Alignment of the CITES Framework, NETP, ISTE, and NSQ

This page aligns key frameworks and standards guiding technology integration in schools and academic programs nationally. Those frameworks and standards are: 

• The CITES Framework
• The National Educational Technology Plan (NETP)
• The International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE)
• The National Standards for Quality Online Programexternal sites (NSQ)

We hope you can use this alignment to strengthen your district’s commitment to  integrating technology into education, in a meaningful way, to improve outcomes for all students.

Table of Contents

How might I use this Alignment?

By Role and What to Look At

Administrator (Principal, District Leader)

What would I look at?

• NETP Alignment (primary) → especially the Portraits (Learner, Educator, Environment) to guide vision and strategy
• CITES Leadership + Assessment practices → to drive systems-level planning and improvement
• ISTE Education Leader standards (secondary) → to guide leadership actions

How would I use this?

Use the NETP-aligned sections to:

• Set a district or school vision for inclusive technology
• Align teams (IT, curriculum, special education)
• Guide planning, evaluation, and improvement

Why does this matter?

Because it helps ensure that all initiatives (instruction, IT, special education) are aligned and working toward a proactive, inclusive system—not separate efforts.

Key Question:

Are our systems aligned to support inclusive technology across the whole district?

IT Director / Technology Leader

What would I look at?

• NETP – Portrait of a Learning Environment (primary) → to guide infrastructure and access decisions
• CITES Infrastructure practices → to design inclusive technology systems
• NSQ Standards (secondary) → especially for online environments and digital systems quality

How would I use this?

I would use the NETP and CITES infrastructure alignments to: 

• Select devices, platforms, and systems that are accessible
• Ensure tools work with assistive technology
• Build infrastructure that supports all learners

Why does this matter?

Because it prevents costly fixes later and ensures the technology ecosystem supports every learner—not just the majority. 

Assistive Technology (AT) Specialist

What would I look at?

• CITES across ALL practices (primary) → to connect AT to leadership, infrastructure, teaching, learning, and assessment
• ISTE (secondary) → to support collaboration with educators
• NETP (secondary) → to align AT with district-wide goals

How would I use this?

Use the full alignment (especially CITES crosswalks) to:

• Connect assistive technology to district-wide systems
• Collaborate with IT and educators
• Move AT from individual supports → system-wide design

Why does this matter?

Because it shifts AT from being an “add-on” to being part of how technology is selected, implemented, and used across the district. 

Teacher

What would I look at?

• ISTE Standards (primary) → to guide instructional practices and classroom use of technology
• CITES Teaching + Learning practices → to understand how to design inclusive learning experiences
• NETP – Portrait of an Educator & Learner (secondary) → to connect teaching practices to broader goals

How would I use this?

Use the ISTE-aligned sections to:

• Plan lessons using technology that all students can access
• Choose tools that support different ways of learning
• Ensure accessibility is built into instruction, not added later

Key Question: Am I designing learning experiences where every student can participate from the start?

Family Member / Caregiver

What would I look at?

• NETP – Portrait of a Learner (primary) → to understand what students should experience
• NSQ Standards (secondary) → especially supports for learners and families in online/blended environments
• CITES Family engagement (embedded across practices) → to understand how schools should partner with families

How would I use this?

Use the NETP and NSQ-aligned sections to:

• Understand what accessible learning should look like
• Ask questions about your child’s access to technology
• Advocate for tools and supports your child needs

Why does this matter?

Because it helps ensure my child has access to technology and learning opportunities that support their success—both in and outside of school.

What are the Framework & Standards aligned?

• The CITES Framework focuses on the intersection of assistive and educational technology, giving districts the tools to ensure that all students, including those with disabilities, and their families are supported through personalized and inclusive practices.  
• The 2024 NETP policy documentexternal site promotes equitable access to digital learning opportunities and environments for all students.  
• ISTE Standardsexternal site offer competencies and specific practices for K-12 leaders, teachers and others, for effectively integrating technology into educational settings. 
• The NSQexternal site provides a framework for improving online and blended learning programs.  

Purpose & Goal

The Purpose:

To align the CITES Framework, the National Educational Technology Plan, the ISTE Standards, and the NSQ Standards to illuminate their shared principles and create a unified vision for the integration of accessible and assistive instructional technology. By highlighting the commonalities across these frameworks, this alignment seeks to establish a shared language that empowers school district leaders to design and implement inclusive educational technology systems intentionally and proactively.  

