BILL ANALYSIS
SENATE COMMITTEE ON EDUCATION
Gloria Romero, Chair
2009-2010 Regular Session
BILL NO: AB 836
AUTHOR: Torlakson
AMENDED: April 29, 2009
FISCAL COMM: Yes HEARING DATE: July 1, 2009
URGENCY: No CONSULTANT: Lynn Lorber
SUBJECT : Technology literacy standards and comprehensive
statewide plan.
SUMMARY
This bill establishes an education technology task force
that is to make recommendations to the SPI on technology
literacy model standards and develop a comprehensive
statewide technology plan, and requires the State Board to
adopt technology literacy model content standards by July
30, 2010.
BACKGROUND
The California Technology Assistance Project (CTAP) is a
regional technical assistance program that provides
coordination and services in education technology based
upon local needs in each of the 11 regions in California.
Each CTAP region has developed and is implementing a plan
to provide technical assistance in eight key areas,
including staff development, electronic learning resources,
and hardware and telecommunications infrastructure.
Pursuant to the federal No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act,
each state is required to maintain a state technology plan
for the purpose of ensuring that technology use is
consistent with the state's strategies for improving
student academic achievement through the use of technology
in classrooms, including improving the capacity of teachers
to integrate technology into curricula and instruction.
ANALYSIS
This bill establishes an education technology task force
that is to make recommendations to the SPI on technology
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literacy model standards, requires the SPI to recommend
technology literacy model standards to the State Board of
Education, and requires the State Board to adopt technology
literacy model content standards by July 30, 2010.
Specifically, this bill:
Establishment and purpose of task force :
1) Requires the Superintendent of Public Instruction
(SPI) to establish and convene a task force for
education technology for the purposes of 1) developing
recommendations for a comprehensive statewide plan to
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increase and enhance the level of technology used to
deliver instruction, and 2) give recommendations to
the SPI on technology literacy model standards.
2) Requires the operations of the task force to be funded
by private donations.
3) Specifies the membership of the task force is to
consist of no more than 15 education technology
experts, as specified, with the majority comprised of
credentialed teachers.
Model content standards :
1) Requires the task force to make recommendations to the
SPI on technology literacy model standards by May 30,
2010.
2) Requires the SPI to recommend technology literacy
model standards to the State Board of Education by
June 20, 2010.
3) Requires the State Board of Education to adopt
technology literacy model content standards, pursuant
to the recommendations of the SPI, by July 20, 2010.
Statewide plan :
1) Requires the task force to address all of the
following as part of its recommendations, to be
presented to the State Board and the Legislature by
September 1, 2011, for a comprehensive statewide plan
to increase and enhance the level of technology used
to deliver instruction:
a) Professional development.
b) Electronic learning resources and
instructional materials, with recommendations for
long-term compatibility of resources and
hardware.
c) Hardware, with recommendations about
long-term compatibility between hardware and
software.
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d) Telecommunications infrastructure, with
recommendations for telecommunications
infrastructure for schools.
e) Funding, with recommendations on methods of
providing reasonable levels of funding for
technology in schools on a continuing basis.
2) Requires the task force, to the extent feasible, to
consider previously developed state technology plans.
3) Requires the State Board of Education 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 to the task force, by January 1, 2012.
4) Authorizes the California Department of Education to
accept private donations to support the task force.
5) Defines "technology literacy" as the understanding of
what technology is, how it is created, and how it
shapes, and is shaped by, society.
STAFF COMMENTS
1) What's the rush on standards ? This bill requires the
creation of a task force to, among other things,
recommend by May 30, 2010, content standards in the
area of technology literacy. This bill also requires
the Superintendent of Public Instruction to recommend
technology literacy standards to the State Board of
Education by June 20, 2010, and requires the State
Board to adopt technology literacy content standards
by July 30, 2010. This short timeline was established
because it appears the National Assessment of
Educational Progress (NAEP) will begin assessing
pupils on technology literacy in 2012.
2) Standards for which grades ? This bill does not
specify a range of grades for which the standards are
to apply. Staff understands that it is the author's
intent to limit the technology literacy standards to
grades 7-12. Staff recommends an amendment to reflect
this intention.
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3) Fiscal impact . According to the Assembly
Appropriations Committee analysis, this bill would
impose General Fund administrative cost pressure,
between $200,000 and $300,000, to establish the task
force to develop a statewide technology plan and model
technology literacy standards.
Additionally, staff notes that the development of content
standards naturally leads to the development of
frameworks (blueprints for achieving the standards),
and then the inclusion of the subject matter in
instructional materials. Further, the Commission on
Teacher Credentialing would likely need to revise the
Standards for the Teaching Profession to realign
professional development to include this component.
These activities will increase costs to the state.
SUPPORT
American Federation of State, County and Municipal
Employees
California Alliance of Arts Education
California School Boards Association
California School Library Association
California Teachers Association
Computer Using Educators
Los Angeles County Office of Education
Los Angeles Unified School District
Orange Unified School District
Riverside County Schools Advocacy Association
Santa Clara County Office of Education
TechAmerica
OPPOSITION
None received.