NH State Tech Plan 2001

The mission of the New Hampshire Department of Education is to provide educational leadership and services which promote equal educational opportunities and quality practices, as well as programs that enable NH residents to become fully productive members of society.

B. Vision

Educational technology is one component of a larger system for improved student outcomes. Technology should be integrated into the curriculum in such a manner that it cannot be separated from the learning process. Utilizing current educational technology can ensure the academic achievement of every student and guide the development and implementation of improved classroom practices.

New Hampshire students will use educational technology to develop strategies for solving problems, enhance their access to information, collect data, analyze data, increase productivity, produce creative work, communicate ideas, improve learning, and develop workforce skills. Students will interact with information in a dynamic process rather than just as static sets of facts appearing on a printed page. Teachers will appropriately assess student progress through the use of educational technology, and school and district administrators will use technology in all aspects of school management. Commitments from government, university, district, community and private resources will be coordinated to ensure this vision is a reality for New Hampshire students.

Examples of NH school districts that have successfully met goals and objectives of this technology plan will be shared as a part of the dissemination of this plan. In particular links, will be provided on the electronic version of this plan to be posted on the New Hampshire Educators Online (NHEON) web portal available at www.nheon.org.

C. The NH Educational Technology Council

The Technology Council was formed for the purpose of creating a shared understanding and to contribute to the vision of effective technology integration within all segments of NH's educational system. The NH Technology Council serves as an advisory group to the NH OET for developing policy, pursuing funding opportunities, designing infrastructure, enlisting private sector support, and evaluating progress toward the vision of effective technology integration.

Maintaining representation of all stakeholder groups is essential to the process of articulating a NH vision of effective technology integration within the state's education system at all levels. Representatives for superintendents, principals, curriculum and technology coordinators, assistive technology consultants, teachers, state policy makers, representatives from business and industry, economic development organizations, key educational organizations and communities will help continue to guide this plan to make that vision a reality. The role of a Council member is to maintain ongoing communication with the stakeholders that member represents. In this way, the plan’s implementation can be a collaborative effort between educators in the field and the NH Department of Education.

Technology Council members will be identified by the Local Educational Support System Centers envisioned within this plan. (See section III below.) Specific stakeholders must be represented on advisory groups for each Local Center. A policy will be developed for rotating representation of the various stakeholder groups from each Local Center to be a representative on the State Educational Technology Council.

II. GOALS AND OBJECTIVES

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Goal 1: All students and teachers will have access to information technology in classrooms, schools, communities and homes.

The New Hampshire Department of Education (NH OET) will take a leadership role in developing guidelines for technology infrastructure for new and existing facilities. These infrastructure standards will be integrated with local district educational plans as well as those plans of teacher education programs. These guidelines will be based upon advances in technology and scientifically based research. The definition of technology tools extends beyond the computer workstation and includes personal digital assistants (PDAs), scientific instruments, robotic tools, interactive white boards, assistive technology, etc.

NH OET will continue to make this information available to schools, families, and communities through the NHEON web portal. The department will also encourage opportunities that will put technology tools and resources in the hands of students. Whenever possible, NHDOE will create partnerships with other community organizations in order to advance this goal. For example, NHDOE will encourage advantageous pricing for technology tools and for distance learning opportunities that can be available for all members of the community.

A. Technology Foundations

1. As of June 30, 2004 each NH public school will have a ratio of 5:1 students per modern multimedia computers. The definition of modern multimedia computer will be updated annually with notification provided to school districts through the annual NH Technology Survey.

2. As of June 30, 2004 each NH public school teacher will have access to a modern multimedia computer and presentation system.

3. As of June 30, 2007 each NH public school will provide technology maintenance and support, including network support. This may be contracted services or permanently employed staff. While recognizing that support required for classroom technology is directly proportional to the age of the hardware and the topology of the network, the following formula will be used to evaluate district support:

[(# high end)/300] + [(# mid range)/150] + [(# low end/75] = # of personnel

4. The rationale for this formula includes the assumption that high end computers usually have a minimum one year warranty. Purchasing computers that are not a recognized name brand will impact technology support effectiveness and not a practice endorsed by NHDOE. Please note that schools that are using stand alone workstation configurations will probably require more support personnel than indicated by this formula, while application/terminal network models may require somewhat less.

