Grant Proposal (Heather Summers)

Project Summary

North Marion High School teachers will collaboratively integrate technology in teaching math to 10^th grade students. The initiative will achieve the following results:

Purchase equipment for each teacher and student in the participating class.
Provide technical training for teachers in the district.
Develop technology-assisted curriculum in math.
Accommodate learners with special needs.
Motivate all students in learning and in participation within the classroom.
Increase student performance on state standardized tests.
Implement researched-based teaching practices in daily instruction.
Develop more in-depth and technological lessons within the classroom.

What is the intellectual merit of the project?

This project will integrate technology in standards-based instructions in a combined high school Geometry and Algebra II course. Each teacher in the math department will collaborate, in order to develop curriculum, to deliver the content through the use of digital multi-media technology, and to assess student performance. Participating teachers will evaluate how the technology addresses teachers’ instructional needs and students’ learning needs. Rigor of the content presented will be measured by Depth of Knowledge levels and should be aligned to the state content standards. Assignments will give students the opportunities to develop technical knowledge, critical thinking and problem solving skills. Feedback from participating teachers and students will guide the instruction for the following year.

Moreover, this project will create the basic development of the West Virginia’s Next Generation Standards for Math II. Math II focuses mainly on Geometry and Algebra II concepts; therefore, this project would be a precursor to the incoming standards.

What are the broader impacts of the proposed activity?

This project will broaden the participation of all teachers in the core education departments, such as math, science, English, and social studies. At the site-level, the increased number of teachers using technology in the classroom will enrich the technical expertise and support of the staff. As participating teachers are trained, then they will go and train other teachers at the school and other high schools in the district and surrounding counties. More teachers can take part in instructional leadership and ownership as they become teacher leaders. The multimedia presentation will motivate and engage students in learning math. Consequent increase in student performance and student attendance will better prepare students for vocational or college courses. Renewed interests will encourage them to continue advanced courses in high school and possibly inspire them to later pursue career in technology, engineering, and/or math. The increased number of students proficiently trained in math will impact the economy and the national defense in the near future as technological advances lead to commercial innovation and cutting edge defense systems. Overall, the general public will become more aware of the basic math knowledge and be able to apply the concepts in such a way as to critically analyze statistics or vote for the legislative measure that efficiently converts renewable sources of energy. Citizens can make well-informed political decisions and make productive contributions to society as a whole.

Project Description

North Marion High School respectfully requests support from Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. for an integrated technology initiative for secondary math education.

Introduction:

North Marion High School
Located in Farmington, West Virginia in the Marion County School District, North Marion High School is a rural school with 813 students enrolled. The school has 9-12 grades only. All students are required to enroll and pass four math classes. Math courses that are offered are: Math I, Math I Lab, Algebra II, Geometry, Trigonometry, College Algebra, College Trigonometry, Conceptual Math, College Transition, Pre-Calculus, AP Statistics, and AP Calculus. We have 7 math teachers on staff.   48.2% of students are eligible for discounted/free lunch. North Marion was ranked 44^th in the state with their math scores on the WESTTEST 2. These results have been improving with time as more and more students meet the state’s proficiency standards on the test. Three out of four students (70.0%) are proficient or advanced in mathematics on the WESTTEST 2. (City-Data, 2011) The neighborhood consists of primarily rural, middle class socioeconomic status. Parents and the community are actively involved in the children’s education. (SchoolDigger, 2013)

Motivating Rationale:

The motivating rationale behind this project is due to overall recent decline in the American students’ academic performance, especially in mathematics. According to the National Center for Education Statistics states that there is a projected increase of 4% in enrollment, as well as a 9% interest in graduation rates. (Gerald & Hussar, 2002) However, the dropout rate for North Marion is 3.4%, which is double the state’s rate of 1.7%. (City-Data, 2011) North Marion wants to reverse these statistics by engaging students in real-world, authentic and relevant problems.

American students seem to lack motivation in learning, especially in math. Not only that, the delivery of the content is outdated. Although the new generation of students is exposed to advanced multimedia outside the classroom on a daily basis, not much has changed in how the instruction is delivered in the classroom. Day to day instruction still relies heavily on worksheets, textbooks, and pencil-paper tests. Students’ learning needs are not always met through this traditional approach. With the availability of instructional technology, it is only logical to implement technology in instruction such as virtual labs and high-resolution graphics. However, without the adequate funds, schools are not able to afford the technology, and teachers are not trained in its appropriate use. This grant will bring innovative technology in math classrooms to engage more students in learning and to aid teachers in teaching more effectively to the students’ needs.

Goals:

Design standards-based curriculum in math with the use of multimedia technology.

Train teachers and students on the use and maintenance of the technology being used, as well as becoming smart consumers.

Motivate students in learning math.

Increase student performance on standardized tests and district benchmarks.

Improve dropout prevention measures.

Collaborate with colleagues within the math department to plan and design lessons.

The project will focus on two areas: professional development for teachers and students on technology, and curriculum development and integration of technology within the classroom.

