MONROE, La. (KNOE 8 News) - Ouachita Parish schools will be facing some major changes in the next few years to keep up with the state's Technology Readiness Program.
State standardized testing for 2014, will be administered online, which means schools must have a certain number of computers, and specific software and internet connections to sustain hundreds of students at once.
The state considers 32 of the 37 Ouachita Parish schools inadequate for testing based on these requirements, but Ken Monroe, OPSB IT Director, says these numbers are skewed.
Computers are not schools' only problem, internet bandwidth must be upgraded to support testing. Ouachita Parish hopes to use laptop computers and wireless internet as part of a mobile lab.
"In a lab, each computer takes a port on the switch," says Ken Monroe, "if we were to go to the wireless, we would be able to do 30 computers to one port on the switch."
This could be the most cost efficient upgrade, but it would still be a $2-3 million project and a huge burden on the budget.
"We are still looking at avenues for funding for that," says OPSB Business Manager Juanita Duke, "Of course we'll look to our federal programs for funding...they're not going to be able to provide that need alone because of the restrictive use of those funds."
Testing space could also be an issue in schools, and the board is hoping that mobile labs will help solve that problem.
Monday, May 20 2013 1:30 PM EDT2013-05-20 17:30:32 GMT
FORT POLK, La. (KNOE 8 News) - Fort Polk crews are searching for a blimp that broke loose and floated west across Louisiana and may have crashed landed.
FORT POLK, La. (KNOE 8 News) - Fort Polk crews are searching for a blimp that broke loose and floated west across Louisiana and may have crashed landed.
Friday, May 17 2013 12:09 PM EDT2013-05-17 16:09:18 GMT
FARMERVILLE, La. (KNOE 8 News) - The family of a Farmerville teen who died at football practice last week says it is overwhelmed by the community's gratitude.
FARMERVILLE, La. (KNOE 8 News) - The family of a Farmerville teen who died at football practice last week says it is overwhelmed by the community's gratitude.
