COLUMBIA – South Carolina maintained its position on an annual technology report card released today. The state’s overall school technology grade was a B-minus, the same as last year.

The 50 states and the District of Columbia were evaluated in “Technology Counts 2008,” released today by the national magazine Education Week, which tracks economic and policy forces affecting educational technology.

This is the 11th year for the magazine’s technology report and the third time letter grades have been assigned. Nationally, only three states rated an A. There were 13 Bs, 28 Cs and seven Ds.

State grades were based on three core areas: access, use and capacity. South Carolina ranked 13th in the nation, tied with a number of other states.

In the Palmetto State, 97 percent of public school fourth-graders have access to computers in school, slightly better than the national average of 95 percent. Among eighth-graders, 90 percent have access to computers, higher than the national average of 83 percent. The number of students per instructional computer tied with the national average at 3.8, and the average number of students per high-speed Internet computer was 3.6, compared to 3.7 nationally.

“Technology is an area where South Carolina has been recognized as a leader,” said State Superintendent of Education Jim Rex. “But when it comes to technology, today’s leaders can be tomorrow’s also-rans. We have to keep pushing and keep improving. The computers that our students use today will be integral parts of their jobs when they graduate and begin their careers. And technology also is driving improvements in classroom instruction and professional development for educators.”

South Carolina’s Virtual School¬ – one of 25 in the nation – is a part of the agency’s online education portal e-Learning South Carolina. Students can earn up to three online credits per year among 34 available courses, including algebra, geometry, English, web design and global studies. Up to 3,000 students can be enrolled.

The e-Learning in South Carolina portal also expands the state’s online professional development program, providing a wider variety of professional development via the Internet for K-12 teachers and administrators, regardless of their location and school-year schedule.

As the virtual program moves forward, the SDE will continue to collaborate with local school districts, adult education, career and technology education and higher education institutions to pool resources and offer a broad array of learning opportunities for South Carolina students.

“Technology Counts” reports that South Carolina is among 44 states with technology standards for teachers and is one of 35 states with technology standards for administrators. While the “capacity to use technology” is not a part of the state’s initial teacher-license requirements, teachers must demonstrate technology proficiency every five years through coursework or testing. Like most states, South Carolina does not mandate technology know-how for administrators, but the subject is embedded in leadership programs, courses and training.

To access the complete “Technology Counts,” visit: www.edweek.org