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Toll Free: 1-866-949-6800 (9:00 AM-5:00PM, Eastern Standard Time, Monday to Friday). If no one answers, we are probably helping other Chalk & Wire users. Please leave a detailed message and we will return your call promptly.

Getting Started—Consulting

So, where do you begin?

Regardless of the technologies involved, the most important and often most challenging aspect of a new deployment is the "people factor."

The most critical investment you can make is the time allotted to planning for the launch of your Chalk & Wire software. Merely buying any software package does not assure the success of your program. At Chalk and Wire, we have broad experience in the organizational change process necessary, and will work hard to help you get a good start.

As a company comprised of educators with extensive experience in assessment, instructional improvement, and program audit in both higher education and K12, we provide you with virtual and telephone, real-time screen-to-screen consulting, as well as extended face-to-face training and support options.

The Niagara Institute ( daily fee charged)

Description

• Up to 4 full days
• Less costly than on-site visits, the Niagara Institute is held in St. Catharines, Ontario, Canada (45 minutes from Buffalo International Airport, NY, USA).
• Includes full site set up and customization
• Aimed at leveraging local initiative and confidence by team-building the group who will drive the local process and providing them with the skills they need to independently adapt Chalk & Wire's work to meet shifting needs and goals.
  - Your core leadership learn how to set up your site for immediate use.
  - Create an assessment plan that will be adaptable as your use of our work matures.
  - Develop a roll-out plan for larger groups and their on-going support.
  - Train-the-trainer development - complete training for personnel who will train users directly and support them upon return.
  - The team will leave confident of what needs to be done, how to do it, and who does what.
  - Work through "change process" issues that may be specific to the institution
  - Consult with other Chalk & Wire specialists (if required arrangements are made at no additional cost to give you time with our experts in institutional statistics, API development, and custom feature design). This element is not available during site-visits.
• Consulting regarding the best use and design of rubrics and other assessment instruments as well as institutional use of statistics can be covered by additional consultants at no additional fee during these sessions.

  Cost:
  1-4 people - $1,250/day for up to 4 full days (usually 3 days are needed)
  5-8 people - $1,650/day for up to 4 full days (usually 3 days are needed)
  Fees include the printing of all training manuals for all participants, lunches and snacks.

• Call us toll free at 1-877-252-2201 to book a customized Institute.

Head Start Deployment Plan (flat fee charged )

Description

• ~2.5 days
• Our basic support package for new institutions. This plan includes your site set up and customization, and two days of on-site training (additional days can be arranged for an added fee). One of our consultant-trainers will call to develop a tailored training plan with you. The trainer then travels to your site to work with assessment coordinators in the design and development of your comprehensive performance-based assessment system. We can assist in goal setting, and rubric design based on sound research aimed at attaining high levels of inter-rater reliability. We will work with program leadership, faculty assessors and faculty/student trainers. If the timing is right, we will also do the initial training of users for you. This option is generally used when mulitple, large groups need orientation and does not include as much time allocated to the program leadership team.

  Cost: $4,400 anywhere in the continental United States (excepting Hawaii and Alaska) and Canada. The fee includes all travel and other expenses for the trainer and access to other specialists as the need arises during training. The fee does not include the printing of training materials for all participants. For more information about this or other deployment services call 1-877-252-2201.

On-site training and consulting (daily service fee charged, plus expenses)

Description

• One or more consultants will travel to your site and work directly with you for more than 2 days. A good option where implementation time is short and/or a large number of user groups and stakeholders need contact. Call us toll free at 1-877-252-2201 to book on-site sessions.

Administrator/Assessment Leadership Support (free)

Description

• After formal training, administrators and assessment coordinators can call us toll free at 1-877-252-2201 to discuss approaches to the design, deployment and evaluation of the comprehensive performance-based assessment system that you are developing on Chalk & Wire's e-Portfolio system.

Real-time, Virtual Training (hourly fee charged)

Description

• Connect computers simultaneously and remotely with one of our trainers. Using WebEx™, you can share desktops, web content, applications and rich multimedia. Several sessions, tailored to different groups can be booked over the same day, or spread over time. Works best with small groups of less than five people. Call us toll free at 1-877-252-2201 to book a session.