Chariho County Schools
HOMEPAGE

1. Implementation of Technology

We are a K-4 elementary public school. Hope Valley is one of four elementary schools in the Chariho Regional School District. Please see Hope Valley Elementary School Web Page for profile, belief statements, and objectives. We implement technology in every grade level, in every subject area. Our work reflects broad-based use of technology from electronic information gathering emphasizing information literacy skills, all the way through to the formal product/project presentation. Through inquiry based research, students are developing more advanced questioning techniques and asking essential questions that lead to every more research and inquiry and a deeper understanding of the subject matter.

The Chariho District Web Site provides access to curriculum resources, school web pages, classroom pages, and student work. It has evolved over the past three years of its existence and reflects the district's increasing implementation of technology. Quality of student work using technology is evident through their contributions toward developing award-winning websites:

• Sands of the World: awarded TechCorps, WNET, and recognized in Classroom Connect Magazine, March, 1999
• "Internet Sites for Kids"is indexed by several other school web pages in the state as a summary resource site for child-oriented search engines. Twelve outside websites throughout the country index Hope Valley School's web site. EduChoice Award for providing outstanding educational material on the web. Tech Corps (a cooperative association of commercial and educational interests) will showcase this site at its Web Nite 2.0 in June.

2. Wide Area Networking and Local Area Networking:

Rhode Island's RINET provides connectivity to all teaching professionals in the state, with the cost of service assessed to the various school districts. Through RINET, teachers have internet and email services. Locally, the Chariho Regional School district operates its own server, and affords connectivity to all schools in the district. Every professional and para-professional has an email account. Buildings are networked, and every elementary classroom has a pentium computer connected to the network. Teachers who participated in the RITTI program have laptop computers, which also can access this network.

3. Preliminary Evaluative Work of Hope Valley Elementary School:

• Information Works School and District Achievement and Performance Reports data based on standardized testing indicates that students at Hope Valley performed better than expected given demographic indicators.
• 1998 SALT Report for Hope Valley Elementary School.
• 1999 SALT Visit Report(not yet published) cited exemplary integration of technology into the curriculum at Hope Valley School. In this SALT report, the Hope Valley web site was described as an exemplary source of information for parents, teachers, and community
• Teacher observation has found that technology has motivated and excited students, even those who previously disliked school work or were indifferent. Students have been forced to employ higher order thinking skills in evaluating and utilizing the information they encounter.

4. Timeline for Technology Implementation:

• District Technology Plan 1993
• District Technology Initiative Phase I, June 30, 1996
• District Technology Initiative Phase II, June 30, 1997
• Champlin Grant June 1998
• District Technology Initiative Phase III, June 30, 1998
• District Technology Curriculum 1999 is in the final stages of approval. It reflects current practice as well as prescribes additional and continual technology integration. Will serve as basis for evaluation of programs beginning September 1999.

5. Professional Development:

Staff needs assessment area of technology training has been done annually for the past three years. Workshops conducted by district staff, mostly RITTI trained, and financed through RITTI grants and district funds, have addressed every topic in which teachers felt they needed training. Impetus for wanting more training comes from seeds planted by RITTI, and it drives that training to a point where teachers increasingly progress as they realize the potential impact of technology in education.