Accountability While many business leaders, community members, and policymakers support educational technology initiatives, these same stakeholders increasingly demand evidence of technology's impact on teaching and learning. Investors and supporters want to know what kind of return they are receiving on their investments. Most often, they expect this return in the form of increased student achievement—especially on compulsory, high-stakes, multiple-choice tests. However, technology integration can foster learning environments and activities that help students attain skills not easily measured by traditional methods of assessment. Assessment and evaluation are related concepts in the realm of accountability. In this lesson, assessment is defined as the measure of student skills and knowledge using technology. The interest in using technology for student assessment, whether for demonstrating efficacy of day-to-day classroom instruction or for large-scale, high-stakes testing online, will have direct impact on most schools. Evaluation refers to measuring the impact of technology on schools—the degree to which it is effectively integrated into the curriculum. Evaluation questions focus primarily on the program level and weigh the costs of staff time and capital outlay against the projected benefits in student achievement. Most schools demonstrate accountability through measures of student achievement. Lesson Overview In this lesson you will consider your school's student assessment systems and those imposed from outside, such as statewide competency tests. You will explore technology's ability to replicate existing testing methods and to create unique testing environments that address higher-order thinking skills and ill-defined problems. You will also explore research findings that suggest changes in program evaluation and new methods and models for measuring the impact of technology on schools. You will find practical stories and strategies for evaluating your own technology initiatives. Lesson Objectives At the conclusion of this lesson, you will be able to Describe three types of goals for using educational technology Scaffolding Appropriation Integration Explain how Howard Gardner's theory of multiple intelligences can influence assessment Describe how hardware and software tools can be utilized to assess student achievement, including videoconferencing equipment digital networks multimedia authoring and presentation software electronic portfolios simulations and virtual environments Monitor the issues related to large-scale, high-stakes online testing Explain the need for new models for evaluating the impact of technology Consider additional variables that demonstrate the impact of technology Consider the stage of technology integration in evaluation efforts Describe how technology can be used to evaluate impact Justify money spent on technology initiatives