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Learning.com creates new Technology Literacy Assessment to Align to Refreshed ISTE Standards and adds Portfolio Assessment Capabilities

Beta administration to test minimum of 5,000 students in fall 2008

Portland, Ore. – June 30, 2008
Learning.com will launch a new technology literacy assessment in fall 2008 that will align to the “refreshed” 2007 ISTE NETS-S standards, and will add a portfolio assessment capability. Additionally, it will provide states with a rapid path to an assessment specific to their unique technology proficiency standards.

ISTE, the International Society for Technology in Education, developed the National Educational Technology Standards for Students (NETS) in 1998, generally recognized as the roadmap for student technology proficiency. It undertook what it calls a “refresh” and updated those standards, unveiling them at the 2007 National Educational Computing Conference (NECC).

Learning.com’s new technology literacy assessment will roll out in a beta administration with a minimum of 5,000 students nationwide in fall 2008. It will be available for purchase by districts in the first quarter of 2009.

Learning.com is a leader in providing districts and states with a valid technology literacy assessment with TechLiteracy Assessment. Introduced in 2006, TechLiteracy Assessment authentically measures and reports students’ knowledge and skills for critical technology concepts and tools. These include spreadsheets, word processing, databases, multimedia and presentation software. It also assesses students’ understanding of systems and technology fundamentals, Internet use and tools, and critical social and ethical issues surrounding technology.

A growing number of states are setting technology proficiency standards for their students, usually based on ISTE standards with additional state-specific standards that reflect their own individual state requirements. Developing an accurate and valid assessment tool is expensive, however, so Learning.com has designed the new technology literacy assessment to be customizable for states seeking a rapid and efficient assessment tool that meets their state standards, as well.

“With our newest technology literacy assessment, Learning.com will be able to provide state-specific, valid summative technology proficiency assessments,” says Kathryn Brant, Director of Product Management. “And because the new assessment is aligned to the newest ISTE standards and is broad enough in its scope, we will be able to construct a state-specific test very quickly and in a highly cost-effective manner.”

Additionally, there has been recognition among educators that while it is important for students to understand how to use critical technology tools, it is equally important for them to understand why and when they would use those tools. This conceptual mastery component was a major focus of the ISTE NETS-S refresh. Assessing for this conceptual mastery, however, is significantly more challenging. Learning.com’s new technology literacy assessment includes a portfolio assessment that gives educators the projects and assessment rubrics necessary to fully assess students’ conceptual mastery of technologies.

“Learning.com developed TechLiteracy Assessment because districts were looking for a valid way to measure and report students’ technology proficiency. We met that need. Our experience now allows us to move to the next level to provide districts with data on conceptual standards and portfolio assessment capabilities,” says William J. Kelly, CEO for Learning.com.

The assessment items in the new assessment are being developed by seasoned education content developers, including teachers, all of whom have deep curriculum experience and knowledge of the ISTE standards. Established psychometricians will oversee the validation.

TechLiteracy Assessment is the winner of several prestigious education industry awards including the 2006 Technology & Learning Award of Excellence and the 2007 SIIA CoDIE Award. It is the statewide technology assessment in Arizona and has been selected for statewide assessment of students in Maryland. Pilot programs are under way under state direction in Texas and South Dakota.

The new technology literacy assessment will contain the same testing features as the current version, including versions for both elementary and middle schools, a blend of multiple choice questions and interactive, performance-based items, and automatic production of reports at the district, school, class and student levels. In addition, the product will report student proficiency in technology literacy in a standard state-level report that aggregates assessment data for students in every district that administered the test.

About Learning.com
Learning.com, the premier provider of Web-delivered curriculum and assessment, partners with schools and districts to improve student learning outcomes. The Portland, Ore.-based company transforms learning experiences through its understanding of the art and science of Web-based teaching and learning. Founded in 1999, it serves nearly two million students in schools across the United States. Its award-winning solutions are EasyTech, a proven, K-8 technology literacy curriculum that helps students develop and apply technology skills in math, language arts, social studies and science; TechLiteracy Assessment, an authentic technology proficiency assessment that provides educators with the data to understand how well students grasp foundational technology skills; and Aha!Math, an interactive K-5 supplemental math curriculum that supports teachers to improve students’ foundational math skills while developing their higher level problem-solving and reasoning skills. For more information, please visit www.learning.com or call 800-580-4640.