The Goal:

To ensure that assistive and accessible technologies are integrated from the outset, rather than as an afterthought, creating environments where barriers to learning are removed for all students, with particular emphasis on meeting the needs of students with disabilities. By fostering a culture of accessibility and innovation, this alignment supports districts in building sustainable practices that ensure every student has access to the tools and opportunities necessary for meaningful engagement and success.

How is This Alignment Organized?

This is organized around the five CITES practices (Leadership, Infrastructure, Teaching, Learning and Assessment) and subpractices.

• There are hyperlinks embedded throughout to allow participants to further explore certain topics and documents.
• Within each CITES practice, there are sub-practices that align with the NETP Portraits. 
• Each NETP Portrait corresponds to a specific divide named in the NETP: 
  • Portrait of a Learner aligns with the Digital Use Divideexternal site,
  • Portrait of an Educator aligns with the Digital Design Divideexternal site, 
  • Portrait of a Learning Environment aligns with the Digital Access Divideexternal site
• ISTE standards and NSQ practices and indicators are aligned to the five CITES practices and NETP Portraits. 

Overview of the 5 CITES Practices

Overview of NETP Portraits

The Portrait of a Learner (or Graduate) serves as a guiding framework that outlines the digital skills, competencies, and attributes for students to develop. This vision shapes decisions related to curriculum, instruction, and assessment. Portrait of a Learner relates to the Digital Use Divideexternal site. 

Aligned to the Portrait of a Learner, the Portrait of an Educator connects educator practices and capacities to student learning. It highlights the cognitive, personal, and interpersonal skills educators need to design learning experiences that support students in developing the abilities outlined in the Profile of a Learner. Portrait of an Educator is tied to the Digital Design Divide.external site 

The Portrait of an Environment supports both the Portrait of an Educator and Portrait of a Learner. It prioritizes accessibility, digital health, safety, and citizenship (p. 55), and works to close the access divide by ensuring equitable and sustainable access to connectivity, devices, and digital content for all students. Portrait of an Environment connects to the Digital Access Divideexternal site. 

Alignment Guide

Use this guide to help make connections across the frameworks, practices & standards. It is not a list meant to be used in order, rather, it is a tool to assist you on your inclusive technology journey, based on your role. 

• See the How might I use this Alignment? section to help you decide where the best place to start is. 
• Next, use the Table of Contents to find your starting point.

Create Vision & Goals

CITES Practices & NETP Connections

• NETP Portrait of a Learner: Establishing a shared and intentional vision is crucial in closing the Digital Use Divide. The Portrait of a Learner (or Graduate) serves as a guiding framework for districts and states, shaping curriculum, instruction, assessment, and overall instructional design. 
• NETP Portrait of an Educator: Establishing a vision for educators, or a Portrait of an Educator, aligns hiring practices, professional learning opportunities, and evaluations with key competencies. Closing the digital use divide requires schools and districts to provide teachers with the necessary resources and skills to implement this vision. Along with a Portrait of an Educator, districts can also create Portraits of an Administrator. 
• NETP Portrait of an Environment: The NETP’s Guides for Digital Divides recommend that the Portrait of an Environment establishes a vision for expectations of skills and habits related to digital learning and ed tech across all spaces. Technology questions in the development of Profiles of Learning Environments focus on identifying aspects of environmental design to make the Profiles of an Educator and Graduate/Learner possible. Careful planning and funding are essential for designing infrastructure and learning environments that ensure equitable access to connectivity and devices. Schools and districts can ask themselves: Do we have a clear vision of digital health and safety that accounts for all students?

Develop a Strategic Plan

CITES Practices & NETP Connections

• NETP Portrait of a Learner: A shared vision informs the development of strategic plans. These plans outline goals and action steps, often incorporating existing frameworks for innovation and change management.
• NETP Portrait of an Educator: Creating a Portrait of an Educator involves developing a strategic plan that considers the current culture, calculating costs, cultivating capacity, curating effective tools, and building evidence, while incorporating input from educators.
• NETP Portrait of an Environment: State Educational Technology Directors can play a key role in developing strategic plans and advocating for funding, guiding spending decisions and maximizing the impact of edtech investments. The budget considers the long-term sustainability of edtech investments. State leaders communicate clear expectations about accessibility and technology use in school and at home.

