Cape board gets update on laptops, approves district tax rate

The Cape Girardeau School Board approved the district tax rate for 2014-2015 and got a technology update at a special meeting Monday.

The board unanimously approved a tax rate of $4.1567 per $100 of assessed valuation. The total tax rate is unchanged from last year. A tax rate hearing was last week.

This year's budget is $53,353,071.

Instructional technology specialist Ron Farrow told board members he has been pleased with the continuing rollout of convertible laptop devices at Central High School, and this year's at Central Junior High School.

High-school teachers are catching on to the technology, after using the devices for a semester, and junior high instructors have taken to them right away. Farrow said he thinks the junior high has the advantage of seeing what worked and what didn't at the high school before getting their computers.

Farrow also conducted tech academies this summer to help teachers grasp their many instructional uses.

At the high school, teachers are setting instructional goals and Farrow said he's been "amazed" at the learning strategies he's seen used at the junior high.

Farrow said he's seen evidence that the 1:1 program has:

• Improved direct instruction;
• Increased the use of formative assessments. Formative assessments, or diagnostic testing, are formal and informal assessments teachers use to figure out ways to improve student learning.
• Increased use of data analysis to drive instruction;
• Increased teachers' ability to differentiate instruction;
• Increased student engagement;
• And increased access to resources and support.

Farrow said the computers are now housed in sturdier cases, which should play a "huge role" in protecting them from damage. Junior high students also attended an orientation night where Farrow talked about how to keep the device safe, which depends on keeping it away from drinks, animals and younger siblings.

There have been some issues with offline access to some electronic textbooks. Farrow said the district wants to make sure it provides equitable access to offline materials that people can download. Many district e-books provide this, but some new ones don't, so the district hopes to provide options in those cases.

Some glitches also have been seen with LanSchool, a classroom management and monitoring tool, so the technology department is working with LanSchool to iron those out. The software allows teachers to lock students into certain websites they want the students to be using, and lets them monitor students in real time, even if they're looking at their desktops or a Microsoft document, for example, Farrow said.

With board member and staff participation, he demonstrated Kahoot, one of the tools teachers are using to help track how students are doing. Questions are put up on a screen and the faster a student chimes in with the correct answer, the more points they get. Afterward, students get to rate the quiz on whether it was fun; thumbs up or down for learning; and whether they would recommend it, for example.

rcampbell@semissourian.com

388-3639

Pertinent address:

301 N. Clark Ave., Cape Girardeau, Mo.