A cart of new laptops joins the school network, and each one is given an IP address with no one typing it in. Which protocol hands out the addresses?Answer: DHCP. Source: Internet Engineering Task Force, RFC 2131, Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol. Framework section: Competency 0001, Technology Concepts and Operations, performance indicator f
A classroom printer has stopped answering on the network. Which utility tests whether a host can be reached and reports the round-trip time of the messages?Answer: ping. Source: Wikipedia, "Ping (networking utility)". Framework section: Competency 0001, Technology Concepts and Operations, performance indicator h
A school archive of scanned student artwork must take less disk space, yet every file must reopen with no loss of information at all. Which class of compression is required?Answer: Lossless compression. Source: Wikipedia, "Lossless compression". Framework section: Competency 0001, Technology Concepts and Operations, performance indicator e
A technician sets up one lab computer, then copies its whole drive, operating system and programs included, to thirty identical machines. What is this procedure called?Answer: Disk cloning. Source: Wikipedia, "Disk cloning". Framework section: Competency 0001, Technology Concepts and Operations, performance indicator g
Show all 48 questions (44 more)
Technology concepts and operations, continued
In NIST's definitions, which cloud service model has the consumer use the provider's applications, for example through a web browser, without managing the servers, storage or network beneath them?Answer: Software as a service. Source: National Institute of Standards and Technology, Computer Security Resource Center Glossary, "Software as a Service". Framework section: Competency 0001, Technology Concepts and Operations, performance indicator a
Staff can open a web site by typing its numeric IP address, but not by typing its name. Which service should the technician check first?Answer: The Domain Name System. Source: Wikipedia, "Domain Name System". Framework section: Competency 0001, Technology Concepts and Operations, performance indicator h
Teachers log in once in the morning and then open the gradebook, the library catalog and the learning platform without typing a password again. Which authentication scheme is this?Answer: Single sign-on. Source: Wikipedia, "Single sign-on". Framework section: Competency 0001, Technology Concepts and Operations, performance indicator a
Which trait of a solid-state drive makes it a better fit than a hard disk drive for laptops that students carry between classes?Answer: It has no moving mechanical parts. Source: Wikipedia, "Solid-state drive". Framework section: Competency 0001, Technology Concepts and Operations, performance indicator e
Digital-age work and learning 8
A coach has a spreadsheet of 4,000 rows of quiz results and wants totals and averages by school and grade without writing formulas for each group. Which spreadsheet feature does this?Answer: A pivot table. Source: Wikipedia, "Pivot table". Framework section: Competency 0002, Digital-Age Work and Learning, performance indicator b
A school web site must read well on phones, tablets and desktop monitors without a separate version for each. Which approach to web design is this?Answer: Responsive web design. Source: MDN Web Docs, "Responsive web design". Framework section: Competency 0002, Digital-Age Work and Learning, performance indicator h
A specialist records her computer screen, with her voice explaining each step, to show teachers how to set up a gradebook. What is this product called?Answer: A screencast. Source: Wikipedia, "Screencast". Framework section: Competency 0002, Digital-Age Work and Learning, performance indicator c
A teacher builds a class page in an editor that shows the page as visitors will see it while she types, with no code in view. What kind of editor is this?Answer: A WYSIWYG editor. Source: Wikipedia, "WYSIWYG". Framework section: Competency 0002, Digital-Age Work and Learning, performance indicator f
For a news project, students film a presenter in front of a green cloth and later replace the green with a weather map. Which video technique is this?Answer: Chroma key compositing. Source: Wikipedia, "Chroma key". Framework section: Competency 0002, Digital-Age Work and Learning, performance indicator a
In an online course, students post to a discussion board and watch recorded lessons at whatever hours suit them. What kind of learning is this?Answer: Asynchronous learning. Source: Wikipedia, "Asynchronous learning". Framework section: Competency 0002, Digital-Age Work and Learning, performance indicator i
Students in a programming elective write code, track versions, build and debug their programs, all in one application. What is such an application called?Answer: An integrated development environment. Source: Wikipedia, "Integrated development environment". Framework section: Competency 0002, Digital-Age Work and Learning, performance indicator f
Which ISTE Standard for Students has students communicate clearly and express themselves with the platforms, tools, formats and digital media suited to their goals?Answer: Creative Communicator. Source: International Society for Technology in Education, ISTE Standards for Students, 1.6 Creative Communicator. Framework section: Competency 0002, Digital-Age Work and Learning, performance indicator d
