ACCEPT Metrowest Collaborative - Dennis-Yarmouth, Martha's Vineyard, Somerset, Avon,
Hull, and Medway School Districts and South Middlesex Vocational Technical School
Project Title: Using Innovative Strategies to Offer Professional Development and Specialized Courses Through Online Distance Learning |
| Daniel Kehoe
781-934-6051 |
Curriculum Area: all subject areas
Grade Level: 9-12
Project Overview:
Accept Metrowest Education Collaborative and Virtual High School, Inc. (VHS) will provide coordination, supervision, and professional development to seven school districts, five of which are high-needs school districts. During the first semester, a series of informational programs will be held to facilitate enrollment of teachers and other school-based personnel in professional development provided by VHS. These informational programs will include individual site visits, face-to-face group meetings and Webinars. The second semester, the formal VHS Netcourse Instructional Methodologies (NIM) and Site Coordinator training will be held. Upon completions, each participating high school will implement VHS courses for students under the supervision of the local Site Coordinator and provide additional VHS courses by the newly trained teachers. Year two will expand the program to include additional high-needs school districts. A long-term consortia modeled after the existing ACCEPT VHS Consortium will be developed to sustain this project. VHS evaluation instruments will be utilized to monitor both years of the program's implementation.
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Ashland with Hopkinton and South Middlesex Vocational Technical Regional School
Project Title: VIP - Virtual Instruction for Professionals |
| Kay Tessier
508-231-1220 |
Curriculum Area: all subject areas
Grade Level: all grade levels
Project Overview:
The VIP Project will focus on the use of online technology to maximize student academic achievement, to increase technology literacy, and to ensure access to the curriculum for all students. The project will provide teachers and administrators with sustained, high quality, and accessible online professional development opportunities. Using a train-the-trainer model, teams of teachers will be trained to become online professional development specialists. They will be able to facilitate, design, and deliver content-driven online professional development workshops that are standards-based and that conform to the principles of Universal Design for Learning. The courses will be aligned to the Massachusetts Curriculum Frameworks as well as to participating school districts' learning and achievement goals for their students. To meet the individual learning needs of all students, the training will also incorporate assistive technology tools and strategies. Because the project is focused on building internal capacity, the participating school districts will have the ability to expand and sustain their use of online professional development after the grant period ends.
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Barnstable: Marstons Mills East and Marstons Mills with Cape Cod Academy
Project Title: Compute, Evaluate, and Communicate: Learning Math Facts and Concepts Using Technology Program (CEC Program)-a Barnstable Public Schools Elementary Math Project
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| Edward Deusser
508-420-1486 |
Curriculum Area: Mathematics
Grades: K-4
Project Overview:
The CEC Program provides for frequent communication among classroom teachers, leading to the development of a research-based math program with formative assessment tools. The project provides training in the effective use of technology, especially as applied to the teaching of math concepts, for teams of teachers from the Cotuit, Marstons Mills, and Marstons Mills East elementary schools. A train-the-trainer model will be used, preparing one teacher from each grade level in each building to act as a coach for their grade level. These coaches will function as a team, meeting regularly to articulate the needs of their teachers and offer suggestions for the improvement of the program. Team membership will be extended to include administrators, special education teachers, and specialists. With the support of the Director of Educational Technology, a Technology Integration Specialist will be responsible for training the coaches and implementing the program. The teams will develop a district-wide math assessment tool for students in grades one through four that will correlate the MCAS assessment. A student database will be developed and maintained to provide individual and school-wide profiles of math competency. In the second year of the project, this information will be used to generate a longitudinal study of student/school performance. Teachers will work together to create a database of successful math lessons to be shared throughout the district and state. During the grant, the CEC Program will be replicated at the six remaining elementary schools with the coaches from Marstons Mills and Cotuit becoming mentors for the program.
