I. Chapter Summary

II. Core Beliefs about the Assessment of Student Achievement

III. Assessment of the 8th Grade Technology Literacy Requirements
[Policy Statement]

IV. Pros and Cons of Paths To 8th Grade Technology Literacy

V. State of States

VI. Resources & Readings

VII. Next Steps

VIII. Work Group Members

IV. Pros and Cons of Paths To 8th Grade Technology Literacy

No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 (NCLB) mandates that all students become technology literate by the end of eighth grade, but the law does not stipulate what that process must entail.

Therefore, states are taking various approaches to addressing this expectation, and are creating different assessment requirements, as well as different definitions of what technology literacy means for their students.

In some states, the technology literacy standards are embedded in the core content standards, while in other states, technology literacy standards are separate from the core content standards, and in some states there are no technology standards at all. Whether technology standards are embedded or separate can affect the type of assessments that are developed to meet NCLB’s mandate.

The assessment for student technology literacy can be a separate test or it can be part of the core content assessments that students are already required to take. The nature of such assessments has large implications for such issues as time, cost and overall capability to measure particular aspects technology literacy. Some characteristics of, and pros and cons for separate and embedded assessments are outlined below.

Separate Technology Standards:

• Test for technology literacy only;
• Are independent of any other curricular content;
• Do not attempt to test for other curricular needs, just technology (e.g. a question that addresses a scenario in math, but is not meant to assess math knowledge); and
• Determine proficiency in 8th grade technology literacy only.

Embedded Technology Standards:

• Test both technology literacy and curricular knowledge simultaneously;
• Are integrated into other state curricular assessments; and
• Determine both proficiency in 8th grade technology literacy AND proficiency in content areas.

Pros and Cons of Separate Versus Embedded Assessments - Chart [85 KB]

Types of Assessments - Chart [95 KB]

Possible Decision Points for Choosing Various Types of Assessment - Chart [56 KB]

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Pros and Cons of Paths To 8th Grade Technology Literacy
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Evaluation of Student Achievement Summary & Tools
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Entire Toolkit 2004
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