Participating teachers are math teachers at North Marion High School and participating students are accepted sophomores—meaning, they have all the necessary credits required to obtain the status of sophomore—at the site. The project will have two cohorts beginning in the fall of 2013 with the incoming sophomores (Cohort 1) and freshmen (Cohort 2). Cohort 1 will continue the program in the following 2014-2015 school year with the Math III course. Concurrently, the new sophomores (Cohort 2) will join the program in the fall of 2014 under the course title of Math II. The project will last two years and will be completed in the summer of 2015.

In Year One, First Half: the program coordinator will first conduct survey to assess the prior technical knowledge of the teachers and students. Based on the responses, professional development will be designed for the teachers. The first training will be provided before the beginning of the new school year for the teachers to learn to use the equipment and to collaboratively develop the curriculum for the first nine weeks. Follow-up trainings will be scheduled every nine weeks thereafter. During the quarter, the teachers will meet weekly, if not daily, to discuss the student progress and to adjust or develop the curriculum accordingly.

In Year One, Second Half: the participating teachers will go and further train the other teachers at the site. The quarterly training will continue for the participating teachers—where they will continue to refine the curriculum and the instruction. In addition, new educational software will be reviewed and tried out in the classroom to evaluate its instructional effectiveness. The progress of the Cohort 1 will be tracked as this is now their second year. Their performance can be compared to the first year’s sophomores (Cohort 2). Whether or not the technology improved the teaching and learning will be discussed.

In Year Two, the participating teachers will begin to collect evidence of student progress from all cohorts and begin to analyze the data. Standardized test scores and grades will be used to measure the student performance. Survey and observational notes will be used to gauge the student motivation and interest in the subjects. The potential dropout rate will be discussed.

 Goal 1: In each of the three years, the project will include two math teachers to collaborate.

            Objective 1: In the beginning of each school year, the project coordinator will design and schedule professional development for the teachers.

            Objective 2: Teachers will participate in six in-service days (August, September, November, February, April, and June) during the school year.

            Objective 3: The project will offer compensation and incentives to the participating teachers for their time and commitment to the professional development.

 

Goal 2: In the fall of 2013, before the project launches, the project coordinator will conduct workshops for the teachers.

            Objective 1: By the end of Year Two, the project will have trained 6 teachers and impacted about 416 students.

            Objective 2: Teachers will become proficient with the use and the basic maintenance/troubleshooting of the multimedia equipment.

            Objective 3: Teachers will develop state standards-based curriculum for the students using technology.

            Objective 4: Students will become familiar with the latest instructional technology resources.

            Objective 5: Teachers will collaborate in developing lesson plans.

            Objective 6: As a result, all students will receive equal access to the content and the delivery.

 

Goal 3: The project coordinator will conduct quarterly follow-up workshops for the teachers throughout the school year.

            Objective 1: New educational software/widgets and equipment will be introduced to the teachers.

            Objective 2: Teachers will have the opportunity to exchange professional conversations on student progress and technology-based instruction.

            Objective 3: Teachers will inform each other of the curriculum materials, instructional strategies, and technical skills to support each other in the project.

 

Goal 4: Students will become more motivated and more proficient in math.

            Objective 1: Students will have access to the course website and an online forum.

            Objective 2: Each student will have access to a laptop computer and at least one educational software in the classroom.

            Objective 3: Each classroom will have access to a multimedia projector and a printer/scanner/copier.

Deliverables:

Teacher Professional Development

Curriculum and Instruction through Technology

Budget:

The following equipment will be purchased: laptop computers for a classroom set, an LCD projector and a printer/scanner/copier for each classroom.

The following is the estimated budget:

Description	Quantity	Price
Teacher Notebook/Tablet PC	7	Provided by the Board of Education
Student Laptop Computers	40	$14288
LCD Projector	2	$1408
Printer/Scanner/Copier	1	$329
Project Coordinator (full-time)	1	$50,000
Program Evaluator (part-time)	1	$12,000
Professional Development	6	$2,210
Substitute Teachers	42	$5040
Curriculum Supplies		$2,000
Stipend		$2,000
Indirect	15%	13391
Total		$102666

 

Each participating teacher will receive a Notebook/Tablet PC (offered by the Marion County Board of Education) along with a class set of laptop computers for the students. In the collaborative classroom, there will be a multimedia projector and a printer/scanner/copier. One full-time project coordinator will be hired and one part-time program evaluator. All math teachers will be provided with six all-day professional development trainings—one in the summer before the school year begins, one each nine weeks, and one in the following summer at the end of the school year. Substitute teachers will be provided for each teacher for the in-service. A stipend of $1,000 will be granted to each teacher to use at his/her discretion and another $1,000 for supplies. Fifteen percent will go towards the school district for facility and administrative costs.

 

Works Cited

 

City-Data. (2011, June). North Marion High School in Farmington, West Virginia (WV). Retrieved April 23, 2013, from City-Data.com: http://www.city-data.com/school/north-marion-high-school-wv.html

Gerald, D. E., & Hussar, W. J. (2002, August 21). Projections of Education Statisitics to 2012. Retrieved April 23, 2013, from Naitonal Center for Education Statistics: http://nces.ed.gov/pubs2002/2002030.pdf

SchoolDigger. (2013). North Marion High School. Retrieved April 23, 2013, from SchoolDigger: http://www.schooldigger.com/go/WV/schools/0072001282/school.aspx