School Maturity Evaluation Ronen Cohen Mountain School December 10, 2012

Mountain School is a PreK-12 private international school in South Asia. It is now in its fifth year, and is owned by a construction company as part of its Education Foundation. There are currently 310 students (167/120/23) from 33 nationalities. To guide and support them there are over 65 staff members and about 20 administrators. In each classroom there are to be no more than 20 students. The current average is 12, 15, and 12 respectively. The curriculum taught is IB (PYP, MYP, and DP levels), which is inquiry-based. This assignment is based on the Maturity Model Benchmarks form (by Peter H.R. Sibley and Chip Kimball). In order to complete it, I surveyed 15 staff members, out of which 5 work in the IT department, 5 Primary teachers and 5 Secondary teachers. I completed the survey together with most of them in order to ensure proper understanding of both the questions and their experiences/opinions. When I first glanced at the model I thought our school is going to score mostly in the Emergent or Islands levels. However, the more I spoke to the IT department, the more I realized that we have a lot in place. This is a new school, located in a rural area in a developing country with conservative privacy laws and expensive import tax laws. We have a very willing and able IT department, and its strengths lie in the existing systems, the support services, and the networking solutions. There is still a lot to work on in terms of involving all stakeholders in decision-making, and avoiding top-down decision-making routines. Another important thing I noticed is that there are numerous gaps between the resources/infrastructure we have, and the way it is used/perceived. In order to narrow these gaps, we would need to improve communication, especially when it comes to training and integration. Creating a Technology Use plan for the short and long term would be an advisable direction. My overall rating for my institution would be LOW INTEGRATED. I believe that having great infrastructure yet being unable to fully utilize it is a crucial problem that must be addressed.

Here are the specific ratings and findings:

Administrative Filter:
Policy Behavioral: (Islands) Although there is an Appropriate Use policy, in certain aspects it lacks specifics. All staff members agree to follow it, yet due to its general nature, different rules are made that make many feel too controlled. We recently had a long e-mail exchange between the IT department and many teachers, who protested that several important teaching related websites and services have been suddenly restricted (such as, Facebook, Google Docs, and Dropbox). After intervention by Administration, some of these restrictions were lifted, while other services became available for specific teachers, based on need. Students and some teachers are frustrated with the needed configuration of their personal computers (A requirement for years 11 & 12), as they report they come back with many different problems (certain programs dont work, screen turns red, etc.) This creates both a trust and a proper accessibility issue. Resource/ Infrastructure: (Integrated) A document for appropriate technology use is in place. It is signed off by all students and their parents, and is verbally agreed upon by staff. It is mostly embraced by staff and students. In addition, the policy states that if anyone wishes to use the network, they need to turn in their computer for configuration. Another option is to apply for a password-protected Guest Account which requires the user to sign in every time).

Planning Behavioral: (Islands) There is a general feeling of lack of careful planning amongst staff. Teachers feel that usually they are not being included in important planning-related decisions, although it seems that recently more advice is solicited from teachers. Resource/ Infrastructure: (Islands) According to our IT team, innovation and trends in education are given big consideration in the planning process, and are the drivers of new decisions, guidelines, and policies. However, one important point made was that the

planning is done top-down, and is not a collaborative effort amongst all stakeholders.

Budget Behavioral: (Islands) Although there is a budget for technology, and teachers are aware that technology in India is expensive, they feel it is a bit insufficient for their needs. When priority specialized technology is needed, it often takes a while to be approved, processed, and to arrive at the hands of the teacher. Resource/ Infrastructure: (Integrated) Unfortunately the technology budget, although exists, was unavailable to me. According to our IT team, the budget considers both short and long term goals, and other budgets include technology-related items.

Administrative Information Behavioral: (Integrated) All staff is required to work with the systems in place (school e-mail, Moodle, and ePortal). Although the use is usually simple in nature, it satisfies the needs of the teachers. There is some awareness as to paperless systems, but oftentimes locations of printers are creating unnecessary waste. Resource/ Infrastructure: (Intelligent) There are several systems at Mountain school, and most of which are used by students, teachers, and administrators. Examples are e-mail client (Zimbra), Learning Management (Moodle), file sharing, and school management (ePortal). When needed, software is purchased for specific needs (accounting, etc.).

Curricular Filter:
Electronic Information Behavioral: (Integrated) Teachers reported they feel they are very dependent upon information resources. Some teachers reported they feel comfortable with the systems, while other do not. On the same token, some teachers regularly update their pages while others

find it challenging due to lack of understanding and/or time allotted for such tasks. Resource/ Infrastructure: (Integrated) There was some debate as to the definition of comprehensive. Questions such as, If we had it, would they actually be using it? arose. There is access to platforms such as Moodle and ePortal where teachers are able to create and use content (Lessons, attendance, etc.) Students and parents have access to most content from home (online; mostly as viewers).

Assessment Behavioral: (Integrated) All teachers use the available tools to record student progress. Students and parents access is currently lacking. Resource/ Infrastructure: (Integrated) Reporting and assessment tools are available for teachers both at school and at home; however, they are generally basic in nature. There is a plan for more integration (maybe next year), where students will have access to more interactive assessment and reporting tools.

Curricular Integration Behavioral: (Islands & Integrated) In the Primary school the curriculum is not very independent on technology; however, in the Secondary school teachers feel that their teaching depends heavily on the available technology, and the use is very frequent. That said, several teachers complain that the available technology is insufficient, and that solutions take too long or dont take place. Resource/ Infrastructure: (Islands) Technology and related resources are ordered based on teacher need, with basic software bought and installed on all computers. In the Secondary School, some departments (ELL and Science) have some specialized software and instruments.

