A r c h i v e d  I n f o r m a t i o n

The need for this program is urgent. Newaygo County is one of the most rural, isolated and poor counties in Michigan, and almost half of its students live in poverty. The students of this county consistently score below state averages on the Michigan Educational Assessment Project (MEAP) in the fourth, seventh, and tenth grades. The consortium's program, which reaches over 9,000 students and their teachers, utilizes educational technologies and specialized program content designed specifically to help overcome these problems.

Specific objectives of the program include:

• Providing teachers and students access to network technology
  
• Increasing student achievement levels to state averages on standardized tests
  
• Giving parents and community members tools to assess student readiness for work
  
• Establishing a "single point of intake" system for County service agencies
  
• Creating a centralized data bank of student assessment tools and lesson plans for teachers
  
• Providing a county-wide profile of student achievement for use in professional development activities for teachers
  
• Creating electronic work groups where teachers collaborate to meet student needs
  
• Creating a delivery system for advanced courses in higher education
  
• Building an automated management system for teachers
  
• Establishing county-wide student outcomes in math, language arts, science, and social studies that conform to the Goals 2000 Act and the Michigan Core Curriculum for High School Graduation
  
• Creating new partnerships within the county that address educational and employment needs of area businesses.

The Fremont Area Foundation, the largest rural-based community foundation in Michigan, provides funding for the construction of the fiber optic network. The Gerber Companies Foundation provides support for the video distance learning component of the network. At appropriate locations throughout the county, the Newaygo County government provides network access points where members of the public who do not have access to computers can pursue personal interests, check their children's school records, and obtain access to County services.

As the program grows, every teacher in Newaygo County will be provided a personal classroom workstation, and there will be a minimum of four workstations in each class for student use. Each school will be provided two computer lab settings where large class projects can be conducted. Video transmissions of specialized courses and other educational support products will be delivered through a broadband CATV network. The school district is equipping classrooms, a broadcast studio and a video production facility to coordinate video distribution, maintain production archives, and capture educational programming via satellite.

The District has entered into an agreement with Western Michigan University to conduct an evaluation of this project. The evaluation uses a variety of techniques, such as test scores, portfolios, focus groups, and surveys, to collect information pertaining to the effectiveness of the program. Data on qualitative and quantitative measures are collected, and feedback information is made available to project staff and stakeholders about the strengths and limitations of the project. This information is used to ensure that revisions and improvements are made in programs and processes.

This project brings together a strong consortium of public, private, and nonprofit institutions to implement a comprehensive plan to improve the education process in a rural school district.

Consortium Partners

PROJECT DIRECTOR:

Dr. Larry Ivens
Director of Technology
Newaygo County Intermediate School District
4645 West 48th Street
Fremont, MI 49412

Telephone:

616-924-8838

Fax:

616-924-8817

E-mail:

dr_ivens@ncats.newaygo.mi.us

[Baltimore City Public Schools]

[Westside Community Schools]