[Congressional Bills 106th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 4081 Introduced in House (IH)]







106th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                H. R. 4081

     To establish a program that improves achievement through the 
               integration of technology into curriculum.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             March 23, 2000

     Mr. Kind (for himself, Mr. Dooley of California, Mr. Smith of 
Washington, Mr. Wu, Mr. Roemer, Mrs. McCarthy of New York, Ms. Sanchez, 
    Mr. Holt, Mr. Ford, Mr. Blumenauer, Mr. Etheridge, Mr. Davis of 
  Florida, Mr. Moran of Virginia, Mr. Stenholm, Mrs. Napolitano, Mr. 
 Larson, Mr. Sandlin, Mrs. Tauscher, and Mr. Gonzalez) introduced the 
 following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Education and 
                             the Workforce

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
     To establish a program that improves achievement through the 
               integration of technology into curriculum.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the Education Technology Enhances 
Classrooms (EdTEC) Act.

SEC. 2. TECHNOLOGY LITERACY CHALLENGE FUND.

    Subpart 2 of part A of title III of the Elementary and Secondary 
Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 6801 et seq.) is amended to read as 
follows:

            ``Subpart 2--Technology Literacy Challenge Fund

``SEC. 3130. PURPOSE.

    ``It is the purpose of this subpart to increase the capacity of 
State and local educational agencies to improve student achievement, 
particularly that of students in high-poverty, low-performing schools, 
and the ability of teachers to integrate technology into the 
curriculum, by supporting State and local efforts that--
            ``(1) make effective use of new technologies and technology 
        applications, networks, and electronic learning resources;
            ``(2) utilize research-based teaching practices that are 
        linked to advanced technologies;
            ``(3) promote sustained and intensive, high-quality 
        professional development that enables teachers to help students 
        achieve to challenging State content standards and assessments 
        in core academic subjects through the integration of 
        educational technology into instruction;
            ``(4) disseminate information to school districts and 
        schools about technology and applications, including software, 
        that is aligned to challenging State content standards in core 
        academic subjects; and
            ``(5) develop standards and performance indicators for 
        students and teachers on the effective use and integration of 
        education technology into the core academic curriculum, and 
        methods for measuring program outcomes against the indicators.

``SEC. 3131. ALLOTMENT AND REALLOTMENT.

    ``(a) Allotment.--
            ``(1) In general.--Except as provided in paragraph (2), 
        each State educational agency shall be eligible to receive a 
        grant under this subpart for a fiscal year in an amount which 
        bears the same relationship to the amount made available under 
        section 3114(a)(1)(C) for such year as the amount such State 
        received under part A of title I for such year bears to the 
        amount received for such year under such part by all States.
            ``(2) Minimum.--No State educational agency (including, for 
        purposes of this subpart, the Bureau of Indian Affairs) shall 
        be eligible to receive a grant under paragraph (1) in any 
        fiscal year in an amount which is less than one-half of one 
        percent of the amount made available under section 
        3115(a)(1)(C) for such year, except that such minimum shall 
        apply to the aggregate of grants received under this subpart by 
        the outlying areas for a fiscal year.
    ``(b) Reallotment of Unused Funds.--
            ``(1) In general.--The amount of any State educational 
        agency's allotment under subsection (a) for any fiscal year 
        which the Secretary determines will not be required for such 
        fiscal year to carry out this subpart shall be available for 
        reallotment from time to time, on such dates during such year 
        as the Secretary may determine, to other State educational 
        agencies in proportion to the original allotments to such State 
        educational agencies under subsection (a) for such year, but 
        with such proportionate amount for any of such other State 
        educational agencies being reduced to the extent such amount 
        exceeds the sum the Secretary estimates such State needs and 
        will be able to use for such year.
            ``(2) Other reallotments.--The total of reductions under 
        paragraph (1) shall be similarly reallotted among the State 
        educational agencies whose proportionate amounts were not so 
        reduced. Any amounts reallotted to a State educational agency 
        under this subsection during a year shall be deemed a subpart 
        of such agencies allotment under subsection (a) for such year.

``SEC. 3132. TECHNOLOGY LITERACY CHALLENGE FUND.

