1     
DIGITAL TEACHING AND LEARNING PROGRAM PROPOSAL

2     
2015 GENERAL SESSION

3     
STATE OF UTAH

4     
Chief Sponsor: Howard A. Stephenson

5     
House Sponsor: Francis D. Gibson

6     

7     LONG TITLE
8     General Description:
9          This bill requires the State Board of Education and UETN to develop a digital teaching
10     and learning program proposal and provide technical support to LEAs.
11     Highlighted Provisions:
12          This bill:
13          ▸     requires the State Board of Education to establish a digital teaching and learning
14     task force to develop a funding proposal for digital teaching and learning in
15     elementary and secondary schools;
16          ▸     requires the State Board of Education to develop a master plan for a statewide
17     digital teaching and learning program;
18          ▸     requires the Utah Education and Telehealth Network:
19               •     to conduct an inventory of the public education system's current technology
20     resources;
21               •     to perform an engineering study to determine the technology infrastructure
22     needs of the public education system to implement a digital teaching and
23     learning program; and
24               •     as funding allows, to provide infrastructure and technology support for school
25     districts and charter schools; and
26          ▸     requires the State Board of Education and the Utah Education and Telehealth
27     Network to report to the Education Interim Committee and the Executive
28     Appropriations Committee.
29     Money Appropriated in this Bill:

30          This bill appropriates in fiscal year 2016:
31          ▸     to the Utah Education and Telehealth Network as a one-time appropriation:
32               •     from the Education Fund, $4,000,000; and
33          ▸     to the State Board of Education - Utah State Office of Education - Initiative
34     Programs as a one-time appropriation:
35               •     from the Education Fund, $1,000,000.
36     Other Special Clauses:
37          This bill provides a special effective date.
38          This bill provides a coordination clause.
39     Utah Code Sections Affected:
40     ENACTS:
41          53A-1-710, Utah Code Annotated 1953
42     

43     Be it enacted by the Legislature of the state of Utah:
44          Section 1. Section 53A-1-710 is enacted to read:
45          53A-1-710. Digital teaching and learning program task force -- Funding proposal
46     for a program -- Master plan -- Reporting requirements.
47          (1) As used in this section:
48          (a) "Board" means the State Board of Education.
49          (b) "Core subject areas" means the following subject areas:
50          (i) English language arts;
51          (ii) mathematics;
52          (iii) science; and
53          (iv) social studies.
54          (c) "High quality professional learning" means the professional learning standards
55     described in Section 53A-3-701.
56          (d) "LEA plan" means an LEA's plan to implement a digital teaching and learning
57     program that meets requirements set by the board.

58          (e) "Local education agency" or "LEA" means:
59          (i) a school district;
60          (ii) a charter school; or
61          (iii) the Utah Schools for the Deaf and the Blind.
62          (f) "Statewide assessment" means a test of student achievement in English language
63     arts, mathematics, or science, including a test administered in a computer adaptive format,
64     which is administered statewide under Part 6, Achievement Tests.
65          (g) "Utah Education and Telehealth Network" or "UETN" means the Utah Education
66     and Telehealth Network created in Section 53B-17-105.
67          (2) (a) The board shall establish a digital teaching and learning task force to develop a
68     funding proposal to present to the Legislature for digital teaching and learning in elementary
69     and secondary schools.
70          (b) The digital teaching and learning task force shall include representatives of:
71          (i) the board;
72          (ii) UETN;
73          (iii) LEAs; and
74          (iv) the Governor's Education Excellence Commission.
75          (3) (a) The board, in consultation with the digital teaching and learning task force
76     created in Subsection (2), shall create a funding proposal for a statewide digital teaching and
77     learning program designed to:
78          (i) improve student outcomes through the use of digital teaching and learning
79     technology; and
80          (ii) provide high quality professional learning for educators to improve student
81     outcomes through the use of digital teaching and learning technology.
82          (b) The board shall:
83          (i) identify outcome based metrics to measure student achievement related to a digital
84     teaching and learning program; and
85          (ii) develop minimum benchmark standards for student achievement and school level

