Testing for Tech Literacy

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Engaging the General Public

Companies like Intel need people who not only know how to use a computer, but also have a sophisticated understanding of concepts like security, privacy, and intellectual property that will evolve with technology in coming years, Kuni says. Her hope is that a national tech test will spur more schools to teach these skills since many educators just assume that kids are naturally tech-savvy and can pick this up on their own. "Adults in our society and in other countries assume that because kids are digital natives, they automatically know how to use technology in meaningful work," Kuni says. "Just because a kid can use text messages doesn't mean they know how to [do things like] analyze data deeply."

While NAGB and its sponsor, the U.S. Education Dept., hope the assessment will drive students to pursue tech-related jobs, they also have a much broader aim: to encourage the general public to become more engaged with the technological systems that pervade daily life in the 21st century. Too few people are armed with the "technological literacy" that a growing number of everyday tasks demand, such as evaluating medical treatments or buying a car with new features, Crovo says.

"Everyone should have an understanding of where technology comes from and who develops it," says Greg Pearson, senior program manager at the National Academy of Engineering, a Washington (D.C.)-based think tank. In 2005, Pearson oversaw the publication of "Tech Tally," which first proposed the idea of a national assessment of technological literacy to NAGB. "Technological choices influence our health and economic well-being, the types of jobs and recreation available, even our means of self-expression. How well citizens are prepared to make those choices depends in large part on their level of technological literacy," Pearson and his co-authors wrote in the research paper.

Turn of the Screw

To demonstrate how these types of skills might be assessed, "Tech Tally" also gathered a sampling of questions that have appeared in academic dissertations, state tests, and other previous tech assessments. One question asked whether sonar was most often used by bats, snakes, police, or air-traffic controllers. The correct answer is bats. Another asked which machinery part should be used to give something the greatest ease of service: welded joints, epoxy resin, rivets, or threaded screws. The right answer? Screws.

The tech industry has further cause to encourage tech literacy. Vendors of computers, servers, wide-screen TVs, and other electronics profit from smarter consumers. That's the case at Google, whose chief Internet evangelist, Vint Cerf, has volunteered to help develop the assessment framework. He says that even though Google's business model is based on advertising, that model assumes the tech literacy of its users. "If people aren't able to understand how to use our product, we won't be able to effectively deliver ads to them," Cerf says.

When the test is launched in 2012, it only will be taken by a sample population of students at one of three grade levels—fourth, eighth, or 12th—as a "probe," or pilot assessment, that will be reviewed by the Education Dept. If it is adopted as a regular part of a national assessment of skills called the Nation's Report Card, the test could help push standards for tech literacy in schools across the U.S. As tech literacy pioneer at Hofstra University David Burghardt puts it, there's a general maxim in education: "What is assessed is what's taught."

"Should Be a Core Subject"

That sentiment is echoed by Riverhead Middle School's Malanga, who sometimes feels the time and energy students can devote to his class is minimized by the strict national and state standards for other subjects like math and reading. "I think it should be a core subject," Malanga says, adding that this national assessment might be a step in that direction. "Sending kids out there without basic skills in technology is like tying their hands behind their backs."

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Douglas MacMillan is a staff writer for BusinessWeek.com in New York.