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NHEON > Office of Educational Technology > Standards > ICT

New Hampshire

ICT Literacy Standards for K-12 Students

About the Standards

Ed 306.42 Standards

ICT Quick Reference

Resources

About the Standards

The ideal ICT Literacy Program in grades K-8 weaves technology experiences into all content areas and all grade levels, so that a student can demonstrate ICT competency at the end of 8th grade. The ideal ICT Literacy Program in high school provides courses which allow students to focus on technology experiences that match their career aspirations. Digital portfolios at the K-8 and 9-12 levels are ideal demonstrations of competence, as they can show how students competently use technology tools and resources within the context of core content areas.

In order to meet the new ICT standards, schools which currently provide a middle school course in computer literacy should review their course requirements to ensure that assessment rubrics applied to digital portfolios are used. High school courses should be reviewed to ensure that topics listed in 306.42(c) are addressed and that a prerequisite for such courses is the completion of a digital portfolio as required in 306.42(a)(5).

Ed 306.42 Standards

All of the New Hampshire School Minimum Standards were updated and became effective 7/1/5. The ICT Literacy Program Standards, which are contained within the School Minimum Standards, are listed here:

Ed 306.42 Information and Communication Technologies Program.

(a) The local school board shall require an integrated approach to the use of 21st century tools, including, but not limited to digital technology and communication tools, within all curriculum areas through the adoption of an information and communication technologies literacy (ICT) program in grades K - 12 that provides opportunities at developmentally appropriate levels for students to:

(1) Develop knowledge of ethical, responsible use of technology tools in a society that relies heavily on knowledge of information in its decision-making;

(2) Become proficient in the use of 21st century tools to access, manage, integrate, evaluate, and create information within the context of the core subjects of:

a. Reading;
b. Mathematics;
c. English and language arts;
d. Science;
e. Social studies, including civics, government, economics, history, and geography; f. Arts; and
g. World languages;

(3) Use 21st century tools to develop cognitive proficiency in:

a. Literacy;
b. Numeracy;
c. Problem solving;
d. Decision making; and
e. Spatial / visual literacy;

(4) Use 21st century tools to develop technical proficiency at a foundational knowledge level in:

a. Hardware;
b. Software applications;
c. Networks; and
d. Elements of digital technology; and

(5) Create digital portfolios which:

a. Address the following components:

1.  Basic operations and concepts;
2.  Social, ethical, and human issues;
3.  Technology productivity tools;
4.  Technology communications tools;
5.  Technology research tools; and
6.  Technology problem solving and decision-making tools;

b. Represent proficient, ethical, responsible use of 21st century tools within the context of the core subjects; and

c. Include, at a minimum, such digital artifacts as:

1. Standardized tests;
2. Observation;
3. Student work; and
4. Comments describing a student’s reflection on his/her work.

(b) The local school board shall provide opportunities for students to demonstrate ICT competency by the end of 8th grade using assessment rubrics applied to the contents of digital portfolios as required in (a)(5) above. Students who successfully demonstrate knowledge, skill, and understanding of these competencies shall have the opportunity, as high school students, to take a higher level computer course to meet the ˝ credit requirement.

(c) The local school board shall provide opportunities for students to complete a ˝ credit ICT course prior to high school graduation, including, but not limited to:

(1) Use of common productivity and web based software;
(2) Use of a variety of multimedia software and equipment;
(3) Configuring computers and basic network configurations; and
(4) Applying programming concepts used in software development.

Resources

The NHDOE has compiled answers to Frequently Asked Questions about these standards. They were released through the Department’s monthly electronic newsletters as well as posted on the web as Technical Advisory #2. Subsequent information will be posted here as it becomes available.

Material from ICT Info and Assistance Sessions

datesUpcoming digital portfolio sessions

Past ICT Sessions

View presentation slides from (Jan/Feb 2006) ICT Info Sessions

View presentation slides from (Feb 2007) NHSAA Best Practices Conference - Curriculum, Instruction, & Assessment (download handouts)

View ICT Questionnaire numerical results (PDF)

View ICT Questionnaire narrative report (PDF)

Contribute to the process by completing the ICT Questionnaire

Sample Materials from NH Districts

THANK YOU to districts who have provided materials to be shared here!

Does your school or district have some ICT Literacy Program materials that other schools might find useful? Send an email with your materials to chiggins @ ed.state.nh.us.

Background Materials

These ICT Literacy standards are based on standards and policy recommendations related to educational technology which have begun to converge in the past few years. Those standards and their originating organizations are listed here:

  • ICT Literacy Portal has many resources on the topic and an active community of online speakers, forums, and discussions.
  • International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE) has a wealth of resources on their website. They spearheaded the creation of the National Educational Technology Standards for Students (NETS-S).  
  • NH Society for Technology in Education (NHSTE) is our state’s affiliate organization of ISTE.
  • 21st Century Skills Website has a wealth of information about ICT skills. One of their initiatives is the creation of literacy maps in science, geography, math, and English showing concrete examples of how ICT literacy can be integrated into core subjects.
  • Second Information Technology in Education Study: Module 2 (SITES: M2) is an international study of innovative pedagogical practices that use information and communication technology (ICT).

American Association of School Librarians (part of ALA) has several resources related to the Information Power standards.

  • New Hampshire Educational Media Association (NHEMA) is our state’s association of school librarians.
  • International Technology Education Association (ITEA) developed the Standards for Technological Literacy.

Here are additional resources for use in developing ICT Literacy Programs:

·         NETS Online Performance Based Assessment – This tool was developed jointly by the International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE) and Microsoft, to assess 8th graders’ competence in the National Educational Technology Standards for Students (NETS-S).

·         TechYES is a program created for technology literacy certification, which could be incorporated into a middle school ICT course to provide both course content and end-of-course assessment.

·         International Computer Driving License (ICDL) – Provides a credential program for students.

·         Certiport IC3 – Provides another path to certifying your students in ICT literacy skills.

·         IT Pathway Program – Provides curriculum resources for Information Technology studies in middle through high school. This program was developed by several NH educators as part of a Career Pathways grant. Two courses, “IT and Me” and “IT and Me Works”, are particularly useful for NH districts developing ICT Literacy Programs.

·         Vermont’s Educational Technology Performance Tasks – Provides an extensive set of possible tasks from which to build course activities tied to NETS-S.

These standards are part of Administrative Rules for Education, CHAPTER Ed 300 ADMINISTRATION OF MINIMUM STANDARDS IN PUBLIC SCHOOLS. You may also wish to read more about the school approval process. 

Last updated: October 18, 2007