Streamlined device deployment and management

Avon Grove is a school district based in Pennsylvania with a student population of 5,000 spread out over 4 schools.

“We developed simplified 1:1 assignments resulting in a management plan that worked for everyone.”

Avon Grove School District (AGSD) is a K-12 public school system that serves over 5,000 students in four schools: Penn London Elementary School (K-2); Avon Grove Intermediate School (3-6); Fred S. Engle Middle School (7, 8); and Avon Grove High School (9-12).

Geography: The District is located in a rural-suburban setting 34 miles southwest of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and 18 miles northwest of Wilmington, Delaware. AGSD covers 67 square miles and consists of five townships and two boroughs; they include New London Township (1714), London Grove Township (1723), London Britain Township (1725), Penn Township (created from Londonderry Township in 1817), Franklin Township (1852), Avondale Borough (1894) and West Grove Borough (1893), which were created and organized in that order. Due to the closeness of the two boroughs (less than three miles in distance from each other), it was natural that the area became known as Avon Grove.

Student Demographics: 75 percent Caucasian; 19.5 percent Hispanic; 2.5 percent African American; 1.9 percent Asian; and less than 1 percent both American Indian/Alaskan Native and multi-racial.

https://www.avongrove.org/district/about-us

1. How and why did you select the PowerGistics Tower product as your solution?

We had some key initiatives to roll out a one-to-one device across our district. We were trying to unveil something that would make our students, teachers, and district more successful. We wanted our teachers to focus on teaching and learning by instituting a management plan that worked for everyone.

2. Why did you conclude that it would address your needs better than others you may have looked at?

We have been working on this for the past 2 years and we started with evaluating devices. The first thing we did was begin an evaluation period and tested 3 different devices, side by side for a full semester. This was the first step to making sure that this implemented successfully across all levels. We created a Google Form where we captured the remarks from students and teachers, as well as parents. This gave us a clear view of which device we should move forward with and which would benefit everyone. The evaluation was a good road map to help us work strategically with our partners to help us make the best decision.  We ran into several issues with our current device storage with keys breaking off in the locks while in transport, and fans breaking down, only to find out when our carts were opened. When the fans broke we would not know it until we felt the heat coming from the cart. That can’t be good for our devices!  We were constantly replacing keys and outlets. We had several instances when the keys were sheared off by doors during transportation. This left us with the only option to get to the devices by boring out the lock hole to get back inside. The cost of replacing cords from being ripped out of outlets along with the other issues really added up.  We were worried about how we were going to organize and charge all these devices and keep it to a streamlined process. Having been a classroom tech ed teacher and then moving into the Tech Director roll, I knew the perfect candidate to run a pilot with.

After seeing an ad for PowerGistics in a  District Administration ad I called to find out more information.

With the color-coded shelves and numbering system, the students are able to handle this seamlessly. Teachers handle device deployment once a year. The devices are loaded on the first day of school, each student is given a tower number and shelf number and they are able to store and charge their devices while they are at school. We sent them home with an extra charging cord for at home and they are able to store them in the towers at lunch and during specials.

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