The Immersion Strand awardees are as follows:
Anthony ISD
is a 3A school district serving 778 students. Anthony is unique in that
it is considered a rural community, yet sits midway between Las Cruces,
New Mexico and downtown EI Paso with accessibility from I-10, the
Anthony Gap and Trans-Mountain. Although AISD is a small district, it
has made a major investment in technology and associated
infrastructure. The role of technology at AISD is to achieve excellence
and equity in student performance. This will be accomplished by using
technology to accelerate instruction especially for special
populations, particularly minority students. For all students,
technology is expected to stimulate creativity and curiosity as well as
to assist in the development of problem-solving and higher order
thinking skills. Finally, technology will be utilized to establish the
levels of technological literacy and competence to provide students
with the skills that they will need in the future. Vision 2020 funds
will be used to provide 254 students and 29 teachers in grades 9-12
with Apple computers to provide on-demand access at school and at home.
In addition to the laptops students will use peripherals such as
cameras, projectors, scanners, and appropriate software. Apple Computer
will provide research-based professional development to help teachers
create 21st century learning environments. Professional development
from the Education Service Center Region 19 will focus on the use of an
aligned curriculum. Visit the district website at http://www.anthonyisd.net/.
Atlanta ISD
is a 3A school district located in rural Northeast Texas, serving
approximately 1900 students. Atlanta is immersing the 8th and 9th
graders in all core subjects with emphasis in Math and Science using
Apple laptops with the intent to engage students in learning and
improve TAKS scores in these instructional areas. The school district
will be using the six critical components of technology immersion as
identified by the Texas Technology Immersion Project (TIP). Atlanta is
using Apple trainers to provide staff development in a three phase
program to assure mastery and integration of skills. The first phase of
staff development focused on teacher understanding and use of the Apple
operating system and software available for student and teacher use.
The next phase of staff development will focus on curriculum
integration in specific disciplines. Use of the third phase will be
based on needs as assessed. In addition to Apple trainers for staff
development AISD will be providing in house trainers for staff
development and curriculum integration. AISD is providing numerous
online instructional resources and online formative assessment tools.
To close the gap for students without Internet access at home the
Middle and High School libraries are providing time after school and in
the evening for students to have a place to work with Internet access.
Visit the district website at http://www.atlisd.net/.
Bryan ISD
is a 5A school district located about 92 miles north-northwest of
Houston serving 14,827 students. Jane Long MS will follow in the
previous TIP footsteps of Stephen F. Austin Middle School in 2004 and
Sam Rayburn Middle School in 2006 by immersing at least 2 grades of
their campus, grades 6 and 7 including 229 students and 29 teachers
with new Apple laptops. Bryan’s 1Vision website has extensive
information on what they have been able to do with TIP and the students
showcase their work every year at their 1Vision Showcase. Bryan is a
leader in technology immersion and encourages other schools interested
in moving to a 1:1 environment to visit them. See what they have been
able to accomplish at http://www.ci.bryanisd.org/1Vision/Welc ome.html.
Carrizo Springs ISD is a 3A school district serving 2,388 students.
Carrizo Springs is 81 miles northwest of Laredo.
Carrizo Springs is
also forty-five miles east of the Mexican border. The Vision 2020 grant
will serve 317 students, 23 teachers and 2 administrators in grades 7
and 8 by providing laptop computers, appropriate software and intensive
professional development. The district will partner with Texas A&M
International University to provide supportive and sustained
professional development. Technical assistance will be provided by the
USDA Rural Development group. The district also will partner with
Southwest Community College. Visit the district website at http://www.cscisd.net/.
Coleman ISD
is a 2A school district serving 991 students. Coleman is located near
the geographical center of Texas, 54 miles southeast of Abilene, in a
rural community with less than 5,000 residents. Previously, Coleman
Junior High implemented a TIP grant providing laptop computers to all
8th grade students. To continue that effort, Coleman High School will
provide Dell laptops to approximately 300 students and 37 teachers in
the 9th, 10th, 11th and 12th grades. Online curriculum tools, such as
Classroom Connect and eChalk, will be used in reading/language arts,
mathematics, science and social studies. Utilization of WebCCat Gold
will provide on-going diagnostic assessment of student progress in the
core content areas to further support instructional effectiveness.
