On June 5, 2019,  the Secondary 1:1 Chromebook Program update was presented to the CHCCS Board of Education.  Below are the links to the Board memo and presentation. 

TO: CHCCS Board of Education

FROM: Debby Atwater, Director of Digital Learning

Doug Noell, Director of IT Operations

Dave Scott, Director of Technical Services

RE: Middle and High School 1:1 Device Deployment Update

DATE: June 5, 2019

ATTACHMENTS: Google Presentation

Background

Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools has a long history of investing in technology to support student and staff learning experiences. As educational practices evolve and student learning needs become more personalized, the need for digital devices, tools and strategies that are mobile, accessible and adaptable and transform learning experiences continues to become critical both during and after the school day for our secondary students.  The purpose of the Superintendent Report is to update the Board of Education about the District’s plan to implement a one to one (1:1) Chromebook take-home program in all Middle and High Schools beginning in the 2019-2020 school year.

Alignment to the CHCCS Strategic Plan
The Middle and High School 1:1 Program aligns to the following Strategic Plan Goals:

• SS Goal 1 - Establish a district instructional framework for all grade levels K-12, based on high-yield culturally relevant strategies within a personalized learning environment.
• SS Goal  2 - Empower and support all student groups to meet growth and achievement goals.
• EE Goal 3 - Create, promote, and empower an organizational environment that values development and personalized growth opportunities for all employees.
• FCE Goal 1 - Engage families in the entire educational process.
• FCE Goal 2 - Create meaningful partnerships by building trust, collaboration, and engagement.
• OE Goal 2 - Directly align district resources with student need.
  
  

Definition of 1:1

1:1 (one-to-one) in the Middle and High Schools is defined as one student assigned to one Chromebook device with 24/7 access at school and at home.  This model is opposed to our current shared cart model where teachers must reserve a cart of Chromebooks when a lesson requires the use for some or all students to have a device to support learning.  

Instructional Vision

It is essential that we understand that this is not a technology initiative, but a learning initiative.  

The program tightly aligns with the CHCCS instructional vision:

Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools strives to create experiences that empower, inspire and engage all learners in every classroom, every day. As students become problem solvers and problem seekers, they collaborate with teachers, peers and community members to achieve common goals. Students co-design their learning experiences, embedding their unique interests and passions within a standards-based curriculum. Personal access to digital devices can increase opportunities to engage in critical thinking, enhance communication skills, and create personalized pathways of learning for every student when connected to standards-aligned instructional goals and experiences.

Planning toward Digital Equality & Equity

CHCCS’s 1:1 program offers both digital equality and equity.  Equality is ensured as each 6th through 12th-grade student is given the opportunity to receive a Chromebook to use at school and to take home in order to complete homework or engage in additional research and learning opportunities. Equity is ensured because the take-home program provides access to students that may not have otherwise have continuous device access after school. The 1:1 Chromebook program also aligns to our existing Middle and High School internet MiFi hotspot program to support students that need wireless internet access at home. Differentiated devices (i.e. iPads, communication devices, etc) will continue to be provided for exceptional children within adapted curriculum classes.  

Throughout this planning process, various stakeholders were engaged to solicit feedback. Students, staff members, school-based and central office administrators, and families were included through focus groups, surveys, and meetings. Discussions were guided by the use of the Racial Equity Impact Assessment (REIA) tool to inform the development of this plan. For example, students shared that having district-provided devices would prevent them from worrying about additional financial needs to purchase and/or repair their own devices.

Professional Learning
CHCCS teachers, instructional support staff, and administrators plan standards-based teaching and learning experiences that are often supported by digital-rich learning tools, skills, and strategies that positively impact student and staff learning. In order to support each staff member’s reflective, personalized, professional learning experience and align to North Carolina School Board’s 20-hour North Carolina Digital Learning Competencies CEU requirement, Instructional Technology Facilitators (ITFs) and School Librarians will continue to offer the DLC Professional Learning and Coaching program that began as a pilot at East Chapel Hill High School in 2018-19 and launched district-wide in 2019-20. The DLC program is comprised of four competency areas that include Leadership in Digital Learning, Digital Content and Instruction, Digital Citizenship and Data and Assessment and support classroom teachers, instructional support staff and school and district leaders to improve their practice, build capacity in their staff, and drive student learning within their schools.  Currently, there are over 400 participants district-wide in the DLC program.

