Background

The (draft) educational technology assessments enable teachers to determine student progress toward Washington’s standards for educational technology. Embedded into other content areas, the activities in these assessments are classroom-based, well guided and easy to use. They come equipped with a comprehensive inventory of free and low-cost digital resources.

A multi-disciplinary group of Washington educators are developing the assessments. They represent all four corners of Washington’s geographic regions, and demonstrate a wide range of content area and grade-level expertise. OSPI staff are guiding the process. We are leading the development of the educational technology assessments in response to 2SHB 1906, which requires the Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI) to “develop or obtain” these instructional tools.

A New Literacy & Fluency for 21st Century Life
The need to develop assessments for educational technology also originates from the awareness that students must be prepared for a world that depends on the Internet and its related technologies. When the assessments are final, Washington state teachers will have the ability to assess student learning on two key areas of 21st century life:

• Digital citizenship – safe and productive behavior online.
• Technological fluency — a standards-based skill set necessary to perform capably in college and on the job.

Taken as a whole, the standards and assessments for educational technology have the potential to move teachers and students toward a necessary fluency with real-world technologies. They support engagement with the participatory dynamic of 21st century culture, in which citizenship, achievement and self-expression have an expanding digital dimension.

Our standards and assessments work toward these new fluencies.
Operational:

• Apply technology to real-world experiences.
• Adapt to changing technologies.
• Modify current and create new technologies.
• Personalize technology to meet personal needs, interests and learning style.

Informational:

• Create new digital content.
• Replicate, then advance an existing idea – innovate.
• Work in project teams and communicate across culture and experience.
• Find and evaluate information.
• Solve problems and make decisions by thinking critically and analyzing data.