Digital citizenry and responsibility 8
A district discovers that student data was released without authorization. Within what time must it notify the affected parents under 8 NYCRR 121.10?Answer: No more than 60 calendar days after discovery. Source: 8 NYCRR 121.10(e), Legal Information Institute copy. Framework section: Competency 0003, Digital Citizenry and Responsibility, performance indicator e
A teacher copies one chart from a textbook for a single lesson. Which of the four fair use factors in section 107 of the Copyright Act asks whether a use is commercial or for nonprofit educational purposes?Answer: The purpose and character of the use. Source: 17 U.S.C. 107, Legal Information Institute copy. Framework section: Competency 0003, Digital Citizenry and Responsibility, performance indicator c
A teacher finds a diagram online under a Creative Commons license that carries the element NC. What does NC mean for her use of it?Answer: Only noncommercial use of the work is permitted. Source: Creative Commons, About CC Licenses. Framework section: Competency 0003, Digital Citizenry and Responsibility, performance indicator c
Two classes, one in Buffalo and one abroad, use shared documents and video calls to compare water quality in their towns. Which ISTE Standard for Students does the project serve most directly?Answer: Global Collaborator. Source: International Society for Technology in Education, ISTE Standards for Students, 1.7 Global Collaborator. Framework section: Competency 0003, Digital Citizenry and Responsibility, performance indicator h
Under 34 CFR 300.105, who decides, case by case, whether a child needs a school-purchased assistive technology device at home or in other settings in order to receive FAPE?Answer: The child's IEP Team. Source: 34 CFR 300.105(b), Legal Information Institute copy. Framework section: Competency 0003, Digital Citizenry and Responsibility, performance indicator g
What must each New York educational agency designate under 8 NYCRR 121.8 to carry out its data security and privacy policies?Answer: A Data Protection Officer. Source: 8 NYCRR 121.8, Legal Information Institute copy. Framework section: Competency 0003, Digital Citizenry and Responsibility, performance indicator e
What must New York's parents bill of rights for data privacy and security say about selling a student's personally identifiable information?Answer: It cannot be sold or released for any commercial purposes. Source: New York Education Law 2-d(3), public copy at newyork.public.law. Framework section: Competency 0003, Digital Citizenry and Responsibility, performance indicator e
Which standard do the Commissioner's Regulations adopt for the data security and privacy of New York's educational agencies?Answer: The NIST Cybersecurity Framework. Source: 8 NYCRR 121.5(a), Legal Information Institute copy. Framework section: Competency 0003, Digital Citizenry and Responsibility, performance indicator e
Digital-age learning environments and experiences 8
A computer lab's monitors sit high on shelves, and students tilt their heads back to read them. What does OSHA's computer workstation guidance say about monitor height?Answer: The top line of the screen should be at or below eye level. Source: Occupational Safety and Health Administration, Computer Workstations eTool: Monitors. Framework section: Competency 0004, Digital-Age Learning Environments and Experiences, performance indicator g
A sixth grader sets her own learning goal, picks the digital tools to reach it and reflects on her progress. Which ISTE Standard for Students is this?Answer: Empowered Learner. Source: International Society for Technology in Education, ISTE Standards for Students, 1.1 Empowered Learner. Framework section: Competency 0004, Digital-Age Learning Environments and Experiences, performance indicator a
How do New York's Computer Science and Digital Fluency standards describe digital literacy?Answer: A concept beyond skills-based activities that joins cognitive and technical skills. Source: New York State Education Department, New York State K-12 Computer Science and Digital Fluency Learning Standards (December 2020), Concept Areas: Digital Literacy. Framework section: Competency 0004, Digital-Age Learning Environments and Experiences, performance indicator e
In CAST's UDL Guidelines, "optimize choice and autonomy" and "nurture joy and play" are considerations under which principle?Answer: Multiple means of engagement. Source: CAST, Universal Design for Learning Guidelines, version 3.0. Framework section: Competency 0004, Digital-Age Learning Environments and Experiences, performance indicator c
New York's Computer Science and Digital Fluency standards are grouped in grade bands. By when are students expected to master the standards of the 2-3 band?Answer: By the end of third grade. Source: New York State Education Department, New York State K-12 Computer Science and Digital Fluency Learning Standards (December 2020), Organization of the Standards. Framework section: Competency 0004, Digital-Age Learning Environments and Experiences, performance indicator e
New York's K-12 Computer Science and Digital Fluency Learning Standards are organized into five Concepts. Which of these is one of the five?Answer: Networks and Systems Design. Source: New York State Education Department, New York State K-12 Computer Science and Digital Fluency Learning Standards (December 2020), Organization of the Standards. Framework section: Competency 0004, Digital-Age Learning Environments and Experiences, performance indicator e