5. School district technology plans will include a description of the steps the district will take to ensure that all students, including students with special needs, and teachers have increased access to technology. The description must include how the district will use educational technology funds to help students in high-poverty and high-needs schools or schools identified for improvement or corrective action under section 1116 of Title I, and to help ensure that teachers are prepared to integrate technology effectively into curricula and instruction.

6. School district technology plans must include:

a. strategies for meeting the above three requirements

b. methods for identifying the types of hardware, software, and services to be acquired during the period of the plan

c. provisions for addressing the interoperability of components.

7. School district technology plans will provide a description of how the district will use educational technology funds to acquire and maintain technology infrastructure. Any funds administered by the NHDOE used for the purchase of central processing units (CPUs) will meet the most current mid- or high-end levels as defined by the NH Technology Survey. Application/terminal networks should have workstations that function at the same levels. School districts should be aware that the older the technology the greater the impact on the support formula in Goal 1, item A.3 above.

8. School district technology plans must address an upgrade or replacement policy for hardware.

9. Combining a generous grant from Tyco International, Ltd. with a cooperative effort from the NH Department of Corrections and the NH Department of Education, the NH Governor's Computers in the Schools (CITS) Program provides New Hampshire public schools with modern, high-speed computer systems. Through the CITS program, inmates involved in the NH Correctional Industries Program upgrade and build three types of computer systems. The Tyco International, Ltd. donation allows the CITS Program to offset a portion of the costs of upgrading and building each type of computer system. The remaining cost, based on three levels of need, is the school's total cost per computer system. This program will continue to be promoted by NH OET on the NHEON web portal and through outreach to districts. Any CPUs purchased through this program using funds administered by NHDOE must be the CITS program's highest level CPU.

B. Connectivity

1. As of June 30, 2004 each NH school district will have high bandwidth (T1 or better) access within their district to the Internet via broadband, wired, or wireless. Regional access will include connectivity to a two-way, multipoint, synchronous video conferencing statewide area network.

2. By June 30, 2004 each school will have an internal network (LAN) that has the capability to deliver high bandwidth Internet to each instructional area, office, and lab environment.

3. As of June 30, 2007 each NH public school district will be able to demonstrate that community access to technology resources exists either directly through the school building or from other locations within the community.

4. As of June 30, 2002 each school district receiving services or monies from federal educational technology funding, will be compliant with the Children's Internet Protection Act (CIPA).

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Goal 2: All teachers will use technology effectively to help students achieve high academic standards.

The NH OET has encouraged the alignment of teacher and teacher educator standards to National Education Standards for Teachers (NET-S) and the National Council for the Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE) technology integration standards. This process will continue. The Levels of Technology Implementation (LoTi) survey is currently used in NH to assess educator progress with technology standards, based on integration into content areas. The NH OET will continue to explore assessment and evaluation tools for the purposes of gauging professional staff capacity to effectively integrate technology in the classroom. These assessments will include teachers, administrators, school support staff, and state-level leaders. Incentives for professional development that emphasize technology integration and student assessment will continue to be encouraged.

The NH OET will take a leadership role in developing guidelines for professional development and staff support for the integration of technology into the classroom. These guidelines will be based upon advances in technology and scientifically-based research, as well as student assessment data in support of the following Goal 3.

A. Professional Development

1. All school districts receiving educational technology dollars or services through the NHD OET will administer the LoTi Teacher Self Assessment Survey each year to their staff. At least 75% of educational staff within these districts must take the survey. The NH OET will provide assistance to districts in analyzing the results of LoTi to enable them to take advantage of appropriate professional development opportunities.

2. Educational funding for professional development administered by NHDOE will be given only to those entities that agree to provide opportunities aligned with best-practice criteria identified by scientifically based research. These criteria include high-quality training programs with intensive follow-up with support and other growth-promoting processes such as study groups, action research, mentoring, and peer coaching. Such professional development opportunities will be evaluated against National Staff Development Council (NSDC) Standards for Staff Development and align with NH administrative rule ED 512, which governs the development of Local Professional Development Master Plans.

