AKRON — On Tuesday, Dec. 4, Tippecanoe Valley School Corporation was notified of the award of a $30,000 Innovation Planning Grant through the Indiana Department of Education.

The Innovation Planning Grant is available to school corporations to assist in the formulation of a plan for the thoughtful integration of technology into teaching and student personal learning. The scope of this grant supports professional development, technology readiness assessments, among other resources and opportunities.  The Innovation Planning Grant was made available by the IDOE through the David C. Ford Technology Fund.

This award will allow the corporation’s grant leadership team to work with an external vendor(s) for additional support. The team will start with a self-assessment using the framework of Future Ready Schools. The Future Ready Schools framework will help guide the team to plan and implement personalized, research-based digital learning strategies so all students can achieve their highest potential. Areas of the district’s self-assessment will include personalized student learning, curriculum, instruction and assessment, use of space and time and personalized professional learning.

Areas that the external assessment could include in the technology audit are infrastructure and tech readiness indicators. Instructional observations will give an overview of the schools’ learning culture and areas of opportunity for enrichment in professional development. Multiple data points will be used such as class visits, student and staff focus groups, and surveys.

The grant leadership team will visit at least two Indiana school corporations identified by the Office of eLearning as having already successfully launched/implemented 1:1 initiatives and will participate in professional development learning opportunities offered by the Office of eLearning and other organizations.

Other grant recipients of the 2018-2019 Innovation Planning Grant are Blackford Schools, Herron Charter and Riverside Charter, Indianapolis Public Schools, Merrillville Community School Corporation, North Judson-San Pierre School Corporation, Pike County School Corporation and Southeast Neighborhood School of Excellence.