Seymour Papert's constructionism holds that students learn especially well under which condition?Answer: When they are actively making tangible things in the real world. Source: Wikipedia, "Constructionism (learning theory)". Framework section: Competency 0004, Digital-Age Learning Environments and Experiences, performance indicator d
Which framework describes the intersections of technology, pedagogy and content that a teacher draws on to integrate technology into teaching?Answer: TPACK. Source: Wikipedia, "Technological pedagogical content knowledge". Framework section: Competency 0004, Digital-Age Learning Environments and Experiences, performance indicator a
Facilitating and assessing student learning 8
A specialist watches a student in her own classroom to judge which communication device would help her. How do the IDEA regulations class this functional evaluation?Answer: As an assistive technology service. Source: 34 CFR 300.6, Legal Information Institute copy. Framework section: Competency 0005, Facilitating and Assessing Student Learning, performance indicator e
A student who is blind reads the text on her laptop with her fingertips, on a device whose round-tipped pins rise and fall line by line. What is the device?Answer: A refreshable braille display. Source: Wikipedia, "Refreshable braille display". Framework section: Competency 0005, Facilitating and Assessing Student Learning, performance indicator e
A teacher has students break a large programming task into smaller ones before they write any code. Which practice of computational thinking, named in New York's standards, is this?Answer: Decomposition. Source: New York State Education Department, New York State K-12 Computer Science and Digital Fluency Learning Standards (December 2020), Concept Areas: Computational Thinking. Framework section: Competency 0005, Facilitating and Assessing Student Learning, performance indicator d
In the practice guide's cycle of instructional improvement, teachers collect and prepare a variety of data, then interpret the data and develop hypotheses. What is the third step?Answer: Modify instruction to test the hypotheses and increase student learning. Source: Institute of Education Sciences, What Works Clearinghouse practice guide, Using Student Achievement Data to Support Instructional Decision Making (NCEE 2009-4067), Recommendation 1. Framework section: Competency 0005, Facilitating and Assessing Student Learning, performance indicator h
Students follow a deliberate design process to build and test a device that keeps a tablet steady for a classmate with limited grip. Which ISTE Standard for Students is this?Answer: Innovative Designer. Source: International Society for Technology in Education, ISTE Standards for Students, 1.4 Innovative Designer. Framework section: Competency 0005, Facilitating and Assessing Student Learning, performance indicator b
The What Works Clearinghouse practice guide on using student achievement data recommends supports that foster a data-driven culture within the school. Which support does it list?Answer: A school-based facilitator who meets with teacher teams to discuss data. Source: Institute of Education Sciences, What Works Clearinghouse practice guide, Using Student Achievement Data to Support Instructional Decision Making (NCEE 2009-4067), Recommendation 4. Framework section: Competency 0005, Facilitating and Assessing Student Learning, performance indicator h
Which ISTE Standard for Students has students develop strategies for solving problems in ways that use technological methods, such as data analysis and algorithmic thinking, to develop and test solutions?Answer: Computational Thinker. Source: International Society for Technology in Education, ISTE Standards for Students, 1.5 Computational Thinker. Framework section: Competency 0005, Facilitating and Assessing Student Learning, performance indicator d
Which recommendation of the same practice guide speaks to the technology a district needs for teachers to reach and analyze student achievement data?Answer: Develop and maintain a districtwide data system. Source: Institute of Education Sciences, What Works Clearinghouse practice guide, Using Student Achievement Data to Support Instructional Decision Making (NCEE 2009-4067), Recommendation 5. Framework section: Competency 0005, Facilitating and Assessing Student Learning, performance indicator i
Technology leadership and resource management 8
A district learns of a breach of student data. Within what time must it report the breach to the state's Chief Privacy Officer under 8 NYCRR 121.10?Answer: No more than 10 calendar days after discovery. Source: 8 NYCRR 121.10(d), Legal Information Institute copy. Framework section: Competency 0006, Technology Leadership and Resource Management, performance indicator f
A district signs a contract with a vendor that will receive student data. What does Education Law 2-d require to be included with the contract?Answer: The parents bill of rights for data privacy and security. Source: New York Education Law 2-d(3)(a), public copy at newyork.public.law. Framework section: Competency 0006, Technology Leadership and Resource Management, performance indicator e
