It uses four indicators and covers hardware, connectivity, content and staff development. We are using the STaR Chart because it is easy to explain, easy to use and accessible on the Web. The chart questionnaire can be completed in five minutes on the Web and respondents receive an interactive chart, which tells them exactly where their schools stand relative to the benchmarks and other schools. It is widely used by schools around the country. The STaR Chart is simple and elegant.
Respondents fill in the chart with indicator values for each category.
The indicators are self-explanatory, low tech describes usage that is inadequate, and target tech is state of the art. Over 50 percent of schools remain in the low-tech category. The following describe the categories and some of the indicator values. Hardware refers to number of computers, multimedia machines, maintenance and CD-ROMs. Connectivity refers to the type of access including LANs, Internet access type and speed.