Interventions

• Waterford Early Learning:The goal for the Title I Prince George’s County implementation of Waterford Early Reading Program is to help close the reading achievement gap for Title I kindergarteners and 1st grade students.  Waterford develops foundational reading skills. Our early learners benefit from Waterford’s emergent to fluency literacy focus. Waterford is used as a reading intervention measure, that addresses the needs of students entering school lacking background knowledge in the mechanics of how sounds, words and text are related to become strong, independent readers.  Currently, the Waterford program is available to all kindergarten and 1st grade Title I students.

Instructional Resources

• myON: myON is a personalized literacy program that provides access to an integrated collection of over 1700 digital books with reading supports, customized to a student’s interest and reading abilities. myON develops an individual profile for each student based on his or her interests and reading ability, and generates a recommended book list.  Each student has their own personal library available to them 24/7!

• Vocabulary.com:Vocabulary.Com is a  licensed program that is available to all 6th, 7th and 8th students to access online vocabulary strategies and materials.  Vocabulary.com combines the dictionary with an adaptive learning game that helps students master new words while monitoring student progress.  

Creating Innovative Environments

• 1:1 Initiatives: The Title I office strongly supports digital learning in 1:1 environments. Students are able to create, distribute, access and collaborate using the highest level of technology—going beyond mere enhancement of tasks to true transformation. Transforming Education through Digital Learning (TEDL) is our flagship program, which has made eight schools (5 middle, 2 elementary, 1 academy)) completely 1:1 iPad environments for all staff and students. The TEDL program was extended to reach 21 additional classrooms at 15 other Title I schools. We also have a 3rd Grade Mobile program, which made all 3rd grade Title I classrooms 1:1 environments with Chromebooks. Finally, we have our Take My Teacher Home initiative, which made almost every Title I Kindergarten classroom a 1:1 environment with iPods. The Title I Office also offers the services of our Technology Resource Teachers to assist with the integration of Title I technology through Demo Lesson, Lesson/Project Planning, and the use and creation of multimedia.
• S.T.A.M.P.   STAMP Program provides 5th-grade students with fun and engaging opportunities to explore science and technology with a focus on aerospace and engineering designed to build interest, knowledge, and technical skills that students can take with them into the classroom and beyond.  Each day is filled with exciting hands-on experiences using science, technology, aerospace, mathematics evidence-based programs (STAMP), and abstract STEM concepts connected to real-world and hands-on experiences.

  Goals and Outcomes:

• Connection  to unfamiliar career fields by hearing from professionals who are relatable
• Increased exposure to STEM and Aerospace
• Partnership and ongoing communication with NASA's  Educational Resource Department
• Engagement in logical reasoning & inquiry
• Interpret & communicate information through Journaling methods and STEM sources
• Apply technology strategically
• ArchiTech: This game design program taps into students’ prior experiences with gaming and connects these experiences to a variety of disciplines through concepts such as programming, design, arts, marketing, entrepreneurship and much more.  Through hands-on, project-based learning, students (ArchiTechies) develop portfolios and skills needed to be successful in today’s global workforce. Students are prepared to pursue careers not only in the game industry, but a wide variety of fields that combine creativity and Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Mathematics (STEAM)
• Teen Moguls: Students will explore ways to turn current interests into future fortunes. Students will utilize cutting edge technologies, creativity, imagination, investigative research, input from successful entrepreneurs and other experts to engage in business/project learning and more. The young moguls will design career pathways for obtaining independent entrepreneur goals.

Instructional Material & Resources

• MakerSpace: A makerspace is a place where students can gather to create, invent, tinker, explore and discover using a variety of tools and materials. Title I, Library Media & Creative Arts have collaborated to help teachers in Title I schools  bring the exciting opportunities of the maker movement to every library. The goal of the program is to empower Title I library media specialists to develop a makerspace in their library that supports the integration of electronics into student authored books.
• InterActive Whiteboards: The Title I Office has made efforts to transform 67 title I schools into interactive learning communities.  The interactive classroom is an engaging and personalized learning environment designed to optimize teaching and learning through the interconnected use of mobile computing, audio, visual, and interactive whiteboard technologies that is integrated within and across the curriculum.  This multi-sensory approach provides instructional opportunities to meet the many learning modalities of students to transform computers and projectors into highly interactive teaching collaboration, and presentation tools.
• NorthBay:  NorthBay provides a transitional program for 8th grade students to successfully transition into high school as well as earn service-learning hours. NorthBay offers an opportunity for students to identify an environmental concern within their community. During this “3-day, 2-night” experience, the students work collaboratively through research and experiments to create solutions that could have a local and global impact. The program challenges students to realize the connection of their actions on the community, environment, and future through the use of Common Core, science standards, character development, and experiential learning.

Professional Development

• Technology Facilitators: The role of the technology facilitator is to represent their school at the quarterly Title I Trainings, where they have the opportunity to network with colleagues from other Title I  schools as well as receive professional development surrounding 21st Century Best practices. Title I technology facilitators serves as the liaison between the Title I Instructional Technology Specialist and your school, sharing the skills that they learned with their school community.     
• MSDE Courses:  The Title I offers the following MSDE courses for their teachers:
  • Transforming Education Through Digital Learning (TEDL)Course:  TEDL Course is designed to improve engagement, enhance instruction and develop the technology skills of teacher leaders, enabling them to use real-time data to inform instruction.
  • Prince George's County Public Schools Transforming Education Through a Maker Mindset (TETaMM): TETaMM is designed to improve engagement, enhance instruction and develop the technology skills of teacher leaders, enabling them to use real-time data to inform instruction. This course will be centered around supporting student creativity by integrating a growth mindset, critical thinking skills, collaboration, and communication skills into their learning.  Through constructivist learning teachers will create technology-integrated, cross-disciplinary lesson plans, while addressing appropriate content standards and engaging students in identifying real-world concerns. Participants will experience four modules that will include face-to-face sessions (see dates above), readings, online discussion through this course’s Google Classroom, and activities to be completed outside of the session. Participants will participate in F2F sessions and are expected to participate in and develop a Google Classroom course for their maker classroom.  This will increase teacher understanding of the simple and parallel circuits, LED lights, and Coding, while incorporating design thinking.