INSTRUCTIONAL TECHNOLOGY GRANT PROPOSAL

Name of Applicant: Lisa Flicker

District/School: Fulton County Schools/ Holcomb Bridge Middle School

Date: March 28th, 2018

Total Cost of Project: $10,200

Title of Project: Innovative and Personalized Digital Assessments with Naiku

To what organization will you submit this grant application in the future? State Farm “Good
Neighbor Citizenship Company Grants”

I. Why is this project important (In 2-3 paragraphs, describe the need for the project and
its relevance to the shared vision for instructional technology)?

Holcomb Bridge Middle School (HBMS) is very cognoscente of the need for eliminating the digital
divide as we strive to support digital equity among all of our students. The mission at HBMS is to
help foster and promote digital learners who are able to become productive and competitive workers
in our fast-changing global economy. In order to accomplish this, Holcomb Bridge Middle School
would like to incorporate Naiku as a school-wide assessment tool for formative and summative
assessments. Naiku is a comprehensive assessment software that can be accessed from any device.
Teachers are able to view students’ results in real time, as well as measure and track their proficiency
all in one easy to access on-line platform. Naiku provides autoscoring on most types of questions
that are offered and allows teachers to align their individual assessment questions with state
standards.

For Holcomb Bridge Middle School students, Naiku allows them to take more ownership of their
own learning. This is fostered when the teacher turns on the assessment feature allowing students to
justify their answers and provide confidence ratings. This feature enables students to use their voice
and choice to create personal learning goals, as stated in ISTE-S 1a (2007). Also very beneficial for
ESL and low SES students who need to make sure they use their own voice to show what they have
learned and to improve upon what they are learning, ISTE-S 1c, 1d (2007).

The HBMS vision is to be achieved through innovative teaching, comprehensive and continuous
progress monitoring and assessment, data driven decision making and the usage of 21st century
technology. Naiku very much promotes this by allowing students to think more about how they got
to their particular answers and to reflect on what they may need to do in the future to improve. Naiku
also allows students to take assessments on their time, which is beneficial for our blended and

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flipped classrooms as well as for individual students who may be out of school for extended periods
of time. Allowing for greater access and time that is convenient for all students.

Naiku is a platform that allows teachers to collaborate and share data on individual students as well
as specific classes. Teachers, within their PLC’s can then analyze the data from individual students
and classes to refine their teaching. It also fosters collaboration by allowing teachers within a school
or district to share questions on specific standards in an easy to access format. With Naiku
implemented schoolwide, students would also just have one platform that is storing all of their
assessments which is a very organized and useful feature for tracking progress and growth.
Furthermore, students and teachers would be able to see growth and mastery, or areas of concern,
within all of their classes. They would have access to the questions they answered and how they
answered them. Naiku allows teachers, through personalized assessments, to utilize methods for
supporting our ELL, LD, and other diverse learning groups. Assessments can include images to
assist or ELL population, or assessments that allow quick time feedback as proven beneficial and
preferred by female learners (Kim, 2016).

II. What would you like to accomplish (In 2-3 paragraphs, describe the project and list
instructional objectives/project outcomes.)?

It is important for teachers to be able to provide authentic feedback and support on students’
performance and mastery and based on easy to access data that can be shared and reflected
upon. Naiku, as an on-line assessment tool that can also be accessed on any device, gives
teachers the opportunity to provide feedback in real-time and based specifically on where
individual students need assistance or enrichment. The Naiku assessment tool is beneficial to
Holcomb Bridge Middle School in that it provides a platform for varied assessment questions
and anytime access. This is for the purpose of assisting our students to become more
competitive and understanding how to be successful with different types of questions,
including the more challenging multiple selection questions.

Naiku is also a tool to help support our personalized learning initiative. Within this software
program, teachers are able to individually assign specific assessments to students that are also
based on their individual needs and learning. A post-test reflection option gives students the
opportunity to think about what they have learned and how they can do better. With on-going
access to the assessments they have taken, understanding their performance is not a one-time
event and they are able to reflect and see progress in real-time as well as throughout the year.

The ISTE instructional standards Naiku supports for the benefit of Holcomb Bridge Middle
School:

 Students will be able to process data and report on their results (ISTE-S 3d).
 Students will have the opportunity to complete student-centered and inquiry-based
learning experience by collecting and analyzing data and identifying solutions and/or
making informed decisions (ISTE-S 4c).
 Students will utilize positive digital citizenship when using the Naiku program safely,
legally, and responsibly (ISTE-S 5).

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  Students will demonstrate and be able to use technology operations and concepts
(ISTE-S 6).

III. In what ways is this project an example of exemplary technology integration (In 2-3
paragraphs discuss your project regarding one or more of the following: LoTi, SAMR,
TPACK, TIM, etc.)?

