As computer-based testing replaces paper tests in school districts across the country, the East Baton Rouge Parish School System intends to hand out Google Chromebooks to every student in grades 5-8 this school year.
The availability of the technology is part of a new program that establishes a one-to-one student-computer ratio in the aforementioned grades, East Baton Rouge Schools Superintendent Warren Drake told the Press Club of Baton Rouge today.
“This is the beginning. When you talk about a fifth-grader, some of them maybe have never had a computer,” he said.
At least 85% of East Baton Rouge public school students qualify for free and reduced lunch, an indicator of poverty.
Despite cutting its budget by $15 million this year and facing a similar cut next year, Drake says the school system managed to reallocate, through savings, roughly $3.5 million within its budget to pay for the technology program.
Drake says about $912,000 came from a dedicated sales tax that is for facilities and technology, roughly $1.3 million came from the general fund, another roughly $1.3 million came from federal programs, and about $20,000 is from federal Striving Readers Comprehensive Literacy grants.
The school system purchased 12,805 Chromebooks and 427 carts to charge the laptops.
Students can’t take the laptops home, but they will be able to checkout their laptop each day during school hours.
The machines must be returned at the end of the day. Teachers and school administrators are being trained on how to use the devices that will be integrated into the curriculum.
“We live in a technological world. People research. People use those devices every day. You have them in your hands and in your pockets every day,” Drake said. “We need our students to put their hands on devices.”
—Alexandria Burris
