SECTIONS 51870-51874 - California Statutes

EDUCATION CODE

SECTION 51870-51874

51870. For the purposes of this article, "technology" means
technology-based materials, equipment, systems, and networks.

51871. (a) The California Technology Assistance Project shall be
administered by the State Department of Education to provide a
regionalized network of technical assistance to schools and school
districts on the implementation of education technology as set forth
in policies of the State Board of Education. The California
Technology Assistance Project shall be composed of regional consortia
that will work collaboratively with school districts and county
offices of education to meet locally defined educational needs that
can be effectively addressed with the use of technology, including,
but not necessarily limited to, all of the following areas:
(1) Professional development.
(2) Electronic learning resources.
(3) Hardware.
(4) Telecommunications infrastructure.
(5) Technical assistance to school districts in developing a
support system to operate and maintain an education technology
infrastructure, including improving pupil recordkeeping and tracking
related to pupil instruction.
(6) Coordination with and support for the funding and
implementation of federal, state, and local programs.
(7) Funding.
(8) Technical assistance and information to support access,
planning, and the use of high-speed telecommunications networks.
(9) Technology planning and implementation assistance to rural and
technologically underserved school districts and county offices of
education.
(b) The State Board of Education shall authorize grants to fund a
school district or county office of education in each region of the
California Technology Assistance Project to act as the lead agency to
administer the services of that region. The term of a grant awarded
pursuant to this section may not exceed three years. Grant funding
may be awarded and received for subsequent terms of three years as
provided in this section. The lead agency shall be chosen based on
the extent to which it provides a plan that clearly documents or
describes all of the following:
(1) Knowledge of technology to improve teaching and learning.
(2) Technology planning and technical assistance.
(3) Proven success in providing professional development in
technology and curriculum integration.
(4) An ability to work collaboratively with school districts,
county offices of education, and businesses in the region.
(5) The ability to deliver services specified in this article to
all school districts and county offices of education in its region.
(6) The support of school districts and county offices of
education for the regional lead agency application in the region.
(7) The capacity to assist schools to utilize high-speed
telecommunications networks.
(8) Specific strategies for documenting and addressing the needs
of rural schools and technologically underserved school districts and
county offices of education.
(9) A plan for evaluating the implementation of, access to, use
of, and local impact of, the services provided by the region.
(c) Funding to support the regional education technology services
provided by the California Technology Assistance Project shall be
provided through the annual Budget Act. To receive funding for the
second and subsequent years of a grant awarded pursuant to
subdivision (b), the lead agency shall submit an annual report to the
State Board of Education for approval that describes the services
provided, the persons served, and the funds expended for those
services in the prior year. School districts and county offices of
education within the California Technology Assistance Project region
shall have an opportunity to comment on the report.

51871.5. (a) It is the intent of the Legislature that education
technology planning be accomplished in the most comprehensive manner
possible. To that end, the current practice of developing education
technology plans for each funding program should be replaced with a
comprehensive local planning process that will enable school
districts to apply for grants on an ongoing basis and assist in
utilizing available education technology programs.
(b) On or after January 1, 2005, as a precondition to receiving a
technology grant administered by the department, a school district
shall have a current three- to five-year education technology plan.
The state board may waive this requirement if it determines that the
applicant school district made a good faith effort to develop a plan,
but for reasons beyond its control, the district cannot develop the
plan before receipt of the technology grant.
(c) On or before July 1, 2007, the Superintendent shall develop
guidelines and criteria for inclusion in the education technology
plan required pursuant to subdivision (b). The guidelines and
criteria shall include a component to educate pupils and teachers on
the appropriate and ethical use of information technology in the
classroom, Internet safety, the manner in which to avoid committing
plagiarism, the concept, purpose, and significance of a copyright so
that pupils are equipped with the skills necessary to distinguish
lawful from unlawful online downloading, and the implications of
illegal peer-to-peer network file sharing.
A school district that, on July 1, 2008, has a current three- to
five-year education technology plan that complies with subdivision
(b) is not required to comply with this subdivision until after its
plan expires or is voluntarily replaced.
(d) On or after January 1, 2005, the Superintendent shall ensure
that each school district has access to technical assistance and an
approved online technology plan builder that the department
determines is in compliance with state and federal requirements.
(e) The department shall maintain a record of school districts
that have a three- to five-year education technology plan and shall
make that information available to interested public agencies.

51872. (a) The State Department of Education shall administer this
article. The duties of the State Department of Education shall
include, but are not necessarily limited to, the following:
(1) Assisting the State Board of Education on education technology
plans, policies, programs, and activities.
(2) Providing for the statewide coordination, planning, and
evaluation of education technology programs and resources.
(3) Advancing the use of technology in the curriculum and in the
administration of elementary and secondary schools.
(b) Funding shall be provided through the annual Budget Act to the
Superintendent of Public Instruction to provide centralized
statewide educational technology services that address locally
defined needs and are more efficiently and effectively provided on a
statewide basis. The statewide educational technology services to be
supported by this statute shall include, but are not limited to, all
of the following:
(1) Review of electronic learning resources including, but not
limited to, software, online resources, and video, for alignment with
the content standards adopted by the state board.
(2) Professional development focused on digital school leadership
for educational administrators in the areas of data-driven
decisionmaking, integrating technology into standards-based
curriculum, technology planning, professional development needs of
staff, financial planning for technology, and operations and
maintenance.
(3) Access for schools to training, support, and other resources
for technical professionals in California.
(c) The Superintendent of Public Instruction shall report
annually, in writing, to the State Board of Education and the
Legislature on the services provided, persons served, and the funds
expended for those purposes in the prior year.

51873. School districts, county offices of education, and state
special schools may apply to the State Board of Education to
participate in grant programs related to education technology,
including, but not limited to, professional development, research and
development, and evaluation and dissemination of education
technology resources.

51874. Sections 51871, 51872, 51873, this section, and the heading
of this article shall remain in effect only until January 1, 2014,
and as of that date are repealed, unless a later enacted statute,
that is enacted before January 1, 2014, deletes or extends that date.