As districts use technology, develop technology plans, and update their curriculum, care should be taken in order to incorporate the latest technology standards. Standards are a way of ensuring that district leaders are moving in the right direction regarding technology or any other area of the curriculum.

In 2005, the Michigan State Board of Education officially adopted the K-2, 3-5, and 6-8 grade Educational Technology Standards and Expectations, commonly referred to as METS. These standards were developed from the National Educational Technology Standards. The 9-12 grades standards are currently under review.

The International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE) has, through partnerships with other educational organizations, developed National Educational Technology Standards, commonly referred to as the NETS. These standards were originally introduced in 1998. In 2006 an effort was made to revise the standards and in 2007 the NETS for Students (NETS*S) was introduced. The revised NETS for Teachers (NETS•T) were introduced in 2008, and NETS for Administrators (NETS•A) in June of 2009 .

NETS for Students (NETS*S)
Use these standards to guide instructional models for students to increase not only their basic technology skills, but also their information literacy. Each NETS area describes Essential Conditions (pdf), Profiles (pdf), and gives examples of what the application of these standards "looks like" in the real world.

NETS for Teachers
Teachers and administrators should use NETS for Teachers to evaluate current teacher preparedness as well as to develop professional development and support. The site includes an Overview, Essential Conditions, Teacher Standards along with Teacher Profiles.

NETS for Administrators
Developed through the Technology Standards for School Administrators (TSSA), administrator standards recognize the leadership role that administrators must assume for educational technology to be successful.