Naiku is an exemplary project for technology integration. In regard to the SAMR model,
Naiku promotes the augmentation stage of this model. Students are able to receive immediate
feedback while enabling them to become more engaged within the learning process.
Furthermore, they are able to collaborate with teachers to create an improved plan for
instruction and to determine which factors may have influenced their progress and mastery as
well as determine which gaps may still exist (Schrock, 2013).

In regard to the TPACK model, Naiku helps to promote this through the integration of
technical, pedagogical, and content knowledge (Koehler, 2009). Teachers promote content
through the creation of authentic assessments geared toward allowing students to show what
they know. Misconceptions can easily and quickly be corrected through the real-time access
to data compiled from student performance. Through student reflection, teachers are able to
get a better insight in to the pedagogical proficiency of the assessment and allows them to
alternate teaching strategies to meet the individual needs of each students. These needs can
be met through various strategies including one-to-one and small group. For technology,
within this model, teachers will understand that through the use of an assessment tool, such
as Naiku, they are able to better understand how teaching and learning can benefit through
the use of technology (2009).

IV. How will you complete the work? (Describe how the project will be completed.)

A. Describe how the instructional objectives/project outcomes will be met (2-3

paragraphs).

Instructional objectives will be met through several means. Teachers will be provided an in-
house professional development on Naiku’s various assessment options and reports offered.
This will be offered during pre-planning of the 2018-2019 school year. Additional trainings and
help-sessions will be offered through on-line tickets submitted to the Personalized Learning
Leadership Team and through quarterly surveys conducted by the team. Additional resources
and help can also be accessed through the Naiku platform and via YouTube help videos.

Teachers will create assessments that will demonstrate what students know and have mastered.
This will be offered through 8th grade science and social studies teachers who are considered
“experts” within the building. Additional support will be offered through the Personalized
Learning Leadership Team. Students will complete the assessments by reflecting on how
prepared they are for the assessment, how well they think they did, and why they performed the
way they did. Data collected from class and individual reports and the information gained from

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students’ perceptions and reflections will be analyzed and compared to the Smart Goals defined
with the HBMS strategic plan.

B. Describe the time involved (project length including amount of time each day/week).

Naiku will be purchased for the entire 2018-2019 school year. Teachers will have access to their
accounts during that time period to create, administer and save assessments. Students will also
have access to their assessments and results throughout the year and accessed from a specific
log-on provided. The assessments and results can be accessed from any device and at any time
as designated by the teacher. The assessments will be delivered based on teacher determination.
This platform can provide for formative, summative, and real-time evaluation in regard to what
the student knows as well as track their progress. However, it is suggested that teachers utilize
this platform at least once every two weeks so that both students and teachers benefit from this
experience. Both groups will be able to track student progress and determine student growth and
understanding. All of which can be measured for the purpose of defining lessons that will best
meet individual student needs.

During spring semester of 2019, it is suggested that the Personalized Learning Leadership
Team, along with administrators, conduct a survey of students and teachers to measure the
effectiveness of Naiku, including the buy-in of all stakeholders involved. Coaching will be
available for teachers throughout the year, but this specific survey will be used to determine
whether the software should be continued as a means for supporting smart goals within the
strategic plan.

C. Describe the people involved (grade level/subject & # of students, teachers and/or staff,
other stakeholders).

This grant will include all classroom and connections teachers within Holcomb Bridge Middle
School. Previously, only 8th grade Georgia Studies and Science teachers were using Naiku with
their students. As this has proven a positive and successful tool to use with students, it is time to
expand this technology tool to the rest of the school. This would allow all stakeholders involved
to access a pool of resources and questions stored in Naiku and would allow students the
consistency of a single assessment platform to store and manage all of their assessments.
Currently, Naiku is being utilized at HBMS to support the smart goal for increasing the percent
of students in 8th grade scoring at Proficient Learner or Distinguished Learner on the Georgia
Milestones Science from 37% to 40% for the 2017-2018 school year. Data from Milestones and
STAR testing showed that low SES and ESL students showed the lowest growth within the
school. Naiku had been shown beneficial in the previous year for allowing our diverse learners to
access assessments that allow them to show mastery and not ability to achieve on a specific type
of test and helps them to become active with understanding their progress and continued needs.

The specific number of stakeholders involved with this grant would include 68 teachers and 711
students. Additional staff that would have access to reports would include the Holcomb Bridge
Middle School STEM and ELA/Reading Data Coaches. Through grade level, vertical and

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 content meetings, data can be shared with administration, counselors and other staff within
Holcomb Bridge Middle School.

As recommended within the school’s Strategic Plan, test score data will be analyzed between this
year and the next to see if there is any growth or correlation to that growth from the utilization of
Naiku.

