 smf: as a member of the LAUSD Bond Oversight Committee – School Construction and Modernization bonds are controversially the exclusive source of all funding for this project – I resent the fact that my questions yesterday about the contract award were unanswered because negotiations are in progress - and that far more detail as to the software and educational content of the deal is provided by the Apple press office. |
from LAUSD
District News | http://bit.ly/15mNn1t
LAUSD Board of Education Votes to Approve Common Core Technology Project Plan Contract with Apple Inc.
District Takes First Step Toward Providing Every Student with a Device
LOS ANGELES (June 18, 2013) - The Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) Board of Education voted 6-0, with one abstention today to enter into a contract with Apple Inc. to implement phase one of the Common Core Technology Project Plan (CCTPP).
In February 2013, the Board approved the first phase of the CCTPP to allocate $50 million in voter-approved bond funds to fund a computing device for every student at 47 schools. This initiative will help support the District’s transition to the Common Core State Standards (CCSS), and its commitment to provide an individualized, interactive and informative-rich learning environment.
LAUSD is utilizing a phased roll-out approach for the CCTPP. Phase one will roll out the program in 47, K-12 schools beginning this August, 2013. The schools will be equipped with one-to-one access to devices for CCSS-based learning and assessment preparation. The scope of the first phase includes individual computing devices; storage carts and charging stations; and infrastructure, monitoring and mobile device management systems.
LAUSD staff will present an assessment of the first phase in the fall of 2013 before requesting full funding of the remaining phases. Assessment will include feedback on the device roll-out at the 47 schools, as well as feedback from teachers, students, parents and other key stakeholders.
LAUSD Board Member Bennett Kayser disqualified himself from participating in the action. “I am disqualifying myself from participating in the discussion and voting for the contract award for the Common Core Technology Project Request for Proposals,” Kayser said. “I have a disqualifying interest in the form of stock holdings in Apple Inc.” He stepped out of the room until after the Board’s discussion and vote on the item was concluded.
Thirteen proposals were received in response to the District’s Request for Proposals (RFP) for firms interested in providing computing devices along with professional services, consulting and related items in support of the CCTP. The selection process was scored according to criteria stated in the RFP for responsiveness and acceptability. Apple Inc.’s best and final offer was the lowest in price and was scored the highest by the selection panels.
The vote is another step forward in the District’s plan to equip every one of its students with a device by 2014. When completed, the LAUSD will become the largest district in the nation to provide each of its students with the technology, according to Jaime Aquino, LAUSD Deputy Superintendent of Instruction.
###
LAUSD Common Core Technology Plan June Update
LAUSD CCTP Status Report for June 2013
note on pp 3: “
Updates:
• We selected Apple Inc. to be the Devices vendor and are currently in contract negotiations
• Learning Management System product demos were completed at the end of May
• We sent out an RFP for Physical Security Planning and Analysis on 6/13/13 to help us access make recommendations around physical security for devices.
Upcoming:
• Presentation of Device Vendor Selection for Board Approval is scheduled for 6/18/13
• We are preparing to enter into negotiations with selected Mobile Device Management Vendor
from Apple
Apple Awarded $30 Million iPad Deal From LA Unified School District
Apple Press Info http://bit.ly/11pf6RD
CUPERTINO, California―June 19, 2013―Apple® today announced it received the Los Angeles School Board of Education’s approval to begin a massive roll out of iPad® to its students across the school district starting this fall. The $30 million commitment for iPads is the first phase of a larger roll out for the country’s second-largest public school district.
“Education is in Apple’s DNA and we’re thrilled to work with Los Angeles Unified public schools on this major initiative as they plan to roll out iPads to every student across 47 campuses this fall,” said Philip Schiller, Apple’s senior vice president of Worldwide Marketing. “Schools around the world have embraced the engaging and interactive quality of iPad with nearly 10 million iPads already in schools today.”
“The Board voted unanimously for Apple because iPad rated the best in quality, was the least expensive option and received the highest scoring by the review panel that included students and teachers,” said Jaime Aquino, LAUSD Deputy Superintendent of Instruction. “The vote is another step forward in the District’s plan to equip every one of its students with a device by 2014. When completed, the LAUSD will become the largest district in the nation to provide each of its students with the technology.”
Apple will provide iPads that include the Pearson Common Core System of Courses delivered via a new app as part of the integrated solution. Apps such as iWork®, iLife® and iTunes®, in addition to a range of educational third-party apps are also included.
Apple designs Macs, the best personal computers in the world, along with OS X, iLife, iWork and professional software. Apple leads the digital music revolution with its iPods and iTunes online store. Apple has reinvented the mobile phone with its revolutionary iPhone and App Store, and is defining the future of mobile media and computing devices with iPad.