Pearson Achievement will provide professional development services to
all high school teachers and administrative staff. Visit the district
website at http://www.colemanisd.net
Coolidge ISD
is a 1A school district located 45 miles northeast of Waco, serving 299
students. Coolidge High School will be immersing 120 students, 15
teachers and 2 administrators in grades 6-12. Coolidge is a year round
school. They will be using Apple MacBook computers, with the major
focus of integrating technology into the curricula and instruction.
They will provide intensive professional development delivered by the
Apple professional development trainers. They will partner with Navarro
College and Education Service Center Region 12. Software solutions will
include netTrekker, an online, TEKS-aligned software that links
directly to state standards and benchmarks in the core content areas of
English language arts, mathematics, science and social studies. My
Access writing and Explore Learning Math and Science will provide a
steady flow of quantitative and qualitative measures of student
performance to benchmark individual achievement levels within
classrooms. Visit the district website at http://www.coolidge.k12.tx.us.
Eastland ISD
is a 2A school district located 60 miles west of Abilene, serving 1168
students. Siebert Elementary School is a U. S. Department of Education
Blue Ribbon Award school. Siebert Elementary School serves
approximately 624 students in grades K-5. The Vision 2020 grant will
provide Apple laptop computers, Promethean interactive white boards and
student response systems to 175 students and 14 teachers in the 4th and
5th grades. The focus of the project is continuous innovation with
technology leading to increased student achievement. Visit the district
website at http://www.eastland.esc14.net.
Gladewater ISD
is a 3A school district located twelve miles west of Longview and
thirty-five miles north of Tyler, serving 2,148 students who travel
from inside the city limits and rural areas that reach into Smith,
Upshur, and Gregg counties. Gladewater ISD, in partnership with Region
7, Kilgore College, Texas State Technical College, Agile Mind, Klein
ISD, and SuddenLink, will be immersing all students (600 students and a
total of 55 teachers) in Gladewater High School with laptops. The first
year, all core subject teachers will receive training and laptops and
during year two the remainder of the teachers will be receiving the
computers. Gladewater partner, TSTC, is using a Smart Board to capture
lessons as a podcast and post them on the school website. All homes
will be offered discounted Internet connectivity through the SuddenLink
partnership. A technology help desk /data liaison will be assigned to
collect data needed to make daily decisions to improve activities and
training at the high school and provide technical assistance. Visit the
district website at http://www.gladewaterisd.com/.
McAllen ISD
is a 5A school district serving 24,983 students in Hidalgo County,
located in the South Texas Rio Grande Valley 4 miles from the Mexico
border. McAllen has entitled their project ACCESS (A Computer per Child
Empowers Student to Succeed) and will focus on raising students’
academic achievement in the core content areas of English language
arts, mathematics, science and social studies. Lamar Academy and
Covenant Christian Academy will be partners in this immersion project.
Lamar Academy will immerse grades 6-8 by providing Dell laptops to 206
students and 3 teachers. Covenant Christian Academy will provide Dell
laptops 32 sixth grade students and 6 teachers. Providing teachers with
ongoing, sustained professional development will be key in the success
of this project. Professional development for teachers will include a
blended approach including online training, workshops and technology
integration coaching. Visit the district website at http://www.mcallenisd.org/.
New Summerfield ISD
is a 1A school district located in East Texas, in Cherokee County,
serving 440 students. New Summerfield ISD is partnering with Troup ISD
during this grant. New Summerfield is immersing all high school
students (122 students and 14 teachers) while Troup is targeting 9th
and 10th graders (150 students and 40 teachers). Training through Apple
Computer has begun and all computers have been received. The districts
are using their current curriculum and integrating technology as a
tool. They will also be receiving data probes for science investigation
lessons. The two school districts are sharing a Technology Integration
Specialist to conduct workshops as well as working 1-1 with teachers on
lessons and integration strategies. To see some of the podcasts already
completed by Troup ISD, go to http://troup3.troupisd.org/users/.
