Dave Nagel shares a move by NAGB to change the technology literacy test. Every district in Texas, if not the nation, is trying to figure out the best way to assess students, whether using free assessments like SimpleAssessment.com, at cost assessments like Learning.com and Atomic Learning’s assessment, or their own in-house assessments based on student performance in a Technology-related course or end of course assessments.

Since there has been no clear leadership in which assessment to use–can you say, leadership has been mute on this subject?–school districts are floundering to figure out the best solution. One thing is clear–using external assessments can only be a short-term solution since they are like any other vendor-developed assessment…inaccurate and irrelevant to what teachers are actually teaching and students are learning in schools.

As a result, for example, in one large urban school district, I’m advocating a two pronged approach to technology literacy assessment for 8th graders. The first is a hybrid online course–facilitated with Moodle–that address technology literacy and the second is to embed technology literacy in a core content area, such as social studies. Whether these approaches will work is still up in the air. School districts have typically under-funded, under-supported technology literacy teaching and learning in schools…"It’s an elective, something we just don’t teach every child in 8th grade!"

This makes the efforts of NAGB all the more a concern. However, a vigorous debate about what constitutes technology literacy and what schools can do about preparing students is valuable. Whether it will lead anywhere, that’s another question altogether.

• SETDA Urges NAGB To Reconsider Tech Literacy Test — THE Journal

  • the National Assessment Governing Board (NAGB) is proposing as it develops a nationwide test for technological literacy among students.
  • At issue is a framework being developed by NAGB staff as part of the NAEP Technological Literacy Assessment, which is currently expected to be administered for the first time in 2012. To date, as has there has been no national standard for technological literacy, states have adopted their own definitions, generally based on definitions and standards developed by the International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE) or SETDA. They’re using these definitions to fulfill the NCLB mandate to report "the percentage of students who meet state technology standards by the end of the eighth grade."
  • In NAGB’s current framework, the definition includes three key topics: "In recent decades the meaning of technological literacy has taken on three quite different (though by no means inconsistent) forms in the United States. These are the science, technology, and society approach; the technology education approach; and the information and communications technology approach. In recognition of the importance, educational value, and interdependence of these three approaches, this framework includes all three under its broad definition of technological literacy, and in recognition of the distinct goals and teaching methods involved in each, this framework recommends that assessment results be reported for each of the separate areas in order to make it possible to monitor and analyze the results of each approach over time."
  • In a letter sent to NAGB Executive Director Cornelia Orr–a letter made public today–the SETDA board of directors expressed this concern. According to the letter: "If the three key areas of the proposed NAEP assessment are reported as one score, the national benchmark or probe will not have any relevance to the states’ adopted definitions of technological literacy or reported results. This will cause unnecessary confusion across states and by federal policy-makers when a standard definition is already in place nationwide gets replaced by a definition that has never been used."
  • The draft definition and framework are inconsistent with the current definitions used by states in response to the requirement in federal law to report on state definitions of Technological Literacy (per NCLB Title II, Part D and ARRA)…."
  • A full copy of the current discussion draft of the NAEP Technological Literacy Framework can be accessed here. NAGB is also accepting comments on the discussion draft. A feedback survey can be found here.

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