A New Approach to Updating the ISTE Standards

Last month, ISTE+ASCD released an updated version of the ISTE Standards reflecting a new, incremental approach for making revisions that we will be using going forward. This revised approach is a shift from the past process for updating the Standards, so we want to provide context for the change and highlight some of the updates recently made.

Why the Change?

We’ve seen an unparalleled expansion in the use of technology for learning. The average number of edtech tools used in schools has increased 765% over the last six years. Secondly, the seismic disruption caused by the pandemic upended education and resulted in a greater integration of digital tools and platforms for learning. And now, the emergence of artificial intelligence (AI), another seismic event, has created new possibilities and challenges in the field.

Historically, we have updated the ISTE Standards every nine years, following a cadence common to education professional standards. Because these updates were so infrequent, each one represented a major change to the focus and priorities of the Standards. These broad, wholesale changes could be jarring and abrupt to those who used the standards in their practice. And often ISTE’s update cycles and those of the systems adopting them were out of sync.

Our new approach consists of conducting a yearly review of the Standards. Incremental changes may be recommended to keep the standards relevant. An advisory team will then draft recommendations, gather feedback from the field, and finalize an updated version of the standards. The current, updated version will always be available on the ISTE website, and we will include version numbers on print versions of the standards for clarity. In considering changes to the standards, we have always kept our eye on the horizon, monitoring trends in how technologies are used in new, effective ways to make learning accessible and or when emerging technologies show promise in addressing some of education’s intractable challenges. This incremental approach will allow us to respond more agilely to the next unforeseen wave of change to impact education.

So What’s in the New Version?

Top of mind for this year’s review was the impact of AI. Rather than developing AI-specific indicators, we decided to identify key skills for using AI safely, responsibly and innovatively, and we updated select indicators accordingly. We also reviewed the standards through the lens of equity and inclusion, recognizing that AI has power to close or widen opportunity and achievement gaps depending on how it is used. Our mission was to strengthen responsibilities in the leader, coach and educator standards to ensure greater equity and inclusion in decision-making and implementation of emerging technologies.

The most substantive changes are in the digital citizenship standard. Ethical use, critical examination of online resources and digital literacy are now featured prominently across roles to build practices that easily transfer to AI in learning and teaching. And finally, the updates reflect ISTE’s expansive view of digital citizenship that includes empathy, well-being, and building community for the common good. These updates are aligned with the free Digital Citizenship lessons that we recently released.

Supporting transformation in learning

For more than 25 years, the research-based and practitioner-informed ISTE Standards have guided the use of technology in service of learning for hundreds of thousands of educators around the world. The standards have come a long way since their initial release, with their focus evolving from learning how to use technology to transforming learning with technology. As the emphasis changed, we took the opportunity to address misconceptions, too. The ISTE Standards do not define tech skills. Rather, they are a framework designed to empower lifelong learning by building educator and student agency. They don’t focus on digital tools—they are intentionally tool-agnostic—but are instead anchored by instructional strategies and learning design. They are not meant to be siloed in a computer class, but to be used across disciplines.

The ISTE Standards catalyze authentic, hands-on and applied learning so students can thrive and become problem solvers, communicators, computational thinkers and global citizens in the 21st century. Recent research relying on evidence from peer-reviewed studies shows that use of the ISTE Educator Standards positively affects student learning.

The aspiration of the ISTE Standards has been to tap the power of technology to make what was once impossible possible for all students. When the Standards are effectively implemented, leaders see educators designing collaborative projects with classrooms across the world to build cultural understanding. They see students accessing and analyzing real-world data to explore solutions to real-world problems. They see how assistive technologies open a world of learning and opportunities.

Together with the recently released Transformational Learning Principles, the ISTE Standards can drive a strategic, durable transformation in how educators and leaders plan for and use technology meaningfully in service of learning. It is a transformation that includes very human dimensions of decision-making and design; where inclusion and equity eclipse the barriers that hold students back; where quality of use trumps time using technology; and where purposeful use of technology propel students to achieve their goals for learning and life.

We at ISTE want to thank and acknowledge the members of ISTE Standards Advisory Committee, who generously gave their time and expertise to this effort, and were visionary thought partners who piloted this approach with us:

• Carolyn Sykora, Senior Director, ISTE Standards Program

• Dominic Caguioa, Instructional Leadership Support Coordinator, Los Angeles Unified School District

• Doug Casey, Executive Director, Connecticut Commission for Educational Technology

• Dr. Trina Davis, Associate Professor, Texas A&M University

• Dr. Curt Mould, Director, Digital Media, Innovation, Strategy. + Education learning spaces and design, Sun Prairie School District

• Dr. Sonal Patel, Program Manager for Digital Learning and Computer Science, San Bernardino County Superintendent of Schools

• Dr. Christine Terry, Director of Professional Development, Division of Research, Innovation & Impact at the University of Missouri-Columbia

• Dr. Avis Williams, Superintendent, New Orleans Public Schools

• Nick Pinder, ISTE Project Manager

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