Visit the New Summerfield website at http://www.nsisd.sprnet.org/education/district/district.php?sectionid=1.
Pearsall ISD
is a 3A school district located about 60 minutes southwest of San
Antonio in Frio County, Texas serving 2312 students. Their program will
follow after the San Antonio Technology in Education Coalition (SATEC)
model to create an environment in math and science that increases the
use of technologies in the classroom. They will do this by implementing
a varied approach to professional development including workshops on
teaching techniques, innovative classroom design, classroom management
and improve technology skills. They have also included a regular
one-to-one coaching and mentoring component for classroom teachers to
ensure the techniques learned in the workshops are implemented.
Approximately 189 Freshman students and 8 teachers will participate in
the program. The goal is to let these students keep the laptops through
the next 4 years in order to evaluate their progress with students who
are not immersed. They will use tablet PCs, LCD projectors, digital
cameras, camcorders, probes and sensors, professional productivity
software, graphic organizers, remote cameras, and email. See their
district website at http://www.pearsallisd.org/.
Roosevelt ISD
is a 2A district located in about 10 miles east of Lubbock, but not
based within the community per se. Approximately 85% of the 1150
students who attend schools in Roosevelt ISD utilize school
transportation to get back and forth to school each day. More than 10%
of the student population lives in residential Child Protective
Services facilities. The Vision 2020 grant will involve 350 students
and 40 teachers in grades 9 through 12 at Roosevelt High School. The
focus of this grant is on the transformation of the learning
environment through the creation of authentic projects focused on real
world scenarios. In addition to Apple laptop computers, students will
use Vantage My Access Writing, Apex Learning Class Tools Achieve and
Beyond Books, and Explore Learning Math and Science and a number of
other great software packages. The vendor partner trainers will provide
professional development. Visit the district website at http://www.roosevelt.k12.tx.us
San Benito ISD
is a 5A school district serving approximately 11,022 students in
Cameron County, located in South Texas close to the United
States/Mexico border. Fred Booth Elementary will be immersing grades
3-4. Their grant program, Project Helpful Technology for Mobile
Learners (HTML) will provide Apple MacBook laptops for 205 students and
11 teachers, 10 Promethean interactive whiteboards, and 10 student
response systems. The focus of this grant is providing instructional
resources that support immersion in the core subject areas. Additional
resources include CSOPE, LightSpeed Field Exploratory tools, and
Compass Learning core support software. Teachers will receive ongoing
professional development through onsite technology immersion coaching,
workshops from ESC Region 1 and technology conferences. Vendor partner
trainers will also provide professional development related to grant
activities. Visit the district website at http://www.sbcisd.net/.
Santa Maria
is a 1A school district serving approximately 600 students in Cameron
County, located in South Texas close to the United States/Mexico
border. Santa Maria High School will be immersing 150 students and 20
teachers, providing Apple MacBook computers to each. Their grant focus
is integrating technology into the curricula and instruction. Teachers
have received their laptops and training through Apple Computer has
begun. Their training package includes 6 2-day sessions throughout this
school year. Students will receive their laptops in January. Visit the
district website at http://www.smisd.net/.
Santa Rosa
is a 2A school district serving 1217 students in Cameron County,
located in South Texas close to the United States/Mexico border. Jo
Nelson Middle School will be immersing grades 6-7 by providing PC
laptops for 186 students and 21 teachers. Project URL (Unlimited
Resources for Learning) will focus on raising student academic
achievement and providing online instructional resources and classroom
tools that support the state curriculum in the core content areas of
English language arts, mathematics, science and social studies.
Professional development will be incorporated to help teachers
integrate technology into teaching. This will include sessions from ESC
Region 1, technology conferences and seminars, on-site technology
coaching, and vender training from Promethean (whiteboards), Vernier
(classroom tools/digital microscopes), LightSpeed, Compass Learning and
others. Visit the district website at http://www.srtx.org/.
