Instructional Technology - Rochester City School District

ROCHESTER CITY SCHOOL DISTRICT
FALL 2008
Instructional Technology
STTI Mini Bytes
• 1,200 staff in high schools returned skills survey!
• During the summer 45 STTI classes were attended by 436 staff members!
• Summer courses were held at the Congress Avenue facility with a new
popular course being YouTube/TeacherTube.
• This Fall 93 STTI courses have been scheduled through December 2008.
Secondary School Instructional Technology Training Going Strong
The Department of Instructional
Technology has been busy implementing
the Secondary Technology Training
Initiative (STTI). As you may remember,
this Initiative is the result of a grant
awarded to the Rochester City School
District and East Irondequoit Central
School District, and is designed to help
teachers integrate technology into their
instruction.
Out of over 1800 staff, more than
1200 have returned the Pre-training Skills
Inventory, and more than 1000 have
completed the Technology Use Survey. We
are still collecting that data, and will
resurvey for a comparison in the Spring,
after trainings have been in place for
several months.
During the summer, STTI
scheduled 45 classes, attended by 436
people. All classes were held at one of the
Congress Avenue Facility’s computer labs,
and ranged from introductory Windows
classes to a hands-on Flash tutorial. The
YouTube/TeacherTube course, proved very
popular, with 37 people attending two
classes.
The Fall brought a major push for
technology training to the schools, with
many classes scheduled through December.
A training calendar of well over 100 classes
now being offered at secondary sites is in
place, and updates are emailed to all
schools biweekly. A second list of classes
will be available in late December and will
feature over 200 classes designed to train
teachers on specific applications to
integrate technology with curricula.
The new classes in development,
are using ELA and math Subject Matter
Experts (SME) as developers. SME’s were
identified using survey results and
recommendations from various sources,
including building specialists. While many
of these classes are intended to help
teachers integrate technology into math
and ELA classes, other disciplines can
benefit from these classes as well.
A SMART Board distribution tied
to training is well underway in all high
schools. This initiative targets ELA and
Math classes in grades 7 – 9. The program
goals are to bring just-in-time training to
these teachers. Training will take place
throughout the district. This is the first
rollout of the new technology and training,
but not the last. We are now planning for
a potential summer phase and an additional Fall phase for 2009.
PAGE 1
ROCHESTER CITY SCHOOL DISTRICT
FALL 2008
Benchmark Math Testing Roll Out and New DRA Collection System Unveiled
Last year, the RCSD
participated in an online
formative math assessment from
CTB/McGraw-Hill (Acuity) in
grades 3 – 8. This online
assessment is mandatory for
students who participate in the
Extended Learning and
Intervention Program (ELI) in
grades 3 – 8. Acuity will continue
to be voluntary for any student
not participating in grades 3 – 8
ELI.
The first administration
window is September 8 through
October 31, 2008. The RCSD
Department of Instructional
Technology will work with your
building’s math and AIS
specialists to help in the
administration of this online
assessment.
In addition, the former
DRA system will not be used this
year. We have adapted a new data
collection system that is less
time-consuming, more efficient,
and more effective in yielding the
data needed to inform instruction
and measure success.
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
31
32
33
34
35
36
37
38
39
40
41
42
43
44
45
46
47
48
49
50
51
52
53
54
55
56
57
58
59
60
61
62
63
Developmental Reading
Assessment
DRA
Discover the Excellence
School
Grade
Date of Birth
K-3
Winter
Bridge
Text Level
(A, 1-80)
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
2
2
2
2
2
2
2
2
2
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
5
5
5
5
5
5
5
5
5
6
6
6
6
6
6
6
6
6
7
7
7
7
7
7
7
7
7
8
8
8
8
8
8
8
8
8
9
9
9
9
9
9
9
9
9
DRA Kit
Fall
Spring
K-3
Room
0
Date of Test
Assessment Period
DRA KIT
ID NUMBER
Name
4-8
Oral Reading
Accuracy (%)
88-100
A
0
0
0
0
0
1
1
1
1
1
2
2
2
2
3
3
3
3
4
4
4
4
5
5
5
5
6
6
6
6
7
7
7
7
8
8
8
8
9
9
Comprehension
Total Score
(1-24)
0
0
1
1
2
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
9
Prototype of new DRA bubble sheet
Instead, teachers will
administer the DRA and fill out
the assessment booklet. Then,
the information can be
transferred to a scannable bubble
sheet pre-slugged for teachers.
