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District continues with rollout of 1:1 initiative
  
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By VALERIE JONES
Each student in Klein ISD will have their very own laptop. Well that’s the direction in which the district is headed, thanks to its 1:1 initiative.
With the initiative, each student will be given a tablet PC that can be used at home as well as in the classroom.
The initiative, funded by the 2004 and 2008 bonds, began in 2006 with the Vistas High School program being first to receive the laptops, followed by Krimmel Intermediate School, Klein Oak High School and most recently Klein Forest High School.
“This is an opportunity to give students access to technology 24 hours a day, seven days a week,” said Trazanna Moreno, KISD associate superintendent for community relations. “Research shows that access to resources such as these improves attendance and behavior. Also, providing access to technology helps level the playing field for all students.”
Moreno said the long-term goal is to phase-in the computers at every school, but how long that will take depends upon how it will be funded.
“Many variables will affect this, including availability of funding, the economy and costs associated with purchasing the technology,” Moreno said.
The order of which schools will receive computers first hasn’t been determined yet, Moreno said, but overall need and the percentage of at-risk students at a campus would be factors.
“We began with Vistas High School program as a pilot because it was our smallest school site and we thought it was a good location to test and implement the program,” Moreno said. “Then we went to Krimmel Intermediate, which was a newly constructed school, because it was an opportunity to create a 1:1 program from scratch at a brand-new school. Because Krimmel feeds into Klein Oak High School, Klein Oak was chosen as the next phase of the 1:1 campus implementation. And Klein Forest High School was chosen next because geographically it provided an opportunity to serve another area of the district.”
Moreno said the district plans on focusing the rollout at the remaining high school campuses next, with Klein Collins scheduled to receive laptops in 2010, followed by Klein High School.
“High schools are our first priority because beginning in 2011, ninth-graders will have to take their end-of-course exams online,” she said. “We don’t want our students to “High schools are our first priority because beginning in 2011, ninth-graders will have to take their end-of-course exams online,” she said. “We don’t want our students to have to take a high-stakes test without solid experience working in that type of environment.”have to take a high-stakes test without solid experience working in that type of environment.”
The district has seven Title I schools, but none of them are high schools. Moreno said though Title I status could play a role in determining the order for the remainder of the rollout, it would not be the driving force.
With the initiative, each student will be given a tablet PC that can be used at home as well as in the classroom.
The initiative, funded by the 2004 and 2008 bonds, began in 2006 with the Vistas High School program being first to receive the laptops, followed by Krimmel Intermediate School, Klein Oak High School and most recently Klein Forest High School.
“This is an opportunity to give students access to technology 24 hours a day, seven days a week,” said Trazanna Moreno, KISD associate superintendent for community relations. “Research shows that access to resources such as these improves attendance and behavior. Also, providing access to technology helps level the playing field for all students.”
Moreno said the long-term goal is to phase-in the computers at every school, but how long that will take depends upon how it will be funded.
“Many variables will affect this, including availability of funding, the economy and costs associated with purchasing the technology,” Moreno said.
The order of which schools will receive computers first hasn’t been determined yet, Moreno said, but overall need and the percentage of at-risk students at a campus would be factors.
“We began with Vistas High School program as a pilot because it was our smallest school site and we thought it was a good location to test and implement the program,” Moreno said. “Then we went to Krimmel Intermediate, which was a newly constructed school, because it was an opportunity to create a 1:1 program from scratch at a brand-new school. Because Krimmel feeds into Klein Oak High School, Klein Oak was chosen as the next phase of the 1:1 campus implementation. And Klein Forest High School was chosen next because geographically it provided an opportunity to serve another area of the district.”
Moreno said the district plans on focusing the rollout at the remaining high school campuses next, with Klein Collins scheduled to receive laptops in 2010, followed by Klein High School.
“High schools are our first priority because beginning in 2011, ninth-graders will have to take their end-of-course exams online,” she said. “We don’t want our students to “High schools are our first priority because beginning in 2011, ninth-graders will have to take their end-of-course exams online,” she said. “We don’t want our students to have to take a high-stakes test without solid experience working in that type of environment.”have to take a high-stakes test without solid experience working in that type of environment.”
The district has seven Title I schools, but none of them are high schools. Moreno said though Title I status could play a role in determining the order for the remainder of the rollout, it would not be the driving force.
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