Digital Partnership Grant Recipient 2016

This North Reading Public Schools was one of the fifteen recipients of the Digital Connections Partnership Schools Grant to fund a wired and wireless connectivity infrastructure project for its three elementary schools. The Digital Connections Initiative provides tools, assistance, and funding to bridge the digital divide that exists in some schools across the Commonwealth and looks to strengthen 21st century teaching and learning by providing enhanced connectivity to students through wired and wireless access. The initiative is a partnership between the Office of Digital Learning (ODL) within the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE), the Massachusetts Department of Information Technology (MassIT), and the nonprofit Education Super Highway (ESH). This grant provided the elementary schools the infrastructure to support student learning with technology and the ability to improve the efficiency and productivity of education in their schools through the use of technology.

This improved infrastructure supports student access to individualize rigorous digital learning experiences. The grant process enabled the district to describe its plan to ensure that North Reading educators and administrators have the knowledge and skills to develop and implement digital learning curricula and maximize taxpayer value. The grant also required that the North Reading Public Schools provide specific strategies to provide students increased access to information technology and provide their plan for scaling digital tools and resources. This grant greatly enhances the learning opportunities for the entire elementary community.

Benefits Of The Digital Partnership Grant For North Reading Public Schools

Enhanced connectivity will bring the benefits of the cloud-based learning resources and tools into all elementary classrooms. Our teachers look forward to a level of connectivity which will enable them to streamline student learning with resources like Google Classroom, Chrome Web Apps and online collaboration tools.

● Students will continue to benefit from the current use of digital assessments utilized within our district. This includes the I-Ready diagnostic and MCAS 2.0 Computer-Based Tests.

● Teachers are enabled to create more dynamic experiences for students with increased access to a wireless connection in all classrooms to create projects, find learning resources, and connect with the world beyond their classroom.

● As a #GoOpen district, the district will be better positioned to supplement student learning with high-quality online content. This content is best delivered digitally and targeted to support courses moving to digital formats. Empowering students to take ownership of their learning through the access of resources and their ability to create on their devices supports the higher goals and missions of the North Reading Public Schools. When students have access to technology on a 24/7 basis they also have access to the resources that can empower them to learn in any environment at any time.

For more information please contact:
Daniel Downs, Ed.D.
Director Of Digital Learning
ddowns@nrpsk12.org