With its focus on testing for proficiency in reading, math, and now science, it's easy to forget that the federal No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) also says all students should be technology literate by the end of the eighth grade.

Lawmakers who drafted NCLB wanted to make sure that all students were exposed to computers and the internet and understood how to use these tools at an early age, so they would be prepared for a society and a workforce that are increasingly driven by technology. But unlike the law's mandates in the core curriculum areas, there are no testing requirements or accountability measures when it comes to ensuring technology literacy. Instead, states merely must certify that they are working to meet the law's tech-literacy goals before receiving federal Enhancing Education Through Technology (EETT) funds.

As a result, nearly four years after NCLB was first implemented, states appear to be all over the map in terms of ensuring the technology proficiency of their students, an informal investigation by eSchool News has learned. And the federal government was unable to explain which states have taken which steps to meet the law's goals.

The extent to which states are working to meet these goals is "definitely all over the board," said Melinda George, executive director of the State Educational Technology Directors Association (SETDA). "The way the law is written is that it's a goal, not a requirement, although states are required to certify that they are working toward that goal."

George said a big issue for states is whether to handle the tech literacy goal at the state or district level. Most states are asking districts to define technology literacy for themselves and then confirm that their students are acquiring it, she said. But a growing number of states are implementing statewide assessments to measure students' tech proficiency. "The last time we asked our members about tech literacy was the spring of 2004, and at that time most states were asking their districts to document or provide proof that they were making progress [on technology literacy]," George said. "States [also] are continuing to explore statewide tech assessments, as is the case with Arizona and Hawaii."

Although there is no single national standard for defining eighth-grade technology literacy, the most commonly accepted standard for tech literacy can be found in the National Educational Technology Standards for Students (NETS*S), produced by the International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE).

What makes the NETS so attractive, said Don Knezek, ISTE's chief executive, is that the standards address key technology skills as they are applied to important human skills--such as communicating, creating and publishing knowledge, working collaboratively, conducting research, developing creative works and self-expression, self-directed learning, making decisions and solving problems, and behaving responsibly and safely. These are technology standards, Knezek said, but more importantly, they are also standards for learning, communicating, and working in a digital world.