A key piece of Gov. Perdue’s education platform, Career and College – Ready, Set, Go is the ability for teachers to use 21st century technology to ensure that all students pre-kindergarten through grade 12 graduate from high school with the skills needed to succeed in a career, in a two or four year college, or in technical training.
Gov. Perdue’s vision is embodied in a new statewide pilot program, involving 42 schools in Cumberland, Halifax, Onslow, and Sampson counties. For more information about the pilot program, read this story from WRAL.
That vision is also reflected in the Governor’s budget. Her budget calls for $39 million to provide elementary school teachers with the resources to track each student’s progress along a series of metrics, identifying when extra support may be necessary, and the ability to compare each student’s performance to the entire class, grade, district, and State.
Hand held technology will eliminate paper documentation and greatly reduce the time required for essential assessments. These immediate digital assessments allow for the traditional cycle of “monitor and adjust” but it’s much faster than paper and pencil – giving teacher’s the time to intervene and put students back on track.