Ozona, the county seat and only town in Crockett County, is on Interstate Highway 10 and State Highway 163, midway between Houston and El Paso and 100 miles north of the Texas-Mexico border. Crockett County Consolidated Common School District (CCCCSD) is the county’s only public educational school district. CCCCSD serves an estimated student population of 730 students.
The district is a Title 1 district with nearly 70% economically disadvantaged students, 10% special education students, and 16% emergent bilingual/English learners. While the district is diverse in student population, its student enrollment is 75% Hispanic, 24% white, and then small percentages of African American, American Indian, and Asian. The district is also located 80 miles from the nearest major city, San Angelo, Texas.
The purpose for this needs assessment is to identify the current standing of technology within the district by examining areas such as policies, current and future device use, strengths and weaknesses, and areas needing improvement through interviews with Superintendent Raul Chavarria, Network Administrator Lucinda Chavarria, Federal Programs Director Janina Savala, and Ozona High School Principal Laurie Norrell. Each person that was interviewed has some responsibility for the technology needs at CCCCSD.
The data for this CCCCSD needs assessment was collected from interviews with Superintendent Raul Chavarria, Network Administrator Lucinda Chavarria, Ozona High School Principal Laurie Norrell, and Federal Programs Director Janina Savala, as well as information from the CCCCSD website through the district improvement plan, acceptable use policy, and Chromebook use agreement.
Unfortunately, the district does not have a current technology plan that specifically discusses strengths, weaknesses, and goals for technology within the district. The district has undergone changes in technology personnel, as well as a massive construction project in building a new high school and administration building, in the past three years.
Since the COVID-19 pandemic, the district has purchased Google Chromebooks for all students in third through 12th grades, as well as iPads for the Pre-K through second grade classrooms, making CCCCSD a 1:1 school district. Teachers have also received updated laptops and iPads as well. The data for this assessment will review the district’s strengths and weaknesses, as well as highlight needs within certain areas.
When the COVID-19 pandemic hit, CCCCSD, like many other school districts, was thrust into the world of online learning in a quick way. The school district hurriedly acquired Google Chromebooks for students and set up hotspots outside the school buildings for students without internet access. The district was able, thanks to teachers, staff, and parents, to get 100 percent of the seniors graduated that year, as well as a majority of students caught up on work to move on to the next grade level.
The small, very rural, school district managed to pull together to get the school year finished. However, like many districts, it was not fully prepared for a full online learning experience. Now, the district has increased its use of technology by becoming a 1:1 district with Google Chromebooks and iPads.
Technology training was implemented during the 2020-2021 school year to help teachers navigate Google Classroom. The elementary school started using the Class DoJo app to communicate with parents.
CCCCSD is a 1:1 district where students in grades third through 12th each have their own issued Google Chromebooks. Students in Pre-K through second grades use iPad in classrooms. Teachers utilize Google Classroom for class assignments and announcements, as well as the Remind app and SportsU app to communicate with students. English Language Learners have access to Rosetta Stone and Summit K-12 learning software. All students have access to Lexia reading software, as well as IXL software for core subjects. Teachers also use programs, such as EdPuzzle, Blooket, Kahoot, Canva, and Major Clarity career training for students on assignments.
All parents in CCCCSD, and high school students, have access to the Ascender Parent and Student Portals to check grades and attendance. Elementary school parents have access to the Class Dojo app. All teachers also have G2 smart televisions in each classroom to utilize with students.
“In an instructional setting, it is often inappropriate to provide choice of the learning objective itself, but it is often appropriate to offer choices in how that objective can be reached, in the context for achieving the objective, in the tools or supports available, and so forth. Offering learners choices can develop self-determination, pride in accomplishment, and increase the degree to which they feel connected to their learning. However, it is important to note that individuals differ in how much and what kind of choices they prefer to have. It is therefore not enough to simply provide choice. The right kind of choice and level of independence must be optimized to ensure engagement,” (CAST. Universal Design for Learning Guidelines version 2.2., 2018).
Right now, the district feels secure in their infrastructure to maintain technology usage. The plan for devices is to update Chromebooks and iPads every 3-5 years. Technology funding is an issue, as the district is a Chapter 41 “property wealthy” district that must send half of its maintenance and operating budget to the state each year. Therefore, the district only budgets about $267,000 per year for technology. The Career Technology Education Budget is around $1.3 million. Technology is expensive, and ever-changing, making it hard for the small school district to keep up at times. Federal funding and grants also come with lots of stipulations and guidelines that make it sometimes difficult to distribute it to needs. Because of this, the district often relies on bonds to help upgrade and purchase new technology. Bonds have to be passed by the voters of the school district, so they are not a guaranteed source of revenue. This is why the district has to be strategic on what technology needs are important.
The district also has about 20 students that do not have internet access at home. Federal Programs Director Janina Savala said the district is currently working on purchasing a hotspot in order to understand how it works. That way the district can purchase more in the future to offer students who do not have internet access at home.
