#UCSChampions Profile – The 1:1 Tech Intiative and 27,000 devices

When voters approved the 2018 bond issue, they set into motion a future plan for one-on-one computer devices for every student.

On March 13, that plan needed to become an immediate reality.

Once the pandemic began, it became clear that providing each student with their own device was critical for the 2020-21 school year. The challenge became securing the devices, creating an inventory, loading operating systems and software and distributing them in an accelerated timeframe.

"I'm a proud parent and longtime employee of Utica Community Schools. We've always strived to meet the needs of our Staff and Students. Thanks to the joint forces of our district, we were successful at another task that seemed impossible at first,” said Technology Leader Chad White.

Through a proactive strategy, the district began at an early stage the process of securing 27,000 devices for students and teachers. The early approach allowed the district to be among the first to place orders as the pandemic stalled distribution lines and suppliers became overwhelmed with requests from throughout the country.

“Working in UCS, we've been able to handle a large number of devices every summer, but this project was on a scale we never imagined,” said Director of Technology Todd Daniels. “It really took the whole team pulling together and helping each other out in order to pull it off."

After receiving the devices – many of which did not arrive until just prior to the school year – the technology department inventoried and installed operating and security software.

The next step was personalizing each computer for programs that specifically supported teachers and students at each grade level.

Working with Teaching and Learning, ClassLink was implemented as the standard point of access for curriculum content as well as a single point of login to make access easier for students. A system that initially takes six months of implementation was put into place during the summer months.

Recently, the work was recognized nationally with the ClassLink Award of Excellence for Outstanding Implementation.

“I am very proud of the dedication and exceptional work ethic of the UCS IT department," said Sandro Silvestri, UCS executive director of information technology. "The entire department pulled together and did what was necessary to ensure that every student and teacher had a device that would enable and enhance learning both in-building and remotely.”

Source: Utica Community Schools

Http://www.uticak12.org

Mr. Robert Monroe, Superintendent of Schools