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CHAPTER 61a
EDUCATIONAL TECHNOLOGY
Table of Contents
Sec. 4d-80. Commission for Educational Technology.
Sec. 4d-81. Educational technology account.
Sec. 4d-81a. Grants to further the use of technology, including education in technology.
Sec. 4d-82. Connecticut Education Network State-Wide Universal Service Fund application.
Sec. 4d-82a. Ed-Net account.
Sec. 4d-83. Technical assistance. Purchasing under state-wide contracts. Report.
Sec. 4d-84. Technology standards.
Sec. 4d-85. State-wide standard for teacher and administrator competency in the use of technology for industrial purposes.
(a) There is established
a Commission for Educational Technology within the Department of Information Technology for administrative purposes only. The commission shall consist of: (1) The Chief
Information Officer of the Department of Information Technology, or the Chief Information Officer's designee, the Commissioners of Education and Higher Education, or their
designees, the State Librarian, or the State Librarian's designee, the chairperson of the
Department of Public Utility Control, or the chairperson's designee, the chief executive
officers of the constituent units of the state system of higher education, or their designees,
(2) one member each representing the Connecticut Conference of Independent Colleges,
the Connecticut Association of Boards of Education, the Connecticut Association of
Public School Superintendents, the Connecticut Educators Computer Association, and
the Connecticut Library Association, (3) a secondary school teacher designated by the
Connecticut Education Association and an elementary school teacher designated by
the Connecticut Federation of Educational and Professional Employees, and (4) four
members who represent business and have expertise in information technology, one
each appointed by the Governor, the Lieutenant Governor, the speaker of the House of
Representatives and the president pro tempore of the Senate. The Lieutenant Governor
shall convene the first meeting of the commission on or before September 1, 2000.
(b) The commission shall elect a chairperson from among its members. Subject to
the provisions of chapter 67, and within available appropriations, the commission may
appoint an executive director and such other employees as may be necessary for the
discharge of the duties of the commission. Notwithstanding any provision of the general
statutes, the executive director shall have the option to elect participation in the state
employees retirement system, or the alternate retirement program established for eligible
employees in higher education or the teachers' retirement system.
(c) The commission shall:
(1) Be the principal educational technology policy advisor for state government;
(2) Develop, oversee and direct the attainment of state-wide technology goals including:
(A) Connecting all institutions of higher education, libraries, public elementary and
secondary schools, regional educational service centers and other parties through a state-
wide high speed, flexible network that will allow for video, voice and data transmission;
(B) Wiring all school classrooms and connecting them to the Internet and to the
state-wide high speed network through wired, wireless, or any other digital transmission
technology providing high speed connectivity;
(C) Providing access for all public schools, public libraries and libraries at institutions of higher education to a core set of on-line full text resources and to the ability to
purchase collaboratively for other collections in order to maximize buying power;
(D) Ensuring, in cooperation with the State Board of Education, competency in
computing skills by the sixth grade for all students;
(E) Ensuring competency in specific computing skills and the integration of technology into the curriculum for all public school teachers;
(F) Ensuring that institutions of higher education offer a wide range of course and
degree programs via the Internet and through other synchronous and asynchronous
methods;
(3) Coordinate the activities of all state agencies, educational institutions and other
parties involved in the creation and management of a reliable and secure network that will
offer connectivity and allow for the transmission of video, voice and data transmission
to every library, school, regional educational service center and institution of higher
education;
(4) Be the liaison between the Governor and the General Assembly and local, state
and federal organizations and entities with respect to educational technology matters;
(5) Develop and maintain a long-range plan and make related recommendations for
the coordination of educational technology. The plan shall (A) establish clear goals
and a strategy for using telecommunications and information technology to improve
