Region 4 Roundtable

Pembroke, North Carolina

April 16, 2015

Plan for this Session

• Presentation:

– Foundations for the Digital Learning Plan

– Our approach to the planning process

– Completing the Digital Learning Progress Rubric

– Initial recommendations to State policymakers

– Early town hall data

• Discussion:

– Feedback on initial recommendations, rubric, and town hall data

– Other questions and comments

Two Views

Digital Learning Plan

or

Digital Learning Plan

Our View

✔ Digital Learning Plan

✖ Digital Learning Plan

Consistent with NASBE

• “The real promise … is in using technology to rethink

what teachers, students and schools do, and how they

are organized to do it.”

• “The transformative potential [requires that] we employ

educational technologies to reshape teachers’ and

students’ roles, and that technology is coupled with

fundamental organizational changes that re-engineer

legacy school structures, processes, and all forms of

instructional delivery.”

Builds Upon Legislative Actions

Elements of the Digital-Age Learning Model

Advancement based on demonstrated

mastery of the content and

competency in applying what has been

learned.

Anywhere and anytime learning,

inside and outside of schools, 24/7, with most learning blending face-to-face and online activities.

Personalized learning and flexible

resources optimized for each student.

Student-centered instruction,

combining large group, small group and individualized learning, with teachers serving as facilitators and coaches.

Digital content providing interactive,

flexible and easily updated educational resources.

Assessments integrated into learning activities to provide ongoing

information about students’ achievement that can be used to improve teaching and learning.

Parent portals provide 24/7 access to

their children’s assignments, grades, and records, as well as a means to communicate with teachers and administrators.

Project-based and community-based

learning activities connecting to students’ lives outside of school.

Plan Builds on Existing Statewide Systems…

…and on Lessons Learned in NC and Elsewhere

• Research on digital learning implementations

• Effective practices and lessons from

– Eighteen NC districts

– Maine statewide program

– Summit charter schools

– Texas Power On initiative

– Alberta, Canada

– … many others

Questions the NC DL Plan will address:

Models

1. What exemplary approaches and lessons learned from local school

districts’ digital learning initiatives should North Carolina build upon?

Instruction & Digital Content

2. How will North Carolina transition from funding for textbooks to funding

for digital materials that are aligned with curriculum, remain

current, and are effective for all learners?

3. How will existing systems, such as Home Base, the North Carolina

Virtual Public School, Public Libraries, and the K-12 Cloud support the

transition to digital resources and digital learning?

Technology Infrastructure & Devices

4. How will North Carolina ensure that all public schools and community

anchor institutions have the technology, service, and support

infrastructure needed to sustain robust digital learning?

Questions the NC DL Plan will address:

Human Capacity

5. How will North Carolina enhance the capacity of all its teachers,

school leaders, and district leaders to fully utilize digital resources

and meet the new digital learning standards?

6. How will North Carolina ensure that there will be a sustained pipeline

of teachers and administrators prepared to support the K-12 digital

learning transition?

Policy & Funding

7. How do State and local education policies and processes need to be

updated and revised to further digital learning?

8. How does the digital learning transition impact school budgets and

how can the digital learning transition be funded?

Recommendations

9. How can North Carolina best support current and future local digital

learning transitions in districts throughout the State?

Engaging Stakeholders…

• Advisory Board

• “Deep dive” district visits

• NCTIES and regional town halls

• Working sessions with NC and national experts

• Meetings with

– Educators: superintendents, principals, tech directors, teachers

– Policymakers

– University deans and faculty

– Business leaders

• Webinars and online surveys

…and Using Evidence-Based Approaches

• Extensive use of existing data

– Teacher working conditions

– School network analyses

– AMTR (DPI Annual Media and Technology Report)

– Race to the Top data

– School Technology Needs Assessment (STNA) surveys

– Statewide student and teacher data

• Interviews, focus groups, artifact analyses, and other new data

• Representative sample of districts

– Detailed analyses

– Model plans

Components of Digital-Age Learning

Note: Percentage of respondents selecting “very important” and “every school” on 2 Likert-scaled survey items (n=229).

46%

9%

22%

18%

8%

14%

13%

17%

32%

45%

48%

52%

57%

60%

69%

79%

Parent portals

Project-based learning

Digital content

Integrated assessments

Anywhere/anytime learning

Competency-based learning

Personalized learning

Student-centered instruction

Very Important Implemented throughout LEA

Digital Learning Challenges

Note: Data from open-coding of text-based responses (n=122).

