RD399 - Virginia Public School Authority Educational Technology Grants Survey - October 15, 2015


Executive Summary:
Virginia’s Web-based Standards of Learning (SOL) Technology Initiative began in 2000. Its goal is for Web-based systems to improve SOL instructional, remedial, and testing capabilities in high schools, middle schools, and elementary schools. The initiative has four objectives:

1. Provide at least one computer for every five students

2. Create Internet-ready local area network capabilities in every school

3. Assure adequate high-speed, high-bandwidth capabilities for instructional, remedial, and testing needs

4. Establish a statewide Web-based SOL test delivery system

Funding for the initiative is generated by proceeds from the sale of educational technology equipment notes, sold by the Virginia Public School Authority (VPSA).

In 2010, the initiative was expanded to allow school divisions to use funds to purchase handheld multifunctional computing devices that support a broad range of applications and that are controlled by operating systems providing full multimedia support and mobile Internet connectivity. School divisions that elected to use funds to purchase such qualifying handheld devices were required to continue meeting the SOL online testing requirements.

In the 2015 Appropriation Act Item 136.C.12, the 2015 General Assembly directed the Department of Education to conduct a survey in fiscal year 2016 to assess the interest of school divisions to lease technology equipment with VPSA grants instead of purchasing the equipment, if such an option was available, as follows:

"l. The Department of Education shall survey school divisions in the second year regarding their interest in using the education technology grants for lease expenditures if allowable sources of funding were available for such expenditures. School divisions shall submit responses to the survey by September 1, 2015, and the Department of Education shall provide a summary of the responses to the Governor and the Chairmen of the House Appropriations and Senate Finance Committees by October 15, 2015."

In accordance with the legislative directive, an online survey was conducted from July 17 to September 1, 2015. The survey was announced on July 17 with Superintendent’s Memo #175-15 (see Appendix A). There were a total of 64 respondents to the survey. This report provides a summary of the survey results. See Appendix B for the survey items. See Appendix C for complete responses, bar graphs, and comments provided by survey respondents.