BILL ANALYSIS                                                                                                                                                                                                    



                                                                       



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          |SENATE RULES COMMITTEE            |                   AB 836|
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                                 THIRD READING


          Bill No:  AB 836
          Author:   Torlakson (D)
          Amended:  8/20/09 in Senate
          Vote:     21

           
           SENATE EDUCATION COMMITTEE  :  6-1, 7/15/09
          AYES:  Romero, Alquist, Hancock, Liu, Padilla, Simitian
          NOES:  Huff
          NO VOTE RECORDED:  Maldonado, Wyland

           SENATE APPROPRIATIONS COMMITTEE  :  7-5, 8/27/09
          AYES:  Kehoe, Corbett, Hancock, Leno, Oropeza, Price, Yee
          NOES:  Cox, Denham, Runner, Walters, Wyland
          NO VOTE RECORDED:  Wolk

           ASSEMBLY FLOOR  :  50-27, 6/1/09 - See last page for vote


           SUBJECT  :    Education technology:  task force

           SOURCE  :     Author


           DIGEST  :    This bill establishes an education technology  
          task force that is to make preliminary recommendations to  
          the Superintendent of Public Instruction on technology  
          literacy model standards for grades 7-12 and develop a  
          comprehensive statewide technology plan, and requires the  
          State Board of Education to adopt technology literacy model  
          content standards by July 30, 2010.

           ANALYSIS  :    The California Technology Assistance Project  
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          (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.
           
           This bill establishes an education technology task force  
          that is to make preliminary recommendations to the  
          Superintendent of Public Instruction (SPI) on technology  
          literacy model standards for grades 7-12, requires the SPI  
          to recommend technology literacy model standards to the  
          State Board of Education (SBE), and requires the SBE to  
          adopt technology literacy model content standards by July  
          30, 2010.  Specifically, this bill:

           Establishment and purpose of task force  :

          1. Requires the SPI to establish and convene a task force  
             for education technology for the purposes of (a)  
             developing recommendations for a comprehensive statewide  
             plan to increase and enhance the level of technology  
             used to deliver instruction, and (b) 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.  
           

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          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 SBE by June 20, 2010.

          3. Requires the SBE 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  
             SBE 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.

             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 SBE to adopt a comprehensive statewide plan  
             to increase and enhance the level of technology used to  
             deliver instruction in California public schools,  

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             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.

           FISCAL EFFECT  :    Appropriation:  No   Fiscal Com.:  Yes    
          Local:  No

          According to the Senate Appropriations Committee:

                           Fiscal Impact (in thousands)

             Major Provisions                2009-10     2010-11         
             2011-12               Fund  

            Task Force          $375                               
            Private*

            Implementation      unknown, but potentially significant  
            General
                                costs depending on recommendations

             *   To the extent private donations fail to materialize,  
              this bill results in General Fund pressure

           SUPPORT  :   (Verified  8/31/09)

          American Federation of State, County and Municipal  
          Employees
          AT&T
          California Alliance of Arts Education
          California School Boards Association
          California School Library Association
          California State PTA
          California Teachers Association
          Computer Using Educators
          Los Angeles County Office of Education
          Los Angeles Unified School District
          Orange Unified School District

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          Riverside County Schools Advocacy Association
          Santa Clara County Office of Education
          TechAmerica

           ARGUMENTS IN SUPPORT  :    The California Alliance for Arts  
          Education states:  "As arts education advocates, we  
          recognize the importance of providing access to  
          high-quality educational technology that supports  
          standards-based instruction in the Visual and Performing  
          Arts to all students.  Such technologies would benefit  
          students in both the Visual and Performing Arts and the  
          many arts-related industry sectors in Career Technical  
          Education.  We recognize this legislation as an important  
          step in the process of helping to ensure that all of  
          California's children have access to the full benefits of  
          arts education as part of their core curriculum.


           ASSEMBLY FLOOR  : 
          AYES:  Ammiano, Arambula, Beall, Blumenfield, Brownley,  
            Buchanan, Caballero, Charles Calderon, Carter, Chesbro,  
            Coto, Davis, De La Torre, De Leon, Eng, Evans, Feuer,  
            Fong, Fuentes, Furutani, Galgiani, Hall, Hayashi,  
            Hernandez, Hill, Huber, Huffman, Jones, Krekorian, Lieu,  
            Bonnie Lowenthal, Ma, Mendoza, Monning, Nava, John A.  
            Perez, V. Manuel Perez, Portantino, Price, Ruskin, Salas,  
            Saldana, Skinner, Solorio, Swanson, Torlakson, Torres,  
            Torrico, Yamada, Bass
          NOES:  Adams, Anderson, Bill Berryhill, Tom Berryhill,  
            Blakeslee, DeVore, Duvall, Emmerson, Fletcher, Fuller,  
            Gaines, Garrick, Gilmore, Hagman, Harkey, Jeffries,  
            Knight, Logue, Miller, Nestande, Niello, Nielsen, Silva,  
            Smyth, Audra Strickland, Tran, Villines
          NO VOTE RECORDED:  Block, Conway, Cook


          DLW:mw  9/1/09   Senate Floor Analyses 

                         SUPPORT/OPPOSITION:  SEE ABOVE

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