Already, districts are receiving funding to create models of excellent technology use. The districts will be charged with showing how their pilot products improve student performance in at least two subject areas math, science, language arts, or social studies. However, demonstrating that technology is having an impact on student achievement is a critical issue that these pilot districts and similar schools and districts throughout the United States are going to have to face. We know that students will be using technology extensively in their future careers, but acquiring, maintaining, and training teachers to infuse educational technology into the curriculum is both resource intensive and costly. In this era of increasing accountability, it is important to be able to demonstrate that student achievement is being impacted in some way by large expenditures.
Many people believe that it does, but the nature of the impact is complex.
We believe that this model can be replicated in other situations in which standards-based instruction is the norm. Moreover, there is an increasing emphasis on standards-based instruction, especially in Texas. Both process and product measures are helpful for assessing student performance in this context. Rubrics are available to measure mastery of standards at the classroom level. However, it is also possible for teachers to develop their own rubrics.