Applying the NCREL enGauge Framework to Teacher Practice and Student Success in a Large School District Jeffrey L. Jones EDC 548,  Spring, 2003

Conditions: A Forward-Thinking, Shared Vision Effective Teaching and Learning Practices Educator Proficiency Systems and Leadership Support Documents: District Technology Assessment:    Survey Results (2002-03 - unpublished)    ACOT Rating data (2001-02)    Full ACOT rubric descriptions (PDF file)

Suggestions for the viewing of this site:

Unlike many online documents, this analysis is intended to be read from beginning to end. Hence I have not attempted to eliminate vertical scrolling, and simple directional links are provided at the bottom of each page (though I have retained non-linear menus at the top). There are many linked references. If a reference is off-site, clicking it will open a new browser window, so that directional flow is not lost in the original document (simply close the new window to return). This document is best viewed with screen resolution 1024 X 768 or higher - although it is viewable at any resolution, some formatting may seem odd at lower settings.

Introduction:

Fayette County Public Schools is the second largest school district in Kentucky. Size brings with it many benefits as well as challenges, as the district Office of Educational Technology attempts to encourage and support the use of media and technology in classroom instruction. Several constraints and complexities make implementation difficult, at the same time increasing the importance of careful planning.

The constraints of School Based Decision Making (SBDM) - By law, the legal responsibility for professional development, fund allocation, and curriculum decision-making resides with the schools, hence the influence of district decisions and initiatives may often be diluted, marginalized, even ignored.
The Kentucky Educational Technology System (KETS) - Although KETS, as a funding mechanism, has been a boon for technology funding, its political and economic ties make it an undependable resource for schools. In particular, the technology planning resources embedded within it reflect these ties, and are all but unusable.
The tendency of large departments and staffing commitments to interconnect and overlap - This is the classic problem inherent in any large social/political structure. And, if educational technology does not reflect a true integration model, this problem is exacerbated as various offices and specialties compete for attention and resources. As we shall see, this piecemeal approach to goal design and implementation has resulted in a lack of a unified vision, and a loss of focus in assessment and reporting.

Even without such constraints, it is not possible for one person to construct an entire district technology plan which adequately represents the needs of all it might touch. Hence I have not attempted to do so here. In particular, it is not possible for me to meaningfully construct a comprehensive funding plan, and none is present in this document, beyond suggestions for emphasis and implementation. Instead, I have, within this document, provided a sketch of existing educational technology vision and practice within the district. I then apply an analytical framework and its indicators to assess the veracity of the existing practice, and follow with a discussion of recommended improvements, ideas, programs, and resource allocation scenarios which reflect the implications of the framework.

I have used, as my model and primary analytical resource, the North Central Regional Educational Laboratory (NCREL) enGauge Educational Technology Framework. This model provides an overall structure and focus to the process of planning for technology integration, and provides for specific indicators which can be used to assess the effectiveness of the plan. Although the enGauge Framework provides a fairly complete structure for such planning, for the purposes of this document I have focused on four of the six broad enGauge "conditions":

Vision: a district/student/community-shared definition of the direction, emphasis, and connectivity associated with technology use and implementation.
Practice: including meaningful, research-based instructional practice and technology use.
Proficiency: planning for the effective implementation, training, and assessment of student and teacher use of appropriate technologies.
Systems: structuring the district to reflect an efficient and effective model-based use of technology. 

Since my main interest is in district training and curriculum development issues, the remaining enGauge "conditions" - Equity, and Access - are omitted as less directly associated with that interest, and for the purposes of limiting the scope and size of this analysis. Within this site I have referenced and included documents relevant to KETS, the district's own assessment process, and other reference materials. Although Fayette County has provided the framework, documentation, and evidence for this analysis, it is my desire to make the usefulness of this document as general as possible. Therefore, henceforth I will make reference solely to "the district."

Format: As indicated above, I have included the following for each of the four selected enGauge "conditions" :

An examination of current practice - including the examination of planning documents and existing practices associated with the category,
Applying the enGauge model - a point-by-point analysis of district successes and shortfalls using the enGauge model indicators as an outline, and 
Potential strategies and resources - a presentation of ideas, programs, structures, and resources that seem to best address the implications of the enGauge model in this setting.

Taken as a whole, my contributions to the last of these categories might constitute a district technology plan, though I have attempted only to delineate those areas which I would wish to change, ignoring those aspects of the district practice which, in my assessment, successfully fit the enGauge framework. I have also used this category to comment on the process of technology plan development, where appropriate. In the last "condition" - Systems - I have used the "Potential strategies and resources" section to bring together many of the other sections and ideas as I focus on my main interests of district training and curriculum development.