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For Immediate Release
South Carolina Department of Education adopts global standard for improving digital literacy
Teachers and Students prove preparedness for the 21st century’s digital economy
COLUMBIA, SC (July 14, 2003) — The South Carolina Department of Education today announced
the adoption of the Internet and Computing Core Certification (IC³) standard for assessing teacher and
student competency in Information and Communication Technology (ICT). Implementation of this global
standard ensures South Carolina’s leading position in technology readiness.
"The digital age we have entered requires that each and every student graduate with the technological
proficiency to be successful. The No Child Left Behind Act requires that states validate that each child
is adequately prepared. For South Carolina this means addressing the digital competency needs for 685,000
students and 55,000 professional educational staff,” said Barbara Teusink, director South Carolina Department
of Education (SC DOE) – Technology
“Certiport’s IC³ certification offers a comprehensive means of assessing each teacher’s readiness to
prepare the students in their care as well as a means of assessing each child’s readiness,” added Teusink.
“The recent announcements by ISTE that IC³ is recognized as the first available NETS-aligned product clearly
demonstrates that IC³ can be a valuable tool for teacher preparation and student assessment.”
For a number of years, South Carolina has been exploring ways to better prepare students with essential
work skills. The introduction of the No Child Left Behind Act (Title II Part D) elevated this issue to the
forefront. As such, beginning this year, a new course called IT Foundations will be introduced for students
to develop the skills they need in today’s economy. The course is expected to result in IC³ qualified candidates.
“With this action, South Carolina has taken a critical step in preparing teachers and their students to
be competitive in today’s digital economy,” said Steve Meredith, director of statewide initiatives for Certiport.
“By utilizing the IC³ global standard, every student and teacher in South Carolina will be equipped with the
essential skills that prepare them for success.”
As part of their commitment to this process, the SC DOE is sponsoring IC³ testing for teachers at this
year’s 2003 S.C. Education & Business Summit.
“The skill set IC³ validates is part of any job in today’s global digital economy and whether an individual
is a teacher or in the general workforce, they need these skills to compete,” said Dr. James R. Couch, director
SC DOE – Career and Technical Education. “We see preparing students for post secondary education and the workforce
as a vital part of a teacher’s job in the education process. IC³ helps education deliver outcomes at a competitive
level.”
About Certiport
Certiport is the leading provider of global, performance-based certification programs and services
designed to enable individual success and lifetime advancement. Certiport is a pioneer in technology-based
testing, data management systems, and developing certification programs, including IC³, through intensive
research and professional validation processes. More information is available at www.certiport.com.
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