Bill Text: CA SB876 | 2021-2022 | Regular Session | Amended
Bill Title: Educational technology: Digital Education Equity Program: county offices of education.
Sponsorship: Partisan Bill (Democrat 2)
Status: (Engrossed - Dead) 2022-08-11 - August 11 hearing: Held in committee and under submission. [SB876 Detail]
Download: California-2021-SB876-Amended.html
|
Amended
IN
Assembly
June 30, 2022 |
|
Amended
IN
Senate
May 19, 2022 |
|
Amended
IN
Senate
March 23, 2022 |
CALIFORNIA LEGISLATURE—
2021–2022 REGULAR SESSION
Senate Bill
No. 876
| Introduced by Senator Becker (Coauthor: Senator Dodd) |
January 25, 2022 |
An act to add Article 15 (commencing with Section 51870) to Chapter 5 of Part 28 of Division 4 of Title 2 of the Education Code, relating to educational technology.
LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST
SB 876, as amended, Becker.
Educational technology: Digital Education Equity Program: county offices of education.
Existing law expresses the intent of the Legislature that the state should encourage the use of multiple technologies in distance learning education, and that the state should recognize the value of regional networks serving regional needs and the value of a statewide network.
This bill would establish the Digital Education Equity Program (DEEP), to be administered by the department as a grant program for the purposes of, among other things, supporting the planned implementation of educational technology services by all county offices of education. The bill would require the DEEP to provide education and providing technical assistance and teacher
professional development to school districts, county offices of education, and charter schools on the implementation of educational technology as set forth in policies of the State Board of Education. The bill would require the department, in administering the DEEP, to provide program guidelines and funding to more effectively address locally determined educational needs with the use of technology, as provided. The bill would require the department, on or before January 31, 2023, 2024, and in consultation with the executive director of the state board, to authorize grants of up to 3 years in duration, and
eligible for renewal, to fund all county offices of education that develop educational technology plans, as provided. The bill would require the DEEP to provide program guidelines and criteria for
determining the funding level for county offices of education, as provided. The bill would require the department to establish minimum grant amounts and award additional grant funding above the minimum based on the number of pupils served in the county, pupil demographics, including the number of unduplicated pupils, and the contents of the educational technology plans, as provided.
The bill would require the department to establish an Office of Educational Technology and Digital Equity with sufficient staff to administer the provisions of the bill. The bill would specify the duties of the department in administering the DEEP, as provided.
The bill would authorize the Superintendent to provide centralized statewide educational technology services that address locally defined needs, as specified. The bill would
also require the Superintendent to submit an annual written report to the state board and the Legislature on the services provided, persons served, and funds expended for purposes of the bill, as provided.
This bill would make the implementation of its provisions contingent upon an appropriation by the Legislature in the annual Budget Act or another statute.
Digest Key
Vote: MAJORITY Appropriation: NO Fiscal Committee: YES Local Program: NOBill Text
The people of the State of California do enact as follows:
SECTION 1.
Article 15 (commencing with Section 51870) is added to Chapter 5 of Part 28 of Division 4 of Title 2 of the Education Code, to read:Article 15. Educational Technology
51870.
For purposes of this article, the following definitions apply:(a) “Educational technology” means technology-based materials, equipment, systems, and networks used for an educational purpose.
(b) “Local educational agency” means a county office of education, school district, or charter school.
51871.
(a) The Digital Education Equity Program (DEEP) is hereby established, and shall be administered by the department, in concert with the 58 county offices of education, to provide technical assistance and teacher professional development to local educational agencies on the implementation of educational technology as set forth in policies of the state board.(1) Professional development for teachers, school administrators, and certificated and classified staff.
(2) Promoting strategies and best practices for increasing the use of technology in classroom instruction.
(3) Digital resource selection and use for pupil instruction.
(4) Digital network infrastructure and needed bandwidth for schools and homes.
(5) Technical assistance to local educational agencies in developing a support system to operate and maintain an education
educational technology infrastructure, including improving pupil recordkeeping and tracking related to pupil instruction.
(6) Planning and coordination with, and support for, the local funding and implementation of federal, state, and local programs.
(7) Accessing and using a variety of funding sources for instructional technology.
