Baltimore City Public Schools
Updated
Information Technology
Plan
2008-2011
Baltimore City Public Schools
200 East North Avenue
Baltimore, Maryland21202
Today’s education system faces irrelevance unless we bridge the gap between how
students live and how they learn. Schools are struggling to keep pace with the astonishing
rate of change in students’ lives outside of school. Students will spend their adult lives
in a multitasking, multifaceted, technology-driven, diverse, vibrant world — and they must
arrive equipped to do so. We also must commit to ensuring that all students have equal
access to this new technological world, regardless of their economic background.
Partnership for 21st Century Skills, A Report and Mile Guide for 21st Century Skills
City Schools Technology Plan
2008-2011
1
TABLE OF CONTENTS
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY...... 4
INTRODUCTION and NEEDS ASSESSMENT...... 5
Vision...... 9
GOALS, Strategies, Rationale, Key Efforts, & Initiatives...... 12
Strategy 1...... 12
Strategy 2...... 18
Strategy 3...... 29
Strategy 4...... 45
Strategy 5...... 52
Progress to Date...... 55
Evaluation and Assessments...... 59
Budget...... 60
Ensure adequate Funding...... 62
Appendicies...... 70
Appendix A: Assistive Technology...... 71
Appendix B: City Schools Reform Efforts...... 73
Appendix C: Acceptable Use Policy...... 75
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
The Baltimore City Public Schools (City Schools) recognizes that technology improves our methods of communications and provides new opportunities and responsibilities for students, administrative and school-based staff.
With the completion of the Infrastructure Wiring Program and the continuation of the upgrade of the Wide Area Network, City Schools will maintaina “universally accessible, communications enabled” network encompassing all of its schools and connecting them with each other and the Central Office. With this network in place, it will become possible to design and implement effective, cost-efficient management systems and practices to improve the support of instruction. The integration of technology into curriculum, instructional delivery, professional development and administration are critical to the success of the City Schools instructional program.
The following technology driven strategies will help improve student achievement and establish effective management systems in the support of quality instruction.
- Integrate the use of technology tools and digital content to engage students in daily instruction.
- Ensure that staff is highly skilled and capable of effectively using technology tools and digital content.
- Improve the readiness and service levels of existing infrastructures, including all networks, mission critical application systems, and technical support systems in order to sustain and enhance school administrative functions and system wide operational processes.
- Provide universal access to high performance technology tools.
- Improve the instructional uses of technology through research and evaluation.
The Technology Plan is a direct outgrowth of the City Schools Master Plan 2008 - 2011. This updated technology plan is a detailed all-encompassing document designed to ensure that all areas of the Baltimore City Public Schools act in concert for the betterment of the system and to achieve significant, measurable improvements in the performance of our students.
INTRODUCTION & NEEDS ASSESSMENT
Technological advances have had an on-going and direct impact on the lives of the students and their families. Today’s technologies, however, have the greatest potential for impact, as they have made the world a smaller, more competitive, and demanding place in which to live. Jobs that will rely on the skills promulgated by these new technologies will require students to be analytical and critical thinkers. It is imperative, then, that City Schools teachers, administrators and support staff ensure that students are using current technologies to acquire the skills and processes that will be necessary in order to mold them into responsible citizens who can actively contribute to the greater good of the City, the Region and the State.
Baltimore is the sixteenth largest city in the United States, with a population of about 644,554 residents. Though perceived by many to be a city undergoing revitalization with efforts focused on new construction, developments in the InnerHarbor, and more focused policing efforts; some of the city statistics related to young citizens show the need for attention. For example, 52% of all juvenile murder arrests, 48% of Maryland juvenile arson arrests, and 30% of Maryland juvenile robbery arrests are BaltimoreCity residents.
The following information is compiled from the Maryland State Department of Education 2007 School Report Card for the Baltimore City Public Schools. As one of 24 public school jurisdictions in Maryland, City Schoolscurrently serves approximately 81,642 (updated as of 02/21/2008) students from pre-kindergarten through grade 12. The CitySchools student body is 89 percent African-American, 8 percent Caucasian, and 3 percent students of other racial/ethnic backgrounds. The racial/ethnic composition of the student population generally has not changed for the past five years.
The City Schools is serving pre-kindergarten through grade nine, including three (3) primary, ninety-two (92) elementary, thirty-five(35) K-8, and twenty-five (25) middle, one (1) K-12, four (4) middle/high, and thirty-seven (37) high schools. The thirty-sevenhigh schools include eight (8) Interest-based High Schools, four(4)Multiplex Campus Schools, five (5) High Schools with Entrance Criteria, ten (10) Charter/Innovation High Schools, three (3) Career and Technology Education High Schools, and eight (8) High Schools offering military JROTC programs. The City Schools also includes eight (8) special schools, offering educational programs for students with disabilities only, as well as two (2) non-traditional schools that operate outside the parameters of a traditional school. The City Schools also includes three (3) state-reconstituted schools serving additional students. Managed by Edison and overseen by the Maryland State Board of Education, these three schools have enrollments that are not included in the enrollment count.