    ``(a) Grants to States.--
            ``(1) In general.--From amounts made available under 
        section 3131, the Secretary, through the Office of Educational 
        Technology, shall award grants to State educational agencies 
        having applications approved under section 3133.
            ``(2) Use of grants.--(A) Each State educational agency 
        that receives a grant under paragraph (1) shall use--
                    ``(i) not less than 95 percent of the grant funds 
                received to award, on a competitive basis, subgrants to 
                eligible local applicants, as defined in section 
                3136(1), to prepare all students, including students 
                with disabilities or limited English proficiency, to 
                achieve to challenging State academic content and 
                performance standards through the use of research-based 
                teaching practices and advanced technologies; and
                    ``(ii) subject to subparagraph (D), the remainder 
                of the grant funds for administrative costs and 
                technical assistance, and the development and update of 
                State education technology standards.
            ``(B) a State educational agency may use all or part of the 
        funds described in subparagraph (A)(ii) to develop or update 
        State educational technology standards.
            ``(C) In awarding subgrants under subparagraph (A)(i), a 
        State educational agency shall give priority to an eligible 
        local applicant that is a partnership that meets the 
        requirements of section 3136(1).
            ``(D) From the funds described in subparagraph (A)(i), a 
        State educational agency may use not more than 2 percent of the 
        grant funds it receives under this subpart to provide planning 
        subgrants to eligible local applicants in order to assist them 
        in developing strategic long-term local technology plans that 
        shall be included in the application for a subgrant under 
        section 3134(a)(1).
    ``(b) Technical Assistance.--Each State educational agency 
receiving a grant under subsection (a)(1) shall--
            ``(1) identify the local educational agencies served by the 
        State educational agency that--
                    ``(A) have the highest number or percentage of 
                children in poverty; and
                    ``(B) demonstrate to such State educational agency 
                the greatest need for technical assistance in 
                developing the application under section 3133; and
            ``(2) provide eligible local applicants with assistance 
        in--
                    ``(A) developing applications under section 3134;
                    ``(B) forming partnerships among the entities 
                described in section 3136(1)(B);
                    ``(C) meeting the standards and performance 
                indicators as referred to in section 3130(5)).

``SEC. 3133. STATE APPLICATION.

    ``To receive funds under this subpart, a State educational agency 
shall submit an application to the Secretary at such time, in such 
manner, and accompanied by such information as the Secretary may 
reasonably require. As part of its application, a State educational 
agency shall submit a new or updated statewide educational 
instructional technology plan. The plan submitted shall demonstrate how 
such technology plan will be coordinated with and support the State 
plan or policies for comprehensive standards-based education reform, 
and shall describe--
            ``(1) the State educational agency's long-term strategies 
        for financing educational technology in the State, including 
        how the State educational agency will use other sources of 
        Federal and non-Federal funds for this purpose;
            ``(2) the State educational agency's criteria for 
        identifying a local educational agency as high-poverty, serving 
        at least one low-performing school, and having a substantial 
        need for technology, and how the State educational agency will 
        report to the public the criteria to be used and the outcome of 
        the competition;
            ``(3) the State educational agency's specific goals for 
        using advanced technologies to improve student achievement to 
        challenging State academic content and performance standards 
        by--
                    ``(A) using web-based resources and 
                telecommunications networks to provide challenging 
                content and improve classroom instruction;
                    ``(B) using research-based teaching practices and 
                models of effective uses of advanced technology to 
                promote basic skills in core academic areas and higher-
                order thinking skills in all students; and
                    ``(C) promoting sustained and intensive, high-
                quality professional development that increases teacher 
                capacity to enable students to learn to challenging 
                State content and performance standards and develop 
                higher-order thinking skills through the integration of 
                technology into instruction;
            ``(4) the State educational agency's strategy for 
        disseminating information about software and other technology 
        applications that are aligned to the States' content standards;
            ``(5) the State educational agency's performance indicators 
        for each of the goals described in paragraph (3) and included 
        in its plan, baseline performance data for the indicators, a 
        timeline for achieving the goals, and interim measures of 
        success toward achieving the goals;
            ``(6) how the State educational agency will ensure that 
        grants to eligible local applicants are of sufficient size, 
        scope, and quality to meet the purposes of this subpart 
        effectively;
            ``(7) how the State educational agency will provide 
        technical assistance to eligible local applicants, and its 
        capacity for providing such assistance;
            ``(8) how the State educational agency will ensure that 
        educational technology is accessible to, and usable by, all 
        students, including students with special needs, such as 
        students who have disabilities or limited English proficiency;
            ``(9) how the State will achieve, to the extent 
        practicable, an equitable geographic distribution of grant 
        funds to eligible local educational agencies; and
            ``(10) how the State educational agency will evaluate its 
        activities under the plan as such activities relate to the 
        specific goals of the State outlined in paragraph (3), 
        including its impact on student achievement for all students, 
        and the ability of teachers to integrate technology into the 
        core academic curriculum.

