RTC Communicator for Winter 2019

8 WINTER 2019 Alexander Public School BUSINESS SPOTLIGHT Technology helps enable the Comets to shine brightly There are currently 286 students in grades PK-12, taught by 25 teachers and led by one Dean of Students, one PK-12 Principal, and one Superintendent. These numbers reflect the significant growth of Alexander Public School in recent years, due to the oil boom in western North Dakota. To accommodate this growth, a school expansion was completed in 2016 including 11 new classrooms, a second gym, and a new fitness center, kitchen, and cafeteria. In addition, renovations were made to the science lab, library, and administrative suite. While the additional square footage is clearly an asset to Alexander Public School, so is something measured in inches—the 14-inch tablets provided to each K-12 student as part of the 1:1 initiative. Devices Help Individualized Learning Superintendent Leslie Bieber said, “The 1:1 initiative has helped us provide individualized student learning and differentiated instruc- tion. Students can work on their tablets during device time and watch educational programs on YouTube and other sites. As students move up in grades, all testing is done on devices. For example, students can go through the reading list at their own pace and take a comprehension test on their tablet as they finish each book.” Bieber added, “By using devices and programs, students can be tested on their first or second day of each school year in reading and math so we know where they are with their skills. It gives us data to measure each student’s progress. In math, we can iden- tify when a student doesn’t understand a certain concept, and the computer can assign homework for that student to review the information again and fill in the ‘holes.’ Performance-based assessments enable us to individualize instruction.” Alexander Public School, located in the small town of Alexander, is the Home of the Comets. This mascot seems appropriate, given that frozen comets are about the size of a small town and great ones are admired for their brightness. What’s more, Alexander Public School is clearly a stellar example of how technology can be used to enhance learning. Principal Shannon Faller