Measure Progress

CITES Practices & NETP Connections

• NETP Portrait of a Learner: To improve practice, progress, and proficiency at the district and state levels, it is important to gather evidence, reflect on data, and adjust practices as needed. Strategies for data collection can incorporate cognitive walkthroughs, journey mapping, and surveys. Self-assessment questions include:

  • Are students engaging with targeted and relevant materials?
  • Are students actively engaged with the available technology, tools, and digital materials?
  • Do students have opportunities to engage in peer learning, relationship-building, and connection with the broader community?
  • Can students use platforms, tools, and software that adapt to meet their needs, help them reflect and monitor progress, and support their acquisition of new knowledge and skills?

• NETP Portrait of an Educator: The NETP recommends regularly collecting feedback from educators and evaluating professional learning initiatives to ensure alignment with the Portrait of an Educator.

• NETP Portrait of an Environment: To close the Digital Access Divide, educational organizations can conduct regular needs assessments to understand the current culture and identify areas for improvement. This includes evaluating the impact and effectiveness of technology investments, measuring progress related to student outcomes, instructional practices, and administrative processes, and ensuring the effectiveness of professional learning system development.

Develop a Professional Learning System

CITES Practices & NETP Connections

• NETP Portrait of a Learner: A comprehensive learning plan can support the implementation of a student-centered vision through the Universal Design for Learning (UDL) framework.
• NETP Portrait of an Educator: The NETP prioritizes equitable access to professional learning and sustained support for all educators. According to the NETP standards, high quality professional learning is content focused, incorporates active learning, supports collaboration, uses models of effective practice, provides coaching and expert support, offers feedback and reflection, and is of sustained duration. Professional learning systems provide educators with the time, space, and capacity needed to develop key competencies. An understanding of what teachers need to implement the Portrait of a Learner is required when creating systems to support them, and teachers are empowered to become co-designers and collaborators in their professional development experiences. Leadership creates and maintains systems that offer continuous support for both new and experienced teachers, potentially aligning with the UDL framework.
• NETP Portrait of an Environment: Responsibilities of State and Edtech Directors include ensuring effective implementation of technology and professional learning for educators and IT staff.

Engage Families in Leadership

CITES Practices & NETP Connections

• NETP Portrait of a Learner: Developing the Portrait of a Learner involves gathering input from various stakeholders, including families. Districts can engage families through parent surveys.
• NETP Portrait of an Environment: States, districts, and administrators develop a technology learning plan in consultation with a wide range of stakeholders. Including families and caregivers in promoting digital adoption benefits learners and strengthens relationships between school and home.

Personalize Learning Devices

CITES Practices & NETP Connections

• NETP Portrait of a Learner: Districts provide personalized learning devices as needed, ensuring that technology tools align with the vision for student learning. Students and teachers are involved in evaluating and personalizing digital tools.
• NETP Portrait of an Environment: The NETP states: “For digital devices and tools to be effective, usable, and meaningful, they must be accessible to all” (p. 68) and lists numerous accessibility strategies and resources for building an accessible digital infrastructure. Specifically, NETP recommends that IT management carefully considers device policies and software, allowing students to configure accessibility features necessary for learning.

Unify Inclusive Technology Decision Making

CITES Practices & NETP Connections

• NETP Portrait of a Learner: The Portrait of a Learner emphasizes inclusive technology decision making that prioritizes active and engaging technologies over passive options, with a strong focus on accessibility and inclusion. Educational systems integrate accessible educational technology to guarantee that all learners have access to high-quality accessible materials. Recommendations for Closing the Digital Use Divide emphasize developing structured processes for evaluating the potential effectiveness of digital tools before purchase. The NETP suggests considering UDL principles in the procurement process and ensuring that tools include accessibility features.
• NETP Portrait of an Educator: The NETP recommends establishing systems for collaborative review to assess the impact, barriers, and effectiveness of purchased tools.
• NETP Portrait of an Environment: States, districts, and administrators integrate accessible educational technology systems and processes, prioritizing accessibility and inclusivity in the procurement process. Key questions to ask when defining the Portrait of an Environment include: How can the environment accommodate technological needs? What accessibility standards or certifications are required in procurement? School leaders gather feedback from various stakeholders to collaborate on procurement decisions. When considering technology purchases, the district should involve assistive technology and ADA compliance coordinators. Carefully evaluating a technology’s effectiveness before purchase is critical. To ensure digital infrastructure is accessible, schools can form procurement teams that include assistive technology (AT) and multilingual specialists and ensure educators have the support needed to make materials accessible.