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Benjamin Banneker Charter
Project Title: Technology Integration and Performance Assessments (TIPA) |
| Robert Loyot
617-497-7771 x 208 |
Curriculum Area: all subject areas
Grade Level: 6-8
Project Overview:
The Technology Integration and Performance Assessments (TIPA) program is designed to create a process for using technology and teamwork in order to generate a library of improved instructional practices that relate to the project's identified curriculum challenge. That challenge is improving middle school student performance on the MCAS's open-ended writing questions. In order to create the units, the Benjamin Banneker Charter School will employ a study group model that will enable teachers to leverage our newly created curriculum documents, state-of-the art technology tools and resources, and experienced support personnel. The middle school study group will videotape members' teaching and then review these tapes as a mechanism for continuous review and improvement. In the project's second year, the process for creating the practices will be expanded to the K-6 grade teachers.
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Boston Public Schools
Project Title: Lexia Project: Phonics for Struggling Learners |
| Lisa McNulty
617-635-8880 |
| Ruth Browne
617-635-8882 x 166 |
Curriculum Area: English Language Arts
Grade Level: K-2
Project Overview:
Twenty-six teachers in nineteen schools within the Boston Public Schools piloted Lexia with good results. Lexia software for learning and applying phonics is based on the Orton-Gillingham approach to reading. The software is aligned with state's English Language Arts standards, it supplies a part of our district's program, and it meets a need for self-paced phonics instruction for struggling learners. In each year, fifty teams of two teachers from the same schools will receive Lexia software, and attend six training sessions (totaling 15 hours). Participating teachers will earn 15 PDPs/1 in-service credit and receive an additional computer for their classroom.
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Boston Renaissance and Frederick Douglass Charter Schools
Project Title: ADIT (Assessment-Driven Instruction Using Technology) for Writing |
| Chris Lindsay
617-733-9745 |
Curriculum Area: English Language Arts
Grade Levels: 3-8
Project Summary:
The goal of this project is for Renaissance students in grades three through eight to become more successful writers through the use of technology. School-wide in scope, the project will work with approximately 27 teacher leaders, some of whom represent teams of other teachers. Technologies to be used include a mobile computer lab, AlphaSmarts, Write:OutLoud software, freeware, online resources, Inspiration, NCS Mentor, the Marco Polo web site, and interactive whiteboards. A trainer from Lesley University will work with faculty on integrating special needs into the writing curriculum. The use of technology will be linked with the Step Up to Writing curriculum that has been established in Renaissance's elementary and middle schools and will allow students to master the structure of language and topic development.
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Cambridge Public Schools
Project Title: Project COOL: Collaborative Online-Offline Learning |
| Joanne Krepelka
617-349-6478 |
Curriculum Area: English Language Arts, History and Social Science, Science and Technology/Engineering, Arts
Grade Level: 3-12
Project Overview:
The focus of Project COOL is the integration of online distance learning into an existing offline staff development model in order to support the academic achievement of students in grades 3-12. The participants will develop technology-enhanced curriculum in consultation with the Teaching for Understanding curriculum development framework and the state content standards for English Language Arts, History and Social Science, Science, Arts and Instructional Technology. Through the grant, Project Zero of the Harvard Graduate School of Education will provide rigorous courses from its online professional development program entitled WIDE (Wide-scale Interactive Development for Educators). The grant will also provide for the development and sharing of curricula through an interactive online environment. Teachers will have access to these technological tools and courses, which are designed to help them develop skills and knowledge to enhance student performance in a state-identified high-need district.
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Chelsea and Arlington
Project Title: Using Technology to Make a Difference |
| Miguel Andreottola
617-889-8654 |
Curriculum Area: Special Education and Inclusion Classroom Curricula
Grade Level: K-5
Project Overview:
The goal of the Chelsea-Arlington Partnership is to improve academic achievement for all K-5 students through a model assistive technology program in the Chelsea and Arlington Public Schools. To accomplish this goal, we will focus on implementing a successful systemic professional development program. We will also introduce enhanced tools into the special education and inclusion classroom curricula using differentiated instruction and principles of universal design. We will also create and implement models of instruction for special needs students through highly informed selection and use of assistive technologies to fulfill Individual Education Plans. In addition, we will integrate standards-based content and skills into appropriately modified lesson planning.