``SEC. 3134. LOCAL APPLICATIONS.

    ``(a) In General.--Each eligible local applicant desiring 
assistance from a State educational agency under section 3132(a)(2) 
shall submit an application, consistent with the objectives of the 
systemic statewide plan, to the State educational agency at such time, 
in such manner and accompanied by such information as the State 
educational agency may reasonably require. Such application, at a 
minimum, shall--
            ``(1) include a strategic, long-range (three- to five-
        year), plan that includes--
                    ``(A) a description of how the applicant plans to 
                improve the achievement of all students by--
                            ``(i) making effective use of new 
                        technologies, networks, and electronic learning 
                        resources;
                            ``(ii) using research-based teaching 
                        practices and models of effective uses of 
                        advanced technology to promote basic skills in 
                        core academic areas and higher-order thinking 
                        skills in all students; and
                            ``(iii) promoting sustained and intensive, 
                        high-quality professional development that 
                        increases teacher capacity to enable students 
                        to learn to challenging State content and 
                        performance standards and develop higher-order 
                        thinking skills through the integration of 
                        technology into instruction;
                    ``(B) a description of how the local goals are 
                aligned with the State goals;
                    ``(C) a description of the applicant's goals 
                regarding the use of educational technology to meet the 
                purposes of this subpart, as well as the applicant's 
                baseline data, timelines, benchmarks, and indicators of 
                success for meeting these goals;
                    ``(D) a description of how the applicant will 
                ensure sustained and intensive, high-quality 
                professional development for teachers, administrators, 
                and other educational personnel to further the 
                effective use of technology in the classroom;
                    ``(E) a description of the administrative and 
                technical support that the applicant will provide 
                schools;
                    ``(F) the projected timetable for implementing such 
                plan in schools;
                    ``(G) the projected cost of technologies to be 
                acquired and related expenses needed to implement such 
                plan; and
                    ``(H) a description of the applicant's strategy for 
                financing its strategic, long-term local technology 
                plan, including the use of other Federal and non-
                Federal funds;
                    ``(I) a description of how the applicant will use 
                advanced technology to promote communication between 
                teachers for activities such as--
                            ``(i) sharing examples of student work;
                            ``(ii) developing instructional strategies 
                        that promote basic skills in core academic 
                        areas and higher-order thinking skills in all 
                        students;
                            ``(iii) developing challenging curricula 
                        aligned with State or local standards;
                            ``(iv) using data to improve teaching and 
                        learning; and
                    ``(J) a description of how the applicant will use 
                technology to improve the teaching and learning of 
                students with special needs, such as students with 
                disabilities or limited English proficiency.
            ``(2) describe how the applicant included parents, public 
        libraries, business leaders, and community leaders in the 
        development of the strategic long-term local technology plan 
        described in paragraph (1);
            ``(3) describe how the acquired instructionally based 
        technology will help the local educational agency--
                    ``(A) promote equity in education in order to 
                support State content standards and State student 
                performance standards that may be developed; and
                    ``(B) provide access for teachers, parents, and 
                students to the best teaching practices and curriculum 
                resources through technology;'';
            ``(4) describe a process for the ongoing evaluation of how 
        technologies acquired under this section--
                    ``(A) affect student achievement and progress 
                toward meeting challenging State content standards and 
                State student performance standards; and
                    ``(B) are integrated by teachers into the school's 
                curriculum;
            ``(5) describe how the applicant will use subgrant funds to 
        benefit low-performing schools in integrating technology into 
        the curriculum;
            ``(6) describe how the applicant will ensure that 
        technology is accessible to, and usable by, all students, 
        particularly students with disabilities or limited English 
        proficiency;
            ``(7) describe how the applicant will ensure that schools 
        receive information about software and curricula that is 
        aligned to the State content standards;
            ``(8) include an assurance that, before any funds received 
        under this subpart are used for acquiring wiring or access to 
        advanced telecommunications, the applicant will use all 
        resources available to it; and
            ``(9) if the applicant is a partnership, describe the 
        members of the partnership, their respective roles, and their 
        respective contributions to improving the capacity of the local 
        educational agency.
    ``(b) Coordination of Application Requirements.--If an eligible 
local applicant submitting an application for assistance under this 
section has developed a comprehensive education improvement plan, in 
conjunction with requirements under this Act, the State educational 
agency may approve such plan, or a component of such plan, if the State 
educational agency determines that such approval will further the 
purposes of this subpart.

