| What Factors Facilitate Teacher Skill, Teacher Morale, and Perceived Student Learning In Technology-Using Classrooms? |  |
| Abstract - Based on a comprehensive study of 94 classrooms from four states in different geographic regions of the country, this quantitative study investigated the impact of seven factors related to school technology (planning, leadership, curriculum alignment, professional development, technology use, teacher openness to change, and teacher non-school computer use) on five dependent measures in the areas of teacher skill (technology competency and technology integration), teacher morale, and perceived student learning (impact on student content acquisition and higher order thinking skills acquisition). Stepwise regression resulted in models to explain each of the five dependent measures. Teacher technology competency was predicted by teacher openness to change. Technology integration was predicted by teacher openness to change and the percentage of technology use with others. Teacher morale was predicted by professional development and constructivist use of technology. Technology impact on content acquisition was predicted by the strength of leadership, teacher openness to change, and negatively influenced by teacher non-school computer use. Technology impact on higher-order thinking skills was predicted by teacher openness to change, the constructivist use of technology, and negatively influenced by percentage of technology use where students work alone. Implications for the adoption and use of school technologies are discussed. |  |
| Achieving With Data (PDF) | |
| This report is the second in a three-part research effort to investigate the prevalence of performance-driven practices in urban school districts across the country. The first study, "Anatomy of School System Improvement: Performance-Driven Practices in Urban School Districts," analyzed the state of performance-driven practices within 28 leading school districts. This second year of research has been conducted with the support of the William & Flora Hewlett Foundation and in partnership with the Center on Educational Governance at the University of Southern California. The study captures the details of data-driven instructional decision making at the classroom, school, and system levels in two urban school districts and two nonprofit charter management organizations. In doing so, the researchers document effective performance-driven practices, identify salient themes regarding the structure and culture of the systems, examine needs for improvement, and make recommendations for policy and practice. | |
| Classroom Observations: Digital Data In The Palm Of Your Hand | |
| Discusses traditional tools for collecting classroom data, and how a handheld computer can facilitate this activity. | |
| Data Use: Data Primer | |
| The Data Primer is an instructional website designed to help educators become more comfortable with thinking about and using data for the purposes of instructional decision making. It has an overview and four modules. Each of the modules contain a tutorial, practice and extension section. The path of inquiry followed in each "Tutorial" section is applicable to all types of educational data. It works for all types and levels of testing and assessment. It can be used for analyzing attendance information, surveys of attitudes and perceptions, and programs. The questions apply equally well when analyzing data at the district, school, grade, classroom, or student level. | |
| High School Classroom: Part One (PDF) | |
| The ongoing assessment of student progress can provide a foundation for personalized instructional delivery. Technology tools can rapidly generate feedback from a variety of assessment types. Using technology-based diagnostic assessments, students and teachers can understand what a student already knows and help plan an instructional program to get him or her to the next level. Frequent formative assessments can allow students and teachers to monitor student progress and understand how close they are to their goals. Summative assessments allow students to demonstrate mastery and teachers to document student achievement. Technology-based assessments can also adapt to student understanding, becoming progressively more difficult as students learn more. | |
| Integration Of Technology Instrument (PDF) | |
| Observation instrument on the integration of technology observation | |
| Using Technology To Improve The Literacy Skills Of Students With Disabilities (PDF) | |
| This document is a summary of best practices in using technology to improve the literacy skills of students receiving special education services. Topics under discussion and review include: common literacy problems experienced by students with disabilities; legal requirements of technology consideration and acquisition in relation to a school district's special education assessment and planning process; leading approaches to assessing students' technological needs; suggestions for incorporating assessment information into the development of individualized education programs (IEPs); and a variety of low- and high-tech tools that can be used to enhance the literacy skills of students with disabilities." | |
| Middle School: Part One (PDF) | |
