Texas Long-Range Plan for Technology

The Teaching and Learning section of the Long-Range Plan for Technology is used to facilitate the implementation of legislation, grant funding, and use of technology programs in the classrooms. The main idea is to infuse technology into the classrooms through both students and teachers. Using the STaR Chart to monitor progress, it is clear that technology is on the rise. Overall, 59.3% of teachers rated themselves in the Developing Tech category, and 30.5% of teachers rated themselves in the Advanced Tech category, a rise from previous years. The Educator Preparation and Development section is used for the ongoing, sustained, and high-quality professional development which is essential to prepare teachers to meet the technology needs of their students. This area had a large number of teachers, 71.1%, report themselves to be in the Developing Tech category, which implies that teachers are receiving a lot of directive to use technology without the proper training to back it up. The Leadership, Administration, and Instructional Support category looks at the process of using technological resources in schools, and administrative innovation, vision-building, and commitment. Proper leadership and instructional support is crucial to the success of the Long-Range Plan for technology. According to the STaR Chart data from the 2010 Progress Report, 55% of teachers rated themselves at the Advanced Tech level. This is a 5% increase from the last Progress report in which they rated themselves at 50.2%. Finally, the Infrastructure of Technology discusses the element of support for all aspects of technology. It also looks at the progress being made each year. The STaR Chart data shows that 60.2% of teachers rated themselves in the Advanced Tech area. This means that campuses have more equitable technological resources per student than in the past.