Technology Assessments

When conducting a staff development session I always try to determine where to begin by assessing the knowledge level in the room about the topic of the session.  Taking the few extra minutes to get a good feel of where we are helps to make the session more productive and less frustrating for all involved. At the end of the session we survey the participants to see how much they learned.  The same holds true when making a good technology plan on a campus or district level, you must also know where you are starting from with your teachers and students and have a way to measure any progress being made.

Using several tools to assess teacher and student knowledge helps provide a clearer picture of technology proficiency. Giving a survey at the beginning of the year helps provide insight in what skills teachers have and which ones they want to develop.  Every spring teachers participate in the  School Technology and Readiness Chart which provides a standardized look at where teachers fall in four key areas.  The results of this assessment can be compared from year to year to measure growth.  Students are assessed during the year as they complete technology assignments in their classroom and during their 8^th grade year to determine their mastery of the Technology Application TEKS.  The tricky part is finding the right assessment or the right combination of assessments.   The STaR Chart contains questions that teachers often guess at the answers which can skew the data.  Also relying on the 8^th grade assessment alone means relying on 8^th graders having a good day and taking the assessment seriously at the end of a school year filled with state assessments in all their core classes. Still having some way to measure where we are and how far we have come is important to keeping technology integration and skills moving forward.