3. Beginning in the Summer of 2002, NHDOE will provide an electronic professional development calendar through the NHEON web portal. This calendar can be searched by key words and areas of interest. All NH professional development providers meeting NSDC standards will be encouraged to use and promote their offerings through this calendar. Technology related professional development activities will be correlated to LoTi levels.

4. Priority funding will be given to entities that can provide solutions for creating quality time for teaching staff to take advantage of professional development opportunities. For example, entities that provide a cadre of substitute teachers in a region that can free teachers to meet with their peers in order to share and develop effective technology integration strategies.

5. The Marco Polo resources, Connected University distance learning courses, and other quality resources and professional development opportunities will continue to be promoted throughout the state.

6. School district technology plans will provide a description of how the district will use educational technology funds to improve the capacity of all teachers in schools served by the LEA to integrate technology effectively into curriculum and instruction.

7. School district technology plans will provide a description of how the district will provide ongoing, sustained professional development for teachers, administrators, specialists, and para-professionals to further the effective use of technology in both the classroom and the library media center.

B. Teacher Standards

1. NHDOE will continue to ensure that the NH teacher certification standards and the process for teacher preparation program approval incorporates National Educational Technology Standards for Teachers (NETS-T) and Information Power Standards.

2. As of June 30, 2007 each NH school district with over 20 FTE teaching staff positions will provide teacher support for the integration of technology into the curriculum. This support will be in a ratio similar to 0.5 FTE staff position for every 60 FTE staff.

3. NH OET will ensure that teacher standards information is promoted through ETNews and the NHEON web portal.

4. Local school district Professional Development Master Plans, school district technology plans, and school district improvement plans will be aligned, and interrelated. For example, technology integration should be a part of the teacher evaluation process. If the school district does not have a local educational improvement plan, the mission, vision, goals, objectives and strategies of the Local Professional Development Master Plan and the school district technology plan will be considered the same as that of the local educational improvement plan.

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Goal 3: All students will have technology & information literacy skills.

New Hampshire is committed to meeting the needs of all learners to obtain a high-quality education. The current NH Curriculum Frameworks have technology standards embedded within the different content areas. These technology standards need to be more closely aligned to the National Educational Technology Standards for Students (NETS-S) and Information Literacy Standards for Student Learning (Information Power). Student assessment must include progress in meeting technology standards and technology must be used as a tool in the measurement process.

Technology tools will enable us to better meet the needs of our diverse student population. Standards for technology tools for use in NH education will include universal usability and interoperability. The NHDOE will promote, and provide whenever possible, quality educational tools equitably statewide.

A. Student Standards

1. By June 30, 2007 student technology standards will be embedded within all areas of the NH Curriculum Frameworks. These technology standards will be based upon the National Educational Technology Standards for Students (NETS-S) and Information Literacy Standards for Student Learning (Information Power). The NHDOE will engage a task force including stakeholders from statewide technology organizations such as the New Hampshire Affiliate of the International Society for Technology in Education (NHSTE) and library organizations such as the New Hampshire Educational Media Association (NHEMA) to be a part of this process. NH student competency information will continue to be available online.

2. School district technology plans will provide a description of the district's specific goals aligned with NETS standards for using advanced technology to improve student academic achievement. As well as a description of the district method for assessing that every student is technologically literate by the time the student finishes the eighth grade.

3. Statewide assessment will reflect the technology standards embedded within the NH Curriculum Frameworks and will use current technology to evaluate student progress on these standards. NHDOE will investigate strategies to make this an on-line assessment format and will be looking at what other states, such as Pennsylvania and Oregon, are doing with this.

4. School district technology plans will provide a description of how the district will use educational technology funds to improve the academic achievement, including technology literacy, of all students, including those with unique technology requirements, attending schools served by the LEA.

5. NHDOE will explore the feasibility of updating the NH student technology literacy standards within the NH School Minimum Standards. Recently developed by the Western NH Business and Education Partnership, IT & Me is a comprehensive Information Technology Career Pathway. It starts with a 9th grade foundation course called IT & Me, maps the skills and knowledge required of K-12 students, and outlines degree program options. The Pathway is built on industry standards and delivers the academic, technical, and employability skills required to live, learn, and work within our knowledge economy. In response to the growing need for a technically literate workforce, the IT Pathway includes four areas of specialization: Programming & Software Development, Network Systems, Interactive Media, and Information Services and Support. Although the IT & Me curriculum project was originally created as an initial course for students to take with the intention of attracting students to technology career pathways, it will be promoted within NH high schools as a recommended plan for all high school students.

