RUNNING HEAD: 1 To 1 Chromebook Initiative

1 To 1 Chromebook Initiative for 3rd-5th Grade Students

Project Design Document
Tricia Barton, Joshua Petty
August 5, 2014

RUNNING HEAD: 1 To 1 Chromebook Initiative

Table of Contents

Executive Summary ...3

Background ..5
Stakeholders 6
Needs Assessment 9
Goals ..11
Description ...12
Planning, Timeline, and Budget .......14
Acceptable Use Policy .......17
Professional Development Plan ..21
Evaluation ..21
References and Resources ..23

RUNNING HEAD: 1 To 1 Chromebook Initiative

Executive Summary
Kaneland CUSD#302 is a small to medium size rural suburban K12 school
district in western Kane county in Illinois. Administration and school board members
prioritize competitive and modern practices, including keeping up with best practices in
pedagogy and technology initiatives. A 1 to 1 initiative for third through fifth grade
students has been a topic of serious discussion for several years among all stakeholder
groups to enhance student learning and comply with changing local and state
assessments.
Based on meetings with administrators and feedback from the elementary
district Operations Committee (OC) and Academic Advisory Committee (AAC) which
represents each building and grade level, as well as Kaneland being a GAFE (Google
Apps For Education) district, Chromebooks have been chosen as the intermediate 1 to
1 device. Samsung Chromebooks are compliant with the PARCC tech specs and the
district infrastructure, and have a slightly longer battery life and slightly larger display
than other models which appealed to the OC and AAC. Also, all elementary schools
have at least one cart of Chromebooks purchased Spring 2014 that can be repurposed
to 1 to 1 devices.
Each student in grades three through five in Kaneland CUSD #302 will be issued
Samsung Chromebook for school use during the school year from the district by SY1617. By SY16-17, each student in grades three through five in Kaneland CUSD #302 will
pass training in proper handling and digital citizenship and safety to the satisfaction of
the building based computer education teacher and assigned classroom teacher before

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being allowed to take the device off of school property. Each classroom teacher
assigned to grades three through five in Kaneland CUSD #302 must participate in
training and sign an addendum to the acceptable use policy (AUP) before roll out of the
devices to his or her students during SY14-15, SY15-16, and SY16-17. Each school will
increase technical support personnel at Phase 2 and Phase 3 of the device roll out plan
from .5 FTE to 1.0 FTE by the beginning of the SY16-17 school year. During each year
of the Chromebook initiative the needed funding for each phase will be secured at the
June School Board budget voting meeting. During Phase 2 and Phase 3 of the initiative
staff involved in the previous phase will assist in building level training and
troubleshooting for teachers new to the initiative by mentoring, modeling, and
contributing to a handbook for use housed on the districts Google drive.
At least one custodial parent or guardian of each student in grades three through
five who is assigned a Chromebook must have attended an informational meeting and
signed an addendum to the AUP before roll out of the devices to his or her students
during SY14-15, SY15-16, and SY16-17. For liability and cost management, an
addendum to the student AUP as well as record of parent contact for each student
taking a device off school property will be kept on record at each school.

Background

According to the district overview on the Kaneland CUSD #302 website (D302, n.d.):
District 302 was formed July 1, 1948 as a part of the nation-wide trend

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to consolidate rural and other small school districts into larger more
modern entities capable of offering more comprehensive programs and
services. The district is a unit school district, which means that it
services students from preschool through high school. The district
encompasses 140 square miles in southwestern Kane County and is at
the western edge of the Fox River Valley. Within its boundaries are all
or parts of the incorporated Villages of Aurora, Cortland, Elburn,
Kaneville, Maple Park, Montgomery, North Aurora, Sugar Grove and
Virgil. Also included are two area codes, eleven zip codes, all or part of
eight townships and nineteen voter precincts. The district is governed
by a seven-member elected Board of Education. No more than three
board members can be from the same township. Board members
receive no monetary compensation for their service.

The District operates six schools: Blackberry Creek and John Stewart
Elementary Schools in Elburn; McDole Elementary School in
Montgomery; John Shields Elementary and Harter Middle School in
Sugar Grove; and Kaneland High School in Maple Park. Kaneland High
School also houses the Fox Valley Career Center within the high
school, which gives District 302's students access to several career and
technical programs without having to travel to another site.
Because Kaneland covers a wide array of communities, even though the
communities are demographically very similar, there can be friction especially between
northern and southern communities with different priorities for the future of education in

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Kaneland. This diversity has resulted in district administration working diligently to

ensure equitable and similar educational experiences throughout the district for all
students through clearly communicated leadership. For at least the last twenty years
administration and school board members have prioritized competitive and modern
practices, including keeping up with best practices in pedagogy and technology
initiatives. A 1 to 1 initiative has been a topic of serious discussion for several years
among all stakeholder groups.

