[May 15, 2012] Manchester Schools Technology Plan Aims To Ensure Infrastructure, Access And Skills Tweet MANCHESTER, May 15, 2012 (The Hartford Courant - McClatchy-Tribune Information Services via COMTEX) -- An education technology plan presented to the school board Monday lays out goals for student skills, access to computers, training and infrastructure over the next three years. The board is to approve the plan and submit it to the state Department of Education by June 15. One major goal is ensuring the district is ready for the switch to online versions of the Connecticut Mastery Test and the Connecticut Academic Performance Test in the 2014-15 school year, Interim Superintendent Richard Kisiel said Tuesday. The goal, according to the plan, is to "formally adopt a districtwide keyboarding program in the elementary grades that develops and measures students' keyboarding skills to prepare students for online state assessments." "We wouldn't want their scores jeopardized by lack of keyboard skills," Kisiel said. Another major part of the plan is to make it easier for teachers to file, access and analyze students' performance throughout the school year and to expand opportunities for online learning for students and staff, Kisiel said. All the goals are in line with state and federal standards, he said. The school board will have to explore how to fund the goals in the next budget season, he said, but much has been done already. "I think, overall, we're in good shape," Kisiel said. . ___ (c)2012 The Hartford Courant (Hartford, Conn.) Visit The Hartford Courant (Hartford, Conn.) at www.courant.com Distributed by MCT Information Services [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ]