Broward County Schools Expand Use of Curriculum Texts

  • By Dian Schaffhauser
  • 11/04/13

The sixth largest public school district in the United States is expanding its use of digital curriculum, which students access through a textbook delivery program on their laptops. The use of online instructional material is part of Broward County Public Schools' Digital 5 (D5) initiative.

In D5 about 3,200 fifth graders and their teachers from 27 elementary schools in the Florida district are using laptops, digital resources, online instructional materials, and other learning tools. Specifically, D5 participants are using a reading program, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt's Florida Journeys Common Core and GO Math! Florida, via an application from Kno.

The Kno platform adds interactive features, search, assessments, digital note-taking and journaling, and social sharing tools intended to better engage students with the content. The software also provides teacher monitoring and reporting tools.

The expansion of the use of digital Houghton Mifflin Harcourt materials through Kno follows on two pilot programs run in classrooms last spring. Since then curriculum specialists from both companies have worked with the district to provide professional development, classroom integration, and support in order to grow the program.

"The Digital 5 initiative is very exciting for us. Essentially we are creating the classroom of the future, and we are doing it today, to ensure students are college and career ready in the 21st Century," said Superintendent Robert Runcie. "The winning combination of Kno's interactive learning technology and [Houghton Mifflin Harcourt's] high-quality content gives our students and teachers the resources they need to maximize student learning and grow as citizens in an increasingly digital world."

About the Author

Dian Schaffhauser is a former senior contributing editor for 1105 Media's education publications THE Journal, Campus Technology and Spaces4Learning.

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