59%

48%45%

39%33%

26% 25%19%

Teacher Working Conditions Data

Several teachers across the state reported having sufficient access to instructional technology, including computers, printers, software and internet access; however…

… fewer teachers reported having sufficient training to fully utilize that available instructional technology.

Current Status of Wireless Infrastructure

in NC Schools

3%

35%

40%

22%

None (70) Marginal (818) Intermediate (928) High Density (515)

Sample Districts

Changes Already Underway in Schools!

NC Digital Learning Progress Rubric

• Rubric serves as a roadmap to support

North Carolina’s educators and

communities in the transition to digital-

age teaching and learning

• Designed to help district and school

teams reflect on their current stage of

development in digital learning and

track their progress moving forward

• Word version for districts and charters

now available to download from

http://ncdlplan.fi.ncsu.edu/

• Online version for schools now

available to administer through

https://surveys.fi.ncsu.edu/

NC Digital Learning Progress Rubric

• Per March SBE Meeting:

LEAs and charter schools

should complete the rubric

by May 15, 2015

• Will provide state-wide

snapshot to prioritize

resources and sequence

of steps for the NC

Digital Learning Plan

http://ncdlplan.fi.ncsu.edu/

NC Digital Learning Progress Rubric

Instruction and

Digital Content

Technology

Infrastructure and

Devices

Leadership

1. Shared Vision

2. Personnel

3. Comm. & Collaboration

4. Community Engagement

5. Sustainability

6. Policy

7. Continuous Improvementhttp://ncdlplan.fi.ncsu.edu/

NC Digital Learning Progress Rubric

Instruction and

Digital Content

Technology

Infrastructure and

Devices

Professional Learning

8. Focus

9. Format

10. Participation

11. Professional Learning

Communities

http://ncdlplan.fi.ncsu.edu/

NC Digital Learning Progress Rubric

Instruction and

Digital Content

Technology

Infrastructure and

Devices

Instruction & Digital

Content

12. Educator Role

13. Student-Centered

Learning

14. Digital Content

15. Online Learning

Experiences

http://ncdlplan.fi.ncsu.edu/

NC Digital Learning Progress Rubric

Instruction and

Digital Content

Technology

Infrastructure and

Devices

Technology

Infrastructure & Devices

16. School Networks

17. End-User Devices

18. Learning Environments

19. Technical Support

20. Supporting Services

21. Outside of School

http://ncdlplan.fi.ncsu.edu/

NC Digital Learning Progress Rubric

Instruction and

Digital Content

Technology

Infrastructure and

Devices

Data & Assessment

22. Data Systems

23. Learner Profiles

24. Authentic Assessments

25. Collaborative

Development of

Assessments

http://ncdlplan.fi.ncsu.edu/

Rubric Components

IMPLEMENTATION CONTINUUM

KEY

ELE

MEM

TS

MAJOR AREA

QU

ALITY

IND

ICA

TOR

S

Preliminary Recommendations to

Inform State Policy Decisions

January 2015

Purpose of January 2015 Policy Brief

• Inform near-term funding and policy decisions to move

digital learning forward in North Carolina.

• Provide recommendations that focus on putting in place

the foundations for long-term success.

• Outline an ambitious plan for next steps, knowing it will

be adjusted to fit within available funding.

Recommendations: Starting Points

1. Digital learning innovations are driven at the district level,

with different approaches across districts.

2. The State’s role is to guide and encourage innovation and to

ensure equity of digital learning opportunities for all students.

3. This role requires that the State:

• Provides the technology infrastructure for all schools

• Fosters model digital learning innovations within districts

• Develops local leadership capacity

• Ensures access to high quality digital resources

• Leverages state and regional support structures

Expand the School Connectivity Initiative to

support internal Wi-Fi infrastructure

$7M (Yr1) -

$12M-R

Establish a collaborative procurement service

Support a multi-agency plan for addressing

broadband access in rural communities

Technology Infrastructure

Establish a grants program to support the

development and dissemination of innovative

district digital learning models

$24M-R

Model Digital Learning Innovations

Support professional learning for educators

who will lead digital learning initiatives and

coach teachers

$5M-R

Local Educator Leadership Capacity

Implement Home Base curriculum and learning

management system 2.0$6M-R

Expand access to digital education resources,

focused on resources developed within North

Carolina

$10M-R

Begin transition to digital education resources

adoption process

High Quality Digital Education Resources

Strengthen regional support structures $4M-R

State-level management of centralized

functions$1M-R

Regional and State Support Structures

Technology Infrastructure

• Expand the School Connectivity Initiative to support internal Wi-Fi infrastructure $7M (Yr1)-$12M-R

