8th-Graders Tops in Technology Skill

Eighth-graders at the Barrington Middle School received some recognition last Thursday, Oct. 4, at the start of the School Committee meeting for an achievement they were informed of last spring.

Barrington Superintendent Michael Messore took a few minutes to recognize the students for receiving the top scores in all six categories of the Rhode Island State Technology Skills Assessment. You can see the scores by clicking here.

The categories:

• Creativity and Innovation
• Communication and Collaboration
• Research and Information Fluency
• Critical Thinking, Problem Solving and Decision Making
• Digital Citizenship
• Technology Operations and Concepts

The skills assessment indicates “whether a student likely possesses the basic skills and knowledge necessary to use technology successfully in core coursework and in preparation for life in the 21st century,” according to RIDE.

RIDE has a contract with Learning.com to use their online 21st Century Skills Assessment to assess all 8th-grade students in public schools. 

The skills assessment uses “a psychometrically validated blend of interactive, performance-based questions that allow students to authentically perform complex tasks in simulated applications, and multiple choice, knowledge-based questions,” according to RIDE.

“The assessment is designed to be completed in the classroom, computer lab or on Internet-connected computer within two class periods,” according to RIDE.  “It is aligned with all 24 standards in the six strands of the International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE) National Educational Technology Standards for Students (NETS-S). 

“Because it is an online assessment,” according to RIDE, “timely reports with valuable data including score averages, assessment numbers, and proficiency levels are available at the state, district, school, class and student levels.”

You can see last week's School Committee meeting by clicking here.