| State: Virginia | Number of Students: 14,729 |
| School Type: Public School District | Free and Reduced Lunch: 57.0% |
| Grade Level: PK-12 | English Language Learners: 34.8% |
School Context
Academic Achievement: ACPS prioritizes high academic achievement so that every student can be college and career ready.
Family Matters: Family and community engagement are key for student success. The division works hard to create partnershipswith families and community members.
Strong Staff: ACPS values a strong staff and aims to support and retain a high quality staff.
Learning Environment: The division prioritizes learning environments that are equitable and promote student growth.
Wellness in School: The division views health and wellness as major contributors to student success.
School Operations: ACPS aims for operations and school organization to be effective, efficient and transparent.
State of Technology
Amplifying Tablets for Learning: The division launched its one-to-one laptopinitiative back in the day. In 2003 each high school student had access to hisor her own device. By 2013, ACPS began exploring new device options andeventually settled on the Amplify tablet. In 2013-2014 the division pilotedAmplify tablets with over 400 high school students. By 2014-2015, ACPS hadfully launched the tablet in all high schools and expanded the pilot to threeelementary schools. The division plans to continue expanding access to thetablets in the coming school year.
Putting Amplify To Work: Teachers begin by automatically enrolling studentsin their class on the tablets. Students turn on their tablets and have theirschedules and resources in front of them immediately since the tablet is tiedto PowerSchool, the division’s Student Information System. Teachers createand share content through Google playlists, which can be pushed throughto student devices with ease. The division uses Amplify’s built-in content forresources and formative assessments, with a focus on differentiation.
Online Options: ACPS offers online courses that are flexibly paced toincrease differentiation and individualized instruction for students. The OnlineLearning Program, or OLP, has a team of teachers, mentors and counselorsthat provide support to students taking these courses. The OLP offersboth part-time and full-time coursework and online tutoring services for allstudents in grades 6-12, though the program is primarily used by high schoolstudents. Every student participating in the OLP has an in-person mentor inaddition to the online teacher, regardless of whether the student is accessingtheir learning during the school day or after school. The mentor is based atthe school so that the student can meet with them for extra support.
Student Internship with Technology Services: High school students canapply to be summer interns with the technology services team at ACPS. In athree-week paid internship, students receive $750 for their work and havethe opportunity to experience the daily tasks of the technology departmentsuch as entering data, installing software and maintaining tablets. There are“lunch and learns” with staff as well as with outside individuals, like an Amplifyspecialist and an employee at an IT consulting firm.
Tech Needs & Requirements
All tools must be mobile, flexible and easy to manage.
Initiatives
Laptop to Tablet Shift: ACPS is shifting from 1:1 laptops to tablets in order to better suit the division’s needs.