Date: August 26, 2010

To: Arp ISD Board of Trustees and Faculty

Re: Connections Grant from Texas Education Agency

Arp ISD in conjunction with Bonham ISD has received the Texas Education Agency Connections Grant for a 1-to-1 initiative for students in 6^th-12^th grades at Arp ISD and 9^th-12^th grades at Bonham ISD. The grant includes the following:

Teachers from Arp Junior High School (TForce Team) will mentor teachers from Arp High School and Bonham High School in preparing content for online instruction. They will moderate content area Blogs on Project Share for bi-district collaboration.
The Arp Junior High School will once again be featured as a “show place” for best practices in technology integration by the Texas Education Agency. Bonham High School will also have this opportunity through the course of the grant.
Bi-District Coaches, teachers with advanced technology integration skills, will be selected by principals to assist their campus in best practices for technology integration. These coaches and the Arp mentors will be able to attend trainer-of –trainer workshops as well as the TCEA conference in order to share their skills with their peers. Coaches and mentors will be contracted to assist peers and paid a stipend for their extended time.
Bi-District Coaches will have the opportunity to take UT Tyler or TAMU courses to learn how build hybrid environments (face-to-face and online) for the benefit of all types of learners
Students from each district will be selected to gain advanced technology skills as SWAT (Students Working to Advance Technology) team members. The Bi-District SWAT teams will be trained in protocols and procedures needed to assist teachers and peers with the new technology tools.
Students 7^th-12^th grades will have netbook computers to replace text books 24/7. 6^th grade students will have access to netbooks on campus.
Teachers will use CSCOPE and their own instructional Blogs to supply downloadable instructional materials for students to access content 24/7.
All teachers will work with their principals to develop a Professional Learning Calendar to update their technology skills over the course of the grant. Online skills-building tutorials will be available through Atomic Learning, InfoSource, and TigerTube QuickStarts. Teachers who achieve their goals will be paid a stipend each semester.
Parents/students/faculty will be offered workshops on Best Practices in Online Learning, Internet Safety, Laptop and Software Training.
Accountability will also be a part of the grant process. Since the accountability is tied to skills development and best practices for all content areas, the results of implementing these practices will be improved student achievement and a real enjoyment in the learning process.

Purpose of the Grant:

Three primary goals of NCLB, Title II, Part D, are as follows:

1. To improve student academic achievement through the use of technology in schools.

2. To assist every student in crossing the digital divide by ensuring that every student is technology literate by the time the student finishes the eighth grade, regardless of the student’s race, ethnicity, gender, family income, geographic location, or disability.

3. To encourage the effective integration of technology resources and systems with teacher training and curriculum development to establish research-based instructional methods that can be widely implemented as best practices by State education agencies and local education agencies.

The grant also addresses the following recommendations in the new Long-Range Plan for Technology, 2006-2020 (LRPT), which is designed to guide LEAs (school districts) in the effective use of technology to prepare students to learn and work in the 21^st Century:

1. Require and support high-quality professional development to ensure the effective use of technology and full integration of technology across all subject areas and all grade levels to further the implementation of the Technology Applications TEKS and the acquisition of the SBEC Technology Applications standards by all educators.

2. To ensure ongoing integration of technology into school curricula and instructional strategies in all schools in the state so that technology will be fully integrated into the curricula and instruction of the schools.

3. Encourage and support the continued development of innovative programs and technical standard designed to increase access to online learning tools and content for all learners, including those with disabilities.

4. Promote the development and use of innovative strategies for the delivery of curricula and instruction through online, digital technology, and a variety of distance learning technologies.

Develop and implement a coordinated, statewide initiative, including standards, policies, and programs to support and provide equitable access to quality online content, courses, instruction, and professional development delivered via online, digital technology, and a variety of distance learning technologies.

Research Supporting the Grant:

Multiple research studies completed recently by Department of Education have returned the same results. Hybrid courses (face-to-face with online content and tools) have the highest rates of student achievement – more than just face-to-face and more than just online courses. (See studies below.) Having said that, you will understand why it is very important to offer students content in multiple formats via an instructional Blog available to parents/students. Hybrid courses allow students to accelerate, re-mediate, and review 24/7. What’s not to love about that?!

Research Studies

We look forward to working on this initiative with each and every parent, student, and faculty member. Thank you in advance for your cooperation and love for life-long-learning.

Joy Rousseau, Ed.D.

 Phone (903) 859-2408

 FAX (903) 859-2621 

 joy@arpisd.org

Blog: http://podcast.arpisd.org/users/joy 