``SEC. 3135. LOCAL USES OF FUNDS.

    ``Each eligible local applicant shall use the funds made available 
under section 3132(a)(2)(A)(i) for 1 or more of the following 
activities:
            ``(1) Acquiring, adapting, or expanding existing and new 
        applications of technology to enable teachers to help students 
        to achieve to challenging State content and performance 
        standards through the use of research-based teaching practices 
        and advanced technologies.
            ``(2) Providing sustained and intensive, high-quality 
        professional development in the integration of advanced 
        technologies into the curriculum, including training in the use 
        of technology to access data and resources to develop curricula 
        and instructional materials that are aligned to the challenging 
        State academic content standards in core academic subjects.
            ``(3) Enabling teachers to use the Internet to communicate 
        with other teachers, parents, and students, and retrieve web-
        based learning resources.
            ``(4) Using technology to enable teachers and 
        administrators to collect, manage, and analyze data to identify 
        strengths and weaknesses in academic programs to enhance school 
        improvement efforts.
            ``(5) Acquiring wireless telecommunications, hand-held 
        devices, modeling or simulation tools, distance learning 
        networks, and other advanced technologies with classroom 
        applications.
            ``(6) Acquiring effective technology-based curricula 
        programs that will help students to achieve to challenging 
        State academic content and student performance standards, 
        including programs that enable parental access to advanced 
        telecommunications, and support communications between parents 
        and school.
            ``(7) Acquiring wiring and access to advanced 
        telecommunications.
            ``(8) Using web-based learning resources, including those 
        that provide access to rigorous courses such as advanced 
        placement courses.
            ``(9) Assisting schools to use technology to promote parent 
        and family involvement, and support communications between 
        family and school.

``SEC. 3136. DEFINITIONS.

    ``For purposes of this subpart--
            ``(1) the term `eligible local applicant' means--
                    ``(A) a local educational agency that, as 
                determined by the State educational agency,--
                            ``(i) is among the local educational 
                        agencies in the State with the highest numbers 
                        or percentages of children from households 
                        living in poverty;
                            ``(ii) includes one or more low-performing 
                        schools; and
                            ``(iii) has a substantial need for 
                        assistance in acquiring and using technology; 
                        or
                    ``(B) a partnership that includes not less than one 
                local educational agency that meets the requirements of 
                subparagraph (A) and not less than one--
                            ``(i) local educational agency that can 
                        demonstrate that teachers in schools served by 
                        that agency are using technology effectively in 
                        their classrooms;
                            ``(ii) institution of higher education in 
                        full compliance with sections 207 and 208 of 
                        the 1998 Higher Education Act Amendments;
                            ``(iii) for-profit organization that 
                        develops, designs, manufactures, or produces 
                        technology products or services, or has 
                        substantial expertise in the application of 
                        technology; or
                            ``(iv) public or private non-profit 
                        organization with demonstrated experience in 
                        the application of educational technology; and
            ``(2) the term `low-performing school' means a school--
                    ``(A) identified by the local educational agency 
                for school improvement under section 1116(c) of this 
                Act; or
                    ``(B) in which a substantial majority of students 
                fail to meet State performance standards based on State 
                or local assessments that are aligned to the 
                performance standards.

``SEC. 3137. EVALUATION AND REPORT.

    ``(a) Evaluation.--Each State shall evaluate on an annual basis the 
progress and success of its grant recipients in carrying out the 
statewide educational instructional technology plan. The State shall 
provide a copy of its evaluation to the Secretary, beginning on October 
1, 2002, and each succeeding October 1 thereafter.
    ``(b) Report.--Not later than 180 days after the evaluation 
described in subsection (a) is completed, the Secretary shall submit a 
report to both the Committee on Education and the Workforce of the 
House of Representatives and the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, 
and Pensions of the Senate regarding the success of each State in 
achieving the goals outlined in its State plan.

``SEC. 3138. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.

    ``For purposes of carrying out this subpart, there are authorized 
to be appropriated $500,000,000 for fiscal year 2001 and such sums as 
may be necessary for each of the four succeeding fiscal years.''.
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