National & State Standards, for all students, have been established and adopted, which are designed to prepare students for the use of technology resources and tools in their educational pursuits, as well as to prepare them for "real world" applications of the continually evolving technology.

The National Educational Technology Standards for Students (NETS) project, undertaken by the International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE), is the foundation upon which the United States Department of Education and nearly all state Boards of Education, including Illinois (ISBE), have adopted as the benchmark for the demonstrable knowledge and proficiency levels of technology exposure, education and preparation of all students.

The following are the "NETS for Students"1

Technology Foundation Standards for All Students

The technology foundation standards for students are divided into six broad categories. Standards within each category are to be introduced, reinforced, and mastered by students. These categories provide a framework for linking performance indicators within the Profiles for Technology Literate Students to the standards. Teachers can use these standards and profiles as guidelines for planning technology-based activities in which students achieve success in learning, communication, and life skills.

Technology Foundation Standards for Students

  1        Basic operations and concepts

  • Students demonstrate a sound understanding of the nature and operation of technology systems.
  • Students are proficient in the use of technology.

2        Social, ethical, and human issues

  • Students understand the ethical, cultural, and societal issues related to technology.
  • Students practice responsible use of technology systems, information, and software.
  • Students develop positive attitudes toward technology uses that support lifelong learning, collaboration, personal pursuits, and productivity.

3        Technology productivity tools

  • Students use technology tools to enhance learning, increase productivity, and promote creativity.
  • Students use productivity tools to collaborate in constructing technology-enhanced models, prepare publications, and produce other creative works.

4        Technology communications tools

  • Students use telecommunications to collaborate, publish, and interact with peers, experts, and other audiences.
  • Students use a variety of media and formats to communicate information and ideas effectively to multiple audiences.

5        Technology research tools

  • Students use technology to locate, evaluate, and collect information from a variety of sources.
  • Students use technology tools to process data and report results.
  • Students evaluate and select new information resources and technological innovations based on the appropriateness for specific tasks.

6        Technology problem-solving and decision-making tools

  • Students use technology resources for solving problems and making informed decisions.
  • Students employ technology in the development of strategies for solving problems in the real world.

The proficiency tests contained in this section are then, based upon the appropriate Profiles for Technology Literate Students2, and designed to provide students with the opportunity to demonstrate their ability to meet these profiles and standards.

1 http://cnets.iste.org/students/s_stands.html 

2 http://cnets.iste.org/students/s_profile-68.html