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Program Standards for Technological Literacy: All of the Goals Set Forth in the Program Standards Are Attainable

In April 2000, the International Technology Education Association released to the profession and the public at large a landmark document entitled Standards for Technological Literacy: Content for the Study of Technology. The publication was the result of a multi-year collaborative and consensus-building effort involving literally thousands of individuals both within and outside the profession. While the content standards were reflective of the significant progress that had been made in the profession in just a few short years, the profession's members also realized that much work still remained to be done. If the content standards were to truly catapult the profession into bringing about significant and meaningful change, then a set of implementation strategies was needed. These strategies would need to take the form of standards in the areas of assessment, program development, and professional development. Once developed, the content standards and the complementary sets of assessment, program development, and professional development standards would provide the profession indisputable evidence that it was fully prepared to address educational reform in the 21st century by ensuring that all students are technologically literate at each stage of their development. This article addresses one part of the total package of standards -- program standards. "Program standards" is an all-encompassing term that has as its foundation all the components that comprise the technological studies program. For example, program standards must address (a) the environment in which teaching and learning occur, (b) the equipment and resources that support this environment, (c) the act of teaching by the classroom teacher, (d) assessments that ensure quality of teaching, (e) assessments that measure student learning, (f) the curriculum, and (g) the course of study. Program standards imply comprehensiveness so that when the various standards are written and implemented, they reflect the totality of the programmatic effort at all grade levels including the elementary program (grades K-5), the middle school program (grades 6-8), and the high school program (grades 9-12). This necessitates that classroom teachers, administrators, and supervisors have significant input into the development of program standards and that their efforts culminate in a technological studies program that is articulated within and across all grade levels. What are the desired goals when developing program standards for technological literacy? First and foremost, program standards must support and reinforce the importance of the existing K-12 content standards for technological literacy. This support and reinforcement are nonnegotiable if the profession is ever to experience a significant measure of success in bringing about the achievement of technological literacy by every student. Second, there must be personnel who provide the administrative direction and supervisory leadership necessary to ensure a well managed and effective technological studies program. Their efforts must be articulated within a school system, across a county and/or district, and throughout the state and province. Third, technology cannot be studied and learned in isolation, as it requires the continuous input and feedback from other fields of study. The interdisciplinary nature of technology mandates that program standards incorporate planning, articulation, and assessment within and across grade levels and with other fields of studies. Content integration is not only critical to achieving technological literacy, it is mandatory. Fourth, program standards must address curricular issues including, but not limited to, a K-12 curriculum that links to other frameworks, whether they exist at the local, state/provincial, or national level. Fifth, program standards must ensure that qualified teachers are employed to plan, maintain, and facilitate the totality of the student learning experience. …