The computers and software were purchased as part of a $790,815.39 grant the district received from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (Stimulus). The grant also provided two new handicapped equipped school buses for the district fleet ($185,000) and an additional $313,153 for the Title 1 program designed for improving the academic achievement of disadvantaged students in the district.
Matt Pritchard (right), technology director for New Richmond Schools, goes over plans for the deployment of 445 new computers with John Frye, the district's Director of Public and Staff Services.New Richmond spent $133,000 for 445 computers refurbished HP desktop dual-core Pentium 4 computers running Windows7. Each classroom at New Richmond’s three elementary schools and the middle school got three computers along with new 25-station computer labs.
“It’s been five years since we last upgraded computers at New Richmond,” noted Matt Pritchard, technology director for New Richmond schools. “The new computers they are replacing are slow, outdated Pentium 3 machines and will run Person SuccessMaker K to 8 intervention software in reading and math at all three elementary schools and middle school and at the high school special ed classrooms.”
John Frye, Director of Public and Staff Services for New Richmond Schools, wrote the federal grant application and said the addition of the new computers to run the Success Maker software will help improve student performance in reading and math in grades 3-8 and 10.
“The Pearson Success Maker program is not new to the New Richmond Schools,” said Frye. “The program was originally acquired by a teacher team at New Richmond Elementary through a grant several years ago and has been successful at NRE. With the Stimulus grant, we are able to replicate that successful program in all five buildings.”
Success Maker is an intervention program designed to provide individual intervention supports for students at their level in reading and math. All students K-8 and in high school special education classes will have access to the program.
“Student performance in reading and math in grades 3-8 and 10 are the measurement that determines a district’s progress toward adequate yearly progress goals established by the State of Ohio in response to the federal mandates in No Child Left Behind,” said Frye.
