Office of Curriculum, Technology, & Assessment

Title II, Part D - Awards 2007-2008

Wolsey-Wessington School District

Teaching Literacy through Technology Project (TLT Project)

The ultimate vision and goal of the Wolsey-Wessington Teaching Literacy through Technology Project (TLT Project) is to empower all K-12 teachers and students with technology-infused reading comprehension strategies and data-driven tools, which will, in turn, raise each student’s ability to comprehend and interpret a variety of texts. 

The Wolsey-Wessington reading comprehension scores are below state and national averages, according to past Ed Performance Tests (DACS), STAR Reading, and ACT test results.  Baseline teacher and student surveys indicate a lack of awareness of reading comprehension teaching strategies and a low level of use of existing technologies available to them in the school. The school has technology and curriculum available to staff to improve these scores; the missing component is professional development to help staff use these resources effectively. 

Therefore, this project’s proposed professional development is outlined as follows: 

• Teachers first need to learn a variety of reading strategies and differential instruction techniques (CRISS Training will provide this knowledge before the 2007-2008 school year begins).

• Then teachers need to learn how they can integrate technology into teaching these strategies (In-house technology professional development will fulfill this need before the 2007-2008 school year AND throughout the 2007-2008 school year).

• Finally, teachers need a support system throughout the year to help them continue to stay on target for using these technology-infused strategies in their classrooms (Weekly meetings called “Techie Tuesdays”, monthly in-depth technology training, and a WebCT discussion board will provide on-going support and reflection time for teachers involved in this project).