• The educational goals are significant.
• The program design is thoughtful and supported by research.
• The program description is clear and complete.

Include the following items:

1. Need or problem the program addresses and how it relates to teaching and learning in preK-12 schools.
2. Program goals.
3. Technology used and how it helps to achieve the program's goals.
4. Subject population(s): ethnic, racial, socioeconomic, and gender percentages. The size of any special populations served (e.g., ESL, AP biology students, students with disabilities).
5. Content and learning goals.
6. Program design (structure and components).
7. Professional development provided as part of the program.
8. Overall size and maintenance costs (funding and staff requirements, number of people in target population).
9. Key learning activities for participants.
10. Assessment(s) used to determine the program's efficacy and achievements.
11. Keys to the program's success.
12. A specific, concrete example that best captures the changes achieved by this program.

Criterion 2.

The program develops complex learning and thinking skills for its target audience.

If the target audience is other than preK-12 students, the applicant should articulate the program's goals and their connection to student learning. If the target audience is preK-12 students, the indicators might include one or more of the following objectives:

• The program increases students' in-depth understanding and competence in at least one content discipline.
• The program develops the habits of lifelong learning (e.g., the ability to collaborate, direct one's own learning, solve problems, communicate ideas clearly, and think flexibly and critically).
• The program helps students become proficient and critical consumers and producers of educational technology.
• The program includes preparation for entering a technology-infused workplace.

Criterion 3.

The program contributes to educational excellence for all.

• The program conveys high expectations for all learners.
• The program responds to the diverse needs of varied populations of learners.
• The program includes active outreach and partnerships to encourage broad participation.
• The program increases the participation or achievement of underserved learners so that the gap between this group and other categories of students diminishes.

Criterion 4.

The program promotes coherent organizational change.

• The program reflects a vision of educational reform consistent with disciplinary content standards, recommendations from national commissions, findings from educational research, and documented best practices.
• Policies, funding, and practice are aligned to support sustainable change.
• Through partnerships and professional development, the program builds human capacity to accomplish its goals (e.g., allocates time for teachers' and administrators' collaboration and planning).
• The program increases the educational involvement of parents, professional groups, and communities.

Criterion 5.

The program has rigorous, measurable evidence for its achievements for at least one criterion among Criteria 2, 3, and 4 (learning, equity, and organizational change).

Valid evidence will meet generally accepted standards in the field and may include

• one or more comparison groups;
• a formal evaluation;
• a quantified demonstration of positive change among participants as a result of the program (e.g., increased parental involvement in school governance; diminished gaps in achievement between groups; increased enrollment in rigorous mathematics courses or graduation rates among subject populations; changes in the base funding and requirements for professional development); and
• an in-depth, qualitative analysis of change among participants as a result of the program (e.g., case studies, ethnographies, and principled analyses of observations and interviews).

Criterion 6.

The program is adaptable for use in multiple contexts.

• The program's technology requirements are easily available to potential users.
• The program is cost-effective relative to its benefits.
• After its initial implementation, the program is sustainable with existing resources (i.e., does not require extraordinary/unreasonable time, effort, or funding), and scalable (i.e., can naturally expand its scope to several teachers, multiple grade levels/subjects/sites, different disciplines).
• The program is adaptable to a range of educational settings with learners similar to the intended population.
• The program provides clear and detailed guidelines about the conditions required for its successful implementation.