The pre-slugged student
information will be student’s first/
last name, ID, school, grade,
room, DOB and assessment
period.
This bubble sheet will
allow us to keep a performance
metric on DRA that can be used
to track performance for the
regular school year, ELI, and
summer school. We will be
working collaboratively to make
all formative data, including
DRA, Acuity, and SRI, and The
Curriculum Developer timely and
easily accessed.
Laura Barstow of John Marshall High School has been designated a 2008 Tech &
Learning Leader of the Year for her work with the media program at JMHS. She addressed the Tech&Learning conference in Seattle in October. Congratulations, Laura!
School Technology Contacts Help Ensure Technology Integration in Schools
Every high school and elementary school in
lab maintenance, technology integration, develthe Rochester City School District has a staff
opment of tech committees in schools, and
member as a technology contact with the
building-specific problems in the schools.
Instructional Technology Department. The contacts
are the conduit between the IT department and the
schools, attending a monthly meeting with members
of the IT department, and other specialists when
needed. High school contacts and elementary
contacts meet separately to discuss issues that are
pertinent to their level. During the meetings, sharing
of information and reporting from the schools take
place.
A major component of the contacts program
is the turnkey training. Contacts are responsible to
share what they have learned with the staff in their
building. Recent issues and topics have included:
Riverdeep server software, student grade-level
Tech contacts meet to discuss issues at Hart Street
technology expectations, laptop cart and computer
Instructional Technology computer lab.
PAGE 2
ROCHESTER CITY SCHOOL DISTRICT
FALL 2008
New Version of Lexia Software Significantly Improved
Lexia software is being used by
Schools 1, 2, 4, 14, 15, 16, 19, 25, 35, 36, 39, 42,
43, 45, 46, 50, 52, 57 and 58. There are three
programs: Early, Primary and Strategies. Each
provides explicit, systematic and structured
practice in phonological awareness, phonics
skills and decoding that supports gains in
reading fluency and comprehension.
In August, we began using a new
version of Lexia software. The teacher
administrative software has significantly
improved. Teachers can log on to the Lexia
admin site from any computer with internet
access, allowing teachers to make assignments or review reports from home or
school.
The student software experience is
the same. Students log in using the same user
name and password as Compass, KidBiz and
Acuity. The user name is the last 6 digits of
the student ID#, and their password is the
student’s initials plus their year of birth. To
facilitate this new login, teachers were
provided with labels listing teacher name,
student name, user name and password. The
IT department is working to have consistent
logins for all software programs. More than
160 teachers learned to edit their classes and
make assignments based on student needs.
Reports can be viewed on the admin
home page. Class usage, class progress and
class skills reports are part of the combined
report on each teacher’s admin home page.
Student reports are imbedded in the class
report. Student usage, progress and skills
reports can also be run separately.
There is a detailed skills report that is
appropriate for AIS documentation.A Lexia/
AIS class was taught in conjunction with the
Department of Extended Learning and
Intervention.
Teachers learn to correlate Lexia
programs/skills with NYS targeted goals. A
sample AIS plan is provided and teachers
receive assistance in writing their individual
AIS plans. Joan Matzner, from the
Instructional Technology Department and
Deb Nicowski, from the Department of
Extended Learning and Intervention, coteach this course.
A Lexia Administrators meeting was
held in October. Administrators have access
to reports for their school and can monitor
usage and progress.
