

Intelligent

Every classroom at our site is wired to the district internet lines and servers. All CVHS classrooms will have wireless signals within the next two months. Email communications take place on a daily basis. We are also testing the use of Google Apps for Education in my Senior Project course with the hopes of rolling out access for all students starting next school year. Every student will have a district-controlled email access through Google. District email access is available for all staff members but is somewhat limited for students. As mentioned above, we are in the process of creating Google accounts for every student at CVHS.

Communication System (Behavioral)

Intelligent

Communication System (Resource/Infrastructure)

Integrated

Innovations Filter Category/Subsection Ranking Supporting Evidence and Statements The majority of the staff members at CVHS accept and welcome the use of new technologies. There are a couple of staff members who are usually afraid to work on them alone, but are willing to try with assistance. Our new technologies are implemented fairly quickly after adoption, but there is not always follow-up as to how often they are used by staff in the long term. CVHS staff members have become comfortable with the use of computers, document cameras, and student response clickers; however, they have just begun to integrate video and other advanced student production tools as part of class curriculum. The staff at CVHS has access to laptops, LCD projectors, video recording devices, digital cameras, document cameras, scanners, and printers. We do need additional adoption of advanced software for publishing print & video.

New Technologies (Behavioral)

Integrated

New Technologies (Resource/Infrastructure)

Integrated

Comprehensive Technologies (Behavioral)

Integrated

Comprehensive Technologies (Resource/Infrastructure)

Integrated

Richard Jones

EdTech 501

Concluding Summary When formulating my final evaluation of the current technology situation at Canyon Valley High School I wanted to approach the task with as much objectivity as possible. My hope was that the evidence would speak for itself. My initial instinct was to create a scoring system whereby each subsection would be given a value according to the maturity level. I would calculate the scores, find the average, and judge the results. The scoring system was to be the following: My Subcategory Totals Emergent = 0 Island = 16 Integrated = 13 Intelligent = 3 Point Values Emergent = 1 point Island = 2 points Integrated = 3 points Intelligent = 4 points

After calculating the responses with this system, I was left with an average score of 2.57 per subcategory. This is where I ran into difficulty. The result was a near dead even split as the average fell almost exactly between Island and Integrated. To make this even more challenging, there were 16 responses in the Island category and 16 responses of Integrated or higher. It was at this point that I decided to look more qualitatively at the evidence with the ultimate goal of finding a clear placement for Canyon Valley High School. After an in-depth examination of the information collected for this project, Canyon Valley High School is currently at the Island level. I reached this decision based on a few fundamental flaws at our site. First, the Administrative Filter revealed our schools lack of sufficient monitoring of the user agreement policy; moreover, it exposed the fact that we do not have a thorough site plan or formalized budget process. These are essential building blocks in the establishment of an effective school technology environment. Teacher access, trainings, and administrative support are inherently dependent upon these components to be successful. Upon further examination of the evidence, one can see that the Curricular Filter also leaned towards the Island category. The findings suggest that teachers have far more access and use of technology than students. If our school wants to move to the Integrated column then there needs to be more of an emphasis placed on student access to and competency with technological tools. It would be an injustice to give our school a label above Island given this evidence. The bright spots at our site definitely shined through in the Connectivity Filter and Innovation Filter. The Connectivity benchmarks reflect a strong showing in terms of staff access and use of internet and networking. Many of these subcategory scores could be improved with minor adjustments to our wireless access and inclusion of video and voice services. The Innovation Filter added to these scores with high showings in staff acceptance of emerging technologies. There were additional positive results in terms of the variety of technologies available to our staff.

Richard Jones

EdTech 501

In summation, the overall rating for Canyon Valley High School is Island based on statistical and anecdotal evidence. When the initial scoring approach failed to yield a clear ranking a more thorough examination of evidence within the filters was undertaken. The strong showing in Innovation and Connectivity could not overcome the shortcoming of the Administrative and Curricular fields. Canyon Valley High School has a bright future thanks to a supportive administration, willing staff, and students who are eager to embrace technologies as part of their education. Positive growth trends should push this site into the Integrated column within the year.