All three Ozona School Campuses need updated bell and speaker systems for school security. The difference in building structure makes this difficult since the three campuses are located in different parts of the town, and the campuses have both older and newer buildings and facilities. This is a need in order to maintain a high level of school security on all campuses. Currently, administrators and teachers trained in the district’s Guardian Program have handheld radios they use, but a more streamlined communication system is needed on all campuses.
Currently, any technology training, or professional development, for teachers and staff in educational technology comes from the Region 15 Education Service Center in San Angelo, Texas. The service center does offer both in-person and online training, paid for by the center and school district. The district’s technology does offer training in how to use devices and some software at the beginning of the school year and will help with 1:1 training as requested, but there isn’t anything in house or any time set aside for educational software or instruction training. Federal Programs Director Janina Savala said at least one time each year teachers are provided training through DMAC, but that is an area of improvement needed for the district.
Also, when asked about how the district implements digital citizenship skills, two of the administrators didn’t know how to answer that question. Digital citizenship training is needed for all teachers and staff in the school district. While the district does require teachers to attend regular professional development, there is no emphasis, or requirements, that those trainings pertain to technology integration or educational technology. This would be a goal needed for the district to provide proper technology integration training for staff, teachers, and administrators.
Region 15 Education Service Center in San Angelo, Texas is the district’s filtering service to keep large risks at bay, or lets the district know how to avoid risks. The district also utilizes a cybersecurity firm called Securly to monitor email and server systems. Securly provides reports every so often to principals for flagged internet use and emails the technology personnel for flagged use every day. The cybersecurity firm manages devices updated through the Region 15 Education Service Center Internet Service and are updated every two weeks at night.
CCCCSD has an acceptable use policy for all students and staff members that covers the use of any kind of technology throughout the school district. This policy covers the types of devices that can be used, authorized users, appropriate use of technology, inappropriate use, digital citizenship policies, cyberbullying, copyright infringement, email and communication for students and staff, and consequences if the policy is violated. Students and staff must review and sign this policy at the beginning of each school year. The district also has a very detailed Chromebook use agreement for parents and students to review and sign at the beginning of each school year, including fines if Chromebooks are lost, stolen, or damaged.
Many of the district’s educational resources are accessed through technology, including textbooks, lesson plans, curriculum, and assignments. However, there are some teachers that still use hardback textbooks in classes. The district utilizes TEKS Resource System for instructional alignment, as well as STAAR/EOC Released Tests and Study Guides, DMAC, Science and Social Studies Journals, Lexia, Read Naturally, IXL, Do the Math, Rosetta Stone, Summit K-12, MAPS testing software, and Cambium online testing software for STAAR/EOC testing.
The school district has two highly qualified staff members to take care of all technology hardware troubleshooting needs. The staff also aid in software usage and analytics to maintain that the district is using the software correctly. However, they primarily take care of technology hardware and troubleshooting help. There is not anyone employed in the district to really oversee, or train staff, in how to use educational technology software and programs in the classroom. Since the district is small, and tight on funding at times, one idea would be to identify teachers on each campus that would be willing to help train, or oversee this, for a stipend. This would be great peer-to-peer training and beneficial for all staff. CCCCSD’s rural location makes it hard to find replacement staff. If one of the two staff members leaves, finding a replacement could be difficult because of the small, rural location of the community.
Strengths
- Administrators, teachers, and staff all work hard to ensure students are successful within the school district.
- The culture within the district is positive and supportive.
- Ozona, as a community, is also incredibly supportive of the school district as seen by a series of bonds passed in the last few years, including one for a new high school building.
- While the district is small, and in a rural location, it does have adequate access to devices and has quickly become a 1:1 district.
- Students and staff also have lots of choices when it comes to learning software, making the district aware of universal learning for all students.
- Cybersecurity is a strong priority for the district as well, with access to the Region 15 Education Service Center and Securly.
- Polices for acceptable use and Chromebook usage are also very detailed for staff, students, and parents.
- The small technology staff is also able to take care of most of the pressing needs within the district.
Weaknesses
- Funding, planning, training, and infrastructure are the greatest barriers the district is facing.
- A streamlined bell and speaker system for all schools is blocked by building structure issues.
- The district must rely heavily on bonds to upgrade and replace technology, which must be passed by voters.
- While the district has been successful with bonds, that does not mean the trend will continue.
- The lack of home internet for 20 students is a main issue that needs to be addressed quickly.
- With a plan in the works, hopefully the district can get that issue resolved soon.
- While teachers have access to multiple devices and software, there is no required training to teach them how to best use these items in the classroom.
- The district also lacks a technology plan to set goals and visions for the future.
(n.d.). Crockett County Consolidated Common School District. Crockett County Consolidated Common School District. Retrieved April 14, 2024, from https://www.ozonaschools.net/