Section 301

 

301.02.  The Ed. Spec shall describe the learning activities, the number, groupings and nature of the people involved, the spatial relationships between sections of the facility, the interrelationships of instructional programs with each other as well as non-instructional spaces, and the major furniture/equipment needs or the new facility.

301.03.  Each Ed. Spec. Committee must consist of representatives from the educational profession, individuals from the community, and the architectural design staff selected by the LEA.  Upon completion, the Educational Specification will be provided to the Design Team for development of the building design.

301.04.  When specifications are agreed upon and committed to a written document, the architect is provided the greatest opportunity to design a school that more nearly meets the needs of the educational program and facilitates the activities that will be occurring in the spaces.  To that end, and to more readily value the scope of the project, it is essential that an educational specifications document be completed prior to the schematic design submission to the SBA.

301.05.  To be consistent and assist in understanding the issues to be included in the educational specifications, the following outline is provided but should not be considered inclusive should other issues be of concern to the LEA and its planning committees.

I. Introduction – A short synopsis describing the configuration of the educational structure, the projected number of students, site location, availability of site utilities, existing availability of ancillary facilities and spaces (i.e., athletic, etc.), and proposed statistics for the new construction.

II. The Community – A brief description of the community, its history, specific cultural distinctions, maps showing geographic characteristics, attendance areas (present and proposed), and the site location.

III. The Educational Plan – The educational plan can be subdivided into three general areas:
    
    A. Curriculum Plan – States the school’s philosophy, educational goals, and objectives of the program.  This should clarify important issues and priorities for consideration in the planning of the new facility.

    B. Support Plan – Provides staffing information including teachers, instructional aides, food service personnel, counselors, custodial staff, and administrative staff including principals, assistant principals, department heads, etc.

    C. Technology Plan –Provide specific details regarding how the technology will be used for each curricular area and/or administrative area in the new school.  The technology plan shall comply with state and LEA-adopted standards.

IV. Building Space Requirements – The utilization of space is extremely important.  The SBA desires a minimum 85% utilization of newly constructed schools or schools where building additions are being proposed (80% in middle schools).  In order to assist in developing Section IV, Worksheet #1 (SBA Form 301-A), which compiles data from the calculation of spaces for the new facility, must be completed and incorporated into this section.

The final number of allowable classrooms and the square footage for any facility that incorporates SBA funds will be determined by the Ed. Spec. Committee upon consideration of the program needs, building utilization rates, maximization of multi-use spaces in the design, and the potential construction of the project within the allocated funds available.  If spaces are proposed that exceed the SBA’s maximum space requirements and funding formula, prior approval is required.  It is suggested that this approval be requested before the project is submitted to the SBA for funding consideration.

In order to assure appropriate spaces and utilizations for the projected enrollment, room numbers and labels should be assigned to instructional areas on the schematic drawings and a model student schedule developed using Worksheet #2 (SBA Form 301-B) to locate students and staff within the facility during each of the instructional periods of the day.
               
The following formula is to be utilized to determine the maximum number of classrooms that may be considered in each curricular area:  The following example assumes a middle school math program for 300 students, a six-period academic day (excludes planning periods), a maximum of 25 students per class, and calculated as a semester class where full credit is achievable for the class:

Formula for Determining Teaching Stations Per Subject Area:

Number of students             Number of periods
Enrolled in subject         x    per week in subject                    = 1500
        (300)                                        (5)       
____________________________________________                        =    Number of teaching     = 2
                                                                                                                      stations for this
          (25)                                        (30)                               = 750               subject area
Maximum class size             Maximum number of periods   
(see reference sheet)   x    per week (every period, every day)

V. Program of Spaces and Space Descriptions – A Program of Spaces shall be created that specifically lists the size and quantity of each space that is to be designed in the new facility.  The total square footage calculated from each space, multiplied by a building efficiency factor, must not exceed the maximum square footage funded.  Upon completion of the Program of Spaces, a space description matrix where each major space within the building is described so that the design team can understand the full intent of the Ed. Spec. committee. Middle and High School departmentalization, specialization of spaces, electives, and scheduling are factors to be considered in determining then number of teaching stations.  The maximum number of teaching stations may be determined by applying the formula provided in Section IV to each subject area.  The following description of each subject area is needed and should include:

    A. Space Required – Submit the calculations from the formula in Section IV to identify the number of spaces needed in this subject area and complete Worksheet #1 (SBA Form 301-A).  Teacher planning areas must be provided in building design allowing maximum use of teaching stations.