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Fitchburg with Leominster and Quabbin Regional Public Schools
Project Title: Student Literacy Achievement through Technology Enhancement (SLATE) |
| Eileen Spinney
978-343-2149 |
Curriculum Area: English Language Arts
Grade Level: K-12
Project Overview:
Project SLATE will provide technology-rich, research-based reading and English Language Arts curriculum resources, along with aligned high quality professional development, to increase student achievement. The project will focus on grades K-8 in year 1 and extend to grades 9-12 in year 2. Project SLATE will provide access to technology tools, programs, and professional development to increase educators' skill in analyzing student achievement data and enhancing the curriculum with technology to meet the needs of all learners. The project is designed to improve students' decoding skills, reading fluency, comprehension, vocabulary, background knowledge, and their use of language. The project will also focus on increasing students' technology literacy skills. In addition, teachers will use electronic communication tools to collaborate with and support their colleagues. They will use technology to efficiently administer assessments and collect and analyze student achievement data to inform instructional service delivery.
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Freetown-Lakeville School District
Project Title: The Superintendents Academy |
| William P. Conners
508-923-2000 |
| Robert Kelly
617-818-4890 |
Project Overview:
This grant will create a "Superintendent's Academy" through a partnership with the Freetown-Lakeville School District, several high-needs school districts, the University of Massachusetts Boston, and the Massachusetts Association of School Superintendents (M.A.S.S.). The overarching goal of the Superintendent's Academy is to demonstrate how school leaders can solve real problems and facilitate team building through the use of online communication technologies. Specifically, the project will address the following needs: providing quality instruction to superintendents in high priority of need, building future leaders, and expanding access to the M.A.S.S. mentoring program.
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Gateway Regional School District and Easthampton Public Schools
Project Title: The Easthampton/Gateway Laptop Initiative: Anytime, Anywhere Access to Educational Resources
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| John R. Schott
(413) 529-1500x132 |
| Paul Facteau
413-685-1020 |
Curriculum Area: all subject areas
Grade Level: 7 & 8
Project Overview:
This program is designed to augment teaching and learning through the use of the best resources available for our students, while working to bridge the "digital divide" that is threatening to leave behind large segments of our communities. Easthampton's White Brook Middle School will replicate the laptop initiative that is underway in the Gateway Regional School District. Gateway's Laptop Initiative began three years ago and today serves all students and staff in grades 3 through 6. This grant will fund the professional development and instructional technology materials required to replicate the program in Easthampton and scale up the program at Gateway. Both schools will work with grade 7 teachers and students in year 1 and with grade 8 teachers and students in year 2. Teachers will learn to integrate instructional technology into their content areas, and they will align technology resources to the state Curriculum Frameworks. In addition, summer training will include a daylong training provided by Virtual Education Space (VES).
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Gill/Montague, Pioneer Valley Regional, Frontier Regional
Project Title: Connecting with the Connecticut -- Providing Authentic Science and Math Learning through Technology Integration and Collaboration with Local Environmental Scientists
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| Mary Leyden
413-648-9356 |
Curriculum Area: Science and Technology/Engineering, Mathematics
Grade Level: 5-8
Project Overview:
The Connecting with the Connecticut project involves grade five though eight students and teachers in real-life, hands-on investigations of the Connecticut River watershed. Initially (Year 1), there are six teachers involved in this project: a middle school science teacher and an elementary teacher from each of the three participating districts. These teachers' students will assume the role of watershed research scientists as they acquire a deep understanding of science and math standards and practice the inquiry skills outlined in the Massachusetts Science and Technology/Engineering Curriculum Frameworks. Through the implementation of teacher-designed curriculum in which handheld computers and probes are used to collect water quality data, students will collaborate with local scientists and educators from the Silvio Conte Anadromous Fish Research Center, the University of Massachusetts' Secondary Teacher Education Program, and the Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics Teacher Education Collaborative. Together, students, teachers, and scientist will apply the findings of their data collection and research to bring greater authenticity and meaning to classroom curriculum learning. This project will accomplish the goal of providing students with advanced science learning opportunities that are reinforced through the real-world application of their acquired skill and knowledge.