Research shows that socio–economic status is positively correlated to student achievement.Therefore it is important to note that approximately 73 percent of the students in City Schoolsparticipate in free and reduced-price meals (FARMS) programs. As of October 30, 2004, City Schoolshas 14,917, or over 18 percent, of its students identified with disabilities. The percentage of special education students by level is as follows: 15.5% of elementarystudents, 18.8% of middle schools students, and 17.4% of high school students
In comparing students with disabilities with regular educationstudents, City Schools results are lower than statewide peers. In examining the gap betweenthe performance of City Schools students overall and the subgroup identified as receivingservices due to a disability, there is a variance of about 20 percent. For example, whileoverall at grade three in the area of reading, 68.8 percent were proficient; 47.7 percent forstudents with disabilities were proficient. The percent of students with disabilities who areproficient in reading and in mathematics decreases with each increasing grade level.
This disparity is even greater at the high school level. High School Assessment data shows that students with disabilities far underscored their general education counterparts. The chart illustrates the gap between the City Schools average scores and scores for those with disabilities.
Student Population / Algebra / Biology / Government / English 2All / 28.6 / 39.9 / 52.2 / 48.1
Special Education / 5.1 / 6.2 / 11.2 / 6.7
Students with disabilities did not achieve Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) in any category, with the exception of Participation Rate. The needs of studentswith disabilities are fully addressed in the City Schools Plan for Monitoring, ContinuousImprovement, and Results.
At each grade and content level assessed, a smaller percentage of City Schoolsstudents with 504 plans were proficient than that exhibited by peers statewide. In gradethree reading, 53.5 percent were proficient in reading, as compared to 59 percent of regulareducation students. In reading at grade ten, 39.5 percent were Proficient as compared to39.7 percent for students participating in regular education. No students with a 504 plantook the MSA for tenth grade mathematics.
The chart below is an example of the disparity in scores among regular and special education students in City Schools.
Baltimore City Public Schools’ Mean National Percentile Rankson the Grade 1 Stanford 10
Service Status / Total
Rdg. / Word
Study / Word
Rdg. / Sent.
Reading / Reading
Comp / Total
Math / Problem
Solving / Proce-dures
Grade 1
Regular / 50 / 59 / 50 / 40 / 51 / 58 / 54 / 63
Special / 30 / 30 / 38 / 29 / 35 / 31 / 27 / 40
504 / 42 / 49 / 52 / 37 / 45 / 51 / 45 / 59
Grade 2
Regular / 47 / 53 / 47 / - / 45 / 51 / 48 / 57
Special / 24 / 22 / 25 / - / 29 / 23 / 21 / 31
504 / 39 / 41 / 38 / - / 43 / 41 / 43 / 42
Additionally, there is a growing disparity in the graduation rates of students with identified special education needs as opposed to those in the general education program. The chart below identifies the graduation rates for the last four years. It is important to note that the graduation rate of students receiving special education services has remained relatively stable, however, it is dramatically lower than the graduation rate of those students in the general education population.The graduation rate of the general education population has generally improved over the last four years. The district'scomprehensive graduation rate is 58.98 %, which is significantly lower than the state average of 85.24%.
Baltimore City Public Schools’ Graduation RatesYear / Special Education Students / General Education Students
2007 / 35.79 / 63.88
2006 / 35.20 / 64.13
2005 / 31.88 / 63.05
2004 / 34.70 / 57.16
Given that the data shows a growing gap between the achievements of students in special education programs versus those in the general education programs, it is evident that more must be done to address the needs of all learners. By providing resources that meet the Universal Design for Learning standards, City Schools will be better able to recognize and address individual learning differences in order to provide better educational opportunities for all students.
The City Schoolsdrop out rate is 9.56%. Theattendance rate in elementary school is 94.1%, in middle school is 88.3% and in high school is 82.7%. The MSDE 2007 Report Card also reports that the total cost per City Schools pupil was $10,974. The local wealth per pupil in the community was $170,179, which is $148,631below Maryland’s average.
The district employs 13,878 employees. There is 8,235 instructional staff in City Schools. These staff members include 5,926 teachers; 109 librarians, 119 psychologists; 600 instructional assistants; 500 special education assistants, 550 non-instructional assistants, and 431 school-based administrators. An additional 3,294 employees provide support and operational services. The current percentage of our teaching staff certification status as referring to “highly qualified” as indicated in No Child Left Behind is as follows:
Advanced Professional Certification (APC) is 31.0
Standard Professional Certification (SPC) is 19.6
Resident Teacher Certification (RTC) is 7.2
Conditional Certification is 21.6
Technology plays a vital role in meeting the needs of the broad range of abilities, disabilities, cultural backgrounds and ethnic populations represented in the urban school district. To guarantee an environment of achievement and learning, the Baltimore City Board of School Commissioners supports access by students and employees to information resources that are applicable to the tasks associated with their obligations and duties in the classroom and workplace, respectively.
To ensure that technology, indeed, serves a predominant function in the lives and work habits of students and employees, this Information Technology Plan provides an action plan for the integration of technology into the curriculum, instruction and the workplace. The Technology Acceptable Use Policy governs the specific behavior of operations associated with the Internet, Intranet, and Web sites while the Information Technology Resources Policy establishes criteria for decision-making under a given set of circumstances within the framework of City Schools objectives, goals, and philosophies.
