• Cost will depend on your present facilities and computer equipment, the rate at which you introduce each of the PLTW courses, and the number of students enrolled in courses. To find out the most accurate cost, a district representative should contact his/her area PLTW State Leader (see "Contacting Us: State Leader"), send email for information to mail@pltw.org, send a Fax for information to 518 - 877 - 6260, or write for information to 747 Pierce Road, Clifton Park, NY 12065. A coordinator will contact you, answer all your questions, and will be your contact through the process of implementing the program if you decide that PLTW meets your community's needs.

• To give you an idea, however, of the cost of implementing the program, consider the following: equipment/software costs for the entire multi-course program are no greater than $95,000 provided the school participates in the PLTW cooperative bid. The middle school program, Gateway To Technology, costs about $50,000. This cost can be less if the school has equipment that meets or exceeds the PLTW specifications. Also, this cost can be matched to the school's implementation plan. This means that some equipment may be purchased each year as PLTW courses are added. One, two and three year purchasing plans are common and up to the school to select. (See "Equipment and Supplies: Cost Estimates")

• Computer software is leased through PLTW. PLTW has arranged a very affordable lease program that includes the latest version of leading "industry standard" software. (See "Equipment And Supplies: Cost Estimate") The price is included in the initial equipment cost identified above and the school should budget this amount each year for the annual software lease

• Because all teachers of PLTW courses must be trained at PLTW's summer institutes, there is an additional cost for fees-room-board-incidentals,. Travel and stipends will vary depending upon the school's location and policies. (See "Cost Estimates: Training")

• Each PLTW teacher must have a laptop which meets PLTW's specifications, as the teacher will need one during the summer institute and during teaching and during the year to learn the software and the pedagogy. Because ongoing teacher training is fundamental to the success of the program in your school, teachers will need to be released from teaching up to two days per year for each PLTW course they teach. The cost to the school will be for substitute teachers and travel to the training site in your state or region. As technology improves, ongoing training will be delivered through Distance Learning.
   

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