Provide Accessible Educational Materials

CITES Practices & NETP Connections

• NETP Portrait of a Learner: Selected technology and resources must effectively meet the needs of all learners. Districts evaluate whether available technology enables students to fully access and participate in learning.
• NETP Portrait of an Educator: Closing the Digital Design Divide involves curating effective products that meet the diverse needs of all learners.
• NETP Portrait of an Environment: The NETP outlines three components of access: availability, affordability, and adoption. School leaders make sure that students have access to necessary resources for authentic computing learning experiences, such as equipment, reliable broadband internet, and sufficient time. The NETP recommends developing practices ensuring accessibility and inclusivity as a part of the procurement process. When designing a Portrait of a Learning Environment, leaders may ask: Do learning spaces have the necessary technology infrastructure to support the desired learning environment?

Ensure Student Privacy & Secure Inclusive Practices

CITES Practices & NETP Connections

• NETP Portrait of a Learner: To address the Digital Use Divide, leaders establish guidelines aligned with the Portrait of a Learner that protect student privacy. School systems also evaluate edtech tools to ensure that they adequately provide student data privacy and security. Moreover, students should be educated on how to protect their personal information online and understand its importance.
• NETP Portrait of an Educator: Edtech directors can play a key role in bridging the gap between technology and pedagogy, offering guidance on policy and helping to protect student privacy.
• NETP Portrait of an Environment: Closing the Digital Access Divide requires a focus on digital health, safety, and citizenship. Edtech Directors can offer guidance on these essential areas, empowering students to use technology safely and effectively. The NETP recommends integrating digital safety and media literacy across all grade levels and subject areas. Schools may collect data to understand families’ digital health and safety needs.

Engage Families in Infrastructure

CITES Practices & NETP Connections

• NETP Portrait of an Environment: Ensuring digital inclusion and skill development for families and caregivers is just as important as providing students with access to personalized learning devices at home. The cost of assistive technology should not prevent students from accessing these devices outside of school. The NETP encourages creating an inclusive technology ecosystem by involving families and other stakeholders in decisions about technology purchases, learning space design, and curriculum planning. To ensure technology meets students’ needs, particularly students with disabilities, schools must include families, especially regarding technology for use outside of school. Districts should also be transparent with families about monitoring school-owned devices. Additionally, digital tools must function across a range of devices accessible to families outside of the school setting. Edtech directors can build partnerships and community collaborations to provide broadband internet access to all areas.

Develop Technology Competencies

CITES Practices & NETP Connections

• NETP Portrait of a Learner: Teachers need time and support to develop technology competencies and enhance technology skills which, in turn, supports active, accessible, and purposeful student learning and technology use.
• NETP Portrait of an Educator: Closing the Design Divide requires supporting teachers in developing technology competencies and building their professional practices. Educators are encouraged to participate in professional learning that enhances their digital literacy skills, enabling them to model these skills for students and the wider school community. The NETP advocates for using models of effective practice, along with coaching, feedback, and expert support.
• NETP Portrait of an Environment: To prepare educators for engaging students in meaningful, authentic computing experiences, it’s essential to provide ongoing training in inclusive teaching methods and access to materials that reflect students’ interests, identities, and backgrounds.

Design Learner-Centered Experiences

CITES Practices & NETP Connections

• NETP Portrait of a Learner: Creating learner-centered experiences using active technology is essential to the Portrait of a Learner. Educators can use the UDL framework to design for learner variability.
• NETP Portrait of an Educator: Educators are encouraged to design learning experiences with students’ needs in mind from the beginning, rather than as an afterthought. Professional learning systems should provide the necessary time and resources for educators to share, analyze, and improve their practices, strengthening their ability to design experiences for diverse learners using a variety of technological tools.
• NETP Portrait of an Environment: Accessibility involves creating inclusive learning environments that actively engage students, ensuring full and meaningful participation. Creating a Portrait of an Environment considers how learning environments can accommodate the learning needs and abilities of all students. Teachers can also assess whether students have access to the designed learning experiences and the edtech tools used. When designing computing programs, program designers intentionally create and implement learning experiences that spark interest and develop computing skills.