| Assessment is critical in teaching and learning. Embedded assessments provide teachers with evidence of student progress and areas where a student is struggling. Assessments give students clarity about their own success and weakness. Assessment information can inform educators, parents, and community members in evaluating the effectiveness of a program. The challenge with assessment has always been the lag time between taking the assessment and receiving the results. Online assessments can greatly reduce this turnaround time, meaning that students and teachers alike have near real-time access to information about student learning. | |
| Showing Evidence Tool: Analyzing And Evaluating Information | |
| The Showing Evidence Tool provides a technology scaffold to support students as they create a claim and then support or refute their claims with appropriate evidence. When an argument is complicated, the components of the tool can help think through justifying a claim. The Showing Evidence Tool prompts one to consider the quality of the evidence (Do they trust the source?), and the strength of the evidence to support their claim (Is the evidence central to their argument?). Encouraging teachers to not only use data to make their assessments but to help students see how to engage in evidence based reasoning can help provide leadership in the area of technology. | |
| TechMatrix: A Guide To Technology Tools For Learning | |
| The TechMatrix is a powerful tool for finding assistive and learning technology products for students with special needs. | |
| Youth Technology Support Programs: Meeting The Challenge Of Technology Support In Schools | |
| For those interested in learning more about the growing trend of involving youth in technology support programs, this paper serves as an introduction. In the sections that follow, you will find descriptions of the various roles that students play in the technology support system, key features of leading youth technology support programs, and a discussion of the benefits of such programs for students, teachers, and their schools. In addition, five youth technology support program profiles and an extensive list of resources and references are included for those who want to further explore the many ways to engage and empower students in technology support. | |
| Mapping Educational Progress 2008 | |
| Six years after No Child Left Behind's passage, we have collected more data than ever before about the academic performance of our students and schools. See data on how we're doing as a nation -- student achievement in reading and math, high school graduation rates, schools making adequate yearly progress, highly qualified teachers, parents taking advantage of tutoring and choice options, state participation in flexibility options, and more. | |
| NETS For Students: Profiles For Technology Literate Students (PDF) | |
| Profiles of technology literate students for grades preK-12, developed by ISTE's National Educational Technology Standards project. | |
| National Educational Technology Standards For Students: The Next Generation (PDF) | |
| ISTE's National Educational Technology Standards for Students. The standards describe what students should know and be able to do to learn effectively in a digital world. | |
| Pedagogy Technology Integration Rubrics | |
| A rubric to self-assess proficiency in various aspects of instruction, assessment, and effective integration of technology | |
| Assessment Tools | |
| This website provides links to numerous assessment and technology articles, tools, and materials. | |
| Data Tools For School Improvement (PDF) | |
| A diagnostic testing process that automatically records what each student already knows or needs to master to meet all district and state learning standards by the end of the year would not only suggest lessons to assist the students with their learning needs as a whole, but it would also indicate which students need additional, individualized support. These strategies will help schools select an appropriate and effective data system. | |
| Evaluation (PDF) | |
| Chapter 7 of "Planning into Practice" is dedicated to the subject of technology evaluation | |
| Making The Grade: Accountability And Assessment Under No Child Left Behind (PDF) | |
| The shift to evidence-based education set in motion by the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) legislation raises the stakes for education technology leaders. Accountability has been redefined, with schools being required to answer on the basis of results rather than inputs, outcome rather than process. Students in all subgroups -- including those who are economically disadvantaged, speak only limited English, or have disabilities -- must show evidence of progress in reading/language arts and mathematics, as well as other measures such as graduation rates. | |
| Helping Practicioners Meet The Goals Of No Child Left Behind (PDF) | |
| This resource is a compilation of white papers designed to provide school leaders and policymakers with information on ways e-learning can help schools meet the goals of the No Child Left Behind Act. | |
| Review Of Progress Monitoring Tools | |
| The tools chart below reflects the results of four annual reviews that the Center's Technical Review Committee (TRC) have completed. A star in the "Area" column indicates new information from the 2007 review. | |
| The 10 Essential Elements In Detail For 2007-08 | |
| The Data Quality Campaign (DQC) and the National Center for Educational Accountability (NCEA), with support from The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, conducted a survey about state data systems to determine the number of states that have built the infrastructure to tap into the power of longitudinal data. Similar surveys were conducted in 2003, 2004, 2005 and 2006. | |