Each school has a Lexia contact that
is instrumental in assisting students and
teachers in using Lexia. The contacts have
learned the new Lexia admin program and
have discussed ways to integrate and support
Lexia at after school meetings.
Joan Matzner is the RCSD Lexia
trainer. She is available for site visits to assist
teachers and students in implementing Lexia
and to review reports with teachers and
administrators.
RCSD Teachers To Present at NYSCATE Meeting
Susan Masser presenting at
previous NYSCATE meeting.
Monroe High School teacher Liza Steffen
along with IT teacher Randy Schenk will be
presenting at this year’s New York State
Computer and Technology Education
(NYSCATE) meeting. Their presentation is
titled Giving ESOL Students a Voice with
Podcasting. Liza and Randy have been working
with Liza’s ESOL students at Monroe High
School. The next issue of this newsletter will
have a full rundown of the NYSCATE meeting. You can listen to some of the podcasts at
http://web.mac.com/monroe.esol.steffen/
Randy Schenk with students
exhibiting podcasts at Apple store.
PAGE 3
ROCHESTER CITY SCHOOL DISTRICT
FALL 2008
SharePoint Works for You!
SharePoint provides document storage and human collaboration capabilities via an easy-touse web page interface. As more and more people discover the usefulness of SharePoint, its
popularity has exploded. The Department of Instructional Technology has scheduled additional
SharePoint classes to meet the growing demand. The series of three classes takes you from the basics
all the way to SharePoint Administration. Some of the skills students gain include: learning how to
effectively use your SharePoint My Site, storing, sharing, and accessing files from anywhere in the
district, and learning how to manage your school or department site. The descriptions below provide
details for each of the three courses:
1) SharePoint Overview
This one-hour session provides information about the District's SharePoint Portal and its
main areas. You will learn how to set up and use My Site, your personal workspace, and how to
upload, organize, and edit documents. (1 Hour; Prerequisite: None)
2) SharePoint Content Management
This hands-on course teaches you the skills needed to create and maintain SharePoint
libraries and lists. You also learn how to use zones and web parts to customize SharePoint. (2 Hours;
Prerequisite: Overview)
3) SharePoint Administration
This course teaches you the skills needed to administer school sites, team sites, document
workspaces, and meeting workspaces. You also learn to grant and revoke permissions for SharePoint
sites and workspaces. (3 Hours; Prerequisite: Content Management)
Come take a SharePoint class and learn how to save time and maximize
your communication and collaboration initiatives!
THE INSTRUCTIONAL TECHNOLOGY TEAM
Coordinating Director of Instructional Technology
Tim Cliby, Ed.D.
Associate Director for Benchmark Testing
Glen VanDerwater
Instructional Technology Resource Teachers:
Kevin Lydon
Susan Massar
Joan Matzner
Rich Olsen
Mark Powers
Randy Schenk
User Support Instructor
Mitchel Hansinger
Staff Spotlight
Glen VanDerwater
Glen VanDerwater is the Associate Director of Benchmark
Testing. Glen works closely with members of the IT department
and the Math and the ELA departments on the RCSD benchmark
testing program. Glen believes that through electronic formative
assessments (i.e. CTB Math) we can inform all shareholders on
student progress and accurately prescribe a learning path for
students to ensure success.
Glen has been with the RCSD for over 15 years. He
previously taught at # 19 School for eight years and later
became an Assistant Principal at #12 School and Edison Tech.
Glen joined the IT department in 2006 to oversee the benchmark
testing program.
Outside of work he is very involved with his family and
golfing. Glen and his wife Diane have four children. His
stepdaughter Danielle is a kindergarten teacher at #1 School, his
stepdaughter Joy is a cosmetologist and his stepson is serving in
the U.S. Marines. Glen says his 2 year old daughter keeps him
busy and happy. Glen admits to an addiction to golf which has
paid off with a single digit handicap and many interesting
experiences. Fore!
PAGE 4