Since the adoption of the first State Technology Plan in 1996, Maryland has made a commitment to improving student learning through the effective and efficient use of technology in all classrooms. On March 26, 2002, the State Board of Education accepted an updated Maryland Plan for Technology in Education, which guides the State's strategic direction related to educational technology. This plan expires in 2005 and is being updated now by MSDE to guide efforts into the future.

Over the past nine years, a substantial financial investment of over $1B has been made by the State, local school systems, the federal government and the private sector to enable Maryland to fulfill its commitment to improve learning with technology. This summary represents the eighth in a series of annual reports that highlight not only our progress, but also specific and important gaps that remain to be addressed. The data provided in this summary are important both for what they show about the capacity of Maryland students and teachers to access technology-based resources, and for what they reveal about the way that students and teachers experience technology use in their day-to-day learning.

Technology Infrastructure

The data confirm that significant progress has been made in establishing a strong technology infrastructure. With few exceptions, schools possess sufficient numbers of computers and almost all classrooms are connected to the Internet. Statewide, the student-to-computer ratio now stands at 4:1 (4 students for every computer available for classroom use), which is better than the planned target of a 5:1 ratio. 95% of all classrooms statewide now possess Internet connectivity. Baltimore City schools are the exception to this trend, where only 67% of all classrooms possess Internet connectivity.

Teacher Knowledge and Skills

With regard to teacher knowledge and skills related to the effective use and integration of technology into the curriculum, the data do not show progress consistent with the Plan’s objectives. Approximately 70% of teachers rate themselves at an Intermediate skill level or higher on the use and integration of technology, short of the Plan’s target of 100% of teachers with these capabilities. More significantly, the year-over-year trends do not indicate any material improvement in this area despite significant investments in professional development activities.

Student, Teacher and Administrative Use of Technology

The primary objective of our investment of resources in technology is improved student learning, which can only be achieved by the effective use of the technology tools within the curriculum and in daily classroom instruction. Unfortunately, data from this report indicate that the technology in our schools is not being used as frequently, nor as effectively, as outlined in the State’s Strategic Plan. This is particularly true in the more complex uses of technology that experts suggest should exercise higher-order critical thinking skills that will improve student problem solving skills. The trend data suggest little or no improvement in these areas year-over-year.

In some of the most basic uses of technology, 2005 data show that 40% of schools report that their students use technology to “plan, draft, proofread, revise and publish written text” every day, or almost every day. The 2005 data show that 51% of all schools report that their students “gather information/data from a variety of sources (e.g. via Internet, World Wide Web, Online services, CD-ROM-based reference software)” every day, or almost every day.

With regard to the more important and complex uses of technology, 2005 data show that only 13% of schools report that their students use technology to “Display data/information (e.g., using charts, graphs and maps)” every day, or almost every day. Data show that only 9% of schools report that students used technology to “Manipulate, analyze and interpret information” every day, or almost every day. Data in these two important activities are essentially unchanged over 2004.The 2005 data show modest gains in teacher and administrator use of technology for basic activities. As an example, almost 90% of teachers and administrators now use email to communicate with staff and colleagues every day or almost every day. However, the use is less frequent for more complex uses of technology. Only 56% of teachers report using technology to “analyze and/or report student/school improvement data” at least a few times per month, which is essentially unchanged over the 2004 data.

In summary, the data suggest that technology tools are being used effectively to improve communications and collect information and data. However, technology is not being used effectively for higher level, analytical and problem-solving activities, where research and experts agree that education can derive the most compelling benefits for improved learning.

The Digital Divide

Efforts to bridge the digital divide continue in Maryland; however, challenges remain. Significant progress has been made regarding student-to-computer ratio with minimal variance evident between high and low poverty schools. However, classrooms in the highest poverty schools are much less likely to have Internet access enabled. Nearly 100% of classrooms in low poverty schools are connected to the Internet, while only 80% of high poverty schools have similar connections. The lack of classroom connectivity in Baltimore City is driving this statistic (note that State funding to complete Internet access in all Baltimore City schools has been available since 2001. However, BCPS released the final contracts in fall, 2004 for the work to be completed by 2006). Further, schools with the highest poverty remain below average in teacher knowledge and skills, and student and administrator use of technology.

As in years past, the digital divide in student use is of most concern. Data show that, in general, the higher the poverty level of the schools, the less frequently the technology is used for tasks that require higher-level thinking and meaningful application of knowledge and skills. The difference is striking when one looks at the percentage of schools reporting that their students regularly* use technology to:

	Low Poverty	High Poverty
Draft, revise, and publish writing	65%	30%
Gather information from the Internet	70%	54%
Communicate or report information	45%	15%
Manipulate, analyze or interpret data	20%	10%
Perform measurements and gather data	15%	5%

* Regularly is defined as every day or almost every day

Given research that links improved student learning with these uses of technology, it is imperative to eliminate this gap.

Recommendations

The stakes have never been higher for education in Maryland. Currently, according to High School Assessment results, many students are far from reaching the new high school graduation requirements. It is imperative that schools better prepare our students, and technology tools can and should be key contributors to success. However, the benefits will not materialize if the technology is not effectively used in our classrooms. To insure that technology delivers on the promise of making significant contributions to improving learning for all Maryland students, it is recommended that:

1. A revised State Strategic Technology Plan and revised district Technology Plans, aligned with the State Plan and local master plans, be completed. The Plans should focus on the tight and seamless integration of technology tools into existing curriculum, with particular emphasis on the use of technology to foster higher-level critical thinking skills - January, 2006.
2. Technology requirements/assessments be incorporated into all teacher and administrator re-certification programs and in pre-service teacher preparation programs - Fall, 2006.
3. MSDE require local master plans to incorporate and address needs identified from an analysis of data from the Online Technology Inventory Report - Fall, 2006.
4. MSDE review and document the effectiveness of professional development activities related to technology integration - Summer, 2005).
5. MSDE review state and local organizational structures within educational systems to insure that such structures are compatible with and conducive to effectively integrating technology into the curriculum and daily instruction - Spring, 2006.
6. MSDE investigate why progress is not continuing, through ongoing dialogue with school systems - Summer, 2005.
7. MBRT reconstitute the Committee on Technology in Education to include a membership comprised of leading business and IT executives that will review and make recommendations to MSDE regarding the State Plan and convey effective corporate technological practices used in the transformation of companies that are applicable to education - Spring 2005.