PLAN TERM: Begins: July 1, 2012 Ends: June 30 2015

The Applicant Agency*

Chinle Unified School District # 24

(Name of Local Education Agency (LEA), i.e. School District, Consortium or Charter School submitting this plan. If Consortium, list all members in the space below)

Developing a comprehensive technology plan, based on the educational goals of the school system, will ensure that the most appropriate technologies are effectively infused in your instructional and/or administrative programs. Thorough planning also ensures that all parties have equitable access and achieve the greatest benefit from routine use of educational technology. The comprehensive technology plan should demonstrate clear targets for technology use, spell out desired goals for learners, create visions for future directions, build "buy-in" from stakeholders, and demonstrate to those who might provide funding that a district or charter holder is ready to act.

School Districts, Consortia or Charter Schools (LEAs) who apply for technology funding through any Federal grant program, are required to have developed a comprehensive, three-year to five-year plan, which outlines how the agency intends to utilize and integrate educational technology.

The applying agency (check all that apply)

Yes is compliant with the provisions of the Children’s Internet Protection Act (CIPA).

Yes will be CIPA compliant by this date. June 30 2015

Yes has applied for E-Rate Funding for FY 2015_.

The LEA’s comprehensive technology plan must be approved by the local governing board(s). (The plan must be approved by the local governing board before funds will be released.)

Date the plan was approved:

OR

Date the plan is to be submitted for board approval:

Certified by:

______VT______

Signature of Authorized School System Agent (signed in blue ink) Date of Signature

Victor Trejo IT/Computer Services.

Printed Name and Title

LEA Profile

This information should provide a “snapshot” of your district and help planners and reviewers to understand areas of need.

LEA Profile
LEA NAME: Chinle Unified School District # 24
CTDS: 010224000
NUMBER OF SCHOOLS IN LEA
/
7
NUMBER OF TEACHERS /
214
NUMBER OF STUDENTS ENROLLED
/
3772
PERCENT OF STUDENTS ELIGIBLE FOR FREE/REDUCED LUNCH
/
90%
TITLE I POVERTY LEVEL
/
Very High
TEACHER / STUDENT RATIO /
24/1
STUDENT / COMPUTER RATIO /
4/1
NUMBER OF SCHOOLS IDENTIFIED AS EXCELLING /

None

NUMBER OF SCHOOLS IDENTIFIED AS HIGHLY PERFORMING /

None

NUMBER OF SCHOOLS IDENTIFIED AS PERFORMING AND PERFORMING PLUS /

3

NUMBER OF SCHOOLS IDENTIFIED AS UNDERPERFORMING

/

3

BASED ON CENSUS TRACT INFORMATION, IS YOUR ENTITY RURAL OR URBAN /

Rural

District Technology Coordinator/Contact

Name: Victor Trejo / Telephone #: 928 674-9659
School District: Chinle Unified School District # 24 / Fax #: 928 674-9678
CUSD Telco Center
PO Box. 587
US, 191 Navajo Rte 7
Address: Chinle AZ, 86503 / E-mail:
VISION AND MISSION STATEMENTS
Vision Statement

A vision statement expresses thoughts about what the LEA’s future educational environment should look like. It should be written in broad terms and guide the development of the technology plan.

Children are the community’s greatest and most important resource. Therefore, the Chinle Unified School District shall create and implement an exciting, stimulating, safe, and effective learning environment to assist parents in helping their children develop to each’s maximum potential and enjoy the same diverse and challenging educational opportunities available to students elsewhere in this nation. Students shall be taught by highly qualified and motivated staff that are constantly improving their own skills and improving their teaching abilities.

It is equally important that the curriculum is delivered in such a manner as to challenge and stimulate and develop, rather than stifle and kill, a love of learning inherent in most young children. To this end, we shall adopt and productively use the latest technology to provide maximum educational opportunities, deliver curriculum, and manage all aspects of the educational process to the best interest of each students’ diverse and unique needs. The system shall be secure and have high reliability. It is our desire that when a student has completed their education in the Chinle Unified School District and moves either on to advanced education or into the community as a productive member, that they shall be familiar and with and able to use the current technology to their best advantage.

