Common Myths Surrounding the Eighth Grade Technology Literacy Assessment

By Tammy Stephens

As part of the No Child Left Behind Act school districts are being asked to report the percentage of eighth grade students who are technologically literate and how they know this. In my consulting with school districts, I have discovered a number of myths that are circulating around this topic.

Myth #1 The state is mandating a standardized test for 8th graders to show that they are technologically literate.

At this point in time, the state is not mandating that districts administer a test to eighth graders. Instead it is up to each district to decide how they will measure technology literacy. While standardized testing is one option, it is not the only option. Other acceptable options include locally developed assessments, assessments of unit projects, self-assessment surveys, observation logs, analysis of student artifacts and/or portfolios.

Myth #2 Quantitative data is better than qualitative data

I don't believe that one type of data is necessarily better than the other. Instead, I think district leaders should carefully consider all that we know about good assessment practices and apply these strategies to their chosen method of assessment. For example, suppose a district were to develop an online survey for students asking them questions about how proficient they feel that they are at different technology literacy skills. We know that this type of assessment is perceptual data, so it might be a good idea to triangulate this data with other assessment strategies such as analysis of student work samples and classroom observations. It is tempting for districts to immediately gravitate to a standardized test approach without considering all of the options because it gives immediate quantifiable data, making it easy for districts to report a percentage of students who are "technologically literate". However, when choosing these tools it is important that district leaders review test questions to make sure the test is in fact assessing technology literacy and not just skills (see myth #4) . The percentage of students who are technologically literate can also be derived from authentic assessments such as student artifacts in portfolios, but would require more work and coordination to make sure it is done in a consistent manner across the district.

Myth #3 Proficiency must be shown at the eighth grade level

The No Child Left Behind mandate says that students must be technologically literate by eighth grade. It could certainly be measured before eighth grade. It could also be done over time. The advantage of measuring over time is that it would give a more balanced view of the students' achievement as opposed to a one time assessment which would give you a snapshot at one moment in time.

Most districts have ITL Standards that align to the Wisconsin Information Technology Literacy Standards. Many districts have developed a scope and sequence that shows what standards should be taught, reinforced and mastered at each grade level. Some districts have gone a step further and aligned their standards with core content standards. Sometimes this is done through a process known as curriculum mapping. Some districts have broken up this task by adding ITL Standards to core curriculums when they come up for adoption. This allows the process of introducing these standards and providing staff development to occur in more manageable chunks. Other districts have curricular units that are required to be taught at certain grade levels.

Districts that have integrated their standards into core curriculums, either by curriculum mapping or mandating curriculum units that integrate technology, are in a perfect position to develop local assessments of embedded ITL curriculum within the core content areas. These assessments can be collected in portfolios, perhaps electronically, to demonstrate literacy.

One of the standards (B.8.8) states that students should be involved in evaluating digital products and presentations. This standard could be met by having students explain in writing how their work meets the ITL Standards.

Myth #4 Possessing technology skills is the same as being technologically literate

Some of the assessments that are being promoted are based on “Industry Standards” for technology. The question that needs to be asked is what industry? And are today's industry standards enough for tomorrow? Research shows that 90% of our kindergartners will work in jobs that don't exist today.

I believe the discussion begins by carefully examining the definition of technology literacy that we have been given by the state to measure against. It states that:

Technology literacy is the ability to responsibly use appropriate technology to communicate, solve problems, and access manage, integrate, evaluate, and create

information to improve learning in all subject areas and to acquire lifelong knowledge and skills in the 21 st Century.

I believe that all the methods of assessing whether or not a student is technology proficient should be held up and examined against this definition.

The Wisconsin Information Technology Literacy Standards meet the definition above and is an excellent framework to critically look at available assessments. These standards are based on standards developed by the International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE), the Association for Educational Communications and Technology (AECT), and the American Association for School Librarians (AASL).

A number of tests that claim to assess technology literacy really only assess technology skills . They do not assess the B Information and Inquiry Standards that meet the definition for literacy listed above that will be needed to compete in the 21 st Century.

Myth #5 The mandate that all districts need to assess technology literacy is a bad thing

In my work with school districts I have sometimes found that technology literacy takes a backseat to other priorities. While district personnel will say they agree that it is important that their students be technologically literate to survive and thrive in the Information Age, they are too busy to focus on the Information Technology Standards right now because these standards are not tested .

I believe the new NCLB requirements for reporting the percentage of students who are technologically literate can be a good thing because it will put more focus and accountability on instructional technology. It is my hope that each district will critically examine the definition for technology literacy when choosing a method that best suits their needs.