Tech-Savvy Teachers: South Carolina's Innovative ePortfolio System Is Helping Educators Get Up to Speed on Technology and Become More Comfortable Integrating New Tools into Their Classrooms

"TECHNOLOGY WILL BE fully integrated into the curricula and instruction of the schools by December 31, 2006." --Title II, Part D, Enhancing Education Through Technology, No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 In order to comply with the EETT mandate cited above, schools must ensure that their teachers know how to integrate technology through curriculum and instruction, which first requires teachers to be proficient in the technology themselves. To meet this need, South Carolina created a powerful tool to help teachers acquire the necessary knowledge, skill, and attitude, and to understand what it takes to fully integrate technology. The answer to the state's search for a valid, verifiable measure of teacher technology competency came in the form of a performance-based ePortfolio system developed by eSchoolware (www.eschoolware.com). As part of the system, teachers are asked to accurately pre-assess themselves during the baseline evaluation that is used to develop teacher improvement plans. Artifact submission (submitting actual work as evidence of knowledge or skill) is encouraged; it significantly improves the credibility of the proficiency assessment and dependably measures teacher progress. The ePortfolio system provides a valuable tool for districts to use in compliance with the state requirement that technology competency assurance be submitted for all teachers on a five-year renewal cycle. Lynda Hawkins, senior director of accountability at Florence County School District Three, says: "The ePortfolio program has taken our teachers a step further into the world of technology integration. Teachers are now keeping their own ePortfolios that include lesson plans, integration activities, etc., and are requiring their students to use the ePortfolios in order to meet the technology standards for their grade level. We see the teachers becoming more confident in their own use of technology, and therefore using the technology more in the classroom. That's what we wanted all the time." How It Works The ePortfolio system offers both diagnostic and prescriptive information to meet individual teacher technology needs. The system works in stages: Self-assessment. Teachers take an electronic self-assessment with a series of questions based on the International Society for Technology in Education's (www.iste.org) National Educational Technology Standards for Teachers. The assessment places teachers in one of four skill levels: Entry Level I, Progressive Level II, Proficient Level III, or Exemplary Level IV. Plan creation. Each teacher develops goals and plans based upon feedback from the system. The system identifies and recommends individualized technology classes and resources offered by the school districts and the South Carolina Department of Education to help teachers advance to the next skill level. Professional development. School-based technology curriculum coaches provide small-group and individual embedded professional development according to a detailed assessment item report generated for each teacher, as prescribed in each teacher's staff development plan. Verification of proficiency. Teachers create and present ePortfolio artifacts that verify technology proficiencies. Final evaluation. The pre- and post-assessment data is used by the project evaluator to determine the effectiveness of professional development disseminated across the state. With the click of a button, principals and technology curriculum coaches are able to use the data from the ePortfolio system to: * provide evidence supporting NCLB requirements for teacher professional development * develop professional growth plans for teachers * plan schoolwide professional development based on teacher technology skill * determine budget requirements needed for teacher advancement from Entry Level I to Exemplary Level IV Having an Impact The ePortfolio assessment system was implemented in South Carolina as a pilot to test the effectiveness of the technology curriculum coach initiative, a component of an EETT competitive grant from the state that required grant winners to hire technology coaches. …