Education Technology Planning Resources

Whether you are seeking funding from the K-12 Voucher Program, E-rate, Enhancing Education Through Technology (EETT) Formula, or EETT-Competitive funds, it all starts with your district technology plan. A district technology plan that has been approved by the California Department of Education (CDE) is a requirement for many education technology funding sources. For those districts whose technology plan is expiring in June 2011, now is the time to begin the planning and writing process. These technology plans must meet the requirements set by the CDE for state approval listed in the Appendix C-Criteria for EETT Funded Technology Plans. State CTAP has provided a Technology Plan Builer to assist your planning and writing team.

Submission Dates for 2010-2011:

• Cycle A: September 17, 2010
• Cycle B: November 19, 2010
• Cycle C: March 11, 2011 (recommended for non-E-rate districts only)

To be eligible for EETT Formula funding, district technology plans must be submitted electronically by the cycle deadlines above to Jenny Thomas, RIMS CTAP Project Specialist jthomas@ctap10.org.

If a district or direct-funded charter school intends to use the state-approved technology plan as an E-rate plan, the plan must be written prior to filing Form 470. The CDE recommends documenting completion through internal communication such as email. We recommend all districts that use their state-approved technology plan as an E-rate plan submit in Cycle A or B.

The CDE distributed approximately $16 million dollars in 2006-07 and 2007-08 to Local Educational Agencies (LEAs) in formula-funded grants through Title II, Part D, Enhancing Education Through Technology. Funds from this grant assist eligible districts in using technology to enhance teaching and promote learning. Funds are allocated based upon each LEAs proportionate share of Title I, Part A funding.

As a condition of funding, a CDE-approved technology plan is required. No application is needed; as long as the LEA has a current technology plan, the CDE will automatically generate and mail the grant award documents each year funding is available.

CTAP encourages districts and charter schools to use the CTAP Technology Plan Builder, found at the state CTAP portal, myctap.org. Although the use of the Technology Plan Builder is not required, it is provided to facilitate the ease of writing and editing the plan through a collaborative process, and aligns the plan with Appendix C: Criteria for EETT Funded Technology Plans.

Resources to assist in writing a technology plan are listed at the end of this article. RIMS CTAP staff are available to meet with districts and direct-funded charter schools to begin the planning process. We will also provide assistance in plan grooming prior to submitting for regional review.

For more information on EETT Formula: http://www.cde.ca.gov/ls/et/ft/eettformula.asp

State CTAP Technology Plan Builder: http://myctap.org/index.php/techplan/tpb