A tablet in every backpack – that’s the objective behind a new state grant program that will help purchase tablet devices for students at Kempsville and other Virginia schools looking to shore up their SOL testing achievement.

Virginia Beach public schools qualified for $683 thousand in grant funding under the state’s new eBackpack Technology Initiative taking effect this year, according to a yearly budget report given by interim superintendent Dr. Sheila Magula. That grant money will go towards the purchase of tablet devices for freshmen at three Beach high schools missing full SOL accreditation last school year – Kempsville, Bayside, and Green Run.

Computer resource specialist Mrs. Bridget Mariano said the details of how the grant money will be spent and how the devices will ultimately be phased into the classroom are far from finalized. She said the Beach has yet to decide on what brand of device will be purchased.

“Right now we are in the beginning stages of determining which operating system platform will work best for our needs,” Mrs. Mariano said.

The grant program is funded through the sale of “education technology notes” by the Virginia Public School Authority, according to the Virginia Department of Education (VDOE) website. The grant will award $400 per 9th grade student for the purchase of tablets and $2400 for teacher “content creation” packages to qualifying schools.

High schools that missed full SOL accreditation and serve grades 9-12 may qualify for grant funds for up to four years in order to purchase tablets for all four grade levels over that period.

The grant initiative reflects a larger statewide push to integrate tablet devices into the classroom. The state plans on transitioning to a greater level of tablet-based testing next school year, according to information found on the VDOE website.

Numerous studies examining students’ comfort level using tablets for testing have brought attention to difficulties surrounding the implementation of the devices. These concerns include formatting errors when opening online testing programs on tablets, difficulty using fingers to type and select answer choices on tablets, and maintaining test security with the use of highly portable, highly passable tablet devices.

More information on the grant program and on school tablet use can be found on the Technology Initiatives page of the VDOE website.