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MCPS to audit student screen time and develop guidance for elementary grades
Summary
MCPS told the committee it will perform a comprehensive audit of student screen time (K–8) after a Board resolution; officials plan K–5 guidance and communication materials and said they received more than 10,000 survey responses informing policy updates.
Kimberly Fields, MCPS chief technology officer, told the committee the school system will perform a comprehensive review of student screen time after the Board of Education passed a resolution to audit K–8 usage.
"We've recently just passed the board, just passed the resolution recently to be able to audit what screen time actually looks like for grades k through 8," Kimberly Fields said. Fields said the audit will examine device uses in classrooms, content filtering and how Chromebooks and other devices are being used for instruction, and that the Division of Teaching & Learning and school leadership will be involved. She noted the system received "well over 10,000 responses" to a survey used to update the IGS educational-technology policy.
Committee members asked whether MCPS would publish a breakout showing estimated screen-time minutes by grade and by instructional purpose so parents can distinguish educational use from other screen time. Doctor Moran and Fields said the audit is intended to produce the context parents want, but stressed that accommodations are required for students with IEPs or 504 plans and for English-language learners who legitimately use devices more during the school day.