Stakeholders:
1. Students in third, fourth, and fifth grades;
Kaneland is a small to moderate size rural suburban school district in western
Kane county. Kaneland students demographically are 82% white and 11% Hispanic or
Latino, with African American, Asian, and multi-racial students comprising the remaining
7%. The poverty rate among students is 17%. The average class size is 25 students.
69% of students in third, fourth, and fifth grades are meeting or exceeding state
standards based on the 2013-2013 ISAT scores (new cut scores). The student mobility
rate is approximately 25%.
2. Classroom teachers in third, fourth, and fifth grades;
Teacher experience ranges from 1 year to over 30 years. The average
experience is around 10 years. Approximately 60% of teachers have a masters degree.
Teachers are encouraged to seek out best practices through personal growth plans and
professional learning communities both within the building and district and farther afield.
Teachers are in general open to implementing new technologies in their classrooms.
There are approximately 2-5 early adopters in each building, typically highly respected

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by their peers and trusted to assist others in trying new ideas. For the 2014-15 school
year two stipend positions have been created for each building for a classroom teacher
to also fill the role of technology coach to model and support other teachers in
incorporating technology in their classrooms in effective ways.
3. Building administrators;
Building administrators represent a range of experience from 2 to 15 years in an
administrative position. The comfort with existing and new technology as well as
knowledge of technology from a user and management perspective also varies widely.
Currently there is one building principal at each of the four schools and 3 assistant
principals.
4. Building library resource center directors;
Kaneland currently has only one library resource center director for all four
elementary schools. That position has been historically leaned on heavily for technology
support and teacher training, and even though the time is limited at each building is the
position is still used for training support and integrated student lessons.
5. Building computer education teachers;
Each building has 1.0 FTE computer education teacher. Students in kindergarten
through grade 5 spend 30 minutes to 1 hour each rotation in a computer class as a
special class similar to art, music, and physical education. The computer education
teachers are highly qualified, but because of their schedules their time to work with
teachers during the school day or with classes that are not scheduled into the rotation is
extremely limited. Often during new initiatives the computer education teachers will
adjust lessons in order to teach provide an introduction that is consistent across

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classes, but it is not a guarantee.

6. Building technical support personnel;
The four building level technical support personnel are typically college interns
working an average of 20-30 hours per week depending on building size. Their
responsibilities are limited almost entirely to fixing technical issues with individual pieces
of technology or physical aspects of the infrastructure (such as access points or minor
wire issues). They will be the first responders to technical issues with the Chromebooks,
although their part time status impacts the speed at which they respond to helpdesk
requests.
7. District level administrators; and
The district level administrators most affected by this initiative are the Director of
Elementary Services (in charge of human resources, curriculum, professional
development, and student assessment), the Director of Special Education (in charge of
special education staff and services), and the Superintendent of Schools who reports to
the School Board.
8. District level technology department administrators and staff.
The Director of Technology is in charge of the technology department for the
district (four PK-5 buildings, one middle school, one high school). Working underneath
the director is a network administrator, information technology specialist and systems
database manager, webmaster, technical support supervisor, and administrative
assistant.
8. Parents of students with school issued Chromebooks;
The parents of Kaneland students range widely in socio-economic and

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educational backgrounds. While some parents are equipped to provide for and support
their children in their use of high quality technology, many are not.

Needs Assessment:
Summary of findings: Based on meetings with administrators and feedback from the
elementary district Operations Committee (OC) and Academic Advisory Committee
(AAC) which represents each building and grade level, (see Fig. 1) as well as Kaneland
being a Google district, Chromebooks have been chosen as the intermediate 1 to 1
device. While both the Acer and Samsung Chromebooks are compliant with the PARCC
tech specs and the district infrastructure, the Samsung Chromebook Series 5 Wifi
model has a slightly longer battery life and slightly larger display which appealed to the
OC and AAC. Also, in order to stay consistent with current technology, since all
elementary schools have at least one cart of Chromebooks purchased Spring 2014 that
can be repurposed to 1 to 1 devices, Chromebooks have been deemed a wise financial
decision. Teachers in each building already use Google Tools comfortably; the primary
training needed for current staff will be in managing full classrooms of devices and at
need individualized training. New teacher training will be scheduled in conjunction with
the set mentoring meetings required for all first and second year staff. All part time
technology support staff will be scheduled for additional hours during the first month of
roll-out (see Planning, Timeline, and Budget section). Devices will be added to the
current Airwatch Device Management service to monitor and manage use, geographical
location, and apps.

