Digital Literacy Program Standards
	Ed 306.42 Digital Literacy Program New Hampshire Department of Education Minimum Standards for Public School Approval approved by the NH State Board of Education.

Federal Requirements

The U.S. Department of Education Office of Educational Technology.

State Requirements

The New Hampshire Minimum Standards for School Approval determine the minimum requirements for program standards approve schools must have in place in order to be considered an approved school in New Hampshire. New Hampshire Minimum Standards for School Approval include a section for ICT Literacy (Ed 306.42) which requires an integrated K-12 ICT Literacy program to be implemented in all schools. K-8 students are to develop and complete a digital portfolio of work in all content areas, which is to be assessed for ICT Literacy by the end of the 8th Grade. High School students are to complete at least 1/2 credit of computer technology literacy prior to high school graduation. These standards are were revised and updated to better reflect current understanding of 21st century literacies. NH Education Technology released some Digital Literacy Program Guidance in order to provide answers to frequently asked questions.

These standards are part of Administrative Rulesfor Education, CHAPTER Ed 300 ADMINISTRATION OF MINIMUM STANDARDS IN PUBLIC SCHOOLS. You may also wish to visit the Public School Approval Office to learn more about school approval and the minimum standards.

GLE Reading & Literacy Skills Alignment - This document was created in July 2006 by a task force of library media specialists who reviewed three separate documents and came up with an alignment of all three: Grade Level Expectations for Reading K-8, Information Literacy Standards from AASL, and the NH ICT Literacy Standards from Ed 306.42.

Ed 306.42 Information and Communication Technologies Program.

(a) The local school board shall require an integrated approach to the use of 21st century tools, including, but not limited to digital technology and communication tools, within all curriculum areas through the adoption of an information and communication technologies literacy (ICT) program in grades K - 12 that provides opportunities at developmentally appropriate levels for students to:

(1) Develop knowledge of ethical, responsible use of technology tools in a society that relies heavily on knowledge of information in its decision-making;

(2) Become proficient in the use of 21st century tools to access, manage, integrate, evaluate, and create information within the context of the core subjects of:

a. Reading ;

b. Mathematics;

c. English and language arts;

d. Science;

e. Social studies, including civics, government, economics, history, and geography;

f. Arts; and

g. World languages;

(3) Use 21st century tools to develop cognitive proficiency in:

a. Literacy;

b. Numeracy;

c. Problem solving;

d. Decision making; and

e. Spatial / visual literacy;

(4) Use 21st century tools to develop technical proficiency at a foundational knowledge level in:

a. Hardware;

b. Software applications;

c. Networks; and

d. Elements of digital technology; and

(5) Create digital portfolios which:

a. Address the following components: (**see note)

1. Basic operations and concepts;

2. Social, ethical, and human issues;

3. Technology productivity tools;

4. Technology communications tools;

5. Technology research tools; and

6. Technology problem solving and decision-making tools;

b. Represent proficient, ethical, responsible use of 21st century tools within the context of the core subjects; and c. Include, at a minimum, such digital artifacts as:

1. Standardized tests;

2. Observation;

3. Student work; and

4. Comments describing a student’s reflection on his/her work.

(b) The local school board shall provide opportunities for students to demonstrate ICT competency by the end of 8th grade using assessment rubrics applied to the contents of digital portfolios as required in (a)(5) above. Students who successfully demonstrate knowledge, skill, and understanding of these competencies shall have the opportunity, as high school students, to take a higher level computer course to meet the ½ credit requirement.

(c) The local school board shall provide opportunities for students to complete a ½ credit ICT course prior to high school graduation, including, but not limited to:

(1) Use of common productivity and web based software;

(2) Use of a variety of multimedia software and equipment;

(3) Configuring computers and basic network configurations; and

(4) Applying programming concepts used in software development.

** Note: The International Society for Technology in Education developed the ISTE Standards for learning, teaching, and leading in the digital age. They are widely recognized and adopted worldwide. The family of ISTE Standards includes a set of standards for Students, Teachers, Administrators, Coaches, and Computer Science Educators coordinate with each other to transform teaching and learning.
The NH ICT Literacy standards ( Ed 306.42) uses the 1997 ISTE NETS Standards as a basis for the competencies required by the K-12 ICT Literacy Program Standards. Schools are encouraged to use the 2016 ISTE Standards for Students as a basis for their competencies, In order to better plan instruction and activities which provide opportunities for students to master these standards, teachers should develop their own competencies using the ISTE Standards for Educators.