Furthermore, we shall use technology to improve communication between school, community and family to better support and serve each student’s needs and enhance involvement by all in the educational process

Mission Statement

A mission statement is a brief, general description of the LEA’s plans for promoting the effective use of technology to improve student performance. The mission statement describes the step, in broad terms, which will need to be taken in order to achieve the LEA’s vision.

The Chinle Unified School District shall provide for the education its students:

  1. 1. A secure, reliable, and high-speed voice and data communications network linking all schools, work areas, classrooms and where possible, community.

2.  2. The network will use proven and dependable technology. It will be constructed to support the educational goals of the District by providing communication, delivering instruction, aiding development of skills, providing utilities such as e-mail and word processing, facilitating management and by providing interaction with the world as a whole through connecting with other computer systems and the Internet.

3.  3. This network and its use shall be monitored and managed using an evolving and integrated plan that is supported and implemented by the District and school administration with the concurrence of community representatives.

4.  4. The District shall train, educate and enable, -wherever possible, - the staff, students and community members to use technology, the network and its resources for their maximum educational benefit.

5.  5. We shall develop an infrastructure that can be locally maintained and managed by District staff.

6.  6. This shall be done in compliance with District policy, and state and federal regulations. Furthermore,

7.  7. The Technology Plan shall be evaluated and revised on a regular basis, when appropriate, to incorporate additional technology as it becomes available and to support the District’s and communities goals of complying with Tribal, State and Federal Regulations that direct and mandate quality education for our children .

8.  8. In response to these mandates, the District shall also strive to provide supervised access to District resources for community members and shall actively encourage community and parental involvement and continuing education.

TECHNOLOGY COMMITTEE

The Technology Committee should represent all stakeholders. Development of the technology plan and implementation of the plan should enable parents, educators, students and community members to benefit from the investment in technology and all should have representation on the committee.

LEA Technology Committee
Member / Title / Constituency Represented
Victor Trejo / IT Director / CUSD IT Department
Quincy Natay / Superintendent of Business / CUSD Business Department
Dr. Jesus De La Garza / Superintendent / CUSD Administrator
Gloria Grant / Superintendent of Curriculum / CUSD Administrator
Lorna Barreras / Teacher / Chinle Junior High
Lori Bitsui Gray / Principal / CanyonDeChelly
(Carolyn Irving) Secondary (Dorothy Yazzie) / Principal / Chinle Elementary
Paulet Scott / Teacher / Chinle Elementary
Moses Aruguete / Principal / Many farms Public School
Many farms Public School
Sheila Betz / Federal Programs Director / CUSD Administrator
Janie Christie / Teacher / MesaView Elementary
Shing Aruguete
Rosetta Begay
Janie C.
Michelle Begay
Paulet Scott
Allen Anderson
Coretta Hall / Teacher Tech Advisory / Chinle Junior High
CanyonDeChelly
MesaView Elementary
ManyFarms Public School
CES School
Chinle High Schools
Tsaile Public Schools
Eric Yazzie / Comp. Technician / CDCS & Many farms Schools
Lennie Begay / Comp. Technician / Chinle High School
Glynes Mitchell / ADM / CUSD IT Department
Clayton Tsosie / Network Administrator / CUSD IT Department
Lori Gray / Principal / CDC School
Dorothy Yazzie / Principal / Chinle High School
Cheryl Tsosie / Principal / Tsaile Public Schools

Long-term role of the Committee:

Write a description of the technology committee’s role in developing, implementing, and evaluating the technology plan. This description should include how committee members were selected, and the role each is expected to play. Tentative plans for scheduling meetings for the next school year should also be included.

1. The Technology Committee shall evaluate the application of technology and rr recommend the productive use of technology to provide children with highly qualified and competent instruction and supervised, diverse opportunities for learning.

2. The committee shall be composed of individuals from the communities served, who have a vested interest in directing the education of our children, in addition to individuals experienced in educational leadership, technology and the application of technology in education and business.

3. It shall be the responsibility of Committee members as a whole to recommend changes in the application and use of technology in our schools and recommend priorities when budgeting the available funding.

