ENCINITAS The Encinitas Union School District has been named an Apple Distinguished Program.
The two-year honor for 2013-15 recognizes the district’s One to One Digital Learning Program, which uses iPads to provide students with personalized, project-based instruction that boosts student engagement, critical-thinking skills and information literacy. Through the program, all students and teachers in kindergarten through sixth grade are issued iPads, and teachers receive MacBook Pro laptops as well.
Students use programs such as Keynote, iMovie and Explain Everything to demonstrate what they have learned. Teachers use Edmodo, Google Drive and other classroom management programs to support collaboration and track progress.
The Encinitas district is working with expert digital curriculum developers to replace traditional textbooks with digital curriculum tools that align with the new Common Core State Standards. An Apple Distinguished Program meets the technology giant’s criteria for innovation, leadership and educational excellence, and demonstrates Apple’s vision of “exemplary learning environments.”
“Our district is extremely fortunate to have had the support of its community with the passage of Proposition P making it possible to move forward into the digital age,” Superintendent Timothy Baird said. “The results have exceeded our expectations, our students are far more engaged and motivated to learn.”
The Encinitas Union School District serves about 5,500 children through sixth grade.
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