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Greenfield High School
Project Title: Greenfield Area Educational Technology: Science and Math Advancing Relevant Technology for Students GET SMARTS
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| Carol Jacobs
413-772-1313 |
Curriculum Area: Mathematics, Science and Technology/Engineering
Grade Level: 9-12
Project Overview:
The goals of GET SMARTS are: 1) to ensure that students are taught using a rigorous standards-based science and math curriculum that embeds technology, 2) to increase students' skills and performance in math and science through the accessibility and use of technology tools, and 3) to increase the technology competency of both students and teachers. Our approach builds on a technology-based curriculum revision process that we began two years ago. We aim to further embed technology into the instruction and assessment components of the math and science standards-based units that are the foundation of all of our courses. In order to effectively implement this project, we will provide math and science teachers with a rigorous and intensive professional development program, including graduate-level course work, workshops, seminars and on-site coaching. The project will focus on the math teachers in year 1 and then expand to include the science teachers in year 2.
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Hampshire Educational Collaborative - Easthampton, Gill-Montague, Greenfield, Mohawk Trail, Clarksburg
Project Title: Access to Success: Specialized/Accelerated Courses for Small Districts
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| John Heffernan
413-586-0180 |
Curriculum Area: Mathematics, History and Social Science, Science and Technology/Engineering, Foreign Languages
Grade Level: 4-12
Project Overview:
This project uses a hybrid distance-learning model of interactive videoconferencing with web support to provide instruction to students and teachers in six districts. The high schools will share specialized courses in history/social science, technology, foreign language, and mathematics. Science units will be shared among small elementary schools in these same districts. Professional development in mathematics will also be provided, with courses in Algebra II and Pre-Calculus for teachers. In addition to content mastery, teachers and students will directly address the Instructional Technology Recommended Standards. Support will also be provided to students located at Greenfield Community College and Baystate Medical Center. The project will expand its offerings in year 2.
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Hudson and Watertown Public Schools
Project Title: Using Assessment to Advance Student Performance
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| Sheldon Berman
978-567-6100 |
| Alan Epstein
617-926-7769 |
Curriculum Area: English Language Arts and Mathematics
Grade Level: 3-8
Project Overview:
In this project the Watertown and Hudson Public Schools and Mass Insight Education are collaborating with experts in the field of statistical methods and data analysis from Harvard University, Boston College, and the Center for Education Research and Policy at MassINC. The project is designed to advance student performance, particularly in reading and mathematics, through the analyses of assessment data and the distribution of these analyses to teachers and administrators in a clear and easy-to-use format. Using analyses based on longitudinal student data from standardized measures such as the Stanford 9 and the Terra Nova, as well as school-based assessments, this system will enable us to assess the effectiveness of our instructional programs and provide students with help and remediation in a timely manner. It will also enable administrators and teachers to query the system and compile their own analysis of specific students or groups of students. In addition, these analyses will allow us to provide parents with a much better understanding of student progress in specific areas of the curriculum. This project will be instrumental in developing and implementing tools and systems of longitudinal analysis that can serve as a model for other school districts. Eventually these tools and systems will be applicable to scores on the MCAS as Massachusetts moves towards implementing the yearly testing of students in grades 3 to 8 with measures that can be equated across grade levels.