Press Contacts:
Andy Bowman
Apple
abowman@apple.com
(408) 783-0619
Trudy Muller
Apple
tmuller@apple.com
(408) 862-7426
from AppAdvice.com
Los Angeles Unified School District Places Huge iPad Order
BY Brent Dirks -- AppAdvice http://bit.ly/104Iw6A
Wed June 19th, 2013 :: Apple has just announced that the Los Angeles Unified School District recently approved a huge iPad program. The country’s second-largest public school district will purchase $30 million of tablets for the first phase of a rollout starting this fall.
The iPads will include the Pearson Common Core System of Courses via a new app as part of the solution. Along with the usual iWork (Pages, Keynote, Numbers) and iLife (iMovie, iPhoto, GarageBand) apps, a number of third-party education titles will also be included on the tablets.
“Education is in Apple’s DNA and we’re thrilled to work with Los Angeles Unified public schools on this major initiative as they plan to roll out iPads to every student across 47 campuses this fall,” said Philip Schiller, Apple’s senior vice president of Worldwide Marketing. “Schools around the world have embraced the engaging and interactive quality of iPad with nearly 10 million iPads already in schools today.”
As part of the plan, every student in the district will have an iPad by 2014.
“The Board voted unanimously for Apple because iPad rated the best in quality, was the least expensive option and received the highest scoring by the review panel that included students and teachers,” said Jaime Aquino, LAUSD Deputy Superintendent of Instruction. “The vote is another step forward in the District’s plan to equip every one of its students with a device by 2014. When completed, the LAUSD will become the largest district in the nation to provide each of its students with the technology.”
U P D A T E 6/22
L.A. Unified to give every student an iPad in deal worth ‘hundreds of millions’
John Koetsier | VentureBeat http://bit.ly/133gjRB
[VentureBeat covers disruptive technology and explains why it matters in our lives].
June 19, 2013 7:17 AM :: Every student in the nation’s second-largest school district will soon be sporting an 32GB 4th-generation Apple iPad.
Los Angeles Unified School District will initially roll out the program to 47 campuses in a deal worth $30 million.
However, the massive district has 640,000 students at 1,087 schools over L.A.’s 720 square miles, and by choosing Apple as the sole vendor, the school board has committed to spend “hundreds of millions of dollars” with Apple over the next few years, the LA Times said.
“Education is in Apple’s DNA and we’re thrilled to work with Los Angeles Unified public schools on this major initiative as they plan to roll out iPads to every student across 47 campuses this fall,” Apple senior VP Philip Schiller said in a statement. “Schools around the world have embraced the engaging and interactive quality of iPad with nearly 10 million iPads already in schools today.”
The price?
Apple is selling the iPads, preloaded with education software, for $678 each with a three-year warranty that includes free replacement machines for up to 5 percent of the value of the contract. Retail price for the 32GB 4th-generation iPads is $599.
At $678, providing iPads for all students over the next few years will cost L.A. Unified a whopping $433,920,000.
Source: Google
Chromebooks start at $249, retail.
That’s a significant amount of money for a district with a history of financial problems. A Google search for “L.A. Unified budget” displays three autocomplete results, and two of them have the word “cuts” in them. The school board has just recently approved a $6.2 billion budget that, for the first time in years, avoids major cuts.
Frankly, it’s a significant amount of money for any school district.
Other options, of course, include Chromebooks, which arguably offer more potential educational value for just $249/device retail; netbooks, which are still available if not desirable; and full-on Windows-based laptops, which arguably are also more versatile than a tablet and start at $400-500 — again at retail.
On the positive side, iPads are powerful, have a ton of educational software available, lend themselves perfectly to a coming electronic textbook and digital-media educational world, and are more portable than any laptop.
“The Board voted unanimously for Apple because iPad rated the best in quality, was the least expensive option and received the highest scoring by the review panel that included students and teachers,” Jaime Aquino, Deputy Superintendent of Instruction, said. “The vote is another step forward in the District’s plan to equip every one of its students with a device by 2014. When completed, the LAUSD will become the largest district in the nation to provide each of its students with the technology.”
The contract win for Apple is at the end of a long bid process that included testing and scoring of multiple devices by students and teachers as well as district office staff. One thing that isn’t included in the contract is keyboards, which will likely be useful, particularly for high schoolers.
The on-board software includes Apple’s iWorks productivity suite, iLife, and iTunes, as well as other educational apps. In addition, Pearson’s new Common Core System of Courses, an integrated solution with digital classes based around core standards, is included. Those courses were built with support from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.
L.A. Unified superintendent John Deasy left the board meeting prior to consideration of the contract because, he said, he owns a small amount of Apple stock and appeared in an promo video for Apple’s iPad, which was presented at an Apple event on iBooks textbooks in New York in January 2012:
photo credit: aperturismo via photopin cc
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