A technology director budgets for internet access with E-Rate support. According to the FCC, how large are the program's discounts?Answer: From 20 percent to 90 percent of eligible costs. Source: Federal Communications Commission, E-Rate: Universal Service Program for Schools and Libraries. Framework section: Competency 0006, Technology Leadership and Resource Management, performance indicator e
During summer maintenance, technicians install small updates that fix flaws in programs already on the lab computers. What does NIST's glossary call such a "repair job" for a piece of programming?Answer: A patch. Source: National Institute of Standards and Technology, Computer Security Resource Center Glossary, "patch". Framework section: Competency 0006, Technology Leadership and Resource Management, performance indicator f
In the ISTE Standards for Coaches, what does the Change Agent standard ask a coach to create with educators and leaders?Answer: A common vision and culture of learning with technology. Source: International Society for Technology in Education, ISTE Standards for Coaches, 4.1 Change Agent. Framework section: Competency 0006, Technology Leadership and Resource Management, performance indicator b
Section 100.12 requires the superintendent to give an assurance in the instructional computer technology plan. What does it assure?Answer: That the district has provided for the loan of hardware to nonpublic school students. Source: 8 NYCRR 100.12(b)(4), Legal Information Institute copy. Framework section: Competency 0006, Technology Leadership and Resource Management, performance indicator c
Which ISTE Standard for Coaches covers designing professional learning for educators and leaders, delivering it and judging its effect?Answer: Professional Learning Facilitator. Source: International Society for Technology in Education, ISTE Standards for Coaches, 4.5 Professional Learning Facilitator. Framework section: Competency 0006, Technology Leadership and Resource Management, performance indicator h
With what must the maintenance and repair provision of a district's instructional computer technology plan be consistent under 8 NYCRR 100.12?Answer: The five-year capital assets preservation plan. Source: 8 NYCRR 100.12(b)(2), Legal Information Institute copy. Framework section: Competency 0006, Technology Leadership and Resource Management, performance indicator e
How this list was compiled: Our own questions, written to the six selected-response competencies of the NYSTCE Field 071: Educational Technology Specialist Test Design and Framework, May 2018, authorized for distribution by the New York State Education Department (https://www.nystce.nesinc.com/content/docs/NY_fld71_objs.pdf, read 2026-10-14): Technology Concepts and Operations; Digital-Age Work and Learning; Digital Citizenry and Responsibility; Digital-Age Learning Environments and Experiences; Facilitating and Assessing Student Learning; and Technology Leadership and Resource Management, each 15 of the 90 selected-response items. The bank holds 8 for each, 48 in all. Every fact was read on 2026-10-14 in the public page the question names: the New York State K-12 Computer Science and Digital Fluency Learning Standards (2020), Education Law 2-d in the public copy at newyork.public.law, Parts 100 and 121 of the Commissioner's Regulations, the Copyright Act and the IDEA regulations in the Legal Information Institute's copies, the ISTE Standards, the CAST UDL Guidelines, the NIST glossary, RFC 2131, a What Works Clearinghouse practice guide, the Federal Communications Commission, OSHA, Creative Commons, MDN Web Docs, and Wikipedia articles that carried no warning banner that day. Licence: Questions, choices and explanations are original work of this site.
How it works
This Educational Technology Specialist CST study guide pairs the test's published outline with 48 practice questions of our own. It is unofficial and not affiliated with, endorsed by or sponsored by the New York State Education Department or Pearson.
Read the full guide
What the test covers
New York's framework of May 2018 gives 15 of the 90 selected-response items to each of six competencies: technology concepts and operations; digital-age work and learning; digital citizenry and responsibility; digital-age learning environments and experiences; facilitating and assessing student learning; technology leadership and resource management. A seventh, pedagogical content knowledge, is one written response worth 20%.
What to study from
Each answer names its source. Twelve rest on New York's own documents: the 2020 computer science standards, Education Law 2-d with Part 121 on student data, and section 100.12. Others cite the ISTE Standards and the UDL Guidelines.
Timing
Timed, the 48 questions take 72 minutes: the framework's pace of 90 in 135.
Questions and answers
Is there a NYSTCE Educational Technology Specialist study guide?
Yes. The NYSTCE site publishes a study guide for test 071 with the framework and sample questions. This page is separate and unofficial: the framework in brief, the public sources to study from and practice questions.
What score passes the Educational Technology Specialist CST?
The test's own page gives a passing score of 520. That is a scaled score and not a count of right answers, so this page reports your number right and gives no verdict.
Are these real Educational Technology Specialist CST questions?
No. Each of the 48 is our own, written to a performance indicator of the framework. None is taken or reworded from the real test or from the sample questions of its study guide.