How are Common Core State Standards, Smarter balanced Assessment (Sbac), and Title 1 funding connected to technology?

The Common Core State Standards were developed to be a leveling checkpoint system that’s designed to ensure that students are being taught skills that would prepare them for college courses or to enter into the workforce. According to the California of the Department of Education the “standards describe what students should know and be able to do in each subject in each grade. In California, the State Board of Education decides on the standards for all students, from kindergarten through high school. The California Department of Education helps schools make sure that all students are meeting the standards. Since 2010, a number of states across the nation have adopted the same standards for English and math. These standards are called the Common Core State Standards (CCSS). Having the same standards helps all students get a good education, even if they change schools or move to a different state. Teachers, parents, and education experts designed the CCSS to prepare students for success in college and the workplace.” Retrieved from http://www.cde.ca.gov/re/cc/tl/whatareccss.asp

“The Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium (Smarter Balanced) is a state-led consortium working to develop next-generation assessments that accurately measure student progress toward college- and career-readiness. Smarter Balanced is one of two multistate consortia awarded funding from the U.S. Department of Education in 2010 to develop an assessment system aligned to the Common Core State Standards (CCSS) by the 2014-15 school year.”

I retrieved this quote directly from the website http://www.smarterbalanced.org. This gives a brief explanation of what the Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium (Sbac) entails. This assessment was designed to determine whether students are learning these Common Core State Standards and are gaining momentum toward being one step closer to becoming college and career ready at the end of their grade level. The alignment with the Common Core Standards are what creates the high stakes for this test because the results from these assessments are used to establish if schools meet the requirements for Title 1 funding. Below is an explanation describing Title 1 funding;

What Is Title I?

"Title I" is the federal program that provides funding to local school districts to improve the academic achievement of disadvantaged students. It is part of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act first passed in 1965. That Act is reauthorized by Congress from time to time, and often given a new name. It is currently known as the No Child Left Behind Act. Section A of Title I provides grants to states to distribute directly to school districts. This is by far the largest source of federal money for local schools. School districts do not have to apply for Title I funding as they would have to for a competitive grant. If a school district qualifies for Title I funding, it is entitled to the money. However, the district must submit to the state education agency a plan for how it will use the funds to improve academic achievement among disadvantaged students. http://www.formulafairness.com/title1

Technology is the glue that connects these three elements together. The Common Core State Standards currently only focus on English and Math retention and does not have any guidelines that promote learning basic technological skills at any grade level. This is a major downside to the CCSS because to produce college and career ready students for the 21st century even the simplest tech skills need to be learned. Also in order for students to be assessed through the Smarter Balanced Assessment, students are required to know how to perform basic functions on a computer such as; how to hold the mouse appropriately, use a mouse to drag and drop, or use a mouse to highlight text. These are just a few skills that are expected of children when they are testing. Now if the school has no set curriculum to teach these skills why are the students expected to know them. The assessment scores of the students who lack basic knowledge of these skills will be misrepresented as lack of proficiency of the CCSS and be calculated in the percentages that are reported to state officials. Title1 funding will be made available to these schools with these low test scores to promote academic advancement, however the focus of the funding is being directed in the wrong areas. No funds will be allocated to improve the area that is causing the disadvantage, which is the lack of computer skills.  How can students with no or limited exposure to computers be required to use computers to on a Standardized Assessment?