6. NHDOE will continue to identify models of technology curricula and exemplary curricula aligned with the NH Frameworks. This information will be promoted through ETNews and the NHEON web portal with a view to support districts strengthening their own local curricula.

7. School district technology plans will include a description of how the district will integrate technology (including software and electronically delivered learning materials) into curricula and instruction and a timeline for this integration.

8. The New Hampshire Department of Education has designed and piloted a local assessment and recording system called the Competency-Based Assessment System (CBAS). This system uses a three-tiered approach to assessment:

a. Looking at student work in relation to the written, approved, standard of performance,

b. Professional judgment of trained, experienced teachers, and

c. Exemplars of student work in the area being assessed.

The Competency-Based transcript document itself combines the recording of traditional grades, test scores, and class ranking with a place and method for recording a student’s proficiency in a number of skill areas, including problem solving, self-management, communication skills, ability to work with others and information use (technology, research, analysis), as well as the core academic areas of English language arts, mathematics, science, social studies, and integrated arts.

In 2001-2002 two projects funded through Technology Literacy Challenge Fund (TLCF) worked on technology tools to assist with the management of the CBAS. The result of these projects is the customized application, Alternative Instructional Measurement System (AIMS). This software will be piloted with 14 school districts in 2003 and will be available for use in all school districts by June 30, 2005.

9. NHDOE will continue to provide information and incentives for NH school districts to purchase application software that is Student Interoperability Frameworks (SIF) compliant.

B. Instructional Opportunities

1. NHDOE, along with other educational stakeholders, will develop a statewide virtual private network (VPN) for sharing and collaboration. Incentives will be provided for all school districts, especially rural or economically challenged communities, to become a part of this network. This network will be used for connectivity between schools, communities, and the state. The activities of the NHDOE will include investigation of funding opportunities for this electronic network.

2. NHDOE will work together with stakeholders to assist in developing alternative high school environments such as a state secondary school focused on math, science, and technology and a virtual high school.

3. NHDOE, together with an educational support system (see section III below), will assist schools with the development of policy and practice in the use of online courses, tutoring, and online alternative programs.

4. NHDOE will collaborate with statewide providers to develop an online learning policy and practice resource guide, made available through the NHEON web portal and promoted through ETNews.

5. School district technology plans will provide a description of how the district will identify and promote curricula and teaching strategies that integrate technology effectively into curricula and instruction, based on scientific research and leading to improvements in student academic achievement.

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Goal 4: Research and evaluation will improve the next generation of technology applications for teaching and learning.

NHDOE will provide assistance to school districts to facilitate the collection of data for the purposes of data-driven decision making. This will include disseminating information about technology tools currently available to school districts, as well as promoting the development of better tools for these tasks. Training in data-driven decision making will be a part of the work conducted by the NHDOE. This training will be for NHDOE staff through the efforts of the department Data Team (see Goal 5, item C.4 below) and for school administrators through the School Administrators Leading with Technology (SALT) program described below in Goal 5, item A.6.

Research findings will be disseminated throughout NH. This includes findings from research studies conducted as part of the current PT3 project and E2T2 projects. A statewide technology research agenda within each NH higher education institution program will continue to be a priority beyond the period of these federal grants. Scientifically based research projects will be encouraged and funded whenever possible.

A. Dissemination of Research and Evaluation Information

1. Key research and evaluation information will continue to be disseminated through a variety of means, including ETNews, the NHEON web portal, conferences, and periodic meetings with educators and organizations.

2. NH was the recipient of Preparing Tomorrow's Teachers to Use Technology grants. The work conducted through these grants has resulted in a library of materials including video clips of promising educational practices in New Hampshire. These resources will be made available electronically through the NHEON web portal. The NHDOE will identify an application for facilitation of the submission, storage, and dissemination of these resources. By June 30, 2003, this application will be available to educators statewide.