(8) Technical assistance and information to support access, planning, and the use of high-speed telecommunications networks.
(9) Technology planning and implementation assistance to rural and technologically underserved local educational agencies and technologically underserved pupil groups.
(10) Assistance in the use of online instruction to replace or supplement classroom instruction when necessary, and to establish online and hybrid learning proficiency for teachers as requested by the local educational agency served by the county office of education.
(11) Helping to ensure that instruction using technology is aligned to the state’s academic content standards and incorporates related pupil learning assessment.
(b) On or before January 31, 2023, 2024, the department, in consultation with the executive director of the state board,
shall authorize grants to each of the 58 county offices of education to fund educational technology services as needed by the local educational agencies served by the county office of education applying for a grant. Grant funding may be awarded and received for subsequent three-year terms, as provided in this section. Budget allocations for each region may be adjusted based on funding appropriated for this purpose.
purpose, and the department shall establish minimum grant amounts for county offices of education. County offices of education shall be awarded grant funding above the minimum based on the number of pupils served within the county, pupil demographics, including the number of unduplicated pupils, as defined in Section 2574 or 42238.02, pupil access to technology within the county, and the extent to which the applicant county office of education provides a plan that clearly documents or describes how it plans to address all of the following:
(1) Knowledge of technology to improve teaching and learning.
(2) Technology planning and technical assistance.
(3) Proven success in providing professional development in technology and curriculum integration.
(4) An ability to work collaboratively with local educational agencies and businesses in the region.
(5) The ability to deliver services specified in this article to all local educational agencies in its region.
(6) The support of local educational agencies for the county office of education application in the region.
(7) Specific strategies for documenting and addressing the needs of local educational agencies and technologically underserved pupil
groups.
(8) A plan for evaluating the implementation of, access to, use of, and local impact of, the services provided by the county office of education.
(9) The capacity to assist in the use of online instruction when necessary.
(10) A commitment to help ensure that instruction using technology is aligned to the state’s academic content standards and incorporates related student learning assessments.
(11)The capacity to assist local educational agencies in developing a local education technology plan.
(c) To receive funding for the second and subsequent years of a grant awarded pursuant to subdivision (b), the county office of education shall submit an annual report to the department for approval that describes the services provided, the persons served, and the funds expended for those services in the prior year. Local educational agencies within the county office of education shall have an opportunity to comment on the report.
51872.
(a) The department shall establish an Office of Educational Technology and Digital Equity with sufficient staff to administer this article. The duties of the department under this article shall include, but are not necessarily limited to, all of the following:(1) Providing for the statewide coordination, planning, and evaluation of education educational technology programs and resources.
(2) Providing sufficient staff to provide ongoing support, direction,
and coordination of the regional and statewide educational technology services described in this article.
(3) Advancing the use of technology in the curriculum and in the administration of elementary and secondary schools.
(4) Providing ongoing planning, funding, and policy information to the directors county offices of education for planning and distribution to local educational agencies served by the region.
(5) Coordinating educational technology planning, policies, and information with other divisions of the department to include, but not necessarily be
limited to, curriculum, assessment, technical support, budget, and professional development.
(b) The Superintendent may provide centralized statewide educational technology services that address locally defined needs and are more efficiently and effectively provided on a statewide
basis. The department may contract with a county office of education to provide specific educational technology services that may include, but are not necessarily limited to, any or all of the following:
(1) Review of electronic learning resources, including, but not necessarily limited to, software, online resources, and video, for alignment with the content standards adopted by the state board and for the results of reviews to be accessible online, as needed by all public educators in the state.
(2) Professional development focused on digital school leadership for educational administrators in the areas of data-driven analytics, equity, and accessibility, integrating technology into standards-based curriculum, technology planning, professional development
needs of staff, digital citizenship and privacy, privacy aligned to the Model School Library Standards developed pursuant to Section 18101, and financial planning for technology.
(3) Access for schools to training, support, and other resources for technical professionals in the state.
(c) The Superintendent shall annually submit a written report to the state board and the Legislature on the services provided, persons served, and funds expended for purposes of this article. A report to be submitted to the Legislature pursuant to this subdivision shall be submitted in compliance with Section 9795 of the Government
Code.
