Amy Simon

EDTECH 551
Module 5
Written Assignment
Needs Assessment:
Digital Access and Inequality
There is a real and urgent need to address digital inequality among our public schools.
Ninety-five percent of high-income households use the Internet at home, but just fiftyseven percent of the poorest households do. Eighty-seven percent of households
earning more than $75,000 have access to technology, while just forty percent of
households earning less than $30,000 have access. In 2012, more than fifty percent of
the workforce earned less than $30,000. At Knapp Elementary School in Racine,
Wisconsin, more than ninety percent of the student population qualifies for free and
reduced lunch. Going to the library to access technology outside of school is not always
a viable option for the families because it requires money for a bus fare or a responsible
adult to drive the students across town. The U.S. Census Bureau recently reported that
nearly twenty-five percent of the residents in Racine County are on food stamps, which
covers roughly forty-three percent of all of the children in our school district. In the
Common Core State Standards, technology is referenced 95 times. The need for
students, especially students from economically disadvantaged homes, to have regular
access to technology in school is clear.
Student Achievement
Student achievement at Knapp Elementary School is well below the state and district
averages. Knapp Elementary School is identified as a school in need of improvement
due to low student achievement. On Wisconsins Department of Public Instruction

School Report Card for the 2013-2014 school year, just 4.8% of Knapp students scored
proficient or advanced on Wisconsins standardized test in reading. 23.2% of other
Racine Unified students and 38.4% of Wisconsin students scored proficient or
advanced on the same test. The results for math are slightly better with 8.1% of Knapp
students scoring proficient or advanced on the Wisconsin Knowledge and Concepts
Examination. 28.6% of other Racine Unified students and 51.1% of Wisconsin students
scored proficient or advanced on the same test. This has been a trend since the 20092010 school year, where the number of students proficient or advanced in reading and
math declined by half from the 2009-2010 school year to the 2010-2011 school year.
Since 2010, student scores have remained below 7% proficiency in reading each year
and have declined in math each year since the 2009-2010 school year. The exception to
this was a slight increase in student proficiency in math from 6.6% in 2012-2013 to 8.1%
in 2013-2014. The students need of new and engaging instructional approaches that
make the content relevant to them. Traditional instructional approaches are not
sufficient for the students at Knapp Elementary.
Project-Based Learning
Knapp Elementary School is working with a Lead Turnaround Partner, WestEd, to
implement the necessary changes to improve student achievement and increase school
performance. WestEd is a research, development, and service agency that works with
education and other communities to promote excellence, achieve equity, and improve
learning for children, youth, and adults. WestEd completed a four-dimensional study to
determine the greatest areas of need for improvement at Knapp Elementary. The fourdimensional study included interviews, focus groups, an extensive survey, and

observations. In their four-dimensional study in May 2014, WestEd found that instruction
and activities remained overwhelming at Depth of Knowledge level 1, meaning mostly
recall was required of the students, and no strategic or extended thinking was required.
They also noted minimal instances in which there was structured use of technology in
lessons computers were being used to play learning games or to run programs
designed to read stories aloud to students. They also observed the lack of working
iPads in one classroom, so some students had to sit and wait for their turn. Project
Based Learning offers a unique approach to learning where students are engaged in
rigorous activities that promote essential 21st century skills to achieve at high levels.
Allowing students sufficient access to technology will help to ensure students learn the
21st century skills necessary for future success.

"New York Times." Digital Divide Is a Matter of Income. N.p., 12 Dec. 2010. Web. 2 Nov. 2013.
<http://www.nytimes.com/2010/12/13/business/media/13drill.html?_r=0>.
"Forty Percent Of Workers Made Less Than $20,000 Last Year." ThinkProgress RSS. N.p., n.d. Web. 9 Nov. 2013.
<http://thinkprogress.org/economy/2013/11/05/2890091/wage-income-data/>.