3. Scientifically-based research directly related to the data currently collected by NHDOE will be encouraged and funded whenever possible.

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Goal 5: Digital content and networked applications will transform teaching and learning.

A. Administrative Systems

1. In the Summer of 2002, the NHDOE will be implementing a Standard Email Address Practice (SEAP) for communication between the Department and LEAs. This project is in conformance with RFC 2146. SEAP is part of a larger effort by the NHDOE to utilize and maintain electronic formats for the work conducted between the NHDOE and its constituents. This larger initiative is called Electronic Formats Policy (EFP). SEAP will require LEAs to configure their email servers with distribution lists that direct email from NHDOE to groups of educators that apply to be on a particular list. For example lists will include a specific content area and/or a specific grade level area, such as mathematics and/or middle school. In this way we can direct notifications to the field electronically. It is expected the system will be fully operational by September 1, 2005, after which time the NHDOE will be using email and electronic formats as the preferred method of communication.

2. By June 30, 2004 all professional certificates issued by the NHDOE will be done electronically. Information on professionals certified in NH will be maintained within the same software application.

3. The NHDOE will continue to work together with school districts to deploy district software applications that track individual educator professional development activities for certification tied to certification databases here at the NHDOE.

4. By June 30, 2007 the NHDOE will maintain all grants to schools districts on a web-based electronic system. This system will replace the current "Form 2" currently used by the NHDOE. The new system will have the capacity to be accessed by the Department as well as authorized LEA managers.

5. By June 30, 2005 all NH school districts will have access to the portfolio and competency based transcript software (AIMS) for use within their schools.

6. By June 30, 2005, all superintendents and principals in NH will have been offered the opportunity to participate in our SALT program. Seeded with monies from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, these multi-day workshops will be based upon standards from the Interstate School Leaders Licensure Consortium (ISSLC) and National Educational Technology Standards for Administrators (NETS-A/TSSA). The vision for these workshops is to improve administrative leadership capacity through the effective use of technology and to create positive school change that directly impacts improved student learning.

B. Virtual Schools

1. Distance learning opportunities for diverse learners will be disseminated through an educational support system outlined in section III below. Opportunities will also be included on the NHEON web portal. They will serve as a resource for school districts that require assistance to help students meet annual yearly progress.

2. The NHDOE, together with an extended educational support system (section III below), will explore the viability of a statewide virtual school. By June 30, 2004 a decision will be reached on how to provide this service.

3. Current local efforts are underway to create a virtual museum with primary sources available through the NH State Library, NH Historical Society, and local historical sources. By June 30, 2004 this resource will be available through the NHEON web portal.

4. School district technology plans will provide a description of how the district will encourage the development and use of innovative strategies for the delivery of specialized or rigorous courses and curricula through the use of technology, including distance learning technology, particularly in areas that would not otherwise have access to such courses or curricula due to geographical distances or insufficient resources.

C. Digital Resources

1. NHDOE will collaborate with other statewide providers and educational organizations to ensure a statewide effort to digitize rich education materials and make them available through the NHEON web portal. This will include:

a. A software application for promising educational practices as identified through the PT3 project and the NHDOE promising practices initiative.

b. Electronic databases for school library use currently provided by the NH State Library.

2. NHDOE will work with Technology Council members to explore the feasibility of aggregating demand for digital content and networked applications.

3. NHDOE will assist schools in the development of policy and practice in the use of student information systems (both local and web based) to provide access to student grades, attendance, schedules, etc.

4. In 2001 the NHDOE created the Data Team. This is a team made up of staff from all areas of the department that are responsible for the collection, storage, and/or dissemination of data. The mission of this team is to create a department-wide technology-oriented data system which will support the department's mission and that will provide a foundation for effective data-driven decisions. Current goals focus on the development of a data dictionary with consistent language across all offices in the department, providing guidelines and frameworks on collecting data, coordinating data issues by developing a process to reduce disconnections in our data collection and ensuring that interagency needs connected to our work are included. NHDOE will be looking at models in other states, such as Mississippi and Texas, for strategies that may be adapted here in NH.

5. School district technology plans will provide a description of the supporting resources, such as services, software, other electronically delivered learning materials, and print resources that will be acquired to ensure successful and effective uses of technology.

