Cotter receives e School News (eSN) Tech-Savvy Superintendent Award

     Colonial School District Superintendent Dr. Vincent F. Cotter has been named one of the top ten superintendents from around the nation to receive a 2009 e School News (eSN) Tech-Savvy Superintendent Award. Launched in 2001, the Tech-Savvy Superintendent Awards (TSSA) Program honors the nation’s leading chief school executives who have displayed exemplary vision in the use of technology to further the goals of educating today’s students and equip them with 21st century skills.
     Under Dr. Cotter’s leadership, Colonial has drawn national acclaim for its data-driven approach to curriculum and instruction. Colonial’s Pathways to Excellence program uses data to measure student performance and tailor curriculum to meet individual needs. Customized performance tracking software provides teachers with data profiles of their prior and current students’ performance on state and District local assessments at the start of each school year. Reviewing the data promotes teacher reflection on their practice and insights into instructional successes and areas that need attention. In addition, student data profiles assist the teachers in targeting priorities and differentiating instruction from the start of the school year.
     In the past 18 months, representatives from school districts in New York and New Hampshire have been on site to view Colonial’s cutting-edge use of technology to evaluate student performance and inform instruction. The district has successfully utilized performance information to help close the achievement gap. Colonial’s model was used a case study in the recent book “Using Curriculum Mapping & Assessment Data to Improve Learning” by Bena Kallick and Jeff Colosimo.
     In addition to its innovative use of technology to measure student performance and drive the decision-making process, Colonial is at the forefront of integrating technology into the curriculum and the classroom. CSD students are more engaged in everyday learning thanks to the cutting edge technology employed in every classroom. Many of the same technological applications that students use in their social lives are integrated into curriculum delivery.
     In 2006, Plymouth Whitemarsh High School (PWHS) was named a Technology School of Excellence by the Pennsylvania School Boards Association. The District has also received more than $532,000 in Pennsylvania Department of Education Classrooms for the Future grants over the past three years. Combined with an additional $180,000 commitment from the Colonial Board of School Directors this year, the funding has enabled the District to equip all Colonial classrooms with interactive white boards, projectors, high powered digital overhead presenters and document cameras. Video conferencing capability and at least one computer lab also exists in each building. PWHS is equipped with wireless technology and by the end of the current school year will have more than 800 wireless laptops in use by students each day. Wireless technology will soon be installed in other District buildings, as well. And, keeping with Colonial’s commitment to continuous professional development, teachers are being schooled on how to effectively incorporate that technology into their daily lessons. Through an online portal, teachers, students and their parents may access “best practice” lessons, curriculum, on-line student courses and more.