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: 9/4/09 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.
Senate Floor Amendments of 9/4/09 address concerns raised
by the Administration, by removing provisions relative to a
statewide plan for the use of technology to deliver
instruction to pupils.
CONTINUED
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ANALYSIS : 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 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 to 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.
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 within two
months after the date the task force is convened.
2. Requires the SPI to recommend technology literacy model
standards to the SBE within two months after receiving
the recommendations for the model standards from the
task force.
3. Requires the SBE to adopt technology literacy model
content standards, pursuant to the recommendations of
the SPI, within two months after receiving the
recommendations for the model standards from the
Superintendent.
Statewide plan :
1. Requires the task force to address the following issues
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.
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3. Authorizes the California Department of Education to
accept private donations to support the task force.
4. 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
Riverside County Schools Advocacy Association
Santa Clara County Office of Education
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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.
The Los Angeles County Office of Education states: "AB 836
would support current professional development efforts to
integrate the use of digital tools in teaching and
learning. A comprehensive statewide plan for technology
use would also help guide efforts to integrate technology
into the curriculum to improve student learning by
providing guidelines for school districts. Lastly, the
bill would help advance efforts to address digital literacy
in a variety of ways including efforts to integrate
technology/digital media into teaching and learning."
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
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DLW:mw 9/8/09 Senate Floor Analyses
SUPPORT/OPPOSITION: SEE ABOVE
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