In The Broadband Imperative: Recommendations to Address K-12 Education Infrastructure Needs (released May 2012), SETDA recommends that schools will need external Internet connections to their Internet service provider of 100 Mbps per 1,000 students and staff by 2014-15 and of 1 Gbps per 1,000 students and staff by 2017-18.1
To assess progress in providing Internet access that meets the current and future needs of students and educators, education leaders must regularly evaluate the quality of their broadband. School speed tests play an integral role in this process. Popular free school speed tests include:
Given technical differences in the way various school speed test tools report progress in meeting state-specific and/or SETDA recommendations, SETDA commissioned Netcraft, a highly-regarded Internet services company, to conduct an independent technical analysis of each of these tools, including their strengths and weaknesses, followed by observations based on measured data. The analysis concludes by offering recommendations on how best to use each of the tools to inform decision making by education leaders and policymakers.
NEW: The full Netcraft technical analysis "Netcraft Analysis: Online Speed Testing Tools" (February 25, 2013) is now available for download.
Disclaimer: Please note that the information contained in this document is provided for general information purposes only. While care has been taken in compiling the information in this report, Netcraft does not warrant or represent that this information is free from errors or omissions. To the maximum extent permitted by law, Netcraft accepts no responsibility in respect of this document and any loss or damage suffered or incurred by a person for any reason relying on any of the information provided in this document and for acting, or failing to act, on any information contained on or referred to in this document. The report may only be made available in full, including all disclaimers and notices, and is not to be resold. Written permission is required prior to the release of any excerpts from the report.
1For more information on school technology needs to meet goals of college and career readiness, be sure to review SETDA's Technology Readiness for College and Career Ready Teaching, Learning and Assessment guidance.
