2013-2016 Technology Plan - Osceola County School District

of district elementary school students scored Level III or above compared to the state average of
51%. The district percentages for middle and high school students were 37% and 32%
respectively, well below the state middle school average of 46% and high school average of 40%.
The District’s post-secondary institution, Technical Education Center Osceola (TECO), works
closely with secondary students, offering a variety of courses and certifications (such as CNA,
LPN, LEO, EPA, MOUS, A+, Network +, MCP, and MCSA) to make Osceola students job-ready
upon graduation. The District’s graduation rate was 82.7% for the 2010-2011 school year. Once
again, Osceola County has a higher graduation rate than the state average of 81.2%. Osceola
County also continues to have a lower dropout rate (1.6%) than the state average (1.9%).
A tremendous 82% of high school completers reported plans to seek further formal education in
some capacity. Several continuing education opportunities are available locally. TECO offers a
number of post-secondary, job-preparatory programs for adults; courses support a variety of
career choices, and examples include Practical Nursing, Legal Administrative Specialist,
Business Computer Programmer, Culinary Arts Practitioner, Law Enforcement Officer,
Automotive Service Technician, and Residential/Commercial Electrician, and
Residential/Commercial Plumber. Adult Learning Center Osceola (ALCO) offers ESOL, Adult
Basic Education, and GED Preparation and Testing for adults. In addition, Valencia Community
College and Florida Christian College have campuses in Osceola County.
Population increases exert the most influence on Osceola’s situation. County agencies struggle to
effectively address the growth. The student enrollment has tripled from 18,054 students in 1990
to 56,089 students in January 2013. As of January 2013, the District employs 6,666 staff
members (including 159 administrators, 3,493 instructional personnel, and 3,014 professional
support personnel). The county has public transportation, a One-Stop Center, and a number of
non-profit community organizations prepared to offer assistance with food, shelter, employment,
medical health, education, and legal services.
Because of the following economic conditions, students in Osceola County are at a disadvantage
after school hours with limited access to the Internet and/or a computer.
Higher unemployment rates than the state and national averages (Appendix B)
Falling property values – affects district budget (decreased revenues)(Appendix B)
Increasing number of Title I schools (Appendix B)
The District has formed a partnership with the Kiwanis Club of Kissimmee to address the
hardship of this limited access to computers. To be eligible, students must be identified as a
“student in transition”, who reside in hotels, motels, campgrounds, cars, parks, emergency or
transitional shelters, or are “doubled up” with friends or awaiting foster care placement. Students
receive refurbished, surplus computers (Appendix B, “Press Release”).
A tiered plan has been in place since 2008 to bring about conformity in classroom technology
hardware configuration standards. The specifications include VoIP telephony, desktop/laptop
computers, wireless connectivity, LCD projectors, document cameras, SMART Boards, audio
enhancement systems, and SMART Response systems. Many school administrators have realized
the value of the enhanced teaching methods and student enrichment that technology brings to the
classroom, and have made budget decisions in favor of providing their teachers with as many of
the available tools as possible.
2.2 Planning Process: Provide a description of technology plan development process to include,
but not be limited to:
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2013 Educational Technology Plan School District of Osceola County Florida