A successful laptop program at two Bryan middle schools has earned the district the chance to extend the program to a third school.
Bryan schools received nearly $500,000 from the Texas Education Agency to give laptops to all sixth grade students and teachers at Jane Long Middle School.
The school is one of 17 in the state to receive funds through the Vision 2020 grant program.
Bryan Chief Technology Officer Jennifer Bergland said the district's success with the nationally recognized 1Vision program was necessary to secure the most recent funding.
"We were just thrilled to be awarded this," Bergland said. "It was a wonderful match for us."
The funds will buy a laptop for every sixth-grader and pay for staff development, equipment, software and services related to the program.
In 2004, the district was awarded a grant through a state technology pilot program to provide laptops to all students at Stephen F. Austin Middle School.
Two years later, the 1Vision program was extended to sixth-graders at Sam Rayburn.
More than $1.4 million of state funding for those projects ended last month, but Bergland said the district will continue to support those programs as long as possible.
Bergland said providing a laptop to each student in Bryan is the district's ultimate goal.
She said state research from the pilot program in Bryan showed students with laptops scored significantly higher on state-mandated math tests.
"It's in the district's technology plan. It's in the [state's] plan. The tricky part is it's expensive," she said. "That's why we do everything we can to secure outside funding."
• Janet Phelps' e-mail address is janet.phelps@theeagle.com.
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