| State: Pennsylvania | Number of Students: 4,171 |
| School Type: Public School District | Free and Reduced Lunch: 15.6% |
| Grade Level: K-12 | English Language Learners: 1.3% |
School Context
More Than Just The Basics: Fox Chapel aims to provide curriculum and extracurricular opportunities that foster academicgrowth and personal development. To do this, they support programs in STEM, differentiated instruction and project-basedlearning.
Ambitious Achievement: The district hopes that more than 90% of FCASD students will reach the proficient or advancedlevel in reading, math, science and writing based on the Pennsylvania Common Core Standards and K-12 Science EducationFramework.
Sharing is Caring: At Fox Chapel, sharing is critical. Through social media and other channels, such as MOOCS, theycelebrate and share the work of their students and teachers. They also aim to share programs and curriculum with otherschools and districts.
Responsible Resources: In the midst of a statewide budget impasse, the district aims to develop innovative strategies toreduce the costs of operation and improve efficiency and sustainability.
State of Technology
iPad Palooza: In January 2014, the district launched a pilot to fosterproject-based learning using iPads. In year one, all seventh grade studentswere equipped with iPads. In 2015-2016, students in 6th - 9th grade willhave a one-to-one ratio of iPads to students. By 2016-17, the district plansto roll out devices for all 9th-12th graders.
Streamlined Systems: Fox Chapel now uses Schoology at the middleand high school levels. Dorseyville Middle School has been usingSchoology for over a year while Fox Chapel High School piloted severaldifferent systems. Ultimately, the district decided to streamline andintegrate Schoology at both schools. It is used as a virtual classroom, andcontains curriculum, lesson plans and assignments that students canaccess at school and at home. The goal of using Schoology is to maximizeclassroom time while also providing the resources to extend learningbeyond the school day.
Project-Based Learning: The middle school curriculum focuses onproject-based learning. Starting with a seventh grade pilot programin 2014, the district now uses iPads across the entire middle school tofacilitate collaborative project-based learning.
Blended Learning in High School: Fox Chapel High School is reimagininginstruction, reconstructing time, space and resources to incorporateblended learning methods. Teachers still lead classroom learning, but the1:1 device ratio enables students to learn anytime, anywhere.
A Digital Dream: The district teamed up with Digital Dream Labs to pilota Digital Dream Studio at O’Hara Elementary School. Digital Dream Labsis the maker of Puzzlets, as well as several other game-based learningproducts. This pilot makerspace uses Puzzlets, a game that blends tactilelearning and screen time to encourage students to think like computerprogrammers.
Tech Needs & Requirements
Active Directory integration is preferred. Tools must be browser based or platform neutral.
Initiatives
Partnerships: Fox Chapel is working on developing partnerships with local business to integrate these community leaders intoclassroom learning.
Coding: The district’s new initiative is to integrate coding into the curriculum starting as early as kindergarten, using a pilotmakerspace at O’Hara Elementary.