SETDA is working in close partnership with the leadership of both major assessment consortia - the Partnership for the Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers (PARCC) and the Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium (Smarter Balanced) - to address the issue of technology readiness for school participation in the computer-based assessment systems they will be deploying starting in the 2014-15 school year. These multi-state assessment consortia are supported by the U.S. Department of Education's Race to the Top Assessment Program. To learn more about this important work:
NEW (12/4/2012): Technology Readiness for College and Career Ready Teaching, Learning and Assessment. This guidance is targeted to policymakers and K-12 school leaders interested in addressing school technology readiness needs for college and career ready teaching, learning and assessment. As guidance regarding minimum technology specifications are released by PARCC and Smarter Balanced, education leaders must consider this information in the context of the full range of technology issues schools are addressing today.
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SETDA Report: Technology Requirements for Large-Scale Computer-Based and Online Assessment: Current Status and Issues. This report provides a snapshot of the current technology requirements for select states implementing large-scale, online summative assessments (and for formative and other assessments when available). In addition, it presents a list of issues for the Race to the Top consortia and states to consider as they make decisions regarding their technology requirements for initial implementation by 2014-15 and beyond.
Granular Identifiers and Metadata for the Common Core State Standards (GIM-CCSS). PARCC, Smarter Balanced and SETDA – working in partnership with the Council of Chief State School Officers (CCSSO) – have launched this collaborative, state-centric project to facilitate the long-term technical implementation of the Common Core State Standards (CCSS) in a digital format that meets the diversity of stakeholder needs in the field, while preserving the conceptual and structural integrity of the standards.
State Education Policy Center (SEPC). Launched in October 2012, the SEPC is a database of state policies related to education and technology curated by SETDA and its membership. Among the topics covered is online assessment policy and practice.
Related Resources & Articles: SETDA
Getting to 2014 and Beyond: The Choices and Challenges Ahead: Whither Technology? (June 2012, Education Sector) by Doug Levin and Geoff Fletcher
T.H.E. Journal: Technology Challenges and the Move to Online Assessments by Geoff Fletcher (May 2012)
Principal Leadership: Start Your Online Testing Engines by Geoff Fletcher (Sept 2011)
Related Resources & Articles: Assessment Consortia
Smarter Balanced Technology Specifications and Issues: http://www.smarterbalanced.org/smarter-balanced-assessments/technology/
PARCC Technology Specifications and Issues: http://www.parcconline.org/technology
PARCC: Lessons from the Field: State Strategies for Funding and Supporting the Transition to Computer-Based Assessments (April 2012)
ETS K-12 Center: Guide to the Assessment Consortia (Sept 2012)
Related Resources & Articles: U.S. Department of Education
Secretary of Education Duncan: Beyond the Bubble Tests - The Next Generation of Assessments (9/2010)
FY12 Education Department Budget Request: Funding for Technology Readiness for Assessment (2/2011)
Race to the Top Assessment Program
Race to the Top Assessment Public Meeting: Technology Infrastructure Needs in States, Districts and Schools (4/15/11)
National Education Technology Plan (released at 2010 SETDA Leadership Summit)
Educational Technology in U.S. Public Schools: Fall 2008 (2010)
Teachers’ Use of Educational Technology in U.S. Public Schools: 2009 (2010)
Educational Technology in U.S. Public School Districts: Fall 2008 (2009)
Related Resources & Articles: Other
Bill Tucker: The Nation's Most Ambitious Digital Learning Project (1/2012 Huffington Post)
Achieve and U.S. Education Delivery Institute: Common Core Implementation Workbook: Chapter 7: Transition Technology and Assessment System (3/2012)
Tom Vander Ark: Getting Ready for Online Assessment (3/2012)
Digital Learning Now! Smart Series Paper #1: Funding the Shift to Digital Learning: Three Strategies for Funding Sustainable High-Access Environments (8/2012)
Digital Learning Now! Smart Series Paper #3: Getting Ready for Online Assessments (12/2012)
National Association of State Boards of Education (NASBE): Born in Another Time - Ensuring Educational Technology Meets the Needs of Students Today - and Tomorrow (12/2012)
