Teaching and Learning Action Item

DATE:	Tuesday, October 15, 2019
TO:	School Board Members
FROM:	Jeff Eakins, Superintendent
SUBJECT / RECOMMENDATIONS
Approve the Purchase of Gizmos Licenses from ExploreLearning, LLC (Sole-Source Provider), a Division of LAZEL, Inc. (Office of Teaching and Learning)
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
ExploreLearning, LLC will provide an online subscription service of math and science Gizmos for grades 6-12.  The ExploreLearning, LLC license fees include annual site licenses for school administrators, science and math teachers, and students along with ongoing upgrades and maintenance, including additional Gizmos to be developed based upon the Florida Standards and the Next Generation Sunshine State Science Standards.  Gizmos drive inquiry and exploration by providing students with a platform to collect and analyze data in real time, while developing a strong conceptual understanding of math and science.  Gizmos are versatile tools that may be used by teachers in a whole class or small group instruction, individualized homework, and formative assessment.  Multiple evaluation measures support continued use of Gizmos. During the past year, students and teachers accessed over 191,311 Gizmos. In accordance with the Florida Department of Education Purchasing Policy 6A-1.012(11)(b), the requirement for requesting competitive solicitations for commodities or contractual services from three or more sources is hereby waived as authorized by Section 1010.04(4)(a), F.S., for the purchase of educational services and any type of copyrighted materials including, without limitation, educational tests, textbooks, and printed instructional materials where such materials are purchased directly from the producer, publisher, or the owner of the copyright.
STRATEGIC OBJECTIVES
• Improve the high school graduation rate
FINANCIAL IMPACT (Budgeted:  Yes)
Funds in the amount of $349,709 will be available from the Supplemental Academic Instruction budget. For tracking purposes, the project number specific to this agenda item is 4628.
EVALUATION
The evaluation of the Gizmos program for 2018/2019 was conducted by The Office of Strategy Management. Teachers and students utilized a high level of Gizmos during the year. Gizmos were used more in science classrooms than math classrooms and those classrooms in which Gizmos were utilized regularly had generally higher scores on assessments, with those in Biology making significant gains. Evaluation continued on attachment.
SUBMITTED BY:  Larry R. Plank, Ed.S., Director K-12 Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics

Deborah Cook		Gretchen Saunders
Chief Academic Officer, Teaching and Learning (813) 272-4221		Chief Business Officer (813) 272-4270
		B 6.06
Hillsborough County Public Schools (Florida) * Mtg.#20191015_932 (Board Meeting) * Section B Item# 6.06