July 2006 — Case Studies
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South Carolina: 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. 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 fiveyear 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 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.
