Springfield Local Schools
District Information
Why did the district create such a program to utilize students as technology support staff?
What technology support do students provide to the district? (e.g. software, hardware, website creation or maintenance, etc.)
How long has the project been in effect?
Did another district's student tech program influence the way you modeled your program? If so, which district.
What resources or policies were necessary to start up and maintain the program? (i.e. funding, human resources, board approval, ect.)
What are the goals of the program?
How much did it cost to create the program? Please itemize costs and expenditures in an Appendix.
How much does it cost annually to maintain the program? Please itemize costs and expenditures in an Appendix.
How many students have participated in the program to date?
How many students are participating in the program this school year?
Do students work during or outside school hours? Please detail.
Are students paid for their work? If so, how much per hour and how are they funded? If students are not paid, do they receive credit as a course?
What grade level(s) are students who participate in the program?
Is your student technical program integrated with your district curriculum? How?
How have you solved logistical problems (matching student/teacher schedules, transportation between buildings, etc) so that students can do work where it is needed?
How and by whom are students trained to be able to support district technology?
What training and reference materials are provided to the student participants?
How many technical support staff (non-student) are employed by the district? Describe the role of each.
What lessons has the district learned during the program? Include strengths, weaknesses and obstacles encountered.
What process and instruments are used to evaluate the effectiveness of the program?
How is cost-effectiveness of the program determined? What information has been gathered to date showing the cost-effectiveness of the program? Include samples.
Why does your district believe that it is has a model for other districts to implement?
Describe the type of product(s) you anticipate creating to communicate to all districts your program? (e.g. website, CD Rom, video, etc.)
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District Information
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| District name: |
Springfield Local Schools
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| District IRN: |
50062
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| Contact Person: |
Ms. Marilyn Croskey
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| Contact Person Title: |
Technology Coordinator
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| Contact Person Address: |
2960 Sanitarium Road
Akron, OH 44312
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| Contact Person Phone: |
330.794.0200
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| Contact Person Fax: |
330.784.5838
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| Contact Person email: |
sp_croskey@neonet.k12.oh.us
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| Requested Funding Amount: |
$10,000.00 |
| District Size: |
1,501 to 6,000 Students |
| Grades Involved: |
9 10 11 12
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| Project Artifact: |
PDF |
| Dates of Presentation: |
| Presentation One: |
Location:
Portage / Summit Rotary
Date:
2/12/2002 |
| Presentation Two: |
Location:
Celebrate Learning, Akron OH
Date:
5/3/2002 |
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Why did the district create such a program to utilize students as technology support staff?
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Springfield Local Schools was part of a Challenge Grant Consortium with our Educational Service Center. We created a Technical Work Experience (TWE) program as a component of that grant which ends this school year. Currently our District is in Fiscal Emergency; the state has taken control of budget expenditures and is not approving spending outlays. TWE is such a success that the district is hoping to continue the program with local funds pending state approval.
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What technology support do students provide to the district? (e.g. software, hardware, website creation or maintenance, etc.)
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TWE students are responsible for attending training sessions, setting up the hardware and networks, troubleshooting and repairing and upgrading the hardware, installing and supporting software. They are a technical resource for teachers, students, and the community. Finally the TWE students create and maintain the district web site. Veteran TWE workers mentor first year employees. TWE services are invaluable to the staff and administrators.
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How long has the project been in effect?
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The TWE program is it's the fifth year.
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Did another district's student tech program influence the way you modeled your program? If so, which district.
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Our Challenge Grant Consortium with Summit County Education Service Center was comprised of eighteen districts. The member districts met monthly to develop and coordinate a training program for the TWE participants. Our program as it exists today is a culmination of all the districts input.
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What resources or policies were necessary to start up and maintain the program? (i.e. funding, human resources, board approval, ect.)
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Funding for the TWE program was allocated from the County ESC Challenge Grant. The board passed a resolution approving the TWE program. A TWE coordinator was approved and given a stipend from the grant money. Students apply for positions in the TWE program. Each applicant must successfully complete the interview process. The Board of Education then hires the TWE students.
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What are the goals of the program?
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The goals of TWE are to:
- create a local program staffed by high school students, managed by an adult coordinator, that will result in acceptable and affordable support for users (students, teachers, parents, community) of instructional technology.
- increase and enhance technical education, career training, and new work experiences of high school students.
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How much did it cost to create the program? Please itemize costs and expenditures in an Appendix.
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This field appears as an appendix in the PDF
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How much does it cost annually to maintain the program? Please itemize costs and expenditures in an Appendix.
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This field appears as an appendix in the PDF
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How many students have participated in the program to date?
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Springfield Local Schools has had twenty students participate in the five years that the program has been in existence. Students commit for at least two years. Thirteen of the TWE students participated for three or more years.
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How many students are participating in the program this school year?
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There are six TWE employees for the 2001-2002 school year. Two of the students are veteran participants. Four members are new to the program this year.
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Do students work during or outside school hours? Please detail.
