BILL NUMBER: AB 836 AMENDED
BILL TEXT
AMENDED IN SENATE JULY 24, 2009
AMENDED IN ASSEMBLY APRIL 29, 2009
AMENDED IN ASSEMBLY APRIL 15, 2009
INTRODUCED BY Assembly Member Torlakson
FEBRUARY 26, 2009
An act to add Article 15.1 (commencing with Section 51875) to
Chapter 5 of Part 28 of Division 4 of Title 2 of the Education Code,
relating to education technology.
LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST
AB 836, as amended, Torlakson. Task force for education
technology.
Existing law establishes various programs to enhance education
technology, including the California Technology Assistance Project,
which is composed of regional consortia that 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, as specified.
This bill would require the Superintendent of Public Instruction
to establish a task force for education technology, funded by private
donations, for the purpose of making preliminary recommendations on
technology literacy model standards and developing recommendations
for a comprehensive statewide plan to increase and enhance the level
of technology used to deliver instruction in grades 7 to 12,
inclusive, in California public schools. The bill would require
the task force to consist of no more than 15 education technology
experts, including, but not necessarily limited to, parents, current
credentialed teachers, administrators, school board members,
researchers, and industry representatives.
This bill would require the task force to make preliminary
recommendations to the Superintendent on technology literacy model
standards for grades 7 to 12 on or before May 30, 2010,
require the Superintendent to recommend technology literacy model
standards to the state board on or before June 20, 2010, and require
the state board to adopt technology literacy model content standards,
pursuant to the recommendations of the Superintendent, on or before
July 30, 2010.
The bill also would require the recommendations for a
comprehensive statewide plan to be made by the task force to the
state board and the Legislature on or before September 1, 2011. The
bill would require the task force to address specified issues as part
of the comprehensive statewide plan to increase and enhance the
level of technology used to deliver instruction in California public
schools, and to the extent feasible, to consider previously developed
state technology plans, as specified. This bill would require the
state board to adopt a comprehensive statewide plan to increase and
enhance the level of technology used to deliver instruction in
California public schools, pursuant to the recommendations of the
task force, on or before January 1, 2012.
Vote: majority. Appropriation: no. Fiscal committee: yes.
State-mandated local program: no.
THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:
SECTION 1. Article 15.1 (commencing with Section 51875) is added
to Chapter 5 of Part 28 of Division 4 of Title 2 of the Education
Code, to read:
Article 15.1. Education Technology Task Force
51875. (a) The Superintendent shall establish and convene a task
force for education technology. The task force shall develop
recommendations for a comprehensive statewide plan to increase and
enhance the level of technology used to deliver instruction in
California public schools, and shall make preliminary recommendations
on technology literacy model standards for grades 7 to 12,
inclusive . The operations of the task force shall be funded by
private donations.
(b) The membership of the task force shall consist of no more than
15 education technology experts, including, but not necessarily
limited to, parents, current credentialed teachers, administrators,
school board members, researchers, and industry representatives.
Current credentialed teachers shall comprise a majority of the task
force. The task force shall include at least one member from a large
school district, at least one member from a medium-sized school
district, and at least one member from a small school district. The
members representing these various sizes of school districts may be
any combination of parents, teachers, administrators, or school board
members.
(c) As used in this article, "technology literacy" means the
understanding of what technology is, how it is created, and how it
shapes, and is shaped by, society.
51875.1. (a) The task force shall make preliminary
recommendations to the Superintendent on technology literacy model
standards for grades 7 to 12, inclusive on or before May
30, 2010. The Superintendent shall recommend technology literacy
model standards to the state board on or before June 20, 2010. The
state board shall adopt technology literacy model content standards,
pursuant to the recommendations of the Superintendent, on or before
July 30, 2010.
(b) The task force shall address all of the following as part of
its recommendations, to be presented to the state board and the
Legislature on or before September 1, 2011, for a comprehensive
statewide plan to increase and enhance the level of technology used
to deliver instruction in California public schools, and to the
extent feasible, shall consider previously developed state technology
plans, including, but not necessarily limited to, a plan developed
pursuant to provisions of the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 (20
U.S.C. Sec. 6301 et seq.) and Chapter 830 of the Statutes of 1999.
(1) Professional development, based on a study of existing
industry models for professional development in technology and
existing school professional development programs. The task force
shall provide recommendations for the improvement of school
technology in professional development.
(2) Electronic learning resources and instructional materials,
based on a study of trends in long-term compatibility of resources
and hardware and best practices in the use of electronic resources.
The task force also shall develop plans for long-term compatibility
of resources and hardware.
(3) Hardware, with an emphasis on long-term compatibility between
hardware and software systems and intersystem compatibility. The task
force also shall address extended life cycle plans to preclude the
premature obsolescence of equipment.
(4) Telecommunications infrastructure, based on a study of
industry standards for wireless interoperability. The task force also
shall recommend adoption of a standard for telecommunications
infrastructure for schools.
(5) Funding, based on an assessment of various funding models. The
task force also shall make recommendations on methods of providing
reasonable levels of funding for technology in schools on a
continuing basis.
51875.2. The state board shall adopt a comprehensive statewide
plan to increase and enhance the level of technology used to deliver
instruction in California public schools, pursuant to the
recommendations of the task force, on or before January 1, 2012.
51875.3. The state department is authorized to accept private
donations to support the expenses incurred in operating the task
force pursuant to this article.