ERIC Number: ED561205
Record Type: Non-Journal
Publication Date: 2015-Apr
Pages: 8
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: N/A
EISSN: N/A
Available Date: N/A
Are California's Schools Ready for Online Testing and Learning?
Gao, Niu
Public Policy Institute of California
In addition to the Common Core State Standards (CCSS), California is implementing a new, online assessment system: the California Assessment of Student Performance and Progress (CAASPP). Field tests were conducted last spring and the system is being rolled out this year, amid concerns about whether schools are technologically prepared. Using survey data from the California Educational Technology Professionals Association (CETPA), this report examines school districts' technology infrastructure and assesses their readiness for online testing. Three findings emerge. First, school districts express confidence in the quantity and quality of their hardware and network capabilities but remain concerned about software and training of instructional and IT staff. Second, there is sizable variation in readiness across districts, linked mainly to student enrollment and district expenditure levels. Third, a clear majority of the state's onetime CCSS Implementation Fund is going into non-technology spending such as instructional materials and teacher training. Regardless of their current readiness, districts will need targeted and ongoing support to upgrade "and" maintain their technology infrastructure. In the longer term, virtually all schools will need to upgrade their technology infrastructure in order to adopt and benefit from digital learning.
Descriptors: Online Courses, Educational Technology, Computer Assisted Testing, Technology Uses in Education, School Districts, Surveys, Readiness, Computer Software, Computers, Technological Literacy, Teacher Competencies, Enrollment, School District Size, Expenditures, Resource Allocation, Computer Networks, School Personnel, Geographic Location, Socioeconomic Influences, Racial Composition, Rural Urban Differences, Access to Computers
Public Policy Institute of California. 500 Washington Street Suite 800, San Francisco, CA 94111. Tel: 415-291-4400; Fax: 415-291-4401; Web site: http://www.ppic.org
Publication Type: Reports - Research
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: Evelyn and Walter Haas, Jr. Fund
Authoring Institution: Public Policy Institute of California
Identifiers - Location: California
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A
Author Affiliations: N/A