A new national assessment measures eight-graders’ ability to solve real-world technology and engineering scenarios delivered via computer.
The Technology Engineering and Literacy (TEL) assessment examines students’ analytical and problem-solving skills in three content areas: Technology and Society, Design and Systems, and Information and Communication Technology. Sample tasks include developing a safe bike lane and designing content for a website for a teen recreation center.
Overall, 43 percent of eighth-grade students performed at or above the Proficient level in 2014, the first time the assessment was administered. Certain sub-groups performed better than others: Girls did slightly better than boys, and higher-income students scored much better than their lower-income counterparts.
An event that accompanied the release of the results emphasized how students need to learn how to apply their knowledge, to exercise creativity in their problem solving and to work with their hands. As noted by a number of commenters who were watching online, CTE has long been fostering the development of these skills.
Comments