Status
The sections which follow: Integration, Professional Development, Connectivity, Educational Applications, and Accountability have Goals and Targets from the Educational Technology Plan for Virginia. Under each target, the current status of this target for Rockingham County Public Schools has been listed, along with an action plan for RCPS for that target.
Some of the information reported in these sections is summarized below. As of December, 2009, RCPS has:
- Over 4500 networked workstations
- A networked computer in every classroom and office
- Two computer labs in every elementary school with at least 25 computers in each
- At least five computer labs in every middle school
- At least six computer labs in every high school
- Read 180 remedial reading labs in all middle and high schools
- 6-20 workstations in each library
- 100+ fileservers
- Filtered internet access on all networked computers
- Fiber WAN network connection at each middle school (10 MBPS) and high school (100 MBPS)
- T1 WAN network connections at most elementary schools
- Fiber WAN network connections for three elementary schools and Massanutten Technical Center
- A DS3 network connection to Network Virginia for the RCPS WAN
- Wiring closets in all schools with 10/100 base-T switches in place
- Wireless connections used for some mobile labs, libraries, and in many mobile units
- PowerSchool student information system fully implemented division-wide
- Many instructional software packages used to supplement instruction especially for language arts and mathematics
- Many online instructional resources perused by administrators, teachers, and students
- A well-established 7th and 8th grade computer curriculum required of all students
- All the teaching staff certified with TSIP requirements
- Hundreds of teachers who have taken educational technology courses at JMU and EMU sponsored by No Child Left Behind Ed Tech grants including those offered through the Shenandoah Valley Technology Consortium Ed Tech grant
- Over 200 teachers who have achieved NETS*T certification through the process set up by the Shenandoah Valley Technology Consortium Ed Tech grant
- A robust and up-to-date website with many resources available to employees, students, parents, and visitors
- A homemade database of over 15,000 practice SOL questions available for students via the web
- Many training opportunities for teachers including an annual Summer Technology Academy and inservices offered throughout the year
- Nine technicians, two network specialists, two resource teachers, and seven Instructional Technology Resource teachers, one Supervisor of Student Information Systems, one secretary, and a director on its technology staff
- An instructional network for students and teachers in place at all schools which manages individual authentication and tracking, network storage of files with backup, and availability of files throughout the LAN
- An administrative network for all administrators and staff which manages individual authentication and tracking, network storage of files with backup, and availability of files throughout the LAN
- Online SOL testing conducted for all middle and high school tests and for some elementary school tests
Needs Assessments
RCPS has conducted multiple needs assessments associated with this and/or earlier revisions of the Technology Plan:
As a result of these needs assessments, the following have been identified in 2010 as the most important technology needs for Rockingham County Public Schools:
- RCPS needs to upgrade the WAN so that each school has at least a 10 MBPS connection; currently, only middle and high schools and three elementary schools have this
- More training is necessary about the integration of technology into classroom instruction. The addition of ITRT Staff has helped this situation remarkably but the need still exists to train staff in technology integration techniques
- Additional technology support staff is needed, particularly at the building level. RCPS needs to work toward the goal of having one technician and one ITRT in each building
- In order to better integrate technology into the curriculum, RCPS needs to provide each classroom, in new and in existing structures, fully equipped for ceiling-mounted video/RGB projection, sound systems, and interactive whiteboards
- In order to better integrate technology into the curriculum, RCPS needs to provide each school with mobile projection-equipped carts
- RCPS needs to provide additional wireless, mobile computers for schools
- RCPS needs to update older technologies including computers, projection systems, network printers, and digital cameras
- Other needs are detailed in the Duration, Integration, Professional Development, Connectivity, Educational Applications, and Accountability sections of this Technology Plan.