Instructional Technology Plan

2026-29 Plan 

Instructional Technology Plan

Vision

Our vision as a school community is to inspire students and promote personal success.

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District Mission

 Our mission is to build on our commitment to academic excellence with a focus on authentic learning experiences, civic responsibility, and innovative programs. We will accomplish this in an environment that fosters meaningful relationships, supports the overall wellness of each student, and promotes continuous improvement in each of the district priority areas: teaching and learning; school environment; service learning and community partnerships; and fiscal capacity and responsibility.

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Goals and Action Steps

Goal 1

Utilize technology to strengthen and support the district’s Portrait of a Learner, aligned with the New York State Portrait of a Graduate framework.

Goal 2

Incorporate AI technologies into the instructional ecosystem where it will intentionally enhance student engagement while maintaining high ethical standards.

Goal 3

Explore innovative technology to ensure the district remains at the forefront of educational technology.

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New York State Computer Science and Digital Fluency Learning Standards

• Impacts of Computing
• Computational Thinking
• Networks and System Design
• Cybersecurity
• Digital Literacy

View the NY State Education department’s Five Key Concepts – Computer Science and Digital Fluency Learning Standards by Grade Band.

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Professional Development

Continue to provide strong professional development through collaborative learning communities, in-service, book clubs and department and grade-level meetings.

Research shows that highly skilled and expert teachers are the most important school-based factors contributing to student achievement. Fayetteville-Manlius recognizes the value of ongoing teacher professional development and is committed to continuous training and learning opportunities for all teachers.

Fayetteville-Manlius has historically had a strong commitment to the use of instructional technology to support and advance student learning. Substantial financial resources are dedicated to the purchase of necessary software, hardware, infrastructure and professional learning to achieve stated district strategic plan goals and to support teachers.

Professional development learning in instructional technology is directly connected to the goals and objectives of the Fayetteville-Manlius District Strategic Plan and building-level initiatives. Activities are aligned with the New York State Computer Science and Digital Fluency Learning Standards and support a range of student needs and content areas.

To meet the needs of teachers with varying experience levels and a wide range of discipline areas, professional development learning in instructional technology is supported in a myriad of ways and settings: district professional development day opportunities, graduate courses, workshops, curriculum development, conferences, and customized F-M in-service courses.

Teacher surveys are distributed and disaggregated to determine the capacity of teachers to effectively and seamlessly integrate technology in their instruction and to determine specific professional development needs for individual teachers, departments and schools. Additionally, district computer resource (support) staff, administrators and teacher leaders meet regularly with teachers and departments to ascertain needs.

The district examines information from the following sources to analyze the efficacy of professional learning and congruence with instructional technology: New York state assessment data, student formative and summative assessment data, teacher surveys, teacher feedback and administrative input. Plans are continually updated to respond to performance data and to align with contemporary programs and best practices.

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Equitable Access

Fayetteville-Manlius provides equitable access and learning opportunities seven days a week and evenings. Students in grades K-6 bring devices home to be used from 5 a.m. to 11 p.m. through a script to lock the device during the evening hours. High school student devices are available for use 24/7. A replacement device plan is in place for short-term and long-term planning that provides a device to be assigned to a student from grades K-12. Every four years, or when students change a building, a new device is provided.

The wireless infrastructure has a three-year replacement plan in place, beginning in summer 2022. Cybersecurity, student privacy and safety are paramount with software and an outsourced contractor accessing alerts for all types of attacks. 

The F-M Help Desk provides phone support from 7 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. in September and then 7:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. throughout the year. In the evenings, students, parents, and guardians may email the Help Desk for emergencies. Messages will be responded to within the hour. This support is also available for all staff, especially if a parent or student emails the teacher instead of the Help Desk.

Workshops are provided regularly for parents during lunch and evening hours to accommodate all work and child care situations. They include tutorials on installing the communication apps, navigating their child’s learning management system, and using and troubleshooting the assigned student device.

Students keep their assigned device for the summer and use a self-paced Fayetteville-Manlius created online course that is tailored to each grade level. The course includes practice lessons and activities from all subject areas to provide reinforcement of skills and content. Emails are sent to parents/guardians in June to provide guidance in using the course. Courses are grade-level specific.

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Looking Ahead

The use of technology at Fayetteville-Manlius is ubiquitous, providing integrated support systems for all students. Student comfort with technology provides an opportune learning experience. Technology is used in every discipline and job, so preparing students for the future includes the following as reflected in this plan:

• Media/ Digital/ AI Literacy
• Augmented & Virtual Reality
• 3D Printing and Digital Fabrication
• Coding & Computational Thinking

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