"In our schools, every classroom in America must be connected to the information superhighway with computers and good software and well-trained teachers. I ask Congress to support this education technology initiative so that we can make sure this national partnership succeeds."
President Clinton, State of the Union, January 23, 1996.

Reform initiatives, new technologies, and changing student populations have required teachers to learn new ways of presenting material and managing their classrooms. Teachers' initial professional training may not have prepared them adequately to meet current expectations, so continuing professional development is important. Teachers' self-assessments provide one indication of the extent to which pre-service and on-the-job learning prepare them to meet the new demands.
The Condition of Education - 1999 National Center for Educational Statistics, 1999.


In the history of education reform there has never been as much attention given or funding available to classrooms across the nation as with the current technology reform movement. States rush to create standards for teacher preparedness and technology integration into classroom curriculum. Assessment has tremendous value as a method for measuring the mastery of training or experience. Many states are developing assessments of computer and technology skills tied to obtaining and renewing professional credentials and licenses, teacher raises, or bonuses. In the rush to ensure that teachers are competent to create a "technology-rich" curriculum, assessment has become the cry in the wind.

What would be an appropriate assessment to ensure that the classroom teacher is indeed prepared to manage the technological resources of the 21st century? Should the assessment be a self-assessment test, multiple-choice exam, authentic assessment (demonstration of actual skills), a portfolio consisting of lessons that integrate technology with instruction, classroom observation, or completion of designated training programs?

In determining methods of assessment, it is critical to remember the goals of the assessment. For example, pre-assessments can establish the current knowledge and skills of teachers or students. In this type of use, the goal is typically to provide a diagnostic snapshot of a teacher's skills that can be used to devise an appropriate professional development path for that teacher. More traditional multiple-choice assessments may be sufficient to meet this need. But for a post-assessment, the goal may be to document learning gains that resulted from the professional development. In such cases, it may be more appropriate to design an assessment that evaluates the authentic performance and portfolio elements that the teacher created as part of his or her training program. This approach would not only encourage teachers to develop materials they can use in the classroom, but it also provides hard data about their ability to apply new skills to classroom practice.

How will each teacher gain access to an appropriate level of technology in the classroom? How will each teacher develop essential skills to maximize these tools and create technology-rich lessons? How will each teacher assist students in the mastery of skills necessary to effectively use the "hammer and nails" of a technological society?

Classroom access to appropriate equipment remains problematic. Most teachers consider themselves fortunate to have one or two semi-current computers in the classroom for student use. Too often I have found myself teaching teachers how to enhance classroom presentation through the use of multimedia tools only to have teachers lament, "This is really great. I wish I had the equipment to do it in my classroom." Trying to create a "technology-rich" classroom without up-to-date computers, Internet access, scanners, digital cameras, and class display devices is like opening a new auto service center without computerized testing equipment, a lift, tools, a qualified mechanic, and power. If necessary, it can be accomplished with a screwdriver, flashlight, someone thin and nimble enough to crawl under the car, and a long extension cord plugged into the house next door. Yet the one thing that remains absolutely necessary is the qualified mechanic who became qualified through access to and practice with the tools. And so the demand for teacher competency in the use and integration of technology is complicated by limited access to tools and technology.

Once the necessary hardware, software, and access tools are in place, the focus is on how to provide teachers with the necessary skills to integrate technology into the teaching and learning process. Although most people agree that technology can assist individual students to learn and produce more efficiently at their own pace, there is often a "one size fits all" standard applied to teacher training. Doesn't teacher training need to allow for individual learning styles, current proficiency level, and learning pace? Districts and states need to identify ways that address these training needs. What is the best fit for the teacher, school, district, or state? Is it online courses, instructor-led training, school site or classroom-level mentoring, or a combination? The answers to these questions, of course, depend in large part on the content being taught. And assessment provides one avenue for identifying the most appropriate content.

Once training has been provided, what are the inherent challenges in assessing teachers' skills and knowledge to ensure "technology-rich" classrooms? There are two important obstacles to obtaining defensible, research-based information on the performance of most applications of technology in schools. First, most available tests do not reliably measure the outcomes that are being sought by advocates of technology-rich schools. The measures that are reported are usually from traditional, multiple-choice tests. Second, technology is only one component of an instructional activity. According to The Condition of Education - 1999 ,"Assessments of the impact of technology are really assessments of instructional processes enabled by technology, and the outcomes are highly dependent on the quality of the implementation of the entire instructional process."

Designing and delivering more authentic assessment instruments is critical to the process of evaluating the effectiveness of a curriculum enhanced by the use of technology. Whether this consists of testing teachers, evaluating portfolios, successful completion of training programs, classroom observations, or a combination thereof, it will be set as the litmus test for successful reform in "technology-rich" education. Once these issues have been resolved, then the desired outcomes naturally follow, just as the mouse successfully masters the maze to win the cheese!

Dr. Abad has spent 25 years in K-12 education including 10 years training teachers in the integration of technology in the curriculum and 5 years as Technology Director and Coordinator for a K-12 district and a County Office of Education.

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