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Marlborough Public Schools with Waltham, Littleton, Hudson, Holliston, Ashland Public Schools, and Marian High School
Project Title: Leadership Initiatives for Teaching and Technology
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| David Cedrone
508-665-5990 x 8 |
| Bette Robblee
508-460-3605 |
Curriculum Area: Mathematics, Science and Technology/Engineering
Grade Level: middle and high school
Project Overview:
The Leadership Initiative for Teaching and Technology (LIFT2) program enables teams of middle and high school teachers of mathematics, the sciences and technology/engineering to more effectively integrate information and communication technologies into their instructional practice and to more confidently deliver technology-rich curriculum content in their classrooms. District administrators and teachers will collaborate to implement new instructional practices that integrate technology, project-based learning, and 21st Century skills. Upon completion of the LIFT2 program, teachers will demonstrate district-wide leadership through their use of instructional technology and will be better able to engage, challenge, and excite students in the pursuit of higher-level programs of study in math, science and engineering. Aligned with the Massachusetts Curriculum Frameworks, this two-year professional development program includes a unique combination of graduate level course work (three graduate courses for a total of 9 credits), curriculum-relevant industry workplace experiences, classroom/curriculum-focused professional development support, and ongoing collaboration with higher education faculty, business mentors, and industry colleagues. Superintendents, principals and their leadership staff will communicate with industry and business leaders to discuss key trends that are driving the Massachusetts knowledge-based economy and the implication of these trends for student academic preparation. Through this dialog and partnership with the business community, district administrators will be better prepared to advocate for and support teachers in their efforts to integrate technology into instructional practice and curriculum content.
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Orange, New Salem, Ralph C. Mahar Regional, UMass, HEC
Project Title: Building Online Capacity: Alignment and Use of Web Resources Linked to Local and State Standards
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| Paul Burnim
978-544-6763 |
Curriculum Area: all subject areas
Grade Level: K-8
Project Overview:
By the end of this two-year project, the Orange Public Schools, Swift River Elementary of New Salem-Wendell, and the Mahar Regional School can expect to have four major areas of their local curriculum guidelines mapped to the state standards (English/Language Arts, Mathematics, Science and Technology/Engineering, and History and Social Science). They will also have trained a core group of teachers and administrators in using web resources to teach to those standards. In year two of the project, this core group will train others in both districts. The resources will include the Marco Polo lesson plans and other Internet sites, books, and videos available through the Virtual Reference Room (VRROOM) portal, a dynamically searchable database of state standards and Internet and video resources. Group of teachers and administrators from each district will use a study group format to map the curriculum areas to the online content and state standards. Ultimately, the local guidelines will exist in digital format at the VRROOM site, and they will be linked to state standards, Marco Polo content, and other high-quality Internet and video resources.
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Pathfinder Regional Vocational Technical High School
Project Title: Using Technology to Assist and Effect Systemic Change at Pathfinder
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| Christopher Pope
413-283-9701 |
Curriculum Area: Mathematics
Grade Level: 9-12
Project Overview:
In order to make technology available and accessible, Pathfinder will purchase a mobile 16 Laptop Math Lab for use with A+ Software packages. The software includes diagnostic and prescriptive Basic Math Software, Algebra I & II, and Geometry software. Pathfinder's project involves hiring a math mentor teacher to work with related teachers, who as a result of systemic change directed by "High Schools that Work." These teachers have been charged to charged with remediating math instructional gaps for all ninth and tenth graders to free up our math teachers to teach algebra and geometry. This major overhaul will result in the following outcomes: 1) All students will have taken both algebra and geometry prior to taking their tenth grade MCAS. 2) All students will be better prepared for tech prep opportunities and for higher education. 3) All students will be held to the same higher standards. 4) Pathfinder's math curriculum will be in line with area high schools.
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Pittsfield, Lee and Lanesboro Public Schools
Project Title: A River Runs Through Us -- Stimulating Learning and Building Community with Technology-Enhanced Interdisciplinary Units on the Housatonic River
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| Irene Vassos
413-499-9507 |
Curriculum Area: all subject areas
Grade Level: 3, 4, 7, and 8
Project Overview:
The Housatonic River and its history provide a rich, local source of curriculum materials for students. This project is a collaboration with river partners, two other Berkshire school districts, and businesses to develop a core set of lessons and units in Science, Math, English Language Arts and the Arts. River partners include the Housatonic River Restoration (HRR) and the Housatonic Valley Association (HVA), who will provide river curriculum materials and help to organize educational events for students. A River Runs Through Us will disseminate existing, proven curricular resources developed by the HRR and HVA to participating school districts. All lesson units will have technology components. Students and teachers will collaborate with their counterparts in other districts and present their learning online for peer review via instant messaging, e-mail, electronic conferences, centralized databases, a web site and digital video productions to be aired on local access television stations. Pittsfield technology and curriculum leaders will create the structure for the searchable, web-enabled databases with links to class, school and district web sites.
