Prince George's County Public Schools, MD, Educational Specifications - Elementary Schools 2015

Educational specifications serve as the link between the educational program and school facilities, whether contemplating a new building, or assessing the educational adequacy of an existing building prior to renovation. The purpose of educational specifications is to clearly describe the various learning activities to be housed in the school, their spatial requirements, appropriate locations within the building or the site and any special requirements that a designer or a facility planner would need to consider. It is important that all educational specifications attempt to:

• Involve educators and community representatives in the definition of educational needs;

• Enable school planners to better understand the purposes of the facility;

• Help the designers to create a building that fits the educational program and needs of the building occupants or users, and;

• Eliminate oversights that are expensive to correct once construction is complete.

A well-prepared educational specification is an integral part in the creation of a building that enhances the learning environment, accommodates learning activities, and provides pleasant surroundings for occupants and visitors. A poorly developed educational specification generally results in a mediocre facility, or one that is marginally functional for education. Download Plan

Long Beach Unified School District, CA, High School Educational Specifications 2008

This High School Educational Specification is a critical component of the Long Beach Unified School District Facility Master Plan. An Educational Specification outlines essential educational concepts and detailed facility needs. It includes considerations of community values, current and future instructional strategies, impact of technology on education, and cost constraints. Download Plan

Lake Washington School District, WA, Educational Specifications 2013

The purpose of educational specifications is to provide guidelines for planning educational facilities. It is a document that provides guidelines for the design of a school building, connecting a school district’s educational philosophy with the built environment (site and building). The Lake Washington School District educational specifications are divided into separate components: a vision description and a performance-based specification. Both components are applicable to any major school construction project - whether the project is a modernization, a replacement or a new school. The vision description and performance-based specification are the baseline for the design of the new and the replacement projects included the 2014 bond. The education specification is intended to be an eight-year document, and will be updated again in 2020-2021. The Educational Specifications define the program elements for a typical school at each specific level, but other optional programs, such as preschool or some special services elements, can be “plugged in” as is appropriate for individual schools. Download Plan

Beaverton School District, OR, Educational Specifications - Elementary Schools 2014

In 2013, Beaverton School District (BSD) embarked on a process of development of new Educational Specifications (Ed Specs) for the planning and design of future school projects. An Educational Specification is a document facility planners, architects and engineers use to develop, plan and design new schools or modernize existing ones. Ed Specs describe the facility vision, spaces, relationships between spaces and specific physical characteristics of each space in a new or modernized school. The basis of the Ed Spec is the educational program. Educational programs require space which needs to be configured with certain physical attributes and characteristics. In essence, the shape and nature of place supports educational programs. Without a place to teach and careful consideration of a school’s educational needs, learning is impacted. Effective school facility planning is characterized by extensive input, research-based analysis of educational trends and conditions, and documentation of building user needs. Download Plan

Austin Independent School District, TX, Elementary School Educational Specifications 2014

This educational specifications document focuses on five major concepts that support and contribute to successful learning in prekindergarten (pre-K) through grade 12: curriculum connections, career pathways, technology connections, community linkages, and safety and security. As required by AISD Board Policy CS(LEGAL)-P: FACILITY STANDARDS, the design of AISD educational facilities must be instructionally driven, and be able to successfully accommodate the engaging delivery of appropriate grade level curriculum to all AISD students. Further, the policy requires that the District include, as part of its facility standards, a written “Educational Program”, summarizing AISD’s educational philosophy, mission and goals, and a description of the general nature of the District’s instructional program in accordance with Texas Administrative Code (TAC), Title 19, Part II, Chapter 74 – Curriculum Requirements. This requirement is specific to AISD providing all necessary instruction in the Essential Knowledge and Skills of each appropriate grade level in its Foundation Curriculum and Enrichment Curriculum. Download Plan