IMMEDIATE ACTION REQUIRED
November 24, 2003
TO THE ADMINISTRATOR ADDRESSED:
SUBJECT: Technology Plan Requirements
Texas schools and charter schools are required to have an approved technology plan to participate in the following two programs: 1) the federal Universal Service Fund program, commonly known as the E-Rate program and 2) the Title II, Part D Enhancing Education through Technology program established by the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 (NCLB). The Texas Education Agency is authorized to approve technology plans for both programs. To provide assistance with technology planning and E-Rate, TEA has established the Technology Planning and E-Rate Support Center at the Region 12 Education Service Center.
Technology Plans for E-Rate
To ensure compliance with recent changes in the requirements for this plan by the SLD (Schools and Libraries Division), districts with an approved technology plan on file at TEA must complete and submit a Technology Plan Addendum before filing any E-Rate forms requiring certification of plan approval. The Technology Plan Addendum and instructions for completing it are enclosed. Additional information regarding E-Rate and technology plan approval is available at http://www.tea.state.tx.us/technology/erate/index.html
If you have questions about the Technology Plan Addendum procedures, please contact the E-Rate Support Center at .
Districts submitting E-Rate Applications that do not have an approved Technology Plan on file at TEA should submit their plan via the new Texas ePlan System that will be available online in January 2004. Additional information about this system is provided below.
Technology Plans for NCLB
Under the federal No Child Left Behind Act of 2001, Title II, Part D, Enhancing Education Through Technology, the law states that in order to be eligible to receive a subgrant from the State educational agency, a local educational agency or eligible local entity shall submit to the State educational agency an application containing a new or updated local long-range strategic educational technology plan that is consistent with the objectives of the statewide educational plan. Technology plans previously approved for E-Rate or the Technology Literacy Challenge Grant program were accepted initially for NCLB. Now, all technology plans must ensure that the NCLB criteria are included.
All Texas districts and charter schools will be required to submit a new or revised Technology Plan electronically this school year via the new Texas ePlan system. This online planning system allows districts to create, edit, and file an online technology plan. The online technology plan can then be reviewed and approved online. Once plans are reviewed and approved, districts will receive an electronic certification of approval for the plan. Plans submitted via this tool can be used for E-Rate and NCLB formula and competitive grants. Most districts will not have to create a new technology plan. They can cut and paste from their existing plan into the Texas ePlan system and update components as needed. The targeted release date for the Texas ePlan web site is January 2004. A Texas ePlan Submission Assistance Guide to help districts prepare for the online submission is available online at http://tpesc.esc12.net.
Technology Plans and the Texas STaR Chart
Along with the online plan, districts must complete the Texas STaR Chart Needs Assessment for each campus (available online at http://www.tea.state.tx.us/technology/etac/campus_txstar ) each school year.
The Texas STaR Chart is a tool for technology planning, budgeting for resources, and evaluation of progress in meeting the Title II, Part D requirements for integrating technology into the school curriculum and infrastructure. Beginning in the 2002-2003 school year, district and charter school applicants for state and federal technology grants were required to file campus level STaR Chart profiles along with the application. An updated campus STaR chart will be required for the new technology grant applications submitted in the 2003-2004 school year. The Texas STaR Chart Needs Assessment web site will be open January 1, 2004 through May 31, 2004.
If you have questions about the Texas ePlan system or the Texas STaR Chart, please contact the Technology Planning Support Center at
Current information regarding technology planning, E-Rate, and the Texas STaR Chart is available online at www.tea.state.tx.us/technology and through the Technology Planning and E-Rate Support Center at ESC Region 12 at http://tpesc.esc12.net.
Sincerely,
Susan Barnes
Associate Commissioner for Standards and Programs
Attachments: Technology Plan Addendum
Technology Plan Addendum Instructions