SAGINAW, Mich., Nov. 2, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- MiCTA, a national non-profit cooperative purchasing organization, has awarded a 2012 Technology Impact Grant to the School Employment & Personal Success (S.T.E.P.S) program at Rochester Community Schools. The $12,000 grant will help the district purchase iPads for its adult special education school-to-work transition program students.

The devices, which will be distributed to each student in the program, will enable the students to communicate with their teachers and job coaches while away from the school building. "We are pleased to support the S.T.E.P.S program with a Technology Impact Grant," says Tim von Hoff, Chief Operating Officer of MiCTA. "We believe this exciting use of mobile technology will improve the students' independence and enhance their abilities to transition successfully into the workplace."

"S.T.E.P.S. students will be able to use this new technology in their work place to capture photographs or video, then share these new skills with classmates back in the classroom," says Dale Anne Hopkins, the Instructional Technology Specialist with Rochester Community Schools.

Representatives from Rochester Community Schools and the S.T.E.P.S. program will be available to answer questions about the program during MiCTA's Virtual Conference on November 14, 2012.

About MiCTA
MiCTA, located at 515 North Washington Avenue in Saginaw MI, negotiates discounts on telecommunications and technology services for its higher education, K-12, healthcare, library, charitable and governmental members, seeks to resolve common voice, video and data issues, provides helpful information, and participates in legislative and regulatory telecommunications advocacy. For more information, please visit the MiCTA Web site, http://www.mictatech.org.  

About Rochester Community Schools
Rochester Community Schools is located in Rochester, MI and serves approximately 15,000 students. Approximately 12% of the district's students receive special education services in some form. The district has an average graduation rate nearing 98%. About 95% of special education students in the district graduate with a general education diploma. The district ranks in the top 5% of Michigan school districts in terms of student performance.

http://mictatech.org   

SOURCE MiCTA