Hollidaysburg Area School District Elevates Teaching with Google Workspace for Education Plus
“I would be curious to know more about how originality reports detect AI and whether or not Google plans to make improvements to better detect AI.”
Through strategic training, the right tools, and the right partner, Hollidaysburg Area School District is building future-ready classrooms rooted in collaboration, accessibility, and innovation—with Google Workspace for Education Plus at the core.
District Snapshot:
Small suburban district in Blair County, Pennsylvania
3,109 Students
224 Teachers
The Challenge
Before their expanded use of Google Workspace for Education Plus, Hollidaysburg Area School District faced a few key challenges:
Teachers needed stronger strategies for organizing their digital files and managing Drive storage limits.
There was underutilization of built-in accessibility features that could better support diverse learners.
Educators were eager to explore advanced tools like Practice Sets and the new Read Along integration but needed time and guidance to implement them effectively.
There was growing curiosity around originality reports, particularly their ability to detect AI-generated content, and how that might evolve.
Google Solution Implementation
With support from their professional development partner, Hollidaysburg Area School District rolled out focused training sessions on premium features within Google Workspace for Education Plus, including:
Google Drive: Emphasizing file structure, shared drives, collaboration, and storage optimization
Google Docs: Accessibility tools such as voice typing and predictive text
Google Slides: Use of live captions for presentations
Google Classroom: The new Read Along integration, enhancing literacy support
Practice Sets: Reviewed and expanded upon from earlier sessions
Originality Reports: Discussed in the context of academic integrity and AI detection
Partner Involved
These training courses were led in partnership with Boxlight-EOS Education, the district’s professional development partner. Boxlight supported Hollidaysburg’s instructional leaders and teachers in adopting, implementing, and sustaining impactful use of Google Workspace for Education Plus tools.
Next Steps
Hollidaysburg Area School District plans to continue their learning journey with additional professional development on:
Broader implementation of Read Along and Practice Sets
Ongoing best practices for inclusive, organized digital classrooms
“It was great to connect with you last week and my teachers had lots of positive things to say.”
- Administrator
Benefits
As a result of these strategic trainings, Hollidaysburg educators reported several key outcomes:
Increased confidence and clarity in using Google Drive to manage digital workflows
Broader adoption of accessibility tools to meet diverse student needs
Excitement around using Read Along for fluency-building and Practice Sets for personalized learning
Curiosity and engagement with originality reports and discussions around AI in education