6. Policy guidelines for state and local web access for students, parents, and community members will promote universal accessibility.

III. STRATEGIES FOR PLAN IMPLEMENTATION

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No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB; 2002) offers New Hampshire an opportunity to comprehensively plan for improved educational outcomes throughout the state. Although this plan directly addresses the state’s educational technology vision, it provides the initial steps for the NHDOE to combine efforts with local centers for a school support delivery system.

The state of New Hampshire continues to struggle with the process for funding education within all NH schools. Until the debate is resolved, there are no state educational technology dollars earmarked for implementation of this State Educational Technology Plan. Funding received through Title II Subpart D: Enhancing Education Through Technology (E2T2) from NCLB and local school district (LEA) dollars will create the foundation for this support delivery system in the first years of this plan. In subsequent years funding will be leveraged from foundation and other grant opportunities, including federal funding within other titles under NCLB. New Hampshire has also begun the process of seeking state funding to coordinate with this initiative. This plan represents an attempt to consolidate educational technology initiatives in a comprehensive statewide plan aimed at improving NH education.

A. New Hampshire Educational Support System

The mission of New Hampshire's Educational Support Delivery System is to offer a comprehensive statewide system for sharing high-quality educational practices, based upon scientific research to meet the needs of all learners in NH. Local centers will provide resources and a supportive environment responsive to local needs. In addition, they will facilitate communication between the state and local levels.

While E2T2 dollars are focused upon high poverty LEAs, the NHDOE believes that those dollars will be most effective if they can be used within consortia of school districts that include the most needy as well as districts capable of leading the way with technology integration. Consortia of institutions of higher education, vocational centers, business and industry, profit and non-profit organizations, as well as school districts from all levels of economic need will form support centers located throughout NH. This vision includes ten centers throughout the state. These centers would have the capacity to provide:

1. Professional development opportunities, especially assistance to educators with initial steps to take advantage of distance learning opportunities. Support center staff would have to include those with significant and diverse expertise in areas of technology integration. A minimum of 50% of professional development offerings should be delivered by educators currently employed by school districts in the region.

2. Easily accessed sites where equipment and experts for a variety of technologies, including synchronous, multi-point video conferencing are located. This specifically includes bandwidth availability to host websites that mirror state initiatives such as on-line testing/surveys.

3. Staff to aggregate LEA technology purchases including hardware, software, and connectivity. This would include working directly with LEA curriculum and technology directors, as well as staff at other local educational support centers and NH OET staff.

4. Assistance for districts to applying for grant opportunities and to assist with e-rate applications. This would include working directly with LEA business administrators.

5. Assistance with state and federal assessments and evaluations, facilitated by technology tools, offering data to inform decision making by all stakeholders.

6. Data warehousing services, file servers, and filtering solutions.

7. Coordination of programs provided by individuals and organizations that meet the needs of students, families, and community members.

8. Organizing and staffing an Oversight Committee to include stakeholder representation from:

a. superintendents

b. principals

c. school instructional staff

d. ancillary school staff

e. parents

f. school boards

g. institution(s) of higher education

h. business and/or industry (optional)

i. non-profit organizations (optional)

9. Ensuring that the Oversight Committee meets regularly to be certain that identified local needs are being addressed. The Oversight Committee must actively seek input from teachers, school staff, parents, and students to determine ongoing needs of students and families.

10. Local Center Oversight Committee members will participate on the NH State Technology Council on a rotating basis. Technology Council terms will be staggered to maintain continuity and allow for growth. Policy for specific stakeholder representation will be developed.

11. Organize and oversee a local needs assessment process and implement strategies to strengthen community relationships (see www.communityschools.org/tech.html ).

These educational support centers as funded with E2T2 dollars will initially be focused upon assisting high need school districts with the integration of technology into the curriculum. However, these centers can expand their offerings with funding from other sources such as other federal funds, foundation support, support from business and industry, and ultimately NH state dollars. The local educational support center model is currently used with many of the special education, vocational education, and distance learning dollars available to NH. Local educational support centers having an educational technology focus are a step forward in creating a comprehensive educational support system. Activities currently conducted regionally will be tied to the centers begun as a result of this plan.