Enhance Technology Skills

CITES Practices & NETP Connections

• NETP Portrait of a Learner: See Develop Technology Competencies.
• NETP Portrait of an Educator: Educators need the time and support to enhance technology skills that strengthen their ability to design learner- centered experiences encouraging active technology use. To close the Design Divide, states, districts, and schools must build educators’ proficiency with new tools while deepening their understanding of key learning frameworks, such as Universal Design for Learning (UDL). The NETP recommends providing teachers with sufficient time to learn, practice, implement, and reflect on new strategies.
• NETP Portrait of an Environment: Educators need reliable access to technical support and ongoing professional development, personalized to their skill levels, to help them effectively integrate digital tools into their teaching.

Engage Families in Teaching Practices

CITES Practices & NETP Connections

• NETP Portrait of a Learner: Encouraging communication with families helps foster meaningful use of technology in teaching and learning.
• NETP Portrait of an Educator: Title IV, Part A provides funding for professional development related to family engagement, supporting efforts to close the Digital Design Divide.

Learners Actively Engage

CITES Practices & NETP Connections

• NETP Portrait of a Learner: Access to active learning experiences through technology is essential for closing the Digital Use Divide and is crucial to the instructional core. The NETP emphasizes that all learners deserve an education centered on active technology use.
• NETP Portrait of an Educator: Professional learning can help educators incorporate active learning by allowing them to experience the same authentic, engaging, and relevant instruction they aim to deliver to students. The NETP Guide for State Leaders encourages states to develop a Profile of a Teacher that integrates technology into effective student learning experiences.
• NETP Portrait of an Environment: Closing the Digital Access Divide is crucial for promoting active, engaged learning through technology, and accessibility plays a key role in creating inclusive learning environments. To support this, educators are given opportunities to prepare for delivering authentic and inclusive technology instruction. Creating accessible learning environments includes using accessibility features, assistive technology (AT), and accessible educational materials (AEM). When designing a Profile of a Learning Environment, important questions to ask include: Are physical learning spaces accessible and flexible for all learners? Do they allow for both individual and collaborative work?

Learners Make Independent Choices

CITES Practices & NETP Connections

• NETP Portrait of a Learner: The NETP advocates for students to have choice and agency in engaging with materials, tracking progress, reflecting on learning, and demonstrating mastery. Providing students with options and empowering them to engage in self-directed learning are essential components of the learning process. Teachers can further support this by encouraging students to use tools of their choice, even if the teachers are not experts on those tools.
• NETP Portrait of an Educator: The NETP Guide for Educators recommends designing learning experiences aligned with UDL principles, which include providing student choice in how they engage with content and express understanding.
• NETP Portrait of an Environment: Teachers seek out resources and strategies to integrate authentic computing experiences into their programs, which include problem- and project-based learning, offering students choices in activities, and considering learners’ contexts beyond the school environment.

Empower Families to Support Student Learning

CITES Practices & NETP Connections

• NETP Portrait of a Learner: Engaging families in the learning process helps
• establish and maintain a shared vision for student learning.
• NETP Portrait of an Educator: Teachers can encourage authentic learning experiences and projects outside of school, furthering family involvement.
• NETP Portrait of an Environment: The NETP encourages developing a network of opportunities and supports for students to engage with computing in and out of school.

Procure Accessible Assessment Systems

CITES Practices & NETP Connections

• NETP Portrait of an Educator: Curating effective products includes selecting adaptive and accessible learning and assessment platforms. Title IV, Part A provides funds for professional development related to academic assessments.
• NETP Portrait of an Environment: Digital infrastructure includes assessment and feedback systems.

Design Accessible Assessment

CITES Practices & NETP Connections

• NETP Portrait of a Learner: Designing accessible and authentic assessments allows students to demonstrate their learning through methods that align with their strengths, supporting reflection and self-assessment. Universal Design for Learning (UDL) provides a framework for creating inclusive assessments.
• NETP Portrait of an Educator: Educators prioritize “humans in the loop” when designing accessible assessments and systems for edtech tools. Incorporating UDL principles into assessment design accommodates many ways of demonstrating knowledge and understanding.