I spent last evening reviewing the Progress Report to the Texas Long Range Plan for Technology (Texas Education Agency, 2008). At 180 pages, it is a lengthy report, touching on all of the domains of the original report, giving updates on progress and challenges, and spotlighting some particular successes. Some of the news was not good: The domain of Teaching and Learning in particular, which specifically deals with the implementation of the technology TEKS in the classroom and the mastery of those TEKS by students, did not fare well. The Teaching and Learning focus area online learning, or TL6, shows 25% of schools as ‘early tech’. (Texas Education Agency, 2008, p. 41) The progress in TEKS implementation (TL4) was also low: there was little change in the overall distribution of districts across the classifications for this area from 2006-08. (Texas Education Agency, 2008, p. 45) Approximately 80% of districts still received a classification of ‘Early Tech’ or ‘Developing Tech’ as a result of their STaR Chart data during this time.
However, the report highlights a number of pilot programs that are showing strong results. One of these programs is the Technology Immersion Pilot (TIP). This program works to change the cycle of piecemeal technology implementation that leaves schools constantly behind the curve in technology and teaching innovation. It works specifically to address the LRPT focus area TL4 (technology TEKS implementation), State Board for Educator Certification (SBEC) Standards, and both student and teacher requirements in Title II, Part D of No Child Left Behind (Texas Education Agency, 2008, pp. 9-10). Six critical components of immersion: a wireless mobile computing device, productivity, communication and presentation software, online instructional resources, online diagnostic assessment tools, professional development, and technical support (Texas Education Agency, 2008, p. 21). The report states, “Equally as important, students are given the same tools as teachers. TIP creates an environment where technology becomes a partner to teaching and learning.” (Texas Education Agency, 2008, p. 10) I found both the goals and the data on this pilot extremely encouraging. Participating schools were given a ranking based on their levels of implementation, and data was disaggregated according to those levels. The evaluation found that immersion schools had more collaboration and collegiality between faculty members, more parent involvement, and fewer discipline issues. (Texas Education Agency, 2008, p. 12) In terms of state assessments, the report finds that:
- Technology immersion had a statistically significant effect on TAKS mathematics achievement, particularly for economically advantaged and higher achieving students.
- Students who had greater access to laptops and used laptops for learning to a greater extent, especially outside of school, had significantly higher TAKS reading and mathematics scores. (Texas Education Agency, 2008, p. 13)
This data acts as a strong endorsement for the tenets of TIP. However, most significant to me was the data surrounding level of implementation. The report shows that the benefits cited above increased 1) as time spent in the program increased, and 2) as level of implementation increased. (Texas Education Agency, 2008, pp. 15-20) I see this as a case study in how full and ongoing commitment to goals acts as a catalyst for success.
Another fascinating pilot begun since the adoption of the new LRPT is the Texas Virtual School Network (TxVSN). (Texas Education Agency, 2008, p. 27) TxVSN provides online coursework for students and professional development/online collaboration opportunities for teachers, which stands in response to the weaknesses revealed in the area of online learning by the STaR Chart data. (Texas Education Agency, 2008, p. 41) Online learning opens up more variety in depth and scope of coursework for students who, because of their geographic location, would not otherwise have access. It also works to ensure that curriculum is being equitably offered in the highest quality format by very highly qualified teachers to all students. (Texas Education Agency, 2008, pp. 30-33) A wide variety of courses is currently available, including art; AP math, English, and science courses; government and economics; and both AP French and AP Spanish (Texas Virtual School Network, 2009). Both high school and professional development courses for TxVSN are vetted though a multi-layer qualification process, including adherence to TEKS and standards set by the Southern Regional Education Board, instruction by trained, content-qualified teachers, and compliance with National Standards of Quality for Online Courses (enacted by iNACOL, the International Association for K-12 Online Learning) (Texas Education Agency, 2008, p. 29) While some challenges remain, including significant cost and equitable access to online (Texas Education Agency, 2008, p. 35), the program has opened up new and exciting educational opportunities for students and teachers across the state.
The final program that piqued my interest is the eCP: Electronic Course Pilot. Two school districts, Southwest ISD and to a lesser extent Houston ISD, participated in this program that offers “virtual school” off-site to students in grades 3-8. (Texas Education Agency, 2008, p. 89) The withdrawal rate for Virtual Learning program in Southwest ISD hovered at approximately 30%; the report states that “these numbers underscore the point made frequently in this report that online learning is not a good fit for every student. There is no one educational strategy that is right for every student; online education is no exception.” (Texas Education Agency, 2008, p. 91) An independent entity evaluated students entering the Southwest ISD program and found that approximately ¾ of the students had a serious deficit in at least one core subject area. Of the students who remained enrolled, almost 90% were promoted to the next grade level (Texas Education Agency, 2008, p. 92). These numbers offer compelling evidence that students can be effective in a non-traditional school setting, with technology as the centerpiece for learning.
Although there is much to admire, there is still much to be done. NCLB standards and the TEKS call for students to demonstrate technology literacy by eighth grade; however, there is no standardized assessment for technology literacy in Texas at this time. (Texas Education Agency, 2008, p. 51) In 2007 the state legislature authorized a pilot program for assessing technology literacy in eighth grade; the TechLiteracy assessment by Learning.com was selected as the instrument for this pilot program. In 2008 the state average scale score was 216.4; the minimum scale score to meet standards is 220. Although state data for the current school year is not yet available, HEB ISD participated in this pilot, and in 2009-2010, 73% of students in HEB ISD showed mastery on the assessment with an average scale score of 232 (Learning.com, 2010). While these scores exceed the state averages, I believe the technology facilitators in my district would find these results frustrating. The wide scope of ongoing professional development offered in my district does not seem to be translating to success in technology instruction and learning.
I take away from this report an acknowledgement that my classroom and my district, and my state are on the path towards the goals of the LRPT, but we have in no way arrived at our destination. The lessons learned are many, but in short, it will require leadership, vision, and ongoing commitment to create the target 21st century classroom for our students.
Works Cited
Learning.com. (2010). District Report - TechLiteracy Assessment. Portland: Learning.com.
Texas Education Agency. (2008). Progress Report on the Long Range Plan for Technology. Austin: Texas Education Agency.
Texas Virtual School Network. (2009). High School Course Catalog. Retrieved June 5, 2010, from TxVSN: Texas Virtual School Network: https://www.mytxvsn.org/CourseCatalogHighSchool.aspx
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