education, (B) include a professional development strategy to ensure that teachers and
faculty know how to use the new technologies to improve education, (C) include an
assessment of the telecommunications, hardware, software and other services that will
be needed to improve education, and (D) include an evaluation process that monitors
progress towards the specified goals;
(6) Measure the availability and usage of Internet access sites available to the public,
including, but not limited to, those maintained by state and local government agencies,
libraries, schools, institutions of higher education, nonprofit organizations, businesses
and other organizations and recommend strategies for reducing the disparities in Internet
accessibility and usage across the state and among all potential users;
(7) Establish methods and procedures to ensure the maximum involvement of members of the public, educators, librarians, representatives of higher education, the legislature and local officials in educational technology matters and organize, as necessary,
advisory boards consisting of individuals with expertise in a particular discipline significant to the work of the commission;
(8) On or before January 1, 2001, and annually thereafter, the commission shall
report, in accordance with section 11-4a, on its activities, progress made in the attainment
of the state-wide technology goals as outlined in the long-range plan and any recommendations to the joint standing committee of the General Assembly having cognizance of
matters relating to education and appropriations and the budgets of state agencies, the
State Board of Education, and the Board of Governors of Higher Education. The report
shall include recommendations for adjustments to the funding formula for grants pursuant to section 10-262n if there are school districts that are at a disadvantage in terms of
wiring their schools and the use of technology in their schools;
(9) Enter into such contractual agreements, in accordance with established procedures, as may be necessary to carry out the provisions of this section;
(10) Take any other action necessary to carry out the provisions of this section.
(d) The Commission for Educational Technology may request any office, department, board, commission or other agency of the state to supply such reports, information
and assistance as may be necessary or appropriate in order to carry out its duties and
requirements.
(e) For purposes of this section, educational technology shall include, but not be
limited to: (1) Computer-assisted instruction; (2) information retrieval and data transfer;
(3) telecommunications related to voice, data and video transmission of instruction related materials and courses; (4) the development and acquisition of educational software;
and (5) the instructional uses of the Internet and other technologies.
(P.A. 00-187, S. 33, 75; P.A. 01-173, S. 3, 4, 51, 67.)
History: P.A. 00-187 effective July 1, 2000 (Revisor's note: In codifying this section the Revisors deemed an erroneous
reference in Subsec. (c)(9) to "section 40 of this act" to be a reference to section 41 of the act since that section provides
for information technology grants); P.A. 01-173 amended Subsec. (a) to make technical changes, amended Subsec. (b) to
add provisions re executive director retirement options and amended Subsec. (c)(2)(C) to add public schools, effective
July 1, 2001.
See Sec. 4-38f for definition of "administrative purposes only".
There is established an educational
technology account. The Commission for Educational Technology shall deposit in said
account any private donation, bequest or devise made to it to assist in the attainment of
the state-wide technology goals established pursuant to subdivision (2) of subsection
(c) of section 4d-80. Said account is intended to be in addition to those resources that
are appropriated by the state for technology purposes. The commission shall use the
resources of the account for activities related to the attainment of such goals.
(P.A. 00-187, S. 34, 75; June Sp. Sess. P.A. 01-9, S. 1, 131.)
History: P.A. 00-187 effective July 1, 2000 (Revisor's note: A reference to "The Commission on Educational Technology" was changed editorially by the Revisors to "The Commission for Educational Technology" for consistency with Sec.
4d-80); June Sp. Sess. P.A. 01-9 changed the name of the Educational Technology Fund to the educational technology
account, effective July 1, 2001.
Sec. 4d-81a. Grants to further the use of technology, including education in
technology. The Department of Information Technology may make grants to further
the use of technology, including education in technology.
(June Sp. Sess. P.A. 01-9, S. 79, 131.)
History: June Sp. Sess. P.A. 01-9 effective July 1, 2001.
