‘‘SEC. 3132. TECHNOLOGY LITERACY CHALLENGE FUND.
‘‘(a) GRANTS TO STATES.—
‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—From amounts made avail-
able under section 3131, the Secretary, through the
Office of Educational Technology, shall award
grants to State educational agencies having applica-
tions approved under section 3133.
‘‘(2) USE OF GRANTS.—(A) Each State edu-
cational agency that receives a grant under para-
graph (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, in-
cluding students with disabilities or limited
English proficiency, to achieve to challenging
State academic content and performance stand-
ards through the use of research-based teaching
practices and advanced technologies; and
‘‘(ii) subject to subparagraph (D), the re-
mainder of the grant funds for administrative
costs and technical assistance, and the develop-
ment 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 subpara-
graph (A)(i), a State educational agency shall give
priority to an eligible local applicant that is a part-
nership that meets the requirements of section
3136(1).
‘‘(D) From the funds described in subpara-
graph (A)(i), a State educational agency may use
not more than 2 percent of the grant funds it re-
ceives under this subpart to provide planning sub-
grants to eligible local applicants in order to assist
them in developing strategic long-term local tech-
nology plans that shall be included in the application
for a subgrant under section 3134(a)(1).
‘‘(b) TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE.—Each State edu-
cational 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 percent-
age of children in poverty; and
‘‘(B) demonstrate to such State edu-
cational agency the greatest need for technical
assistance in developing the application under
section 3133; and
‘‘(2) provide eligible local applicants with assist-
ance in—
‘‘(A) developing applications under section
3134;
‘‘(B) forming partnerships among the enti-
ties described in section 3136(1)(B);
‘‘(C) meeting the standards and perform-
ance indicators as referred to in section
3130(5)).
‘‘SEC. 3133. STATE APPLICATION.
‘‘To receive funds under this subpart, a State edu-
cational agency shall submit an application to the Sec-
retary 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 instruc-
tional technology plan. The plan submitted shall dem-
onstrate 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-pov-
erty, 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 com-
petition;
‘‘(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 tele-
communications networks to provide challenging
content and improve classroom instruction;
‘‘(B) using research-based teaching prac-
tices and models of effective uses of advanced
technology to promote basic skills in core aca-
demic areas and higher-order thinking skills in
all students; and
‘‘(C) promoting sustained and intensive,
high-quality professional development that in-
creases teacher capacity to enable students to
learn to challenging State content and perform-
ance standards and develop higher-order think-
ing 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 perform-
ance indicators for each of the goals described in
paragraph (3) and included in its plan, baseline per-
formance 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 en-
sure that grants to eligible local applicants are of
sufficient size, scope, and quality to meet the pur-
poses of this subpart effectively;
‘‘(7) how the State educational agency will pro-
vide technical assistance to eligible local applicants,
and its capacity for providing such assistance;
‘‘(8) how the State educational agency will en-
sure that educational technology is accessible to, and
usable by, all students, including students with spe-
cial 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 activi-
ties 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 aca-
demic curriculum.
‘‘SEC. 3134. LOCAL APPLICATIONS.
‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—Each eligible local applicant de-
siring 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 edu-
cational 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 stu-
dents by—
‘‘(i) making effective use of new tech-
nologies, 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 inten-
sive, high-quality professional development
that increases teacher capacity to enable
students to learn to challenging State con-
tent and performance standards and de-
velop higher-order thinking skills through
the integration of technology into instruc-
tion;
‘‘(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, bench-
marks, and indicators of success for meeting
these goals;
‘‘(ii) developing instructional strate-
gies that promote basic skills in core aca-
demic 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 par-
ents, public libraries, business leaders, and commu-
nity 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 de-
veloped; 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 evalua-
tion of how technologies acquired under this
section—
‘‘(A) affect student achievement and
progress toward meeting challenging State con-
tent 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 stu-
dents, particularly students with disabilities or lim-
ited English proficiency;
‘‘(7) describe how the applicant will ensure that
schools receive information about software and cur-
ricula that is aligned to the State content standards;
‘‘(8) include an assurance that, before any
funds received under this subpart are used for ac-
quiring wiring or access to advanced telecommuni-
cations, 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 REQUIRE-
MENTS.—If an eligible local applicant submitting an appli-
cation for assistance under this section has developed a
comprehensive education improvement plan, in conjunc-
tion with requirements under this Act, the State edu-
cational 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 sub-
part.
‘‘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 teach-
ers 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, includ-
ing 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 sub-
jects.
‘‘(3) Enabling teachers to use the Internet to
communicate with other teachers, parents, and stu-
dents, 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, dis-
tance learning networks, and other advanced tech-
nologies with classroom applications.
‘‘(6) Acquiring effective technology-based cur-
ricula programs that will help students to achieve to
challenging State academic content and student per-
formance 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, in-
cluding those that provide access to rigorous courses
such as advanced placement courses.
‘‘(9) Assisting schools to use technology to pro-
mote 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-per-
forming schools; and
‘‘(iii) has a substantial need for as-
sistance 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 Amend-
ments;
‘‘(iii) for-profit organization that de-
velops, designs, manufactures, or produces
technology products or services, or has
substantial expertise in the application of
technology; or
‘‘(iv) public or private non-profit orga-
nization 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 stand-
ards 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 recipi-
ents in carrying out the statewide educational instruc-
tional 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 Representa-
tives 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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