Massachusetts Education Technology Advisory Council's[i] (ETAC's) School Technology and Readiness Chart (STaR Chart) is designed to promote best practices in the use of technology in the Commonwealth’s schools. Districts can use it to find suggested next steps along the technology continuum to improve teaching, learning, and educational management. It can also be used to inform decision/policy makers about the complexity of the issue and how multiple elements must be addressed simultaneously to ensure the effectiveness of technology implementation and use.
The STaR Chart is organized to address the impact of technology in four broad realms. Each realm contains multiple focus areas that describe a typical progression from early through advanced technology use. Each level builds upon the capabilities of the earlier level. The focus areas recommended for use in the Massachusetts Local Technology Plan Benchmarks are indicated below by an “*.” For these identified focus areas, ETAC recommends the STaR Chart’s "Proficient Tech" level as the targeted “Level of Progress.”
- Teaching and Learning
- Impact of Technology on Teacher Role
- Patterns of Teacher Use*
- Design of Instructional Setting
- Curriculum Areas
- Patterns of Student Use*
- Educator Preparation and Development
- Content of Training
- Capabilities of Educators*
- Leadership of Principals, Teacher Leaders, and District Administrators
- Models of Professional Development
- Levels of Understanding
- Universal Access: Integration of Universal Design and Assistive Technology
- Administration and Support Services
- Vision and Planning
- Technical Support (hardware, operating system, network)*
- Technology Integration Specialist*
- Budget Levels
- Budget Allocated for Technology (Total Cost of Ownership)*
- Infrastructure for Technology
- Universal Design and Accessible Technology Considerations (e.g. Section 508)
- Students Per Instructional Computer*
- Internet Access Connectivity/Speed*
- E-learning Environments*
- LAN/WAN *
- Other Technologies
- Safety and Security*
The STaR Chart was derived from the Texas chart [ii] of the same name several years ago. The Massachusetts STaR Chart has subsequently been updated several times. This is the first update since November 2006.[iii] Note that the axes of the 2006 STaR chart have been transposed for the 2010 version.
This site was initiated in Fall 2009 to collaboratively develop updates to the November 2006 version of the STaR Chart. The revisions were approved at the June 14, 2010 meeting of ETAC. As a result, this website is no longer accepting comments.
This website contains the approved version of the STaR Chart. You can make a printer friendly PDF of the STaR chart page by clicking 
, send it to a printer by clicking 
, or email it by clicking on 
. The entire STaR chart is available in Microsoft Word and PDF formats.
[i] Educational Technology Advisory Council to the Massachusetts Board of Education and the Commissioner, http://www.doe.mass.edu/boe/sac/edtech/
[ii] Texas School Technology and Readiness (STaR) Chart, http://starchart.esc12.net/. The Texas Teacher STaR Chart is intended to assist all classroom teachers in assessing needs and setting goals for the use of technology in the classroom to support student achievement.
[iii] Massachusetts STaR Chart (School Technology and Readiness Chart), November 2006