Building the capacity of our instructional staff and administrators to use high yield, culturally relevant practices has been a focus in the district for at least the last six years (e.g. LFL and curriculum development, AVID, and Project ADVANCE Learn level courses). Professional learning for all staff will continue to strengthen this focus as we also continue to concurrently build capacity to use technology as a powerful learning tool. It is essential that all instructional staff  (teachers, coaches, specialists, administrators, teaching assistants) work collaboratively to build a cohesive learning experience that challenges, supports and engages every student.

Sustainable Funding
Through the collaboration between Instructional Services, Information Technology/Student Support Services, and the Budget and Finance department, an initial 6-year sustainable funding plan was developed.  For the next 3 years, student device purchases will cost less than the projected budget that was planned when supporting the previous Middle and High School day use-only program. For the subsequent 3 years, the 1:1 program will cost a total of approximately $508,000 more than expected starting in the 2022-23 school year.  After meeting extensively with Budget and Finance, we are confident that we can plan accordingly as equitable access to digital devices for all middle and high school students remains a top instructional priority.

Sustainable Device Support
It is critical that students experience little to no instructional downtime due to a damaged, lost or stolen device.  All 1:1 middle and high school technology will continue to be supported by CHCCS’s existing technician support model.

• 1 Technician assigned to each High School
• 1 Technician assigned to each Middle school plus 3-4 Elementary Schools

As needed, technician support will be prioritized and adjusted to ensure the 1:1 schools experience routine site visits, device repairs/replacements, and frequent device and supply audits.  Repairs and device allocation and collection will be co-managed by the IT technicians, Middle and High School Library Assistants, Instructional Technology Facilitators and School Librarians using existing solutions.  

An additional 10% of spare devices and chargers will be stored onsite at each secondary school to minimize downtime and the possibility of increased repair needs.  

The ITD budget has been realigned to offset the possibility of increased repairs.  There will be no initial fees or repair charges within the 1:1 program to ensure alignment with our CHCCS equity goals and beliefs.  Future 1:1 device purchases will include an accidental device protection plan to increase the capacity of our IT staff members and offset potential repair costs.

Student Safety - Filtering/Monitoring Plan
Student safety using digital resources is our top priority. With device and user-level configurations in place, all device internet browsing activity will be filtered and monitored on any wireless network outside of CHCCS just as they are within our schools.  All content filtering and monitoring will continue to be provided by the state-provided ZScaler solution where we are able to monitor website usage down to the user level.

Communication Plan
Communication to our district stakeholders will ensure all teachers, families and community members are aware of the new program that is available to our secondary students. In collaboration with the CHCCS Communications team, information on the 1:1 program will be made available via the district website, phone and email messages, and social media.

Staff/Teachers

• April-May 2019  - ITFs facilitated a district-wide 1:1 staff presentation at each school informing them of overall program goals, expectations and timeline
  
  

CHCCS Board of Education

• June 5, 2019 - Superintendent Update during Board of Education meeting

CHCCS Families

• Early June 2019 - Email/phone call to all rising 6th-12th grade families will receive an email and phone call communication with Save the Date for August 12-16 device deployment events and launch of 1:1 website
• Early August 2019 - Email/phone call including the parent/student handbook and digital agreement form, details regarding deployment event, and resources, etc.
• Late August-October 2019- Parent workshops, including sessions at the device deployment event, Open House, Parent University, BRMA parent nights, and the Family Engagement Summit
• Ongoing - New-to-district families via school and district enrollment process and International Welcome Center

Program Evaluation
The 1:1 program will be monitored with qualitative and quantitative data to determine the impact on student learning using the following tools:

• Classroom Walkthroughs - i..e. CHCCS Classroom Walkthrough Tool
• Student Focus Groups and/or Surveys
• Teacher Focus Groups and/or Surveys
• Parent Focus Groups and/or Surveys
• NC Digital Learning Plan Rubric (submitted to NCDPI every 3 years)

Planning Progress Timeline