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Virginia
The State of Virginia's initiative, Demonstrating Success: A State-wide Web-Based Standards of Learning Technology and On-line Testing Initiative involves the creation of an on-line web-based delivery system to support the State's Standards of Learning (SOL) testing, instruction, and remediation in all Virginia high schools. An immediate priority for the demonstration phase of the project is to deliver tests in the areas of Geometry, Earth Science, Chemistry and End-of-Course English: Reading, Literature, and Research tests. An initial requirement for a final contract award(s) includes successful demonstration and evaluation that demonstrates the impact of the web-based services on students in (6-15 projects) in the state's high schools.
This initiative, which was originally proposed by Governor James Gilmore, is being designed to develop web-enabled systems to improve the State's Standards of Learning instructional, remedial, and testing capabilities of high schools. Funding for this program is targeted to reach the following three goals in each of the State's high school: providing student access to computers with a ratio of one computer for every five students, creating Internet-ready local area network capability in every school, and assuring adequate high speed, high bandwidth capability for instructional, remedial, and testing needs.
Initiative project objectives include the following:
- Securing adequate hardware for implementation of SOL instructional, remedial, and testing programs;
- Assuring that every high school in Virginia has high speed, high bandwidth Internet-ready local area network capability to all classrooms and instructional areas;
- Assuring that all high school students will have access to the Internet at their schools by 2003;
- Using up-to-date instructional and remedial software applications within high schools beginning in 2001;
- Starting the initiative at the high school level to address verified credit SOL issues;
- Assuring that infrastructure is in place for instructional and remedial purposes by 2002 and the start of statewide testing by 2003; and
- Developing similar capability for middle and elementary schools once high schools have met initiative goals.
In support of the goals of the initiative, $113,820,000 is included in the governor's 2000-2002 biennium budget. Funding will be provided in FY 2001 and 2002 as follows: (1) The amount of $54,316,000 during each of the next two calendar years for school division technology acquisition grants of $26,000 per school and $50,000 per school division; (2) A local match of 20 percent per school division with the condition that at least 25 percent of the local match be used for teacher training on the use of technology; (3) An additional $2,060,000 ($1,700,000 VPSA; (4) $360,000 GF for technology consultation) to support the initiative's demonstration programs at school division high schools; (5) The E-rate for Virginia (which is currently estimated at $25 million per year to qualified school divisions) and local funding for Internet connectivity; and, $5.3 million for the Department of Education to implement the statewide web-based SOL program. For a copy of the Virginia RFP, see: www.pen.k12.va.us/VDOE/Technology/soltech/soltech.html#Vendor Documents
Contact
Lan Neugent
Acting Asst. Superintendent for Technology
Virginia Department of Education
P.O. Box 2120
Richmond, VA 23218-2120
804-225-2757 (p) 804-786-9374 (f)
E-mail: Lneugent@mail.va12ed.edu