Results of the Media Literacy Survey

In a survey conducted by SETDA in December 2006, 38 states and DC responded to questions regarding their approach to media literacy. The survey showed that much effort is being put toward developing standards and policies that keep our students safe online, provide them with technology skills, as well as utilize communication and information in the most productive ways. A snapshot of survey results is presented in this report.

Media Literacy Definitions, Standards, Assessments

Fifty-nine percent of states report that they define media literacy or information literacy AND that they have standards for media literacy. Twenty-one states report that the media literacy standards are embedded within various content areas, whereas, nine states report that the standards are stand alone. Thirteen states report that creating media literacy standards will be addressed in the future, while only six states report that they are not planning to create media literacy standards. For states planning to create media literacy standards, most states report that they are in the early stages of review and do not have specific timeframes for completing these standards. Seven states report that they assess media literacy standards: New Hampshire, South Dakota, West Virginia, Maine, Michigan, Wisconsin, and Hawaii.

Media Literacy Policies and/or Guidelines

Most states report having policies and/or guidelines in specific areas. Over seventy percent of states report policies and/or guidelines for safety, security, ethics, and laws. Twenty-nine states report that they have safety policies and/or guidelines to protect children from predators and other online dangers. Thirty states report that they have security policies and/or guidelines to protect personal information. Twenty-eight states report that they have policies to prevent cyber bullying, plagiarism, or hacking. Twenty-eight states also report that they have legal policies to address copyright violations. Twenty-one states report that they have policies for access - how to efficiently find, sort, and process information and evaluation - how to determine reliability, validity, and appropriateness of content. Twenty states report that they have policies analyzing purpose, recognizing persuasive techniques and advertising, and recognizing effects of words, colors, movement, sound, and understanding. Seventeen states report that they have policies addressing student created content.

State’s Needs and Areas of Interest

In the survey, states were asked to rank their needs and areas of interest regarding issues related to media literacy on a scale of one to five, with five representing the strongest interest.  (States evaluated each issue independently and may select more than one area as their strongest need).  The strongest need regarding issues of media literacy was in the area of safety.  Sixty-nine percent of states report that protecting children from predators and other online dangers is one of their strongest needs.  Security and ethics also rank high with fifty-nine percent of states reporting these areas as one of their strongest needs.  Forty-one percent of states reported that the area of copyright laws was a strong need within their state.  In summary, states vary in whether some of these areas are their strongest need; however, the majority of states report that policies are needed in these areas.  Only a few states chose the lowest ranking or weakest need for any of these issues.