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Plymouth and East Bridgewater Public Schools
Project Title: Project P.A.S.T. Promoting Achievement through Standards and Technology
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| Ellen Driscoll
508-830-4486 |
Curriculum Area: all subject areas
Grade Level: 3-8
Project Overview:
This project will use the Project MEET (Massachusetts Empowering Educators with Technology) model to provide high quality, sustained professional development for technology integration. It will prepare teams of teachers in Plymouth and East Bridgewater to integrate technology into all aspects of the curriculum with a particular emphasis on mathematics. TERC staff and the East Bridgewater Project MEET group will train and support a core of teachers from both districts to be technology professional development specialists. They will provide embedded professional development for their team and other teachers and administrators. VES will be used for sharing exemplary online instructional tools, professional development resources, and digital portfolios.
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Springfield Public Schools
Project Title: Digital Dream Teams
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| Sheryl Stanton
413-787-7240 |
Curriculum Area: English Language Arts, Mathematics
Grade Level: 6-7
Project Overview:
Digital Dream Teams will focus on three goals: 1) enhancing teacher preparedness and student learning in the area of instructional technology, 2) improving engagement and learning for all students through the use of assistive technology and universal design, and 3) improving the performance of students on open-response questions as identified in the school improvement plan. In the first year, a team of five sixth grade teachers and an assistant principal will embed curriculum units with leading-edge technology, such as web-based lessons and universally designed software (text-to-speech software and word prediction software). This team will be responsible for implementing the program in the entire sixth grade during the second year. This team will develop professional development partnerships that can be replicated throughout the building and the entire district. Teacher participants will disseminate the practical skills acquired in managing a standards-based, technology-infused classroom throughout the building, becoming mentors of instruction and management.
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Webster
Project Title: Webster Technology Literacy Development
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| Mike Nalewajk
508-943-9613 |
Curriculum Area: all subject areas
Grade Level: K-8
Project Overview:
This project will focus on the use of professional development, supported by online tools, to build the capacity of the Webster Public Schools to provide quality professional development. The Webster Technology Literacy Development (WTLD) will train middle school teams participating in this project to be facilitators who will support a professional development program of standards-based, technology-enhanced training for teams of middle school teachers. The work of these teams will focus on improving student performance in MCAS open-ended response questions. Participants will also be trained to use online tools to share curriculum materials, lessons, and projects. All curriculum materials created will be in alignment with the state standards and will be published online. Products published through this program will be made accessible through various local and state supported portals, such as VES.
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Worcester Public Schools
Project Title: Empowering Students to Take Charge of Their Own Learning
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| Cathi Luperchio
508-799-8252 |
Curriculum Area: English Language Arts, Mathematics
Grade Level: 9-12
Project Overview:
The goal of this project is to provide high school students with the means to be accountable for their own learning as they use an online computer-assisted acceleration program. This program will provide a vehicle for students to accelerate their proficiency in English Language Arts and Mathematics, the two top areas in North High's School Improvement Plan. This grant will allow us to introduce a mastery model in which online accelerated instruction permits students to proceed at their own pace. To help bridge the digital divide, partners in the community will provide our students with Internet-ready computers to use during non-school hours. This program is an ideal way to address students' individual weaknesses as identified through data analysis. Individualizing and tailoring MCAS preparation is the most important and most difficult aspect of remediation. This initiative simplifies that task. This program will be an integral part of our curriculum mastery goals and an effective way to help students at home or within the community. It will also help us integrate MCAS prep into regular 10th grade classes and augment the work of MCAS tutors.
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