| State: Texas | Number of Students: 8,599 |
| School Type: Public School District | Free and Reduced Lunch: 75.8% |
| Grade Level: PK-12 | English Language Learners: 10.3% |
State of Technology
Chromebooks for All: With the passing of the Tax Ratification Election in 2013, all incoming ninth grade students atTemple High School received a Chromebook to use during all four years of high school through the ChromebookInitiative. If the student graduates from Temple High School, they can take that device with them to college or theworkplace. Now, with about 2,000 devices at the school, all Temple High School students have a Chromebook. As partof the 2015-16 District Improvement Plan, all student in grades 3-12 have access to Chromebooks all students in gradesK-2 have access to tablets. A 2:1 implementation of devices for grades 3-8 is slated for school year 2016-17.
Wi-Fi, Why not: In 2014, Temple ISD created a plan to ensure that all high school students have Internet access bothat school and home to support its Chromebook Initiative. A survey of incoming 9th graders showed that 25 percentof students did not have Internet access at home. The district received a Technology Lending Grant from the TexasEducation Agency, which provides resources to help schools meet the educational needs of all students. The grant paidfor mobile hotspots, or “Mi-fi’s” to access the Internet from any connection point. These hot spots were made availableto students who received a Chromebook and did not have Internet access at home. One of the district’s goals is toincrease Internet access for all families and communities and it is planning to install larger hot spots in common areassuch as apartment complexes.
Students Take On Google Certification: During the 2015-2016 school year, three students from Temple High Schoolwere the first to take the Google Education Certification, a certificate for professional educators. The three students,Keelin Talton, Tyler Sebek and Ajani Rodgers, worked at The Tech Spot, a technical support center staffed by students.They repaired Chromebooks and helped classmates and teachers use Google Apps to meet educational goals. The trioapproached Jacki Writing, Instructional Technology Specialist at Temple High School, about taking the certificationusually reserved for teachers. Now, the students are speaking to other campuses about how to implement a similarprogram.
Creating Career Pathways: In 2013, Texas legislature passed House Bill 5,bringing about changes to curriculum and graduation requirements.To graduate, students earn credits in an area of study includingSTEM, business and industry, public service, arts and humanities andmultidisciplinary studies. In response, the Texas Education Agencycreated the AchieveTexas College and Career Initiative to combineacademics and career education for secondary students to preparefor postsecondary opportunities in their area of study. In support ofthe initiative, Temple ISD started a Career and Technology Educationprogram in 2014. The five-year program provides three pathways forstudents in health science, manufacturing and information technology.To prepare elementary school students with career training, TempleISD implemented the Global Tech Academy program, focused onthe information technology pathway. The hope is to create a skillful,technology-driven workforce in Temple starting at a young age.
Coding Kindergartners: In 2015, kindergartners at Kennedy-PowellElementary School started learning more than basic ABCs and 123s;they were coding websites. Paula Allen, a kindergarten teacher atKennedy-Powell Elementary School, integrated coding as part ofthe school’s new Global Tech Academy program, to provide careertraining at an elementary school level. For a hands-on experience, shepaired up students to work on iPads. Allen used the iPads to teachthe kindergartners basic coding to hone problem solving skills. In oneexample, the Kindergarteners created a code to move a graphic in aspecific direction using problem solving and algorithms.