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Fig. 1

Example of teacher survey issued to representative teachers

Goals:
1. Each student in grades three through five in Kaneland CUSD #302 will be issued
Samsung Chromebook for school use during the school year from the district by SY1617.
2. By SY16-17, each student in grades three through five in Kaneland CUSD #302 will
pass training in proper handling and digital citizenship and safety to the satisfaction of
the building based computer education teacher and assigned classroom teacher before

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being allowed to take the device off of school property.

3. Each classroom teacher assigned to grades three through five in Kaneland CUSD
#302 must participate in training and sign an addendum to the AUP before roll out of the
devices to his or her students during SY14-15, SY15-16, and SY16-17.
4. Each school will increase technical support personnel at Phase 2 and Phase 3 of the
device roll out plan from .5 FTE to 1.0 FTE by the beginning of the SY16-17 school
year.
5. During each year of the Chromebook initiative the needed funding for each phase will
be secured at the June School Board budget voting meeting.
6. During Phase 2 and Phase 3 of the initiative staff involved in the previous phase will
assist in building level training and troubleshooting for teachers new to the initiative by
mentoring, modeling, and contributing to a handbook for use housed on the districts
Google drive.
7. At least one custodial parent or guardian of each student in grades three through five
who is assigned a Chromebook must have attended an informational meeting and
signed an addendum to the AUP before roll out of the devices to his or her students
during SY14-15, SY15-16, and SY16-17.
Description
As part of the Kaneland CUSD #302 mission statement to graduate all students
college, career, and community ready, and to comply with the state of Illinois adoption
of the Common Core Standards, specific student populations within the district have
been targeted to spearhead a 1 to 1 technology initiative. Students in grades three
through five have been identified as one target population who would benefit by a 1 to 1

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initiative in order to support learning in Common Core focus areas of communication,

writing, and critical thinking, as well as 21st Century literacy and citizenship skills. In
addition, the state adopted assessment, PARCC, will be administered to students and
requires reliable access to computers multiple times per school year. The district has
been charged by the School Board to create a fast track for the roll-out of 1 to 1
technology for intermediate students. Special funds have been set aside at the district
and building levels.
According to many voices of experience, standardized computing and virtual
desktop architectures are a highly efficient way to manage and implement 1 to 1
initiatives (Vidal, 2014; Demski, 2012; Miller, 2012). As the Kaneland School Board and
administrative team began to look into deploying technology into the schools on a larger
scale, low to moderate cost and high efficiency were high priorities. Because Kaneland
is already a GAFE (Google Apps For Education) district, and students and teachers are
comfortable and experienced with the Google platform, other aspects can be addressed
more efficiently as well.
Because Kaneland has moved steadily and incrementally into a technology rich
approach to education, many parents and community members will acclimate to a 1 to 1
initiative with little difficulty. For liability and cost management, an addendum to the
student AUP as well as record of parent contact for each student taking a device off
school property will be kept on record at each school. All stakeholder groups will be
trained on safe handling and digital citizenship basics prior to receiving devices.

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Planning, Timeline, and Budget:

1. May 2014: Needs assessment

2. June 2014: meet with district administration, secure bids, prepare proposal for school
board, select pilot classrooms (1 third, fourth and fifth for each school; 12 total)
3. July 2014: school board presentation
4. August-September 2014 (2015, 2016): train pilot teachers, LRC directors, computer
education teachers, produce job aids for trouble shooting
October 2014 (2015, 2016): Roll out devices to pilot classrooms
5. November 2014-February 2015 (2015, 2016): Meet with pilot teachers, LRC
directors, computer education teachers to debrief and address any issues, share ideas
6. March 2015 (2016, 2017): Meet with administration team for evaluation and planning,
present to school board during state of the district presentation
7. June 2015 (2016, 2017): Present adjusted financial proposal (if necessary) to school
board

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Phase 1 SY14-15
One pilot classroom each for third, fourth, and fifth grades at each school
School

# of Students
3rd-5th (+10)

# of
Chromebook
s

Devices
needed
($299.99 ea. +
$67.99 2 yr.
service
agreement =
$367.98)

Additional
Tech Support
Cost per
Month
(October only,
4 techs
additional 10
hours per
week
@$12.50/hr)

Blackberry
Creek Elem.

240

30

60

$2,500

McDole Elem.

330

60

30

$2,500

Shields Elem.

320

30

60

$2,500

Stewart Elem.