Stockdale ISD
is a 2A school district serving 786 students located 40 miles SE of San
Antonio. The purpose of the Vision 2020 grant is to provide 218
students, 26 teachers, 31 staff and 1 administrator with a tablet PC
and state of the art productivity, communication and presentation
software, quality instructional resources to support the curriculum in
all academic areas and ongoing professional development for teachers
and administrators to integrate technology into teaching and learning.
Education Service Center Region 20 will be an active partner in the
grant activities. The district will continue to build on the progress
made through a collaborative TARGET grant led by Floresville ISD. The
district is in the process of building a state-of-the art high school
due to open in fall of 2009. Visit the district website at http://www.stockdale.k12.tx.us/.
Trinity ISD
is a 1A school district serving 1,170 students and located in southeast
Texas in Trinity County, and encompasses a geographic area of 142
square miles. Trinity MS will be immersing 238 students and 15 teachers
with laptops. They are building on previous grant successes with TARGET
and STAR grants. Teachers will be provided with interactive
whiteboards. They will develop an ongoing professional development
program that encompasses technology immersion in all 4 core content
areas. They will focus on using technology resources in the classroom
as well as online curriculum resources and professional development.
They will partner with Harcourt Connected Learning for delivery of
Classroom Connect. A full time campus technology integration specialist
will be made available to provide ongoing technical and pedagogical
support to teachers and provide just-in-time professional development
on new and upcoming technologies. Trinity intends to match funds
contributed by Vision 2020 for the salary of the integration
specialist. Maintenance and repair of the laptops will be done through
a manufacturer supported self-maintainer program and will provide spare
laptops and inventory to support their objectives. See their district
website at http://www.trinity.k12.tx.us.
The Virtual Learning Strand awardees are as follows:
Alief ISD
is a 5A urban school district in Southwest Houston serving
approximately 45,500 students. As a receiver district, Alief’s goal is
to provide access to high quality distance learning opportunities to
Alief students who meet the student eligibility criteria. Student
objectives are to increase the number of high quality distance learning
opportunities from 1 class offered to at least 5 classes offered and to
increase the number of students enrolled and actively participating in
online courses from 30 students to a least 660 students. Alief will
increase the number of teachers trained to facilitate online courses
from 9 staff members to at least 20 staff members as well as increase
the number of administrators trained in best practices in online
learning from 4 administrators to at least 20 administrators. Alief
staff members engaging in and actively participating in online staff
development courses in content areas (math, science, language arts,
etc.) will increase from 9 staff members to at least 1,350 staff
members. Courses will begin as a supplement to traditional course work
in order to acclimate online learning for teachers, administrators, and
students. Students will participate in math and science courses, and in
foreign language classes such as German that the district is unable to
offer. For more information on Alief ISD, go to http:// www.aliefisd.net.
El Paso ISD
is a 5A school district located on the Texas-New Mexico border serving
approximately 62,123 students. Two high schools, Austin and Chapin,
will be participating in the Virtual Learning grant to provide online
course curriculum and instruction through the TxVSN in order to improve
student academic achievement, to assist every student in becoming
technology literate, and to encourage teachers to use web-based
instructional strategies that are supported by professional
development. The district will make online courses available to 100
students in Grades 9-12. As a provider district, EPISD is focused upon
the development of AP Art History and Music Theory online courses. It
is anticipated that a total of 19 teachers will receive professional
development through the grant. The district plans include a mobile TV
studio, camera and audio equipment, and “set” material.Teachers will be
able to use recording software to upload lectures or activities into
online modules that students may access via video streaming or
interactive programs. For further information on EPISD, see http://www.episd.org
Frenship ISD
is a 4A school district located in Wolfforth, TX, in Southwest Lubbock
County serving approximately 6,704 students. Frenship plans to
participate as both a provider and a receiving district. Frenship’s
grant will provide funding for 300 students in Grades 9-12 to take
online classes. It will enable 20 teachers to take an orientation
course on online learning, 15 teachers to complete the TxVSN required
professional development, and approximately 10 teachers to complete
professional development to develop online courses. The district will
provide 60 student computers to be used specifically by students
enrolled in online courses, and 10 laptops for teachers completing the
online training programs. Frenship will increase the number of online
courses available to students; increase the number of teachers who can
facilitate or work with students taking online courses; and increase
the number of teachers who are prepared to teach online for TxVSN. The
district will pursue online elective and core curriculum courses to
support the state curriculum in English/language arts, mathematics,
science, and social students. In particular, Frenship is targeting
alternative math and science courses for students. More information on
Frenship is available at http://www.frenship.us.
