Bay Path Regional Vocational Technical High School
District Technology Plan

2009-2014

District Information
Bay Path Regional Vocational Technical High School
57 Old Muggett Hill Road
Charlton, Ma 01507
DOE School Identification Number 08760605
Superintendent of Schools: David P. Papagni
Principal: Clifford Cloutier
Contact Person: Kenneth Desautels, Director of Technology

Bay Path Information
Bay Path serves students from its member Worcester County communities of Auburn, Charlton, Dudley, N. Brookfield, Oxford, Paxton, Rutland, Spencer, Southbridge, and Webster. The school’s programs are also available to pupils outside these areas on a tuition basis. Bay Path is located 60 miles southwest of Boston, 10 miles south of Worcester, and 40 miles east of Springfield. Bay Path has been a visible part of our community by providing services to nonprofit organizations and municipalities. We offer a diverse course offering that addresses both your academic and career goals.
As of October 1, 2010 total regional school enrollment was 1096

Mission Statement
Bay Path Regional Vocational Technical High School is a multi-functional educational institution established to serve the needs of the residents, especially the youth of the Southern Worcester County Regional Vocational School District. It is the mission of the school to provide for its students a strong foundation in integrated academic, vocational, technical, and technology education which will equip its graduates with the broad range of skills necessary to function in society, achieve goals, and develop knowledge and potential throughout life.
It is the district's responsibility to offer students the necessary knowledge and experiences to develop each individual into a contributing responsible member of society, the workforce, and the global village in which we live. It is the district's responsibility to continually redefine itself relative to changing and developing technologies in the classroom, the laboratory, the workplace, and the global society in general in order to provide its students with the most appropriate and effective means to apply learning throughout their lives.

Vision Statement
The classroom of today and tomorrow should prepare all students for productive participation in the society and economy of the times. In order to assure that such appropriate preparation is afforded to all students, an infrastructure for the school must be designed, established and maintained to incorporate existing, developing, and emerging technologies to equitably meet the needs of diverse populations of students, parents, teachers, staff, administration, and community members.
Preparation for tomorrow's technological world necessitates the establishment of an educational information system requiring students to accept responsibility for accessing, analyzing, applying, and communicating information.
Visions:

1. Technologies will assist our students to become skilled, knowledgeable, independent, and self-directed life-long learners.

2. Technologies will allow students to assume responsibility for teaming and em-power them to learn by widening access to images, sounds, communications capabilities, and relevant information that defines the world in which they will reside, work, and compete.

3. Technologies will provide on-going opportunities for individualized teaming, cooperative learning, integrated teaming, and an educational environment, which fosters the implementation of varied teaching and learning techniques.

4. Technologies will assist teachers in facilitating learning in an environment where students and teachers are active participants in the process of education.

5. All staff members will be able to apply technology to effectively share information, knowledge and problem-solving techniques with the diverse segments of the education community.

6. The education environment will support integrated learning throughout the facility -- in library/media programs, technology resource centers, special education resources, counseling resources, vocational technical laboratories, integrated academic/vocational-technical classrooms, and any other appropriate learning support centers.

7. Technologies will improve and enhance the administration of the facility by providing appropriate access to the information required to make complex instructional and administrative decisions.

8. Technologies will improve and enhance the abilities of all pertinent groups and individuals to participate in site-based decision-making.

9. Technologies will facilitate the expansion of internal and external communications to maximize access to worldwide resources, to create/utilize appropriate networks, and to establish and maintain cooperative relationships with appropriate institutions, organizations, and groups.

Current Status
This section provides information on the status of the school district as of school year 2009/2010. The method used was informal observations and anecdotal evidence. Results are as follows:
Teacher Technology Use Survey
Use of Technology for Professional Activities:
Daily – 100%
Once a Week – 0%
Once a Month – 0%
Never/Rarely – 0%
Use of Technology with Students:
Daily – 50%
Once a Week – 40%
Once a Month – 8%
Never/Rarely – 2%
Teachers level of technology knowledge
Early Technology – 25%
Developing Technology – 25%
Proficient – 25%
Advanced – 25%
 Goals

1. Provide increased and ongoing technology professional development for the teaching staff.

1. Within the next few years all network switches should be changed to managed Gigabit switches that allow POE which will support the expanding wireless network and security cameras.

 

1. To increase daily use of technology with the students.

1. To increase teachers level of implementing technology.

 

1. Provide full wireless capability school wide.

1. Continue upgrading and supporting of student grading system over the network.

 

1. Continue support for the online competency tracking system. With this program the  teacher can continue to align their curriculum to the Massachusetts State Standards for Curriculum Framework.

1. Every teacher will be equipped with a networked device. Every classroom will be equipped with a television or video projector and DVD player.

 

1. Students and staff will be afforded equitable access to the technologies that will allow them to experiment, explore, and expand the realm of the human mind and attain technical and technological literacy.

1. Technologies incorporated into the curriculum shall be "user friendly" for all.

 

1. Students will use the technologies to solve problems in cooperative group situations to achieve shared goals and develop the understanding and skills with leadership, interdependence, individual and group responsibilities, and group processes.