310

60

30

$2,500

Totals

1200

180

180
($66,236.40)

$10,000

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Phase 2 SY15-16
Fifth grade 1 to 1 roll out, continue pilot classes at third and fourth grades
School

# of Students
3rd-5th (+10)

# of
Chromebooks

Devices
needed
($299.99 ea. +
$67.99 2 yr.
service
agreement =
$367.98)

Additional
Tech Support
Cost per
Month
(Increase .5 to
.8 FTE
@$12.50/hr)

Blackberry
Creek Elem.

240

90

50

$1,600

McDole Elem.

330

90

75

$1,600

Shields Elem.

320

90

75

$1,600

Stewart Elem.

310

90

75

$1,600

Totals

1200

360

275
($101,194.50)

$6,400

Phase 3 SY16-17
Third and fourth grade 1 to 1 roll out
School

# of Students
3rd-5th (+10)

# of
Chromebooks

Devices
needed
($299.99 ea. +
$67.99 2 yr.
service
agreement =
$367.98)

Additional
Tech Support
Cost per
Month
(Increase .8 to
1.0 FTE
@$12.50/hr)

Blackberry
Creek Elem.

240

140

100

$2,000

McDole Elem.

330

165

165

$2,000

Shields Elem.

320

165

155

$2,000

Stewart Elem.

310

165

145

$2,000

Totals

1200

635

565
($207,908.70)

$8,000

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Update and replace Chromebooks prior to Phase 1, estimate 200 replacements at

$73,596.

Acceptable Use Policy

Prior to being granted internet usage privileges within Kaneland CUSD #302, all
board members, administration, faculty, staff (full or part time), substitute teachers,
student teachers, and students must complete the attached form. No person will be
granted internet access until their form has been completed and returned. The attached
form was created by Kaneland CUSD #302 and is included as the first page of their
acceptable use policy. This is the exact form that all persons within the district must sign
and return prior to being granted network privileges.
All users within Kaneland CUSD #302 must adhere to the following terms and
conditions at all times. Failure to adhere to these terms may result in network privileges
being denied, revoked, or suspended at any time. The system administrator and/or
principal will make the final decision regarding network privileges being revoked. By
signing and returning the attached form, all users agree that they have read and
understand the following terms and conditions.

Terms and Conditions

1. Acceptable Use The Districts Internet access must be used for the purpose of
education or school-related research, and be consistent with the educational objectives
of the District (Kaneland CUSD #302, 2011).
2. Privileges Using the Districts Internet access is a privilege, not a right, and
inappropriate use may result in cancellation of those privileges. The system

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administrator and/or school principal will make all decisions regarding whether or not a
user has violated this Authorization and may deny, revoke, restrict or suspend access at
any time (Kaneland CUSD #302, 2011).
3. Unacceptable Use Examples of inappropriate and unacceptable technology usage
within Kaneland CUSD #302 include, but are not limited to the following behaviors:
a.

Any activity that could be considered illegal under local, state, federal, or

international law
b.

Downloading any software without proper permission

c.

Plagiarism

d.

Using the network to buy or sell anything

e.

Wasteful use of district resources (including bandwidth, storage space,

printer ink, and printer paper)

f.

Using the network for the purposes of cyber bullying (i.e. spreading

information about other users)

g.

Logging into the account of another user without proper permission

h.

The use of language that could be considered inappropriate toward any

particular race, gender, religion, sexual orientation, or toward a person or

persons with disabilities.
i.

Use of the network by a user whose rights have been revoked (temporarily

or permanently)

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4. Network Etiquette Users are expected to comply with the following behaviors at all
times while using the network within Kaneland CUSD #302.
a.

Be courteous with all users (including those not using the network)

b.

Use appropriate language at all times

c.

Do not share any personal information, including login information,

passwords, e-mail addresses, home addresses, or phone numbers

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User Name _______________________________

