SMART Special Needs Success Stories
AACPS
The Project
Top 50 district enhanced special education with SMART products
Fifth largest Maryland school district chose SMART products to support specialized instruction
Advanced Education partner SMART Technologies announced that Anne Arundel County Public Schools (AACPS) in Annapolis, Maryland, has purchased a number of SMART products to support specialized instruction across the district. In the 2009-2010 school year, AACPS has earmarked approximately US$815,000 of American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) special education funds for technology purchases, including 118 SMART Response interactive response systems, 74 SMART Board™ interactive whiteboards and 42 SMART Slate wireless slates.
AACPS first began installing SMART products in 2005. Today, the district has more than 1,000 SMART Board interactive whiteboards and each classroom in every refurbished or newly built school receives a SMART Board interactive whiteboard and ceiling-mounted projector. AACPS’s technology initiative for the 2009–2010 school year focuses on the integration of interactive technology in both special education and general education co-taught classrooms. The co-taught classroom program integrates students with special education needs into general classrooms that have two teachers, one of whom specializes in the instruction of students with special learning requirements. Over the last three years, AACPS has witnessed a significant increase in the academic success, engagement and motivation of its diverse learners through this program.
“We are committed to technology integration for all students, especially our students with special needs,” says Mary Tillar, director of special education at AACPS. “SMART’s education solutions intuitively meet the needs of 21st-century learners and naturally promote formative assessment, differentiated instruction and standards-driven outcomes for learners of all abilities.”
“The administrators and teachers at Anne Arundel County Public Schools recognize the numerous benefits of integrating technology in the classroom, particularly for learners with special needs,” says Nancy Knowlton, SMART’s CEO. “Adopting SMART products throughout the district demonstrates their commitment to preparing all students for a future in a technology-enabled world.”
About AACPS
Anne Arundel County Public Schools (AACPS) offers a challenging and rewarding education experience for every child. AACPS boasts 10 National Blue Ribbon Schools of Excellence and 13 Maryland Blue Ribbon Schools of Excellence. Anne Arundel County is located near Baltimore, Maryland, and Washington, DC, and is home to the state capital, Annapolis. With more than 74,000 students, 5,600 teachers and 120 schools, the AACPS school system is the fifth largest in Maryland and among the 50 largest districts in the United States.
