The New Quality Assessment in America's Basic Education: Lessons from NAEP's TEL

doi:10.16382/j.cnki.1000-5560.2017.01.008

Abstract

Abstract:

Technology and engineering is an important part of STEM education. To promote the standardization of STEM education in support of the cultivation of the 21st century talents, NAEP (the National Assessment of Educational Progress) started TEL (the assessment of technology and engineering literacy:a new assessment program in the United States since 2014). TEL is designed to test students' ability to understand, use and evaluate technology as qualified citizens. The ability involves understanding technological principles and strategies needed for developing solutions and achieving goals. The objectives of TEL are categorized into three:technology and society, design and system, information and communication technology (ICT). TEL is carried out in the context of typical issues, problems, and goals that students might encounter in their schools, communities or societies.
The assessment of TEL is completely digitally based and includes interactive scenario-based tasks. Participants are asked to complete a variety of problem-solving tasks based on interactive scenarios. The abilities and literacy of participants involved in the tasks are highly consistent with core competencies for the 21st century, which include critical thinking and problem solving, communication and collaboration, creativity and innovation, information literacy, media literacy and ICT literacy, and so forth.
The NAEP's TEL has great implications for educating innovative talents in China's basic education. One is to create a problem-based context for students' learning through integrated, real-life and complex issues related to technology and engineering. Another is to enforce the informal learning for students to develop their TEL. In addition, in developing students' ICT literacy, technology and engineering education should be highly valued. All in all, China's basic education can integrate multiple resources to strengthen TEL education, STEM education and relevant assessment to develop Chinese students' 21st century skills.

Key words: technology and engineering literacy, STEM education, 21^st century skills, education quality assessment

LIN Jing. The New Quality Assessment in America's Basic Education: Lessons from NAEP's TEL[J]. Journal of East China Normal University(Educationa, 2017, 35(1): 78-86+122.

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