1.1                          A bill for an act 
  1.2             relating to education; requiring the adoption of 
  1.3             technology standards; establishing technology for 
  1.4             staff development grants; requiring a statewide audit 
  1.5             of technology; appropriating money; proposing coding 
  1.6             for new law in Minnesota Statutes, chapter 125B. 
  1.7   BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MINNESOTA: 
  1.8      Section 1.  [125B.021] [TECHNOLOGY STANDARDS; ADOPTION.] 
  1.9      The commissioner of children, families, and learning shall 
  1.10  adopt rules to incorporate the international society for 
  1.11  technology education standards for students into the graduation 
  1.12  standards. 
  1.13     Sec. 2.  [TECHNOLOGY STAFF DEVELOPMENT GRANTS.] 
  1.14     Subdivision 1.  [ESTABLISHMENT.] Staff development grants 
  1.15  are established to ensure that all teachers are prepared to 
  1.16  integrate international society for technology education 
  1.17  standards for students across all subject areas. 
  1.18     Subd. 2.  [GRANT AWARDS; ELIGIBILITY; APPLICATION.] The 
  1.19  commissioner of children, families, and learning shall award 
  1.20  grants to school sites to provide training for effective use of 
  1.21  technology.  Grant awards must not exceed $2,500.  To be 
  1.22  eligible for a grant, school sites must meet the following 
  1.23  requirements: 
  1.24     (1) provide districtwide staff development opportunities 
  1.25  that align with the international society for technology 
  1.26  education standards for students; 
  2.1      (2) embed technology certification credits in the school 
  2.2   site's requirements for staff development; and 
  2.3      (3) provide on-site technical support. 
  2.4      Grant applicants must submit an application in the form and 
  2.5   manner prescribed by the commissioner. 
  2.6      Sec. 3.  [EDUCATIONAL TECHNOLOGY WORK GROUP.] 
  2.7      Subdivision 1.  [ESTABLISHMENT.] The commissioner of 
  2.8   children, families, and learning shall convene an educational 
  2.9   technology work group to plan for technology integration in 
  2.10  kindergarten through grade 12 schools and to oversee a statewide 
  2.11  audit of the status of technology in public schools. 
  2.12     Subd. 2.  [MEMBERSHIP.] The commissioner shall convene a 
  2.13  work group of at least 15 members.  Three-fourths of the members 
  2.14  must be practitioners in kindergarten through grade 12 
  2.15  educational technology and one-fourth of the membership must be 
  2.16  technology experts from outside the kindergarten through grade 
  2.17  12 system with a vested interest in improving technology 
  2.18  integration in schools.  The membership must be knowledgeable of 
  2.19  international society for technology education standards for 
  2.20  students, national educational technology standards for 
  2.21  teachers, district technology planning, and state graduation 
  2.22  standards.  The membership must have experience in integrating 
  2.23  technology at the kindergarten through grade 12 level and be 
  2.24  familiar with models of technology in other states and at the 
  2.25  national level.  
  2.26     Subd. 3.  [AUDIT.] The work group must conduct a statewide 
  2.27  audit of the status of technology in schools.  The audit must 
  2.28  include a review of people, platform, and policies regarding 
  2.29  technology integration in each school district.  The e-schools 
  2.30  matrix or another similar tool that allows for comparisons 
  2.31  across districts must be revised. 
  2.32     Subd. 4.  [RECOMMENDATIONS.] Based on the audit results, 
  2.33  the work group must make recommendations to the department of 
  2.34  children, families, and learning for how to proceed with moving 
  2.35  forward with kindergarten through grade 12 technology across the 
  2.36  state.  The work group must recommend equitable funding 
  3.1   mechanisms to move every school district up on the e-schools 
  3.2   matrix.  The work group must report the results of the audit and 
  3.3   the recommendations to the education committees of the 
  3.4   legislature by December 1, 2003. 
  3.5      Sec. 4.  [DEPARTMENT OF CHILDREN, FAMILIES, AND LEARNING 
  3.6   STAFFING.] 
  3.7      The department of children, families, and learning must 
  3.8   have one staff person designated as the head of kindergarten 
  3.9   through grade 12 technology.  This staff person must collaborate 
  3.10  with a counterpart in the office of technology to bring in 
  3.11  outside government and business resources to the state for the 
  3.12  purpose of creating literate digital citizens of Minnesota. 
  3.13     Sec. 5.  [APPROPRIATIONS.] 
  3.14     Subdivision 1.  [DEPARTMENT OF CHILDREN, FAMILIES, AND 
  3.15  LEARNING.] The sums in this section are appropriated from the 
  3.16  general fund to the department of children, families, and 
  3.17  learning in the fiscal year indicated. 
  3.18     Subd. 2.  [STATEWIDE TECHNOLOGY AUDIT.] For a statewide 
  3.19  technology audit: 
  3.20       $10,000,000     .....     2002
  3.21     This appropriation is available until June 30, 2003.  The 
  3.22  department may contract services to complete the audit. 
  3.23     Subd. 3.  [TECHNOLOGY STAFF DEVELOPMENT GRANTS.] For 
  3.24  technology staff development grants: 
  3.25       $10,000,000     .....     2002
  3.26       $15,000,000     .....     2003
  3.27     Any balance in the first year does not cancel but is 
  3.28  available in the second year.