Becta, which is no longer an acronym, but the name of an organisation that used to be known as the British Educational Communications and Technology Agency, has prepared a self assessment framework to assist schools improve their ICT capabilities (Becta, 2011, para. 1).  For the purpose of this discussion, the assessment criteria developed by Becta has been merged with the recommendations of the WA report on ICT blah blah blah.  The Becta site will be closing down at the end of January 2011, but the materials Becta produced are now available under the British Open Government Licence for anyone to re-use.     REHASH THIS

Leadership and management

 
 
  • Develop and communicate a shared vision for ICT.
  • Plan a sustainable ICT strategy.
  • Develop an effective information management strategy.
This includes some standards to indicate  a minimum standard for proficiency:
  • The assessment and recording of ICT capability are reliable and consistent. They are  informed by the use of ICT in other curriculum areas and by moderation within the  school. Statutory requirements for reporting to parents are met. 
  • Most staff are able to engage pupils in regular and well-informed discussions about their use of ICT and how to improve it. 
  • Pupils regularly assess their own and other pupils’ ICT capability based on criteria  they have identified and developed. This contributes to their understanding of what  constitutes good quality and helps them to improve. 
  • The school sets and generally meets challenging targets for improving ICT capability. Pupils’ progress is routinely tracked and the results are aggregated to  inform whole school progress (Becta Leadership and Planning Framework, 2010).

Planning

  • Plan for the development of pupils’ ICT capability.
  • Plan the use of ICT to support the curriculum and can respond to new technologies.
  • Ensure pupils’ ICT experiences are progressive, coherent, balanced and consistent.
  • Identify and evaluate the impact of ICT on learning and teaching.

Learning

  • Plan the use of ICT to enhance learning and teaching.
  • Meet pupils’ expectations for the use of ICT.
  • Consider the impact of ICT on learning.

Assessment of ICT capacity

  • Assess your ICT capability to support pupils’ learning.
  • Use assessment evidence and data in planning learning and teaching across the whole curriculum.
  • Assess the learning in specific subjects when ICT has been used.
Professional development
  • Identify and address the ICT training needs of your school and individual staff.
  • Provide quality support and training activities for all staff in the use of ICT sharing effective practice.
  • Review, monitor and evaluate professional development as an integral part of the development of your school.

Resources

  • Ensure learning and teaching environments use ICT effectively and in line with strategic needs.
  • Purchase, deploy and review appropriate ICT resources that reflect your school improvement strategy.
  • Manage technical support effectively for the benefit of pupils and staff.

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