Chapter Summary
The competition piece on the Enhancing Education through Technology grant has commenced in Delaware, and reliable information from the Effective Teaching with Technology work group was paramount for us. The work has already assisted Delaware in decision-making as to how to evaluate technology integration and getting the baseline information needed. There are many roads to take in this area, and the work accomplished will allow Delaware and all states to see the choices available with concrete information to aid decision-making in their state.
--Denise Allen
Objective
Key Question: Why assess effective teaching with technology?
The No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 (NCLB) charges states to define "qualified teacher," including the knowledge and skills necessary to integrate technology into curricula and instruction, and to ensure that every teacher has these skills.
Guidance from SETDA
Reasons for Review
Analysis of Current Methods & Strategies for Assessment
Recommendations
SETDA Tools Developed to Assist States
"The Effective Teaching with Technology (EET) Work Group was truly a roll-up your sleeves and 'get involved' experience. The expertise that was brought in from researchers AND the SETDA group was very well received and appreciated. It was great to hear what others have done, their successes, and their dilemmas.
Delaware Department of Education
To review and consider a set of models and processes for assessing effective teaching with technology.
In answering this question and in providing guidance to other state leaders, SETDA's Effective Teaching with Technology Assessment (ETTA) Work Group first identified the various reasons for assessing these skills. The group also reviewed current assessments and developed tools and recommendations for assessing effective teaching with technology.
In addition to the requirements of NCLB, the ETTA Work Group determined that assessing a teacher's technology-knowledge is necessary because it impacts and changes the way they practice and student learning. The review allowed state leaders to develop guidelines for strengthening the rigor and reliability of self-report surveys as these are commonly used by states. The ETTA Work Group also reviewed general purposes for assessing teacher's technology competency, including statewide snapshots of teacher's current technology proficiency, professional development planning, certification/accountability, and evaluation of technology/professional development projects.
Upon reviewing a variety of instruments and processes used by states or other programs to assess teachers' levels of technology competencies, the group determined that a spectrum of methods for assessment should be available for states to implement depending on their purposes, current programs, and resources. The ETTA Work Group studied seven (7) different assessment strategies and created significant components to review when considering an assessment model or tool. Building upon this review, they selected an unscientific sampling of four (4) existing assessment survey strategies as well as two (2) alternative assessment strategies to examine their evaluation strategies as to how these tools would assess a teachers' technology competency.
After comparing various assessment strategies and survey models, the ETTA Work Group identified three areas to concentrate on: a) basic instruments, b) in-depth alternative instruments, and; c) implementation process. Building upon these, they developed guidelines for strengthening commonly used self-report surveys. They also prepared an outline states could follow when implementing an assessment of teacher competency and guidelines for professional development.
This toolkit provides education leaders with:
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Chapter Summary Assessment Strategies and Examples Instruments Alternative Assessments Guidelines Statewide Implementation Guidelines Detailed Guidelines |
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