Teacher Use Behavioral: (Islands & Integrated) There was quite a difference between the Primary and Secondary teachers responses. Primary teachers feel that because there is only basic technology, they are forced to plan and teach lessons using little technology. Secondary teachers feel that students dependence upon technology is heavy and they use it daily for different purposes.

 Resource/ Infrastructure: (Integrated) Most teachers have a PC (with Internet connection) and a projector installed in their classrooms. Again, there was some debate about what appropriate technology means.

Student Use Behavioral: (Integrated) Again there is a difference between the two schools. Primary teachers feel students are using technology often, but in basic ways due to default restrictions such as the blocking of Skype calls, but also due to their students age. Secondary teachers feel their students use technology frequently, but have other avenues to show their understanding. Resource/ Infrastructure: (Integrated) Students have access to a computer lab and library, as well as to some shared grade-level computers. The pre-installed software is generally what teachers previously requested, while there are additional programs available upon demand.

Support Filter:
Stakeholder Involvement Behavioral: (Emergent) There is lack of involvement in the planning, implementation, and integration processes. Some teachers feel comfortable with the technology they receive and their level of involvement, while others would have liked to be consulted, and have more say in the choice of purchases and implementation and integration. Resource/ Infrastructure: (Emergent) Technology planning and implementation are done in isolation. The IT department makes decisions as to what is needed, and with the Boards approval they purchase these items. Teachers and students receive of equipment and software, and work with what they have. They usually are not engaged in the discussion of what to purchase and how to use it. However, with the employment of a new Technology Integration Specialist, it seems there is more communication between teachers and parents, and administration.

Administrative Support Behavioral: (Islands) Most teachers believe there is very little support and involvement from administration. When problems arise they go directly to the IT team. Some teachers have established relationships with Administrators, which allow for some discussion about technology. It seems that recently, more admin discussion is taking place to support teachers and teaching. Resource/ Infrastructure: (Islands) Administration is rarely involved in discussions about technology-related issues. It is generally left to the IT department to initiate, plan, and implement.

Training Behavioral: (Islands) Most teachers feel that training is very basic and somewhat rare. However, when there is whole-staff training when new technologies are implemented, all teachers participate. Some Single Subject Teachers report that although there are some resources for their subject, in some cases no one knows how to operate them, and no one is brought in to train them. Resource/ Infrastructure: (Islands) Formal training for students is provided for most applications by the teaching IT staff as part of the curriculum. However, few qualified staff members conduct staff training, and on-going formal training is limited.

Technical & Infrastructure Support Behavioral: (Integrated) Staff members use the ticketing system and feel they are getting the help they need in a timely manner. There are several tech-savvy teachers among staff, and these teachers often help others in need. Resource/ Infrastructure: (Intelligent) The IT Support department is always available to assist students and staff with any technical issue. A support ticket is created by the teacher, which is then channeled to the appropriate personnel. When urgent, support is a phone call away.

Connectivity Filter:
Local Area Network Behavioral: (Integrated) Most students and staff use LAN for e-mail and simple browsing (including video streaming), and saving/sharing on the local fileserver. There is a feeling that we could use it more effectively, and take advantage of the great infrastructure we already have. Resource/ Infrastructure: (Intelligent) All systems run on LAN, and include phones, CCTVs, Access Controllers, and wireless Internet. The school runs multiple servers in a virtualized environment to support admin and curricular functions of the school.

District Area Networking* Not Applicable *

Internet Access Behavioral: (Integrated) Most students and staff members use the Internet as a teaching resource on a daily basis. Some teachers and Secondary students find some websites are unnecessarily blocked by our schools filter. It seems that the schools systems are in place but the outside connection is whats missing Resource/ Infrastructure: (Integrated) There is direct Internet access to all locations around the school. However, the school is located in a rural area and so Internet connectivity is not always reliable. The school relies on 2 radio links, both of moderate speed. Increases in bandwidth are being pursued (in spite it being at a high cost). Unfortunately, further increases may run into technical/financial limitations. It seems that in the future, as the area grows, the school will be able to connect to the main road.

Communication Systems Behavioral: (Intelligent) School e-mail (Zimbra) is integrated into the schools learning and support communications. It is the main way students, teachers, parents, and

administrators communicate, although recently there has been more use of ePortal and Moodle to improve and organize communication (for example, attendance, morning announcements, to post and view staff absences and substitution list, etc.). The Alfresco system is ready to roll in, which will improve collaboration among faculty. Resource/ Infrastructure: (Intelligent) Communication systems at the school include not only an e-mail client (Zimbra), but other platforms, such as: Moodle, Mahara, Alfresco, SMS Gateway for parental communication, and regular landline phones. They are available to all staff and students for use.

Innovation Filter:
New Technologies Behavioral: (Islands) Staff members usually warmly accept new technologies. However, some teachers feel that some systems are overlapping and require a lot of training, which means less planning time. There is also a feeling that some training is not conducted efficiently. To many it feels as if experimentation is not encouraged enough and tech ideas rarely originate from the teachers due to lack of structure. Resource/ Infrastructure: (Integrated) When new technologies arrive, some implementation process takes place, which focuses mainly on the specific target group that will be using the tools.

Comprehensive Technologies Behavioral: (Islands) Most teachers see these as basic equipment, which sometimes hinders creativity and does not fit with 21st century learning. In addition, t seems that the equipment we have does not reach its full potential. Resource/ Infrastructure: (Islands) Currently the available technologies are a teacher computer and projector, IP phones, and shared computers for students. Recently iPads were introduced a trial to the Early Childhood students. Printers are shared.