(please print)
Kaneland CUSD #302 - Acceptable Use Policy
Authorization for Network Access
Any person (i.e., full-time and part-time employees, students, substitute or student teachers, Board
members, volunteers, citizens) using the districts network, shall use this resource only for school- and
education-related purposes consistent with the goals of Kaneland CUSD 302. These include but are not
limited to facilitating teaching and learning through resource sharing, innovation, and communication.
Accessing the network through the Districts computer system is a privilege that is granted, revoked or
restricted at the discretion of the Board of Education through the administration. Misuse of the Districts
network access through, for example, unacceptable uses, violation of network etiquette, safety or
security, vandalism or copyright infringement, may result in revocation or restriction of access to this
resource. Specific terms and conditions for accessing the Districts network are available in the
administrative procedures, which are attached to this document and can be obtained in the main office at
any Kaneland School. All users must sign this form indicating they agree and will abide to the terms and
conditions contained within the administrative procedures.
Kaneland Student, Employee or Other Network User:
I understand and will abide by the above Authorization for Network Access. I further understand that
should I commit any violation, my access privileges may be revoked and school disciplinary action and/or
appropriate legal action may be taken. In consideration for using the Districts network and having access
to public resources, I hereby release the School District and its Board members,
employees, and agents from any claims and damages arising from my use, or inability to use the District
network or Internet.
USER SIGNATURE: ___________________________ DATE: __________________
(Required if the user is a student):
I have read this Authorization for Network Access. I understand that access is designed for educational
purposes and that the District has taken precautions to eliminate controversial material. However, I also
recognize it is impossible for the District to restrict access to all controversial and inappropriate materials.
I will hold harmless the District, its employees, agents, or Board members, for any harm caused by
materials or software obtained via the network. I accept full responsibility for supervision if and when my
childs use is not in a school setting. I have discussed the terms of this Authorization with my child. I
hereby request that my child be allowed access to the Districts network or Internet.

PARENT/GUARDIAN NAME: ___________________________________

(Please print)
STUDENT NAME: ____________________________
(Please print)
PARENT/GUARDIAN SIGNATURE: _______________________________________
DATE: ________________

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Professional Development Plan

The Chromebook 1 to 1 initiative was chosen because Kaneland CUSD #302 is
currently a Google Apps for Education (GAFE) district. As a result of this, students and
staff are already experienced and comfortable using the Google platform of programs.
All staff members are initially trained using the Google for Education certifications
program. Staff members are required to pass the Google certification programs on an
annual basis. Google certification programs include Gmail, Calendar, Docs and Drive,
Sites, Chrome browser, and Chromebooks. This is completed online through the
Google for Education website.
On top of the Google for Education certification, there are multiple time periods
set aside for refresher courses on school improvement/inservice days. These refresher
courses will be run by the district director of technology. On the second Wednesday of
every month, while school is in session, there will be an hour set aside at each school
within the district, once classes have concluded for the day. Within this hour, the
computer education teacher from each building will be available to answer any
technology related questions, Google, or otherwise.

Evaluation
The success of the 1 to 1 initiative will be evaluated by the members of the
district administrative team and the school board. The district administrative team is
comprised of the Superintendent of Schools, Assistant Superintendent of Finance,
Director of Technology, Director of Elementary Services, each of the four elementary
building Principals, and each of the four elementary building Assistant Principals. The
anecdotal data collected to judge the success of the initiative will be gathered by the

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technology director with assistance from a variety of stakeholders through meetings and
surveys, feedback from building techs, and helpdesk ticket reports. Meetings with pilot
teachers, parents, the administrative team, and sample student groups will occur
regularly at least three times per school year for each phase to collect feedback and
suggestions in person. Surveys will be issued a minimum of two weeks before each
scheduled meeting in order to create an agenda for discussion.
In addition to anecdotal data, benchmark PARCC data from the PARCC pilot
year without Chromebooks will be compiled into a comparative data report of students
with and without Chromebooks over three years to gather additional information about
the impact of the devices on student achievement.
A report of both anecdotal and current comparative data will be reported to the
school board during the annual state of the district school board meeting each spring.
Based on that report the administrative team will also present suggested changes and
budgetary adjustments each May before the annual school board budget meeting.

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References
Common core standards. (n.d.). Retrieved from
http://www.corestandards.org/assets/CCSSI_ELA Standards.pdf
D302 | COMMUNITY UNIT SCHOOL DISTRICT 302. (n.d.). D302 | COMMUNITY UNIT
SCHOOL DISTRICT 302. Retrieved August 1, 2014, from
http://www.kaneland.org

Demski, J. (2012). The Hard (ware) Choice. THE Journal, 39(9), 28-35.
Kaneland CUSD #302 - Acceptable Use Policy. (2011, April 1). COMMUNITY UNIT
SCHOOL DISTRICT 302. Retrieved August 1, 2014, from
http://www.kaneland.org/shared/d302/aup.pdf
Miller, M. (2013). My Google Chromebook. Que Publishing.
Partnership for 21st century skills. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.p21.org/
Vidal, D., & Casey, M. (2014). Next Practices: An Executive Guide for Education
Decision Makers. R&L Education.

Resources:
PARCC specs:

http://www.parcconline.org/CommonCoreImplementationWorkbook
Chromebook model specs:
https://sites.google.com/site/chromeoswikisite/home/choosing-a-chromebook/technicalspecs
Google for Education:
http://www.google.com/edu/training/certifications/