Learning.com selected to implement state-wide technology proficiency assessment for Maryland’s seventh-grade students

Portland, OR – August 5, 2008
The state of Maryland will assess all Maryland seventh-grade students state-wide for technology literacy proficiency under the Measuring Student Technology Literacy grant program using Learning.com’s TechLiteracy Assessment as the measure. TechLiteracy Assessment is an online technology proficiency assessment that measures and reports how well students grasp critical 21st century technology skills.

All 24 local school systems in Maryland are part of the Student Technology Literacy Consortium, in collaboration with the Maryland State Department of Education, and have been instrumental in developing Maryland’s Technology Literacy Standards for Students and in selecting the tool. The project will include approximately 62,000 students during the 2008-2009 school year.

Data from the assessment will provide Maryland educators with accurate and timely information about how well students are mastering technology skills and with data required by both the state and by the “No Child Left Behind” Act. Results will also help educators understand what kinds of training educators need to support student technology literacy.

“The state of Maryland has long been a leader in getting technology into the hands of its students and in supporting students to be proficient in technology skills,” says William J. Kelly, Learning.com CEO. “We are proud to support their efforts to improve their technology instruction.”

Learning.com designed TechLiteracy Assessment to blend multiple choice questions and interactive, performance-based items to authentically assess students’ technology knowledge and skills. The assessment measures how well students understand and demonstrate technology concepts, skills and strategies. It can be given in just one class period to make it easier for teachers to administer and to limit the impact on instructional time for students. It is the recipient of the prestigious Technology & Learning Award of Excellence and the 2007 SIIA CODiE Award.

“These data will give us a statewide picture of how well students are progressing on the technology skills necessary to be successful in high school and as adults, to help us make smart decisions about our curriculum, and improve how we teach and integrate technology skills into our schools,” says Kalani Smith, Project Manager for the Technology Consortium.

Learning.com will also provide professional development for those teachers giving the assessment to ensure they feel confident to administer the Web-delivered assessment. Learning.com will offer training both in person, and through Web conferencing, in addition to assigning a dedicated project manager to support the state’s educators in the pilot.

Maryland required a Web-based test that provided students with sample tests for student practice, feedback reports for educators, professional development for program managers and proctors, and quality materials for training, all of which TechLiteracy Assessment provides.

"It will be beneficial to all our districts to have student data that will help us understand how to shape our instructional strategies for technology literacy,” says Melissa Woods, Project Director for the Technology Consortium.

TechLiteracy Assessment already is the statewide technology assessment in Arizona.  It has been used this past school year for state pilots in North Dakota, South Dakota and Texas. “We are gratified that states continue to see the value in the data they get from TechLiteracy Assessment,” says William J. Kelly, Learning.com CEO.