For participation in many technology-funding opportunities in California, a school district must have a state-approved technology plan. Below are resources to assist in the creation of a district and/or site technology plan. Content prepared by CTAP Region 4.

Technology Plan Submission Dates

Technology plans are to be submitted to the CTAP Regional office by the date listed below:

• Cycle A - Oct. 5, 2007
• Cycle B - Dec. 7, 2007
• Cycle C (non-Erate compliant plans) - April 4, 2008

All three cycles will lead to a state-approved technology plan. However, if your district or direct-funded charter school intends to use the state-approved technology plan as an E-rate plan, the plan needs to be submitted in Cycle A (October 5, 2007) or Cycle B (December 7, 2007).

Technology Planning Steps

Preparing to write:
The first step is to review the expiring technology plan if there is one. After that, consult the Technology Planning Guide document currently being revised by the CDE. The guide is still a draft, but it guides the district, COE, or direct-funded charter school on issues from who should be included in tech planning discussions to sample charts for the plan. Section III is particularly useful because it asks the team guiding questions about every aspect of the plan.
<Only Section III of the Technology Planning Guide>

Writing the plan:
Once the stakeholders have met, the writing team has been established, and the Technology Planning Guide has been reviewed, it's time to get writing. Begin by looking at Appendix C for the EETT Formula Grant. This is the criteria that determines which plans pass state-level review. Consider choosing a writing template. CTAP Region IV has developed a template <CTAP Region IV Planning Template 2007-08 (.doc)>, but others are included on this and other CTAP websites. Contact your CTAP representative as well. CTAP can assist as the team begins to write or at least provide feedback as drafts are finished.

E-rate:
State-approved plans can be used for e-rate approval as well. Be sure to complete the E-rate addendum and keep the document on file at the district office. It DOES NOT get submitted with the plan. Click here to read more about Technology Plans and E-rate here.

Submit the plan:
Before you submit the plan, review the Technology Planning Checklist to make sure everything is in order. Submit the technology plan to CTAP Region IV;
CTAPsubmit@acoe.org
Submit your plan as one RTF or Word document and include the following items in the submission:

• Tech plan contact information sheet (Appendix J).
• Body of the technology plan.
• Appendix C, Criteria for EETT-Funded Education Technology Plans with corresponding page numbers.

:: AB 307: Chavez Bill

The passage of the Chavez Bill (Assembly Bill 307) will impact technology planning this year. This bill charges districts to “educate pupils and teachers on the appropriate and ethical use of information technology in the classroom, Internet safety, avoiding plagiarism, the concept, purpose, and significance of a copyright so that pupils can distinguish between lawful and unlawful online downloading, and the implications of illegal peer-to-peer network file sharing.” This bill shows up as additional items in the planning criteria found in the grant application (Appendix C). <View the legislation>

::Technology Plans and E-rate

Guidelines regarding technology plans and e-rate plans have changed. Here are the main points to consider.

• If a district applies only for basic telephone service and does not have internet, then a technology plan is not required. If a district has Internet services, then it does not have basic service.
• For any service other than basic, a district must have a technology plan for E-rate services. There are 2 plan options: A county-approved E-rate plan or a state-approved technology plan.
• If a district writes a state-approved (EETT formula) technology plan, they must also complete a supplemental budget analysis that is kept on file locally. It is recommended that this analysis be revised yearly. This budget analysis form can be downloaded from the CTAP Region IV website: http://www.ctap4.org/grants/planning.htm
• Both the technology plan and the supplemental budget analysis must be completed before submitting E-rate form 470. The CDE recommends documenting completion through internal communication like email.
• The technology plan must be approved before receiving services or submitting form 486. The plan approval cycles left this year are December 1, 2006 and April 6, 2007

So what is the upshot? For E-rate funding in Year 10 (2007-2008), in order to submit form 470, the district or other entities applying for E-rate funds must have a technology plan, covering Year 10, using either option 1 or 2 mentioned above.

We recommend all districts consider revising as soon as possible the year before the plan expires. If you need help, contact your CTAP county specialist.

::CDE Technology Planning Page

http://www.cde.ca.gov/ls/et/rs/techplan.asp
This page at the CDE website is a collection of all the resources the Department of Education has compiled. In addition to standard resources, this page connects to a database that allow you to see if a district or direct-funded charter school has a currently certified technology plan and the date it will expire.

::Center for Applied Research in Educational Technology (CARET)

http://caret.iste.org
Visit this site for the latest research on educational technology.

::Technology Information Center for Administrative Leadership (TICAL)

http://www.portical.org/research.html
This state-funded project has added this research component to assist school districts in the writing of their technology plans to meet federal requirement.

::Ed Tech Profile

http://www4.edtechprofile.org/index.php
Edtech Profile is an on-line, self-assessment tool that allows educators to determine their level of technology proficiency.

::TechSETS

http://www.techsets.org TechSETS is focused on providing technical professionals in California schools improved access to training, support and other resources. TechSETS includes the Technical Expertise for California's Helpdesk (TECH) Program made up of A diverse group of exceptionaly credentialed experts from throughout the state, the TECH team is instrumental in developing content and providing support.

::Taking Total Cost of Ownership

http://www.classroomtco.org
For assistance to school leaders in understanding the long-term costs involved in building and operating a network of computers.

::California Learning Resources Network

http://www.clrn.org
Providing a one-stop information source for supplemental learning resources including software, videos, and other electronic resources aligned with California content standards.