• The S.T.A.R.T.T. initiative is a program that provides each student and teacher at Springfield Middle School (SMS) an iBook for teaching and learning. Teachers have received training in the use of the computers and have access to software that has been integrated into the instructional methods at SMS. Students and teachers will have access to these computers 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

• The primary goal of the S.T.A.R.T.T. initiative is to increase student success at SMS. In addition, we hope to increase engagement at school, increase attendance, decrease behavior incidents and increase parent involvement along with student participation. All of these additional factors correlate with increased student success.

• Yes, the focus of this project is on student achievement and engaging students. There are a number of projects similar to this around the country that have had an impact. What we have seen from projects like the one in Henrico County Virginia is that test scores are positively affected. In talking with San Jose Unified School District, they have seen improvements in attendance and behavior.

• The S.T.A.R.T.T. initiative uses technology as the main delivery model for education. SMS is the first public school in Oregon to roll-out this innovative program that will place laptop computers in the hands of each student and teacher 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Other schools that have implemented initiatives like S.T.A.R.T.T. have shown increased student success.

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• S.T.A.R.T.T. addresses NCLB on a variety of levels, specifically because it is a research based program designed to engage all students. Other one-to-one initiatives have been shown to improve a variety of factors that measure school success according to NCLB. These factors include an increased attendance rate, a decrease in behavior problems and an increase in student participation and parent involvement, all of which lead to an increase in student success. In addition, the S.T.A.R.T.T. initiative uses site based staff development, as recommended by NCLB.

• A core recommendation of the S-QEM is to provide innovative research-based delivery models to engage all students. A one-to-one computing initiative was suggested as a possible delivery model to engage students in the learning process. Having the ability to use technology for learning, presentations and information gathering are critical student outcomes identified by the community.

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• Internal security on the student computers will help to manage what students will be able to do on the computers. Students will not have the ability to install software on their laptops. In addition, access to tools that allow for students to use the “chat” capabilities of the computers will be limited. As part of the student and parent training, clear guidelines will be presented on the acceptable use of the computers along with penalties for inappropriate use.

• We have asked other schools who have implemented similar programs and found that theft is not a real threat. Precautions have been taken to ensure that the loss of computers is minimized. Precautions include identification tags, working with the community and the Police Department to identify our computers, insurance and student/parent training.

• With the purchase of the computers, an extended 4-year Apple Product Protection plan was also purchased. The plan covers the repair of damaged computers. In addition, several spare computers were purchased. They will be provided as loaners to teachers and students while repairs are being made.

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• The S.T.A.R.T.T. initiative will cost approximately $300,000 annually. SPS has made a four year commitment to the program. The cost includes hardware (laptops, printers, digital cameras, etc.), software subscriptions, teacher training, the wireless network, insurance, on-site support and additional start-up costs.

• At the start of the 2004-2005 school year SMS became a Title I school and as a result, the school has access to additional Federal funding. The majority of the funding is provided through Title I Federal dollars. In addition to Federal funds, SPS will use some lottery, technology and textbook dollars to support the program. SPS is actively seeking other grants and outside funding resources, including Qualified Zone Academy Bonds (QZAB).

• The QZAB are Federal no interest bonds that can be used to help fund projects such as the S.T.A.R.T.T. initiative. In order to qualify for QZAB, SPS must have a business partner, in this case Apple computer, who is willing to fund 10% of the cost of the project. Repayment of these bonds can happen over the next 12 years. Prior to accepting QZAB funding, SPS will establish a plan to pay the bonds back using a number of sources including general fund dollars as well as other revenue sources.

• SMS is a pilot program and we will be evaluating its success. Assuming a positive outcome, we will be looking to expand the program into other schools. Recently, we applied for some Federal no-interest bond funding QZAB that could help to support the program growing to additional schools in the District

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• The SMS staff has had numerous staff development sessions beginning in August when they were given the laptops. Since then, they have had Apple representatives leading staff development days on multiple occasions. SMS also has 45 minutes each morning built into the schedule devoted to staff training led by teachers, the technology integration specialist and outside professionals. Staff development will be ongoing and is an especially important component of this initiative. We will employ the use of a site based staff development model to provide high quality and ongoing training opportunities.

• Students have been working on the OS X basics and keyboarding through computer electives and homerooms. We also held several student/parent education nights on the use and care of the laptops. After that, students will be learning to use the different software applications as part of the projects they will be working on in class. We anticipate that the students will catch on quickly – probably faster than staff!

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