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Students work after school. Our high school is released one hour earlier than the elementary schools. TWE employees go to the buildings right after school. The teachers are still available to talk to the TWE students about questions or concerns.
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Are students paid for their work? If so, how much per hour and how are they funded? If students are not paid, do they receive credit as a course?
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The students are paid on a sliding scale. First year employees are paid $5.50 an hour. Each subsequent year that they are in the program they receive a $.75 raise. The funding historically was from the Challenge Grant.
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What grade level(s) are students who participate in the program?
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Students in grade 9 - 12 are eligible to participate in the program.
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Is your student technical program integrated with your district curriculum? How?
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Our program is extra-curricular. TWE students do not receive credit.
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How have you solved logistical problems (matching student/teacher schedules, transportation between buildings, etc) so that students can do work where it is needed?
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Students without transportation are permitted to ride the school bus to the other buildings. They must have parental permission and TWE Coordinator permission. Parents pick them up from their assigned building at the end of the work period. There is one TWE Coordinator for the District. That person oversees the entire program. He is responsible for training, assigning the TWE employee to a building and assigning routine maintenance, and software installation. Each building has a building Tech Rep. The building Tech Rep keeps track of problems, questions, and concerns in a TWE notebook. When the TWE participant enters the building he checks in with the building Tech Rep and gets the TWE notebook. Problems in the notebook are addressed and teachers' questions are answered. The district has a link on its WebPages for TWE employees with downloads, networking information, and various computer specific information. The TWE employee has phone access to the TWE Coordinator at all times.
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How and by whom are students trained to be able to support district technology?
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TWE students are trained by the District TWE Coordinator in district specific information. The veteran TWE employees mentor the new students. The new employees start out shadowing the experienced TWE employees. As the new hire becomes more comfortable they work together. Once the new employee is confident, he can handle a building on his own. The mentoring employee and the TWE District Coordinator are available to help should there be any questions or concerns. Our local DAsite provides higher level training and platform specific troubleshooting skills. We contract for their tech specialist to host the training sessions.
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What training and reference materials are provided to the student participants?
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In addition to on-site training, and DAsite training, students are given an Element K account. Each TWE participant also receives a toolkit. We maintain a TWE page on our school website that has relevant information. It contains troubleshooting tips, links to sites to download information, updates, and PDF files of logs, work reports, and timesheets.
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How many technical support staff (non-student) are employed by the district? Describe the role of each.
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There is a District Coordinator who oversees and coordinates the entire program. Her responsibilities includes budgeting, hiring employees, providing district specific training, scheduling employees for training and work, communicating with building tech reps, evaluating employees and overseeing the shadowing program. Each building has a building tech rep whose responsibility is to keep the TWE notebook and communicate with the TWE student. The DAsite Tech Specialist provides specialized training sessions.
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What lessons has the district learned during the program? Include strengths, weaknesses and obstacles encountered.
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Students with the most knowledge are not necessarily the best employees. The most important quality is responsibility and a willingness to learn. We had an instance where a teacher (who had had the TWE student in class) tried to make the TWE student reveal a password. That put the student in an awkward position. We have since tried to have the students go to buildings where they did not go to school.
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What process and instruments are used to evaluate the effectiveness of the program?
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Students complete two written evaluations a year to critique the effectiveness of the training. The evaluations are then utilized to determine how the instruction will be revised. The TWE employees complete a log in the notebook after every work session detailing what was completed that evening. The District TWE Coordinator meets with the Building Tech Reps quarterly to discuss the log, student progress, concerns and growth. (Building Tech Reps have direct access to the District TWE Coordinator through Email or cell phone should there be a problem that requires immediate concern.) The TWE Coordinator then meets with TWE employees to discuss the employee's development.
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How is cost-effectiveness of the program determined? What information has been gathered to date showing the cost-effectiveness of the program? Include samples.
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This field appears as an appendix in the PDF
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Why does your district believe that it is has a model for other districts to implement?
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Our district's TWE program has been one of the most successful programs in the consortium. Our district has a program that is beneficial to the students as well as the district. We have been able to keep all of the equipment available for instructional use without a huge monetary expenditure. Another aspect that is just as important is that we have been able to provide our students with skills that prepare them for the world of work. TWE students have found a sense of self worth from being in the program. One of our former employees, an at-risk student who was considering dropping out of school, has gone on to the Navy specializing in computers. Another former employee is currently studying Computer Engineering at College. All of our former employees are either going to college or are employed full time in a technology-related field.
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Describe the type of product(s) you anticipate creating to communicate to all districts your program? (e.g. website, CD Rom, video, etc.)
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We plan to continue to have all of our information accessible on the school website. We would be willing to give you the information to upload or provide a link to our URL. We will also make CDs available with the training information. Our TWE employees would be willing to host a listserve so that ASSIST participants can contact each other with questions and concerns. The listserve would also facilitate communication and collaboration among students with similar interests. Springfield's TWE employees and the District Coordinator will act as a resource for the program at the regional or state conference.
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