"Reaching Higher" Increasing the Capacity of our Teachers and Engage all learners.

Iron County School District Digital Teaching and Learning Plan will be used as a tool to expand the learning of every student, K-12, and the capacity of every educator. It is the desire of Iron County School District that all classrooms are cognitively engaging, centered on student responsibility for learning, and have established environments that continually cultivate essential 21st century skills in preparation for college and career success. There must be a continual weaving of digital teaching and learning into what Iron County School District values and seeks to achieve. In order to accomplish this goal, we will increase administrative support in the area of Digital Teaching and Learning by restructuring current district systems and investing in a digital teaching and learning specialist to facilitate the transition from more traditional learning to a student centered, digital learning model. We will increase the amount of time and resources given to ongoing professional development for all educators regarding the effective integration of digital resources into the Utah Core Curriculum with a specific focus on the development of targeted workforce outcomes such as self-direction, critical thinking, communication, collaboration, creativity, etc. We will increase the time students spend in self-directed, student centered, personalized learning environments, and provide continuous access to digital curriculum any time, anywhere through a student learning management system. We will invest in teacher innovation and creativity by providing monies for action research mini-grants to be acquired and monitored for specific student achievement in relation to team student learning objectives. We will invest in Internet safety by implementing a Mobile Device Management (MDM) system on all district owned mobile devices, and well as full implementation of a digital literacy and citizenship curriculum. Finally, we will develop a system for monitoring implementation fidelity, student usage, and learning return on investment as digital tools are continually being integrated with existing curriculum and resources.

21st Century Essential Skills

Iron County School District’s strategic plan has led us to establish the intended outcomes of our Digital Teaching and Learning grant. This strategic plan (found at tinyurl.com/ICSDPlan) calls for a focus on achieving the essential eight social and emotional skills of our portrait of a graduate and moving towards personalized competency-based learning. Our action plan is in alignment with the Utah Master Plan as it “...recognizes the relationship of culture and technology, calling for a fundamental change in well-established assumptions of how teachers teach and how students learn. Changes of this magnitude require leadership that is active, enlightened and sensitive.” We plan to thoughtfully support educators in personalized ways to achieve our long term student outcomes which seek at least 5% growth in the areas of personalized mastery of academic outcomes as well as essential skill outcomes.

In order to succeed in attaining these outcomes, we have done a root cause analysis of how we can make these improvements in student performance. Many of our direct and intermediate outcomes, as a result, focus on the growth of educators through evidence driven micro-credentials earned through personalized professional learning. Earned micro-credentials and highly effective status in administrative observations related to teaching essential skills and offering personalized competency-based education indicate the required system changes to achieve our goals.

Our action plan recognizes the need for leadership and vision, aided by personalized support, resources and data driven decisions. Our Committee will help us form and advocate for a comprehensive vision of digital teaching and learning. To provide additional support for teachers we will hire an EdTech who will help expose teachers to new digital opportunities, support and coach their use of software, help troubleshoot when problems arise, and analyze data as it pertains to our DTL plan. The innovative teaching and learning team will create pathways for educators to earn micro-credentials in the areas of personalized competency-based education and develop essential skills. Additionally, the team will provide resources to further support personalized learning like LMS templates and learner profile tools. Teachers will stay informed with a monthly newsletter and as they implement our DTL vision they will be eligible for mini-grants to further their work. Finally our team will constantly review data from student outcomes, micro-credentials, classroom observations, tool usage, and educator surveys to help us determine where we must place our efforts in order to see the outcomes we desire.

Although implementation looks a little different and less student-directed at lower grade levels, we intend to see these outcomes throughout K-12. With the use of Canvas and Google Classroom to personalize paths and offer anytime/anywhere learning, OER and other flexible content delivery tools like Nearpod to engage students, and the use of Mastery Connect to assess, collect data and intervene on outcomes, we will offer all the tools necessary to achieve our goals. A broad implementation of personalized competency-based education will lead to more equity and higher achievement of both academic and the essential skills that are key to a student’s successful future.

Personalizing Pathways and Building 21st-Century Skills Through Technology-Enhanced Professional Learning

Our LEA is dedicated to advancing 21st-century skills, mastery of standards, and personalized learning pathways by embedding technology into both instruction and professional development. Central to this plan is a micro-credential program that provides teachers with personalized, digital professional learning opportunities. These modules model effective technology integration, highlighting strategies for differentiation, competency-based education, and adaptive instruction.

Teachers will engage with digital tools—including adaptive learning platforms, content creation tools, and online collaboration spaces—to tailor instruction and support students as they progress at their own pace. District-developed digital assessments will provide real-time feedback, helping teachers refine instruction while ensuring students demonstrate mastery. PLCs, supported by coaching staff, will serve as collaborative hubs where educators explore new tools, share best practices, and analyze assessment data to strengthen technology integration.

Our existing infrastructure—devices, connectivity, LMS, and coaching staff—creates a strong foundation. To scale this work, we anticipate needing a dedicated micro-credential platform, curated digital resources, increased technical support, and partnerships with external experts. Providing teachers with time, training, and coaching support is essential for successful implementation. By empowering teacher leaders and aligning professional learning with district priorities, we will foster a culture of innovation where technology directly supports student mastery, engagement, and future readiness.