NASHUA — The adoption of new academic standards in New Hampshire’s schools has administrators across the state discussing just how the changes will be implemented. When it comes to Common Core State Standards in Nashua, the use of technology is high on the agenda.

“We’ve been spending very little as a district in the last five or six years, very little on materials, and that has to change,” Superintendent Mark Conrad said. “And it started to change this year when we budgeted for the iPads… and were going to have to continue.”

Nashua’s sixth-grade science classes were outfitted with 270 iPads this year at a cost of nearly $200,000. When the district learned six months ago that iPads could be used to take common core assessments, their use value increased, as did the likelihood of acquiring more.

Aligning curriculums with the new standards will require new materials, whether traditional or high-tech. And since the district has refrained from replacing textbooks in recent years partly because of the arrival of common core standards, Conrad acknowledged this will be a significant piece in the district’s forthcoming budget.

For grades kindergarten through 12, the standards aim to prepare students for success in college and career. CCSS assessments will replace the NECAP tests in all areas but science and give educators the chance to compare notes in a more universal way than ever before.

The initiative was approved by the N.H. Department of Education in 2010, and has been adopted by 47 states. Developed by the Council of Chief State School Officers and the National Governors Association, it is scheduled to be fully implemented in the state by spring 2015.

With schools across the district already struggling to meet proficiency on academic assessment tests, Conrad said the implementation of Common Core State Standards will create new challenges. And it’s the right direction, he said.

“It really came about in response to concerns that… our students may be graduating, but they’re not graduating with the skill sets they need for success in college.”

The arrival of CCSS reignites the long-standing conversation on the use of technology in the classroom. What does the future hold for the tablet, and what does that mean for the textbook? Though the answer is uncertain, Conrad is certain that the learning environment in five years will be far more diverse than it is now in terms of the tools used by student and teacher alike.

And with the phasing in of new standards, the changes will happen in harmony with CCSS.

The district is already rolling out some of the changes. Last year, the district piloted an online assessment program, i-Ready, to monitor students’ progress over the year. With the success of i-Ready, which aligns with CCSS, the school board approved it for grades three through six at a the cost of $9.20 per student.

Conrad said the district may consider expanding i-Ready to other grades.

In spite of the costs on the horizon, there could also be savings. Conrad said that with universal standards, district staff would spend less time customizing a textbook that was written by Texas standards, for example.

And with decreases in the cost of technology compared with the costs of textbooks, technology could soon prove to be more economical.

“You’re at the tipping point, and it’s coming soon,” Conrad said.

He emphasized the district’s commitment to a data-driven approach; an approach facilitated by the integration of technology in the classroom.

In a recent interview, Elm St. Middle School Principal Colette Valade said that since teachers will have to realign their curriculums to meet CCSS, it represents a huge change. But it’s a change that’s perhaps long overdue.

“It’s not a secret,” Valade said. “The United States has been falling behind in comparison to other countries like Finland and Japan, who have been outperforming our students.”

But with the rigorous standards she said CCSS imposes, Valade said the new system could boost America’s competitiveness in the world.

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Simon Rios may be reached at srios@newstote.com.