1. Technologies as applicable to specific vocational technical areas shall be incorporated into those specific curricula, including on-going upgrades and up- dates of hardware and software to meet industry standards.

 

1. On-going professional development and training shall be provided to ensure the technological competency of staff members, and to upgrade the technological skills of teachers, administrators, ancillary staff, parents, community members, and members of the school committee.

1. Educational technology will be fully supported by teacher and staff training, professional development, and on-going technical assistance.

 

1. Technologies shall promote and maintain access to worldwide information and communications through appropriate participation in LAN’s and WAN’s.

1. Students shall maintain basic computer skills, which include keyboarding, spreadsheets, word processing, power point presentation and personal computer use.

 

1. Technologies will be placed in the hands of the learners in order to equip them with the technological skills required for current and future workers, as well as the information and communication skills required by a literate, educated citizenry.

1. Students will use the computer as a tool to write, to prepare presentations, to communicate with other individuals, to locate and access visual, auditory, and written information, and investigate real-life problems in an efficient and effective manner.

 

1. The use of technologies will allow students to become more engaged and involved in their own learning by exploring information, identifying, and interpreting data to solve problems and creatively organize information.

1. Every classroom will have access to appropriate and up-to-date instructional technologies with affordable access to information, communications, and broadcast services.

 

1. Upgrade and or replace equipment that is more than 6 years old.

1. Network server upgrade and support software and or replace if older than 3 years.

 

1. Increase from 2 broadband lines to fiber connection providing town availability.

1. Continue to upgrade the wireless communication system for internal use at the school.

 

1. Technology development will encourage community access and the inclusion of non-traditional users.

1. District should continue to upgrade projector units for classroom use.

 

1. Maintain the site license of MS Office and Adobe Software Suite to the latest versions every four years.

1. Instructional technology resources will be developed at all levels in concert with the development of school finance and management information systems.

 

1.  Appropriate technologies will be used to address the specialized needs of individuals with disabilities.

Professional Development
2008 - 2009 Technology Professional Development Activities:

1. Innovational Methods of Instruction – a Fitchburg State College credit course for those who needed undergraduate credit and an opportunity to earn PDPs for those with Bachelor’s degrees.  Topics: MS Office word, outlook, power point, use of starboard, smart boards/white boards, CPS clickers, Discovery Education Streaming, posting class notes and assignments to the Bay Path web site, assistive technology (Kurweil), blogs/forums in the classroom.

1. E- Instruction training – Chalk Boards/Interwrite Boards

Future Professional Development:

1. Using the NSPIRE calculator (especially in Algebra I & Geometry)

1. Using the Nintendo DS Lite as a math calculator

 

1. Different Methods of Technical Instruction – a Fitchburg State College credit course for those who need undergraduate credit and an opportunity to earn PDP’s for those with Bachelor’s degrees. Topics: MS Office 2007, using office to present curriculum, using interactive STAR Boards and White Boards, Interwrite pads, CPS Clickers, Discovery Education Streaming Video, creating homepages,  posting class notes, and homework for parents and students and sharing lesson plans with teachers, creating study guides in MP3 formats, using Blogs, using Kurzweil 3000 for special education and ELL students.

 

1. Training for Teachers to Mentor New Teachers

 

1. Expanded Use of Grade Quick

1. MCAS Data Analysis, English, math, biology with curriculum and instruction recommendations

Evaluation Process
Review the technology plan annually to determine if goals are being met and what tasks need to be addressed to accomplish this. Also to address what task need to be updated to meet new technology needs.

Materials and Services to be procured through the ERATE Program
E-Rate has provided for 50% phone line coverage, 50% wireless phone coverage and 50% for Internet connection. Funds that are not covered under E-Rate will come out of the local school budget.

Assessment of what services form E-Rate will help technology needs
Each year the staff is surveyed in regards to technology needs either in the building or for their classrooms. The School Improvement council reviews the responses and makes recommendations regarding purchase and implementation into the building infrastructure and instructional programs.
As we increase the number of computers in the building we need to increase the bandwidth to keep up or improve the response time of each computers connection. Currently from E-Rate we receive 2 broadband internet connections at 50% and phone/ wireless phones at 50%. The committee hopes that a fiber optic connection can be added and e-rate will help defray the cost.

Budget
Bay Path Regional budget for the 2009-2010 school year is listed below for technology.

Operational Budget	Administrative Technology	Instructional Technology	Technology Professional Development	Maintenance and Support	Networking	Total
Salaries	37500	40500				78000
Contracted Services				2400		2400
Hardware	12500	52500		5000		70000
Software	19500	15000		5000	3500	43000
Capital Expenditures						0
Supplies	5000	2000				7000
Other Expenditures			1000			1000
Total	74500	110000	1000	12400	3500	201400
Grants and Other	Administrative Technology	Instructional Technology	Technology Professional Development	Maintenance and Support	Networking	Total
Salaries			6400			6400
Contracted Services			3500			3500
Hardware		260918				260918
Software						0
Capital Expenditures						0
Supplies						0
Other Expenditures		3000				3000
Total		263918	9900			273818