Mission focuses on technology

ST. IGNATIUS — Fifty iMac computers will be kited out with the latest educational software and divided between two new computer labs in St. Ignatius schools this year. At the August 17 regular board meeting, trustees passed a motion to purchase computers and software for new labs in the elementary school and the new multipurpose addition.

“The need for the labs is focused on improving both reading and math at the elementary and middle school,” Superintendent Bob Lewandowski said in his online blog. “Although the multipurpose lab will be primarily used by elementary students, it will also play host to middle school students as well.”

The program Success-maker will be the primary software used. It focuses on personalized paths for mastering essential reading and math concepts and dictates specific time requirements for students to follow.

“We’re really excited about how that will manifest itself,” Lewandowski said. “My experience in the past is that we will see a tremendous amount of growth from that.”

Time will be designated in the daily schedule to allow students a minimum amount of time per week dedicated to the program.

“I am really proud of the board and what they’ve done because students need these tools to learn and grow and teachers need the tools to teach the material. The use of technology is certainly going to increase in our schools this year and hopefully, it better prepares kids for their future.”

Also approved at this month’s meeting, the school district will begin testing with a NWEA (Northwest Evaluation Association) program in the fall and the spring. Called MAP, the program measures academic progress and growth in students kindergarten through 10th grade.

“It lines up with our state standards and national norms growth targets,” Lewandowski said. “We want to know how much growth is taking place per child. Even though you may be gifted and talented, we want to know that your growth still meets national norms so that we can measure teaching and learning.”

While it is, of course, important that all students meet state standards, Lewandowski said that more importantly, they want to know that students are meeting these growth targets.

“A growth goal is certainly an obligation that we have to meet,” he said. “It helps tell us a lot about our instruction.”

The district purchased the new computers through a technology equity lease, where they pay 1/3 of the total cost up front, and in three years, they should pay off and own the product. Or, Lewandowski said, they can trade in for new product.

Rolled into the package was the purchase of an Apple iPad for each trustee.

According to Lewandowski, the current routine is to put together massive board packages that are layered with documents referencing specific items in a volume of paper that is not only overwhelming and difficult to manage, but is expensive to produce and distribute.

“It’s becoming cost-prohibitive to do things that way,” he said. “A laptop can be cumbersome, it’s not always convenient. The iPad works much like a book, you can press a link and go to a supporting document. This really helps the flow of understanding what is being presented.”

When you have a short amount of time to take into account a great amount of information and make a decision that affects so many students, the board felt that this is a way to save money and make the best of the information they receive.

“I think it’s really moving our leadership into the new age of technology,” Lewandowski said. “They [board members] really need to think in terms of the way our children are learning.”

By ordering everything at once, Apple was able to package a deal on top of the educational pricing that they already provide.

“The district hasn’t done leases like this before, but equity leases are common in a lot of different venues,” Lewandowski said. “It allows the district to budget years out. I really believe that things will work out and this will continue.”