The following was written by Stephanie Keer of Konica Minolta US
Recently there has been a lot of debate around educational standards – individual state standards versus the national Common Core standard. In fact, PARCC (Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers) field testing for the Common Core started in March. Roughly four million students across 36 states and the District of Columbia will take part in the field test this spring. The goal (for the field test) is to ensure that it works and can be executed in schools properly when PARCC testing formally begins in the spring of 2015.
In addition to examining specific aspects of the actual test, schools will be looking to see how their IT infrastructure and bandwidth handle online-based testing and if the tests work the same on PCs, laptops, tablets and on different browsers. With all the investments schools have made to prepare for PARCC testing, government and school officials as well as the public will be watching these field tests closely.
Konica Minolta has been working with our education customers to ensure that school districts are ready for PARCC by providing technology solutions and IT services tailored for schools. For example, we worked with Briarcliff Manor School District in Briarcliff Manor, NY to update its technology infrastructure in order to better support teachers, students and meet the data requirements for PARCC and other educational standard initiatives.
Briarcliff School District implemented a virtual technology and worked with Konica Minolta to update its print environment to ensure that it worked seamlessly with the virtual environment. The total solution included new hardware as well as print management software, Follow-You Printing for secure document release and document capture and scanning software.
According to Erica Beasley, Chief Technology & Information Officer at Briarcliff Manor School District, “our new integrated Konica Minolta print and imaging solution allows us to provide staff and students with greater access to technology resources both inside the classroom and from home. More importantly, the District is now ready to begin the PARCC assessment testing phase and will be ready for the 2015-2016 school year.”
Highlights of the Briarcliff solution include:
- The district has reduced printing by 25 percent.
- Teachers, staff and students can securely print to any school MFP. Students can even print assignments or club fliers from home and retrieve them at school the next day.
- Briarcliff eliminated the need for separate scanners in the classroom.
- Increased color capabilities allow teachers to enhance the educational experience for younger students.
- Teachers can quickly scan images and display them on interactive whiteboards.
Read the full Briarcliff case study for more information or contact Konica Minolta today to see how we can help your school ensure its IT infrastructure and print environment are ready for PARCC assessments. Follow me @KMBUSeducation. #EnvisionITEducation, #PARCC