    B. Planned Activities & Group Usages – Include specific actions to be performed in an area such as art, reading, science experiments, audio visual presentation, telecommunications, robotics lab, multiple use areas, etc. Identify if the area is to be used for large or small group instruction, individual student work, team teaching, multiple usage, etc.

    C. Number of Users – Determine the number of administrators, teachers, aides, and pupils to use the area at any one time.

    D. Spatial Relationships – Identify the spatial relationships of any one space to other areas of the facility whether inside or outside – near to or away from, convenient to media center (as with language arts areas), capability for combining or subdividing areas, the frequency of such adjustments and the square footage needed to do so, etc.  Bubble diagrams should be used to show interrelationships of spaces.

    E. Storage and/or Support Facilities – Identify spaces that allow the area to meet its goal: shared storage areas, teacher preparation areas, student work/storage areas, conference rooms, etc. Specify direction as to the cubic feet of storage needed in the specific area.  Generally, this denotes built-in storage areas and closets.

    F. Environmental Considerations – Specify acoustical, visual, thermal, climatic, and aesthetic considerations that enhance the practical usage of the specific space.

    G. Utility Needs – Identify utilities needed in the specific area including water, electrical, toilets, 3-phase power, gas, vacuum capability, telephone, technology, wiring, virtual capabilities, etc.

    H. Display Areas, Furniture & Equipment – Itemize whiteboards, bulletin boards, display cases, shelves (linear feet). Describe quantities and types of furniture & equipment to be used in each area.

    I. Technology – Describe specific needs of each space to accommodate the technological delivery system/network incorporated into the facility.

    J. Other – Identify any other specific information essential to each specific area including communications, security, special ventilation requirements, and any county-adopted design standards.

VI. Technology Plan – A technical plan for delivery of media, voice, data, graphics, text, and telecommunications throughout the school includes a description of the instructional and administrative objectives, the technical structure needed to facilitate the system, the equipment needed to implement the system, and the physical/design requirements for incorporating the system into the construction of the facility.  The school technology delivery plan shall be based on the technology standards developed for the administration and instructional delivery in new schools.  A detailed technology plan shall be developed specific to the project as a part of the educational specifications.   The technology plan will identify how technology will be used and how it will support the curriculum delivery model.  The plan shall be developed in conjunction with the WV Department of Education Office of Technology and shall:

    A. Identify current and proposed technology needs
    B. Establish technology integration strategies
    C. Identify ideal implementation strategies for every academic and administrative space
    D. Establish a process for tracking, servicing, and updating technology equipment
    E. Identify security protocol and permissions strategies
    F. Outline staff development relating to the use of technology
    G. Identify the infrastructure needs based on the curriculum and instructional programming and match the technology with the skill sets the students are supposed to obtain from the instruction
    H. Provide the design engineer specific technology needs including backbone requirements that will allow the design of the power and support infrastructure for the school’s technology equipment

The technology plan will be developed in accordance with SBA Policy and WV Department of Education Curriculum and Technology guidelines.  The plan shall be submitted to the SBA for approval with design development documents.  

VII. Design Criteria and General Architectural Considerations – This section should regard the total school complex but may be specified in distinct areas or regard special concerns.  Following are some suggested considerations:

    A. Health and safety
    B. Quality of building systems and components
    C. Economies to be attained – instructional, operational, maintenance
    D. Flexibility and multi-use of spaces
    E. Efficient circulation patterns
    F. Community use considerations
    G. Communication systems – may be incorporated into the Technology Plan
    H. Accessibility
    I. Building Security and School Access Safety
    J. Student Supervision

VIII. Educational Specifications Committee Signature Page – A signature page for members comprising the Ed. Spec. committee will be included.  Names will be organized by the group each individual represents, i.e., teachers, administrators, parents, community leaders, design professional, etc.