St. Charles Parish Schools rank 3rd in nation

SCP System gets digital award for use of technology in the classroom

Ranking among top school systems in the nation for use of technology in the classroom, the St. Charles School System accepted the award as confirmation that it’s preparing the “21st century student.”

The School System ranked third in the 2014-15 Digital School Districts Survey for mid-sized districts with 3,000 to 12,000 students. Decatur City Schools in Alabama and the Fayetteville School District in Arkansas took the top two spots. St Charles Parish schools tied for third place with Mt. Lebanon School District in Pennsylvania in the survey.

The system was the only Louisiana school district that ranked among the survey’s top ranking systems in the nation.Superintendent Felecia Gomez-Walker called the recognition “an outstanding honor.”

“Our technology department and all those involved with implementing the latest technology in our schools,” Gomez-Walker said. “It is evidence of the School Board and school system’s commitment to ensuring that our district is on the cutting edge of technology and that our students have access to the most current technologies available.”

This is the third year in a row the system has been named among top school districts nationally for digital education. The survey is conducted by the Center for Digital Education (CDE) and the National School Boards Association.

CDE is a national research and advisory institution specializing in K-12 and higher education technology trends, policy and funding. It is focused on how well school districts implemented advanced technology both in the classroom and in administration.

The rankings are based on exemplary use of technology to govern the district, communicate with students, parents and the community and to improve district operations.

“The award is based on all technologies used in the district – educational and business services. It mainly focuses on innovation and how the school board conducts its business,” said Colleen Charles, director of Instructional Technology.”Charles said the system’s move into instructional technology began with BellSouth grants nearly 20 years ago, which put computers in the classrooms.

“The district uses a model of integration of technology that supports and aligns with curriculum and instruction,” she said. “The school board has supported the continued implementation and integration of technology into the classroom through funding of mobile devices, Satellite Center, large screen devices, professional development and the obsolescence of outdated technologies.”

Technology is a key component of the system’s definition of a “21st Century student.”

Additionally, the system’s plan focuses on a student becoming a creative thinker;knowledgeable, competent person; critical thinker; collaborative thinker; involved citizen; self-directed achiever and effective communicator.Colleen Steib, the system’s director of instructional technology, said the district continues to evaluate new technologies with a vision for the future classroom.

“We are evaluating mobile solutions,” Steib said, “as we move towards real-time instruction, student research and production, and additional online assessments.”

 

Be the first to comment

Leave a Reply