Galveston ISD
is a 5A school district located on the Gulf of Mexico, serving
approximately 7,903 enrolled. The district plans to participate in the
TxVSN as both a provider and a receiver school district. Examples of
the district’s participant schools include Ball High School T-STEM
Academy, Ball High School Accelerated Instructional Model (AIM) Academy
(an individual instruction program for At-Risk students, Drop-Outs,
Credit Recovery) and Ball High School-Shriner’s Children’s Hospital
Burn Center, serving students who are burn patients from all over the
United States. GISD will develop a Galveston Virtual Online School as
part of its goal to establish 21st Century teaching and learning in the
district. It plans to provide quality onlinecurriculum to hospital
bound studentswho are unable to attend regular classes, immerse
students in technology, enhance course selections available to At-Risk
students, and build the capacity of teachers at Galveston Virtual
Online School. The district will provide an orientation session on
online learning for both students and those district parents whose
students will be taking online courses. GISD will provide 35 student
laptops to students who are taking online courses. GISD plans to enroll
a total of 453 students in online courses in Grades 9-12. The district
anticipates that 156 teachers will participate in professional
development for teaching online. The district further anticipates that
25 administrators/principals will participate in professional
development related to online learning. For additional information, see
http://www.galvestonschools.org.
Irving ISD
is a 5A school district located in the Dallas-Ft. Worth area serving
approximately 32,746 students. The district plans to be a provider
district and proposes to develop at least 3 online courses by June
2009, with an additional 4 provided by June 2010. The district will use
grant funds to establish the Irving Virtual School. The district is
establishing the virtual school in recognition that its students need
scheduling options to fulfill the state’s 4x4 curriculum requirement,
scheduling flexibility, access to courses not offered locally, and
expanded course options to meet different student learning styles. The
grant will potentially impact 500 students who will enroll in at least
one online course, and 150 who enroll in more than one online course.
It is anticipated that 48 teachers will participate in professional
development for online learning. The district plans for 24
administrator/principals to complete some professional development for
online learning. All Irving ISD high school campuses will be involved
in this project. The district will coordinate bond funds with grant
funds to provide laptops for students. Additional information about
Irving ISD is available on the district website at http://www.irvingisd.net
Patton Springs ISD
is a 1A school district located in Afton, Texas, approximately 74 miles
northeast of Lubbock serving approximately 107 students. The district
has been an exemplary district for 12 years and plans to be both a
provider and receiving district. As a receiver district, its goal is to
increase students’ access to additional elective courses and highly
qualified math and science teachers. As a provider district, developing
online courses for the TxVSN will enable its teachers to reach students
statewide with their curriculum. At the high school level, Patton
Springs plans to provide online courses to 47 students in Grades 9-12:
13 students in Grade 12, 13 students in Grade 11, 12 students in Grade
10, and 9 students in Grade 9. It also plans to provide professional
development for online learning to 10 teachers and 2
administrator/principals. The district will provide 20 laptops for
student use in online courses; 10 laptops for teacher use in
preparation; five Promethean boards for classroom integration, and 2
Qwizdom learning systems for classroom integration. Patton Springs
website address is: http://www.pattonsprings.net
Region One ESC
has formed a Virtual Learning collaborative of districts that serve
students ranging from Lyford CISD with 1,540 students to Laredo ISD
with 25,148 students. Region 1 and its partner districts see online
learning as a means of addressing some of the challenges the area faces
as a result of shifting demographics, a changing economy, student
mobility, poverty, language and cultural differences. Among its
objectives, the partner districts will train 40 core or elective
subject area teachers teach online, provide professional development to
14 administrator/principals to increase their understanding of online
learning, and have a total of 260 students engaged in online learning.
