Stanley Dykes, teacher Beth Nichols, Trevor Sawyer, Nick Duda, Secretary of Education Matt Malone, Jordyn Codding, Principal Ellen Boshe, and Kendra Buda on Wednesday at Lanesborough Elementary School.

LANESBOROUGH, Mass. — Keeping up with the ever-changing technological world is something even the county's top performing schools struggle with.

 

That's what school officials from those districts told state Secretary of Education Matt Malone during his four-school trip to the Berkshires on Wednesday.

 

After a stop at Lenox High School, Malone moved on to the 44-student Hancock Elementary School and then Lanesborough Elementary School before concluding his trip at Kittredge School in Hinsdale.

 

"I've been really impressed with the quality of teachers. I was very impressed with the instructional practices I've seen. I've seen some some innovation," Malone said at the end of his third stop of the day.

 

Lanesborough was ranked a Level 1 this year based on standardized test scores. The school was one of only a few statewide to earn a letter of commendation because of its Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System scores.

 

Hancock would be at that level if only it had enough data to receive a ranking, said school officials.

 

While the education levels may be high — with Lanesborough being recognized as one of the top five performing schools in the state — the struggle Berkshire schools have is with upgrading technology. 

 

Hancock Principal Tracey Tierney said the school is switching to the Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers, or PARCC, which is being considered as the next standardized testing system. While next year the school can perform the testing on paper, PARCC is based on a computerized system. Should PARCC become the standard, the school's computers are not up to par to handle it.

 

Malone encouraged Tierney, Superintendent Barbara Ripa and School Committee Chairwoman Patty Bishop to apply for a grant through the state's information technology bond bill, which will allocate some $5 million by the end of the calendar year to improve technology.

 

Malone said he'd like to see one device for every student in Hancock and the grant would be one resource toward making that happen.

 

"We are tiering these grants so it isn't just the gateway cities," he said.

 

Hancock has formed an IT committee to examine its needs but the school doesn't have the funds to purchase the equipment, Tierney said. School officials in both Hancock and Lanesborough said oftentimes they are overlooked for funding because of their size.

 

"Our issue with grants is we are too small to quality for most of them," Lanesborough Director of Pupil Services Kimberly Grady said.

 

In Lanesborough, there is a similar gap in technology. The technology has been underfunded for a number of years, said Superintendent Rose Ellis, and only recently has there been the ability to upgrade some of the technology.

 

"We created a tech committee and went into overdrive because all we had were computers we bought in 2000," Ellis said.

 

Julianne Haskins, the school's computer teacher, says the school doesn't have the amount of technology she would like.

 

"We have a working lab but we do not have computers in the classrooms. I would like to see three computers in each classroom," Haskins said.

 

And it isn't just about conforming to the test, Malone said. He envisioned bringing in 3D printers, iPads and ChromeBooks to the elementary schools to improve overall education. 

 

"The misnomer about this grant is that it is to prepare people for PARCC. This is about instructional technology to get people ready for the 21st century. That's what it is about," Malone said.

 

Again, he pushed for schools to apply for funding through the IT bill because with the upcoming change of administration, it isn't known what level of support there will be on Beacon Hill. 

 

Outside of the grant, Malone said the restrictions on the number of 4-year-old students has been lifted in an effort to reduce wait lists in pre-K programs.

 

After looking through all of the egg helmets Hancock students designed and built for a competition, Malone wasn't sure who would win.

"To me, it is going to be a revenue generator to help the foundation," Malone said.

 

Malone told the school officials to enroll as many 4-year-olds in next year's kindergarten program to boost state reimbursements and foundation budgets.

 

While technology may be an obstacle, that hasn't stopped both Lanesborough and Hancock from achieving high rankings in the state's assessment. 

 

Hancock doesn't have enough data with 44 pupils to get a level, but Tierney said the students exceeded the school's goals.

 

"We have insufficient data. But, we not only met our target, we exceeded our target," Tierney said. "We'd be a Level 1 school if we had the data ... We are proud of the achievement of our kids."

 

Malone said the "cross-functional" programming and staffing is something the Berkshires do well and is something he wished the rest of the state would replicate.

 

Besides talking shop, Malone took time to meet with students in array of classrooms. He read books. He read student short stories. He looked at science projects. He interacted with the children. He shook hands and thanked the teachers.

 

The secretary said since he was appointed two years ago, he set a goal to visit a school in every town that has one. He checked off four of those towns on Wednesday. The goal of that, he said, is so every town will know he is a friend to their schools.

 

For Hancock, Malone was the first state official to visit the school.

 

"We are trying to go to places no one has ever been," Malone said.