Survey Shows Schools Behind in Technology Goals

WASHINGTON — The Software & Information Industry Association recently released the results of its fourth annual survey, which shows that K-20 institutions are not making progress toward the education goals and technology benchmarks set forth by the group’s education initiative.
The K-20 Initiative promotes an instructional and enterprise framework that embraces technology and eLearning for personalized learning and increased access and equity, according to the association.
 
The report surveyed nearly 500 educators and education administrators, with findings showing that the average score on the 20 benchmarking statements in the 2011 survey was 60 on a scale of 25 to 100 — a two-point drop from the average scores from the 2010 and 2009 surveys.
 
The survey revealed a slight decline in scores for almost all benchmarking statements, with the lowest ranked benchmark being the technology-based assessment tool for the third year in a row.
 
Officials from the association said that while the differences were slight, the decline in scores was disappointing.
 
“This is not a surprise, as it has been an especially challenging year for education with the economic downturn and decreased budgets. And it will not be easy to close the gap between the current low use of computer-based assessments and the upcoming common core online testing requirements,” said Karen Billings, the association’s vice president for Education. “SIIA calls on education leaders and public officials to increase support for, and adoption of, innovative technology-based educational models needed to meet the needs of today’s digital-native learners and prepare them for the digital, knowledge economy.”
Additional findings from the survey showed that larger institutions tend to have higher scores than smaller institutions on all measures, with no apparent systemic differences, such as urban or rural locations.
 
Consistent with prior surveys, the association also reported higher scores for participants from postsecondary institutions than for participants from K-12 institutions.
The survey was developed to provide benchmarks for educators and administrators to measure their institutional progress in using technology to provide 21st century tools, anytime/anywhere access, differentiated learning, assessment tools, and enterprise support, according to the association.
The survey was distributed to educators and administrators through a number of partner organizations.
 
The report on the 2011Vision K-20 Survey is available at http://www.siia.net/visionK20/pages/progress.html.