National Educational Technology Plan

The National Educational Technology Plan (NETP) executive summary describes the plan as being driven by two clear goals. They are to raise the proportion of college graduates from the current 41% to 60% by the year 2020, and to close the achievement gap so that all students graduate from high school ready to succeed in college and careers.

The plan urges our education system to be clear about the outcomes we seek; collaborate to redesign structures and processes for effectiveness, efficiency, and flexibility; to continually monitor and measure our performance, and to hold ourselves accountable for progress and results every step of the way.

The NETP presents goals and recommendations in five essential areas: learning, assessment, teaching, infrastructure, and productivity. The plan stresses the importance of the development of standards and assessments that measure 21st-century competencies and expertise in all content areas, and the use of data to drive continuous improvement. The plan further urges states and local public education institutions to act now to ensure equitable access to learning experiences for all students, especially low-income, minority students, students with disabilities, and English Language Learners.

I found that Temple’s District Technology plan provides strategies that address the same goals and recommendations outlined in the NETP.

My concern is that, except for the areas requiring verification for E-Rate funding, technology competencies for teachers are not evaluated routinely, and student mastery of the technology TEKS are not routinely tested at all grade levels. In order for this to happen, there would have to be a mandate, which likely could not be funded in the near future.