D. Describe the materials needed for the project.

The materials needed to support this grant:

 68 Teacher Accounts (this includes special area and connections educators) @ $159.00
per subscription.
 Class lists with student names to import in to Naiku for the purpose of creating
“classes”.
 Student issued iPads or personal devices to access Naiku assessments and Wi-Fi. IPads
and Wi-Fi provided through Fulton County Schools.

V. What is the timeline for assessing accomplishments and objectives/project outcomes (In 1-2
paragraphs, describe program evaluation procedure.)?

The Naiku grant would last for one school year. Teachers will discuss and analyze results
from student class reports bi-weekly and during content and grade level meetings. Results
and strategies being implemented through question types and responses will also be
discussed during monthly vertical team meetings. All summative and formative assessments
should be provided through Naiku so that a complete data picture may be pulled on student
progress. Quarterly reports will be compiled to assess accomplishments and project
outcomes.

VI. How will the students be impacted by the project (In 2-3 paragraphs, include details
regarding how the impact on students will be assessed and reported to students,
parents, teachers, and others.)?

In regard to technology integration and assessments that help to meet the specific needs
within the significant HBMS ELL and diverse learning populations, Naiku provides many
areas of support for students and quick-time data for teachers. According to the article by A.
Nhouyvanisvong (2017), Naiku helps support ESL and LD learners’ specific needs by
providing assessments that can include images and graphics, questions with information
included to fully answer what is being asked, the ability to eliminate answer options from
master tests, and to highlight important words or concepts. These strategies are essential
toward meeting the individual needs of diverse learners and ensuring that the data provided is
based on what specifically the student knows and understands instead of one specific format
that does not meet the individual needs of all students.

Student achievement will be based on learner-centric skills gained from analyzing their
answers and results and through compiled reports that are created from the software
application. Self-assessments by students provides a learning-centric atmosphere that helps

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 students develop metacognitive skills, personalizes the assessment towards their specific
needs, and turns the experience in to a learning opportunity for growth and understanding
(Nhouyvanisvong, 2017).

Results from individual students and class assessments can easily be accessed through the
teacher portal, in quick-time through the students’ accounts, and also shared with parents
either through gradebooks or through the accessing of their child’s account. All assessments
from each class can be accessed and evaluated on one link within the student’s on-line
portfolio. Teachers may share individual student and class results during PLC’s and provide
the data to specific learning coaches within the school. Data pulled can help to quickly adjust
learning opportunities for specific students.

VII. What is the proposed budget? Include information on the following:

A. Materials/supplies

Teachers will need to provide all class lists to the STEM Coach so that she may get them
uploaded to Naiku and the individual teacher accounts. Teachers are responsible, though,
for updating class lists through an easy to add process within Naiku.

B. Equipment:

iPads will be utilized for this platform and they are already issued to each student through
the Fulton County 1:1 initiative. If the student’s iPad is lost or being fixed, then personal
devices can be used or students may be able to access an iPad from grade level iPad carts
stored in the grade-level chair’s classroom. As devices are provided to students, no
additional hardware will be needed other than the software program accessed from the
internet.

C. Total Cost of Proposed Project

The total cost for this proposed project is $10,200. This will include the total cost for 68
teacher subscriptions to Naiku. All data and support can be accessed on-line and through
the Naiku program. Technical support is also included through Naiku and at no additional
cost.

D. Additional Funding Sources

No additional funding sources are needed because Holcomb Bridge Middle School is
already a 1:1 school that issues iPads to students. Furthermore, Wi-Fi within the building
is also already offered through Fulton County Schools.

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 VIII. List your supporting references.

Focus on the Student. (n.d.). Retrieved March 31, 2018, from

https://www.languagemagazine.com/focus-on-the-student/

ISTE. (2007). ISTE-S, Standards for Students. Retrieved March 31, 2018, from web

Kim, Y. (2016). The Role of Agent Age and Gender for Middle-Grade Girls. Computers In The
Schools, 33(2), 59-70.

SAMR. (n.d.). Retrieved March 31, 2018, from http://www.schrockguide.net/samr.html

What Is Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge? (n.d.). Retrieved March 31, 2018, from
http://www.citejournal.org/volume-9/issue-1-09/general/what-is-technological-pedagogicalcontent-
knowledge

INSTRUCTIONAL TECHNOLOGY GRANT PROPOSAL

EVALUATION FORM/SCORING RUBRIC

Total Points (out of 200): __________

1. Impacts a variety of skill levels and/or learning styles or impacts an important target population.

Possible number of points: 40 __________

2. Clearly identifies standards and learning objectives/project outcomes being addressed.

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 Possible number of points: 40 __________

3. Pedagogically sound, based on research and/or best practices.

Possible number of points: 40 __________

4. Clear plan for assessment of project and goals with examples of implementation methods.

Possible number of points: 40 __________

5. Impacts large number of students and/or can be recycled/reused.

Possible number of points: 40 __________

General Comments:

Adapted from: The Education Foundation of Oconee County, Inc.

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