• Establish a collaborative procurement service

• Multi-agency plan for addressing broadband access in rural communities

Model Digital Learning Innovations

• Establish a grants program for innovative district digital learning models $24M-R

Local Educator Leadership Capacity

• Support professional learning for digital learning leaders $5M-R

High Quality Digital Education Resources

• Implement Home Base curriculum and learning management system 2.0 $6M-R

• Expand access to digital education resources, focused on NC resources $10M-R

• Begin transition to digital education resource adoption process

State and Regional Support Structures

• Strengthen regional support structures $4M-R

• State-level management of centralized functions $1M-R

Total $57M (Yr1)-$62M-R

Summary Table

NCTIES Town Hall – 3.5.2015

NCTIES Town Hall Data

31%

33%

20%

4%7% 5%

Town Hall Participants

Small LEA

Medium LEA

Large LEA

Charter School

State Government

Other

NCTIES Town Hall Data

Ranking Recommendations for Human Capacity

1 Provide funding for instructional support personnel (e.g., ITFs, coaches, and media coordinators) to support digital learning transition

2 Provide funding to districts for high quality professional development for educators and school leaders on digital learning

3 Update and align certifications/requirements for all educators to include critical elements of digital learning

4 Share effective strategic staffing approaches to further the implementation of digital learning

5 Provide funding to organizations (e.g., NCPAPA, NCASA, NCDPI, NCCAT, RESAs, Colleges/Universities) for statewide or region-based high quality professional development for educators and school leaders on digital learning

6 Work with post-secondary institutions to develop creative strategies and approaches to build a pipeline for all positions (e.g., technicians, educators, ITFs, media coordinators, principals)

NCTIES Town Hall Data

Ranking Recommendations for Digital Content

1 Manage cooperative purchasing agreements for digital content

2 Create systems that facilitate in-district and cross-district collaboration on content and curriculum development

3 Establish a process for continuous vetting and review of procured/purchased digital content

4 Provide a contemporary learning management system as a part of HomeBase

5 Establish connections of digital content applications to PowerSchool and other student data sources

6 Create systems to facilitate sharing of digital content by community colleges, IHEs, museums and other state agencies

NCTIES Town Hall Data

Ranking Recommendations for Funding and Policy

1 Establish a Digital Learning Fund with private sector donations, lottery appropriations and other sources

2 Update NC General Statutes on Textbooks to include digital resources

3 Simplify the process for districts to apply for specific policy waivers for innovative digital learning practices

4 Update the policies for State and Local Technology Plan requirements

5 Create competitive grant program to support local innovative digital learning models

6 Remove the online learning graduation requirement for students

NCTIES Town Hall Data

Ranking Recommendations for Technology and Infrastructure

1 Provide annual allotment for devices to districts

2 Expand the school connectivity initiative to include internal school wired and WiFi networks

3 Identify and share best practices on local solutions for community and home Internet access

4 Consider regional/multi-district approaches to ensure access to technical support personnel (e.g., network engineers, computer systems administrators)

5 Establish standards for devices and manage bulk procurement

6 Update the State's recommended school technology infrastructure planning guidelines

Deliverables

Final Notes

• North Carolina is positioned to be a national leader in digital learning.

• The Digital Learning Plan will move things in the right direction, but the changes will be ongoing, not completed by 2017, 2020, or any other year.

• We believe there will be a good long-term return on investment in terms of educational outcomes, increased graduation rates, workforce preparation, and state budgets.

• Investments in infrastructure, digital content, and human capacity development will be required.

• For all Policy Briefs, deliverables, resources, and information: http://ncdlplan.fi.ncsu.edu

• To submit inquires and recommendations:ncdlplan@fi.ncsu.edu

• Digital Learning Plan Information Gathering Survey: http://go.ncsu.edu/n7f4nf

• Working Group Interest Form:http://go.ncsu.edu/ncdl.working.group

Roundtable Input

1. Do these findings resonate with you?

2. Which recommendations do you think should be

top priorities?

3. Is anything missing?

4. What are the critical messages about digital

learning for NCDPI, SBE, and NC General

Assembly?

Questions and Comments?

Thank You!

Suzanne Branon: snbranon@ncsu.edu