In addition, the Committee may recommend to the Superintendent and to the Governing Board, changes in administrative policies, Board policy and procedures relating to the use of technology in education, including the District’s compliance with the Child Internet Protection Act and Arizona Learns.

4. Once the Technology plan is approved by the Governing Board, the Committee shall meet monthly for the dispatch of all regular business that may regularly come before it. It shall also evaluate research and amend the District’s Technology Plan as needed.

5. The committee shall assess and recommend optional directions if current plans are failing.

6. At this time, committee members acknowledge a large gap between the expected uses and benefits of technology as a teaching aid what is currently being delivered to our students. It shall take affirmative steps to close this gap.

7. The Technology Committee shall also develop, monitor and evaluate staff training, recommend standards and set minimal skill levels and how they are evaluated. Without continuing staff training the District will not realize the full value of the investment for its children.

NEEDS ASSESSMENT

In this section you are to assess your LEA’s current technology status in four categories: curriculum integration, professional development, equitable use of technology, and infrastructure and telecommunications services. Use the questions listed beneath each category to guide the assessment.

1. Describe student and programmatic needs that the agency plans to address through educational technology.

a.  Curriculum Integration

Things to consider when evaluating your needs: The current curriculum strengths and weaknesses and the process used to determine these strengths and weaknesses, how student activities are being aligned to meet state standards, the current procedures for using technology to address any perceived curriculum weaknesses, how teachers integrate technology into their lesson - including ways technology is presently used for entire classroom and for small group instruction, and how students use technology -including ways students presently use technology for purposes beyond practice of skills.

The Chinle Unified School District #24 is located in northern Apache County, near the geographic center of the Navajo Nation. The District has seven schools and is the one of the largest districts in Northern Arizona. Due to a lack of economic development, the area is characterized by high unemployment and low-income rates among the majority of the people.

Curriculum integration in the Chinle public schools has some excellent successes and glaring failures. The quality and consistency of the curriculum is primarily dependent upon individual school leadership. It is even more dependent on the time the leadership takes to concentrate on making sure what is taught matches intended goals and the state standards that are targeted in each lesson are being taught using the best proven, researched methods available. Because of work in past summers, curriculum alignment in some subjects meets district stated objectives. In other subjects, or in other grade levels, various teachers teaching different sections of the same course may deliver completely unmatched material! This becomes of greatest importance when students transfer classes or must retake a course of study. When the basic course content varies depending on who is teaching the course, or at what school the class is taught, there is no guarantee that a student who changes sections, schools or must retake a course will ever receive all of the material the curriculum specifies the course should have included. This being the case, it is not realistic to hold the students responsible for material they should have received, but never did.

In some Chinle District schools this consistency exists, but in others it is completely lacking. The issue all returns to lesson plans and goals. Teachers may and do have different styles to teach the same subject, however they should identify the same standards they are teaching for a given course in a given quarter and these standards should be consistent between sections in the same school, or even between schools. Technology can help alleviate this problem, but it will not be effective unless the total solution is an identified goal of the administrators and staff who are directed to make it happen.

When considering the effectiveness educational computer programs, results have varied. Where there has been consistency in administration and follow-through to verify that teachers are using the programs as intended, the new technology has shown great success. In other circumstances, teachers may show little interest in changing their mode of teaching to incorporate the new methods. Instruction is done solely from the textbooks and at best, the technology becomes either a reward for good behavior, or a baby sitter, without teachers having clear expectations for the potential educational benefits. This is easily seen when comparing student achievement scores on standardized tests. Many areas of weakness revealed by these measurements are well suited for computer-aided education. The willingness of teachers to depend on technology in their lessons has also been impaired because the network has not been 100% dependable. While backup plans are always appropriate the system should be available as planned without frequent down time or lack of availability.

Although the District has invested heavily in computers and educational software such as Compass Learning, Teach master, Plato Learning, Accelerated Reader, Accelerated math. and Light Span as well as other diagnostic and remediation packages for mathematics and the sciences, a majority of the teachers under utilizes the technology. This is expected to change as the availability becomes more consistent and training and familiarity with the resources improves.