In addition, the service center plans for 130 parents to receive
training that will benefit the online learning experiences of students.
Region One is partnering with Class.com, Texas Virtual School (TVS)
Region 4 ESC, University of Texas-Pan American in its Digital Learning
Link Program, offered through the service center’s T-STEM Center.
Courses to be developed include Essential Math, Health Science 1A and
1B, Oceanography, Anthropology, Civics, Spanish 1A and 1B and Spanish
2A and 2B.
Region One ESC Participating Districts
General District Information including Total Enrollment as of October 2007
District Total Students Provider / Receiving Website
Laredo ISD 25,148 Receiving http://www.laredoisd.org
Lyford CISD 1,540 Receiving http://www.lyfordcisd.net
Rio Hondo ISD 2,350 Receiving http://www.riohondoisd.net
Valley View ISD 4,356 Receiving http://www.vview.net
Region 11 ESC has
a shared services agreement with 6 of its districts, forming the
Cyberlearning Collaborative Region 11 (CC11). The districts within the
shared services agreement range in size from Lingleville ISD with 204
students to Arlington ISD with 62,863 students. The vision is to
improve student achievement by building capacity for access to quality
online anywhere anytime coursework to supplement district offerings.
CC11 will provide professional development to build capacity to
participate in TxVSN. CC11 will also provide the use of a laptop
computer for students taking an online course in each of the
participating high schools. The collaborative projects that 256
semester courses will be offered. CC11 will provide an Online Learning
Specialist to each collaborating campus to facilitate core curriculum
teachers moving online and blended learning. The collaborative
indicates that 10 teachers will take professional development for
teaching online, plus 64 teachers in core subject areas will
participate in professional development related to online learning, and
16 facilitators will receive training to provide on-site support to
online students.
Region 11 ESC Participating Districts
General District Information including Total Enrollment as of October 2007
District Total Students Provider / Receiving Website
Arlington ISD 62,863 Receiving http://www.aisd.net/
Cleburne ISD 6,691 Provider and Receiving http://www.cleburne.k12.tx.us/
Dublin ISD 1,311 Receiving http://www.dublin.k12.tx.us
Lingleville ISD 204 Receiving http://www.lingleville.k12.tx.us/
Mineral Wells ISD 3,669 Provider and Receiving http://www.mwisd.net
Poolville ISD 563 Provider and Receiving http://www.poolville.net
Region 16 ESC
has a shared services agreement with 8 districts in the Texas
Panhandle. The districts range in size from Boys Ranch with 297 total
students enrolled in October of 2007 to Dimmitt, with 1,122 students
enrolled in 2007. Districts could choose to be either provider or
receiving districts. Districts will provide online courses to students
to meet a variety of needs: graduation requirements, accelerated
graduation, dual credit, credit recovery, Advanced Placement, schedule
enrichment, homebound, and dropout recovery. Through the grant, the
combined districts plan to serve a total of 1,491students through
online learning. The service center plans to provide professional
development for 3 teachers and 21 administrators. Region 16 will
provide a set of laptops with a laptop cart to participating districts
for students who are taking online classes to check out as needed.
Provider district teachers will receive a laptop so that they will have
24/7 access to their class.
Region 16 ESC Participating Districts
General District Information including Total Enrollment as of October 2007
District Total Students Provider / Receiving Website
Booker 363 Receiving http://www.bookerisd.net/
Boys Ranch 297 Receiving http://www.boysranchisd.org/
Canadian 718 Provider and Receiving http://www.canadianisd.net/
Dimmitt 1,122 Provider and Receiving http://www.dimmittisd.net/
Hart 305 Receiving http://www.hartisd.net/
Memphis 584 Receiving http://memphisisd.net/home.asp
Shamrock 326 Provider and Receiving no website available
Tulia 996 Receiving http://portal.tulia-isd.net/