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Anderson County Technology Assessment: Rural Anderson County, KY had the funding to upgrade its technology, but wanted to avoid the pitfalls of weak integration of technology into the school environment and academics. In a series of grants over two years, ISTE evaluators and consultants conducted a technology audit, identified needs, helped the district craft a professional development and technology assessment plan aligned with state standards, and then evaluated implementation of the plan.
Center for Applied Research in Educational Technology (CARET): ISTE's systematic literature reviews have brought ISTE's extensive, in-depth analyses of direction-setting research studies to bear on local and national policy decisions regarding current and emerging issues. CARET is not only a valuable online resource accessed by universities, regional education laboratories, and school districts, but has become the focus of ISTE conference workshops, presentations, and an article series in the organization's flagship journal.
Fallbrook Union Elementary School District: ISTE is currently providing external evaluation of Improving Learning through Educational Technology for Staff and Students (iLETSS), an Enhancing Education Through Technology (EETT) grant from the California Department of Education. iLETSS is a technology access and professional development project focused on; increasing students' use of technology as a tool to support meeting academic content standards, providing professional development to increase teacher proficiency in the use of technology as a tool for teaching and learning, increased teacher use of technology to support student achievement, expanding teacher access to technology tools, and using technology to improve collaboration between home, school, and community.
Global Connections: From 1998–2004, ISTE evaluated a federal Technology Innovation Challenge Grant that developed a comprehensive technology professional development program in Phoenix, AZ, high schools. ISTE helped the district establish an evaluation data set that tracks the relationship between professional development and teacher practice. ISTE also examined the relationship between student achievement and exposure to technology-using teachers.
Greater Oregon Title IIB Mathematics and Science Partnership Grant (GO Math): ISTE is currently assisting Oregon's Region 18 Education Service District (ESD18) with the evaluation of an innovating professional development program for mathematics teachers. Through intensive summer institutes and campus cadre training math teachers from rural schools throughout eastern Oregon explore math content and methods using the Annenberg/Corporation for Public Broadcasting "Learning Math" program. Teacher math learning will be assessed pre and post training using the ACT Compass online examination.
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Leading the Future: ISTE has been evaluating the state of Michigan's administrator training grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to Michigan Virtual University. Through site visits, training observations, and telephone interviews with building administrators across the state, ISTE has provided LTF with formative evaluation and outcome assessment on how grant-delivered training and technology has been received and has contributed to data-based educational decision making.
Loudoun County Public Schools: ISTE provided external evaluation services to the Loudoun County Public Schools (LCPS) Laptop Distribution Pilot during the 2003–2005 school years. This evaluation was intended to inform decisions about buying computer technology and using it for teaching and learning. Specifically, it compared implementations of an existing desktop-based computer plan in elementary, middle, and high schools with alternative approaches emphasizing mobile wireless laptops.
Oregon Technology in Education Network (OTEN): ISTE has contracted with Willamette University to provide external evaluation in a project in the U.S. Department of Education Teacher Quality Enhancement program.
OTEN is a network of six institutions of higher education and nine school districts in north and central Oregon. OTEN provides a systematic and recurring catalyst for new thinking, integrates technology into instruction at each of the four preparation phases included in the ISTE National Education Technology Standards for Teachers, nurtures innovative thinkers to become leaders, and provides technological and curricular support.
ISTE is helping the consortium evaluate the effects of mini-grants and other support for preservice teachers as they learn to create technology-enfused lessons.
Preparing Tomorrow's Teachers to Use Technology (PT3): From 1999–2004, ISTE has contracted for evaluations of five U.S. Department of Education PT3 grants at colleges and universities in Arizona, Idaho, Oregon, and Missouri. ISTE assessed changes in technology use by faculty, teacher trainees, and teacher mentors in partner schools districts. Instruments developed by ISTE for these evaluations have been incorporated into the assessment tools for the National Educational Technology Standards.
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