86     outcomes to measure successful implementation of a digital teaching and learning program.
87          (4) As funding allows, the board shall develop a master plan for a statewide digital
88     teaching and learning program, including the following:
89          (a) a statement of purpose that describes the objectives or goals the board will
90     accomplish by implementing a digital teaching and learning program;
91          (b) a forecast for fundamental components needed to implement a digital teaching and
92     learning program, including a forecast for:
93          (i) student and teacher devices;
94          (ii) Wi-Fi and wireless compatible technology;
95          (iii) curriculum software;
96          (iv) assessment solutions;
97          (v) technical support;
98          (vi) change management of LEAs;
99          (vii) high quality professional learning;
100          (viii) Internet delivery and capacity; and
101          (ix) security and privacy of users;
102          (c) a determination of the requirements for:
103          (i) statewide technology infrastructure; and
104          (ii) local LEA technology infrastructure;
105          (d) standards for high quality professional learning related to implementing and
106     maintaining a digital teaching and learning program;
107          (e) a statewide technical support plan that will guide the implementation and
108     maintenance of a digital teaching and learning program, including standards and competency
109     requirements for technical support personnel;
110          (f) (i) a grant program for LEAs; or
111          (ii) a distribution formula to fund LEA digital teaching and learning programs;
112          (g) in consultation with UETN, an inventory of the state public education system's
113     current technology resources and other items and a plan to integrate those resources into a

114     digital teaching and learning program;
115          (h) an ongoing evaluation process that is overseen by the board;
116          (i) proposed rules that incorporate the principles of the master plan into the state's
117     public education system as a whole; and
118          (j) a plan to ensure long-term sustainability that:
119          (i) accounts for the financial impacts of a digital teaching and learning program; and
120          (ii) facilitates the redirection of LEA savings that arise from implementing a digital
121     teaching and learning program.
122          (5) UETN shall:
123          (a) in consultation with the board, conduct an inventory of the state public education
124     system's current technology resources and other items as determined by UETN, including
125     software;
126          (b) perform an engineering study to determine the technology infrastructure needs of
127     the public education system to implement a digital teaching and learning program, including
128     the infrastructure needed for the board, UETN, and LEAs; and
129          (c) as funding allows, provide infrastructure and technology support for school districts
130     and charter schools.
131          (6) On or before December 1, 2015, the board and UETN shall present the funding
132     proposal for a statewide digital teaching and learning program described in Subsection (3) to
133     the Education Interim Committee and the Executive Appropriations Committee, including:
134          (a) the board's progress on the development of a master plan described in Subsection
135     (4); and
136          (b) the progress of UETN on the inventory and study described in Subsection (5).
137          Section 2. Appropriation.
138          Under the terms and conditions of Title 63J, Chapter 1, Budgetary Procedures Act, for
139     the fiscal year beginning July 1, 2015, and ending June 30, 2016, the following sums of money
140     are appropriated from resources not otherwise appropriated, or reduced from amounts
141     previously appropriated, out of the funds or accounts indicated. These sums of money are in

142     addition to any amounts previously appropriated for fiscal year 2016.
143          To State Board of Education - Utah State Office of Education
144               From Education Fund, one-time
$1,000,000

145               Schedule of Programs:
146                    Board and Administration               $1,000,000
147          To the Utah Education and Telehealth Network
148               From Education Fund, one-time
$4,000,000

149               Schedule of Programs:
150                    Technical Services                    $4,000,000
151          The Legislature intends that:
152          (1) the State Board of Education use the $1,000,000 appropriation to the State Board of
153     Education under this section to establish a task force and prepare a funding proposal for a
154     statewide digital teaching and learning program as described in Section 53A-1-710; and
155          (2) the Utah Education and Telehealth Network use the $4,000,000 appropriation to the
156     Utah Education and Telehealth Network:
157          (a) to conduct an inventory of the state public education system's current technology
158     resources as required in Section 53A-1-710;
159          (b) to perform an engineering study as required in Section 53A-1-710; and
160          (c) for infrastructure and technology support for school districts and charter schools.
161          Section 3. Effective date.
162          (1) Except as provided in Subsection (2), this bill takes effect on May 12, 2015.
163          (2) Uncodified Section 2, Appropriation, takes effect on July 1, 2015.
164          Section 4. Coordinating H.B. 222 with H.B. 2 -- Substantive and technical
165     amendments.
166          If this S.B. 222 and H.B. 2, Public Education Budget Amendments, both pass and
167     become law, the Legislature intends that the following intent language applies to H.B. 2
168     Uncodified Section 3, Operating and capital budgets, "The Legislature intends that the State
169     Board of Education may use the appropriation for K-12 Digital Literacy for purposes of

170     creating a digital teaching and learning task force and funding proposal as described in Section
171     53A-1-710."