Sec. 4d-82. Connecticut Education Network State-Wide Universal Service
Fund application. (a) The Commission for Educational Technology shall develop, with
the advice and assistance of the State Board of Education, the Board of Governors of
Higher Education and the Department of Information Technology, a five-year plan for
the implementation of the Connecticut Education Network to provide state-of-the-art,
high-speed, reliable Internet access and video, voice and data transmissions that electronically link all educational institutions in the state, including public and independent
institutions of higher education, the state's libraries and all elementary, middle and
secondary schools and other institutions including businesses, job centers and community organizations. The plan shall include the establishment of a Connecticut Digital
Library as a component of the Connecticut Education Network to ensure on-line access
by all students and citizens to essential library and information resources. The State
Library, in conjunction with the Department of Higher Education, shall administer the
Connecticut Digital Library. The Connecticut Digital Library shall provide access to
available on-line electronic full-text databases, a state-wide electronic catalog and interlibrary loan system and the electronic and physical delivery of library resources. The
Connecticut Digital Library shall include elements specifically designed to meet the
educational and research needs of the general public, higher education students and
faculty and elementary and secondary school students and teachers.
(b) The commission shall oversee the preparation and submission of a state-wide
application to the federal Universal Service Fund to enhance connectivity to the Connecticut Education Network, maximize participation and grant attainment rates, and
reduce overly burdensome administrative requirements which discourage local involvement. The commission shall prepare a feasibility report which sets forth (1) a review
of how and under what circumstances other states have successfully submitted state-
wide applications to the Universal Service Fund, (2) an analysis of what should specifically be incorporated into this state's application, and (3) an outline of necessary actions
to be taken by the commission for completion of a state-wide Universal Service Fund
application. The commission shall work, in consultation with the Departments of Education and Higher Education and the regional educational service centers on the feasibility
report. No later than March 31, 2001, and for every subsequent universal service funding
cycle, the commission shall submit a state-wide application for universal service funds.
(P.A. 00-187, S. 35, 75; P.A. 01-173, S. 5, 67.)
History: P.A. 00-187 effective July 1, 2000; P.A. 01-173 amended Subsec. (b) to make a technical change, effective
July 1, 2001.
(a) There is established a separate nonlapsing account within the General Fund to be known as the Ed-Net account. Any reimbursements
received by the Department of Information Technology for costs associated with the
Connecticut Education Network shall be deposited in the General Fund and credited to
the Ed-Net account to be used by said department to support the costs of said network.
(b) The funds made available to the Department of Information Technology in subsection (a) of this section, for Ed-Net, may be transferred by said department to state
agencies requiring funds for such purpose.
(May 9 Sp. Sess. P.A. 02-7, S. 99.)
History: May 9 Sp. Sess. P.A. 02-7 effective August 15, 2002.
(a) The Department of Information Technology, in consultation with the Department of Education, shall provide (1) technical assistance to local and regional boards
of education and regional vocational-technical schools to expand their educational technology capabilities, including, but not limited to, wiring, Internet connectivity and technical support, and (2) opportunities for such boards of education and schools to purchase
under state-wide contracts.
(b) The department shall report, annually, in accordance with section 11-4a, to the
joint standing committee of the General Assembly having cognizance of matters relating
to education on the assistance provided pursuant to subsection (a) of this section.
(P.A. 00-187, S. 36, 75.)
History: P.A. 00-187 effective July 1, 2000.
The Department of Information Technology,
after consultation with the Commission for Educational Technology and the State Board
of Education, shall develop minimum and model technology standards, including wiring, wireless and connectivity standards, for school construction projects under chapter
173 and for the grant program established pursuant to section 10-262n.
(P.A. 00-187, S. 38, 75.)
History: P.A. 00-187 effective July 1, 2000.
Sec. 4d-85. State-wide standard for teacher and administrator competency
in the use of technology for industrial purposes. The Commission for Educational
Technology, in cooperation with the Department of Education, shall develop, by July
1, 2001, and shall update every two years thereafter: (1) A state-wide standard for teacher
and administrator competency in the use of technology for instructional purposes, and
(2) a state-wide plan to assist teachers and administrators to achieve the standard. The
commission shall assess the resources necessary to achieve such goal. The commission
shall submit the plan to the General Assembly.
(P.A. 00-187, S. 42, 75.)
History: P.A. 00-187 effective July 1, 2000.
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