Executive Summary

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The hardest step to educational reform seems to be the part that costs nothing - vision.

- David Thornburg (1991)

The Mississippi Board of Education, the Mississippi Department of Education (MDE), the Council for Education Technology (CET), the Department of Information Technology Services (ITS), and the Center for Educational Leadership and Technology (CELT) present this Master Plan to the citizens of the state of Mississippi. The plan provides a framework for incorporating technology into the educational lives of Mississippians. It is the result of a partnership forged among state and local educational leaders in the K-12 arena, the Institutions of Higher Learning (IHL), the State Board for Community and Junior Colleges (SBCJC), the Mississippi Library Commission, the Mississippi Department of Information Technology Services (ITS), the Mississippi Authority for Educational Television (ETV), and a variety of other state agencies as well as business and community members who have provided valuable input.

The recommendations set forth in the plan are based on the comprehensive needs analysis and statewide study of existing education technology initiatives conducted by the Center for Educational Leadership and Technology in the spring and summer of 1995. Detailed results of that analysis are found in the Interim Report approved by the Council for Education Technology and the Mississippi State Board of Education in June, 1995.

Central to the intent of the legislative action and subsequent work of the Council has been the perception that as Mississippi makes advances in education it will be important to provide appropriate instructional technologies to support the attainment of school improvement results. Like all other states, Mississippi faces serious challenges in the quest for improvement in education. The passage of Senate Bill 3350 in the Mississippi Legislature demonstrated the commitment of legislative and executive leadership to use education technology tools as support mechanisms in the ongoing quest to educate all students and prepare them for successful careers. This is especially significant as the world shifts from the Industrial Revolution to an information-based, technologically-oriented society and economy. Technology support mechanisms are now widely recognized as critical elements that are vital to the success of efforts to improve student performance.

The Mississippi Master Plan for Education Technology contains a brief explanation of the planning methodology, key findings and recommendations from the Interim Report, as well as the design principles and implementation strategies for the integration of technology into the Mississippi educational system for the next five years. The plan is divided into 10 major sections. Each section is highlighted below with major recommendations noted.

Curriculum Improvement and Technology Integration Strategies/Changing Nature of Curriculum

Office of Leadership & Professional Development will identify exemplary models of technology integration to help districts and schools develop their own curriculum integration plan.
Offices of Leadership & Professional Development and Management Information Systems will develop a statewide database of curriculum integration resources including human and material resources.
Office of Leadership & Professional Development will coordinate with other offices in the MDE to establish curriculum integration guidelines noting appropriate technologies for specific instructional purposes.
Office of Leadership & Professional Development will promote statewide curriculum integration projects across disciplines through identifying model instructional settings.
Office of Leadership & Professional Development will coordinate, with other offices in the MDE, the efforts to embed core technology competencies and teacher training models throughout the state curriculum structure.
Office of Leadership & Professional Development will provide training opportunities in curriculum integration strategies for educators at all instructional levels, elementary, middle, and high school. Likewise, models will be identified that demonstrate the changing roles of teachers and students. Professional development training opportunities that focus on enabling teachers, administrators, parents, and school board members to be comfortable in these ever-changing learning environments will also be offered.

Education Technology System Design

The Institutions of Higher Learning, State Board for Community and Junior Colleges, Mississippi Department of Education, Mississippi Educational Television, Mississippi Library Commission, and Mississippi Department of Information Technology Services are committed to work together to ensure interoperability and network interconnectivity that will enable effective, efficient, and economical networking without duplication of services. Formal plans will be developed to ensure that the Council for Education Technology continues to provide ongoing coordination, management, policy recommendations, and accountability.
An integrated network of frame relay and ATM is recommended as the wide area network for the State's educational community. The integrated network will provide the bandwidth and connectivity requirements necessary to serve the state's data and video applications.
The Technical Specifications and Operational Capacities Subcommittee will be maintained under the Council for Education Technology. This committee will monitor emerging technologies, evaluate new technologies that could benefit education technology networking, and make recommendations to the Council concerning the technical aspects of the networks and the need for additional communications standards and capacity requirements.
Special consideration by all involved state agencies will be given to coordination in the design, installation, and equipment procurement process, as well as continuing support of the statewide educational network. The entities will coordinate efforts to establish maintenance and support plans that consolidate services to reduce costs.
The Institutions of Higher Learning, State Board for Community and Junior Colleges, Mississippi Educational Television, Mississippi Library Commission, Mississippi Department of Education, and Mississippi Department of Information Technology Services should work together to investigate interconnectivity options, and where needed, create a process to retain network interconnectivity and switching from a qualified telecommunications provider(s) to ensure effective, efficient, and economical networking without duplication of services.