VISION
The vision of the Baltimore City Public SchoolsTechnology Plan is that increased student achievement will be possible through the seamless integration of technology into all district schools. The Baltimore City Public Schools, in partnership with the community, will provide students with the knowledge, skills, and qualities required to be successful in an ever-changing and diverse world.
Student learning is at the focus and highest priority of all we do in the Baltimore City Public Schools.State-of-the-art instructional technologies combined with effective and appropriate teaching strategies will ensure that students are engaged, motivated and participating in dynamic and challenging learning activities. It is the system’s intent to enable all students to become independent, competent, and creative thinkers, as well as effective communicators and problem solvers.
The updated technology plan includes goals, strategies, and key efforts for addressing how technology will be integrated into curriculum, instruction, and high quality professional development in alignment with the action steps of the National Technology Plan, the objectives of the Maryland Plan for Technology in Education and local technology plans.
The seven main action steps of the National Technology Plan are as follows:
1. Strengthen Leadership
2. Consider Innovative Budgeting
3. Improve Teacher Training
4. Support e-Learning and Virtual Schools
5. Encourage Broadband Access
6. Move Toward Digital Content
7. Integrate Data Systems
The five main objectives of the State Technology Plan are as follows:
- Improve student learning through technology
- Improve staff’s knowledge and skills to integrate technology into instruction.
- Improve decision-making, productivity, and efficiency at all levels of the organization through the use of technology.
- Improve equitable access to appropriate technologies among all stakeholders.
- Improve the instructional use of technology through research and evaluation.
The updated plan will also meet No Child Left Behind requirements to:
promote the use of technology to improve student achievement and teacher effectiveness in elementary and secondary schools;
implement strategies that help every student to become technologically literate by the end of 8th grade; and
integrate educational technology into instruction through access to technologies, high quality professional development and effective instructional applications.
Technology is the cornerstone upon which an individual will depend, at work and at home. For personal knowledge and growth as well as in their everyday working lives, a technologically literate individual will have significant advantages over his or her illiterate counterpart. The concept of technology driven by human needs is broad, diverse and constantly changing. It addresses the systematic application of knowledge, materials, tools and skills used to extend human capabilities that help solve real world problems. Technology includes the design of systems, the management of information and resources, and the control of processes. Effective technology education combines the knowledge of content with process and skills in order to provide students with a holistic approach to learning. It extends beyond the simple use of computers and reaches into all content areas. Technology is a powerful tool for bringing the world into the classroom and for taking the classroom out into the world.The theme of this document is the generation and implementation of new technology into the Baltimore City Public Schools as a means of supporting our mission to improve the education provided to the students of BaltimoreCity.
Recent studies have shown that US students are lagging behind their counterparts in countries around the world. Tapping America’s Potential: The Education for Innovation Initiative (Business Roundtable, 2005) expresses “deep concern about the United States’ ability to sustain a scientific and technological superiority through this decade and beyond”. Technology is going to be the key to ensuring that Americans are able to stay competitive in the new global economy. In this new economy, workers will become digital citizens using technology to engage in lifelong learning, communicate and collaborate globally,and utilize productivity and information management tools in order to solve complex problems and succeed in the workplace. Students who are not exposed to the technology tools necessary to do this will be at a great disadvantage and will be unable to compete in the job market.
As the Partnership for 21st Century Learning report makes clear, technology is and will continue to be adriving force in workplaces, communities and personal lives in the21st century. “Technology helps prepare students for the workforcewhen they learn to use and apply applications used in the world ofwork. Workforce skills are mastered with technology use. Whencontent and strategies meet accepted education standards, researchshows that technology increases mastery of vocational and workforceskills and helps prepare students for work when emphasizedas a problem-solving tool (Cradler, 1994).” In this environment, the need for technologically literatecitizens and workers increases every year. Skilled people in the21st century need to understand how to use technology tools.Developing information and communication technologies (ICT) literacy requires good leadership, a strong technology infrastructure, adequate and equitable access to technology and the Internet in schools, integration of technology with classroom learning, and adequate methods for assessing ICT literacy.
Traditional schooling, according to Kember (2007), has run its course as students struggle to find relevance in industrial models of schooling where flexibility and personalized learning have no place. Incremental school reform is a strategy of the past and systems have failed in large scale improvement. Research recommends education authorities, schools, rural communities and other agencies develop strategies, allocate funds and provide resources to enable students to access local and online educational experiences. These include excursions, on-site visits, summer schools, interactions with other schools both nationally and internationally and develop activities to address the student learning needs, including those in composite classes (Lyons et al., 2006). The challenge is to take the best of the past, combine it with the innovations of the present, to construct a future that engages students in learning and community building.
Hayes Mizell of the Edna McConnell Clark Foundation notes that “developing the intellectual capital of our system will be the best investment we can make.” Professional development activities will lead teachers and administrators to increase their productivity, enhance their ability to integrate technology and establish communities of leaders and life-long learners.