Beginning this fall, every high school student in the Vicksburg Warren School District will be issued a laptop.

The Board of Trustees accepted a bid to purchase 2,650 Chromebooks — enough to provide one to every student in ninth through 12th grade to use in school and at home beginning in the 2016-2017 school year. Students in prekindergarten through eighth grade will have access to Chromebooks in their classrooms to use while at school.

This school and teacher initiated project will enhance student learning by creating a personalized, student-centered learning environment.

The Chromebooks will provide access to Google Classroom, an App in Google Education that helps teachers create and organize assignments quickly, provide feedback efficiently and easily communicate with their students.

Classroom textbooks will also be offered on the Chromebooks, providing easy access to learning material at any time, anywhere.

“I am grateful to have board members that support the efforts of our teachers and principals. The board understands the importance of providing this technology to our students. Technology must be embraced as we work to best prepare our young people for the future,” VWSD Superintendent Chad Shealy said. “Our teachers and students deserve access to the technology tools that will support their success.”

The expansion of technology at VWSD schools is an important part of achieving the goal of equipping every student with the literacy skills to succeed in challenging courses, meet academic standards, and graduate from high school prepared for college or ready for a challenging career.

“After testing multiple devices in the classroom, evaluating how teachers use technology, consulting with other schools who have similar programs, and keeping fiscal responsibility at the forefront, moving forward with the Google Classroom platform was an obvious choice for our buildings,” VWSD Director of Educational Technology Wade Grant said.

Chromebooks are due to be delivered in early July to be readied for the students’ return on August 8, 2016.