Education Accountability and Reporting System Design

Data collection, dissemination and reporting procedures throughout the state will conform to standardized electronic data transfer formats as defined by the MDE.
The MDE will expand access to Internet for local districts to facilitate communication for reporting purposes as resources are available.

Learning Environments and Facility Planning

A model for learning environments for school facilities will be developed by the MDE to serve as a guide for equipment selection, installation of equipment and networks, facility renovations, and ergonomic considerations.

Distance Learning

All school districts in the state will have access to a variety of distance learning resources.
School districts will define specific distance learning needs and strategies in their local technology plans.

Professional Development Plan

Graduate level courses, university courses, and community college-based courses in technology should be made available for teachers through both campus-based and technology-delivered systems at affordable prices. The MDE should work with other agencies to ensure that, in the absence of university credit, Continuing Education Units (CEUs) will be awarded for participation in these courses.
The MDE Office of Leadership & Professional Development, with the help of local districts, will identify and train a group of lead technology teachers to build a base of expertise throughout the state.
Regional Resource Centers for Education Renewal and Enhancement should be established across the state to provide technology inservice and professional development for teachers, networking consultation, technical support, and other related services to schools and school districts.
Technology professional development will be delivered via a variety of technological mediums, such as interactive video and computer-based online instruction, as well as more traditional training models.

Education Technology Policy and Procedures

The CET and the MDE will coordinate the development and dissemination of model information policies related to technology and telecommunications. Some of the technology policy issues to be addressed include but are not limited to: telecommunications access, security, ethics, privacy, intellectual freedom, confidentiality of data, software licensing and copyright, remote access, hardware and software upgrade and replacement, system interoperability, and acceptable use.
The MDE will develop and update standards annually for technology such as hardware and software, networking, telecommunications, and educational facilities.
The MDE will develop procedures for identifying model classroom practices that integrate technology into the curriculum.
The MDE will provide policy guidelines for education technology issues to local districts.

Technology Standards and Procurement Strategies

The procurement process for educational classroom technology will focus on the standards-based hardware/software and network configuration model outlined by the Mississippi Department of Education and the Department of Information Technology Services. In compliance with Senate Bill 3350, the procurement process will:
furnish schools with technical guidance and assistance in complying with the legal bid requirements of state purchasing laws for information technology
maximize the compatibility of educational information resources
acquire complete information technology solutions that will be most beneficial to the schools at the best possible price
leverage the state's combined purchasing power resulting in the best possible discounts for the schools and the state.

Roles and Responsibilities, Staffing Positions, and Organizational Structure

The infusion of education technology in the curriculum, classroom, and administration requires a different way of looking at traditional staffing patterns and the roles of educators at all levels. To cope with anticipated changes in teaching and learning, the MDE will provide new models for:

leadership training
staff organization (administrative and instructional)
staff technical training
inservice training
business and community involvement

Models provided will include guidelines to districts concerning training and maintaining adequate and qualified staff and faculty, developing an infrastructure to meet current and future needs, sound financial planning for initial deployment as well as sustainability of effort, establishing a quality professional development program, and instituting an effective accountability system.

Program Monitoring and Evaluation Plan

A comprehensive monitoring process for the Mississippi Master Plan for Education Technology will be implemented by the Office of Leadership & Professional Development.
The Master Plan will be evaluated by the Council, the MDE and school districts on an annual basis.
Local technology plans will be evaluated by the local school districts on an annual basis.

The Master Plan also contains three other sections that influence and are influenced by the components listed above: (a) local technology planning, (b) funding issues and strategies, and (c) implementation staging and phasing.

The role of local technology planning is critical to the successful implementation of technology into the educational setting. All districts interested in participating in the funding set forth in Senate Bill 3350 are required to develop technology plans. The guidelines and principles required for inclusion in these plans, as well as the process for approval of local plans, are outlined in Section 5 of this document.

The funding set forth in Senate Bill 3350 represents the initial investment in providing the resources for schools to restructure their educational systems. Section 6 of the Master Plan provides an analysis of the funding issues and alternatives to provide guidance to districts and promote equity and economy.

The key to the success of such an overwhelming task as the implementation of a five-year plan is a carefully crafted schedule of stages and timelines. Section 7 outlines the strategies for local and state planning and update schedules.

The final section of the Master Plan lends a perspective to the expected benefits of the completion of a statewide plan for education technology from several viewpoints. This section highlights the types of changes in teaching, learning, and management that may be expected to occur as a result of implementation over the next five years.

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