The educational support system model will enable services to be tailored to unique local needs. The centers will provide a mechanism for sharing information, troubleshooting, and implementing solutions locally. This model for educational outreach will also facilitate partnerships between schools and community-based organizations.

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1. Timeline and Activities

a. In year one, an initial Request for Proposals (RFP) will be released to the field (expected to be June 30, 2002 in year one). Up to ten (10) teams, each including two high poverty school districts (50% or higher of their students in poverty) and one other potential consortia partner representative will be selected to develop a comprehensive plan to form a local educational support center. A high need school district may apply individually to be a center, however additional points will be awarded for consortia of school districts. Applications for this original competition will have at most a two-month window. A school district member of an applicant consortium is the only member of the partnership that may serve as fiscal agent.

b. Applicants selected from the original competition will be given a high-end laptop and projector to be retained by the high poverty school districts. The equipment will be used to conduct regional outreach to form a more diverse consortium and develop a three-year comprehensive plan to be a regional consortium. At a minimum, each consortium must include two additional school districts (for a minimum total of four school districts) and a higher education partner. Deadlines for consortia plans will be within five months from the original release date of the RFP. School districts included within the consortia must submit a district technology plan at this time.

c. Submitted three-year comprehensive plans will be evaluated by New Hampshire Department of Education staff and professionals from the field against a rubric incorporating elements of this technology plan. Final selection of consortia will also be dependent upon the regional location of the consortia in order to provide equitable distribution across the state and to provide for both urban and rural needs. Comprehensive plans must have a primary focus on how they will meet the needs of high need school districts.

d. By July 1, 2003, E2T2 competitive grants will fund up to four local educational support centers, initially focused on professional development for the use of technology, throughout the state. Through this competitive process, consortia consisting of at least two high poverty school districts, other school districts, institutes of higher education, vocational centers, non-profit organizations, and other entities will be selected for this first cohort. Each center will be awarded $250,000 from E2T2 for the first year of operation. These four centers will then be offered an opportunity to reapply for $150,000 from E2T2 in the second year and $100,000 from E2T2 in the third year. It is expected that these centers will actively seek other sources of revenue to operate beyond year three.

e. Subsequent year two and year three awards will be contingent upon successful agency performance as determined by contract reports and a midyear monitoring visit by NHDOE. A Request for Continuation (RFC) process will be used to solicit annual program and spending plans necessary to support subsequent year contracts. Funding for these centers will be in the spring of each year.

f. By July 1, 2004, E2T2 competitive grants will fund up to a total of seven local educational support centers throughout the state. There will be four local educational support centers from Cohort I and an additional three centers, forming Cohort II, which will follow the same funding cycle as Cohort I.

g. By July 1, 2005, E2T2 competitive grants will fund up to a total of ten local educational support centers throughout the state. This will put 94% of all NH school districts within a 30 mile radius of at least one local educational support center. The remaining 6% of school districts, located in the north of the state, would be within less than a 50 mile radius of the nearest local educational support center.

h. The following table is a timeline of the funding structure from E2T2 funds outlined above. Any competitive funds remaining will be allocated to local educational support centers for special projects related to state initiatives.

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Center	Year One Funding	Year Two Funding	Year Three Funding	Year Four Funding	Year Five Funding
1	$250,000	$150,000	$100,000
2	$250,000	$150,000	$100,000
3	$250,000	$150,000	$100,000
4	$250,000	$150,000	$100,000
5		$250,000	$150,000	$100,000
6		$250,000	$150,000	$100,000
7		$250,000	$150,000	$100,000
8			$250,000	$150,000	$100,000
9			$250,000	$150,000	$100,000
10			$250,000	$150,000	$100,000
Total	$1,000,000	$1,350,000	$1,600,000	$750,000	$300,000

i. School districts not included within the original local educational support center consortia may take advantage of the services provided through E2T2 funding at the local educational support centers only if they have an approved technology plan on file with the NH OET.

j. Whenever possible, New Hampshire Department of Education administrators of other ESEA programs will be encouraged to use the resources at the local educational support center and to provide services through this network. This network will be a strong support for those schools not meeting annual yearly progress.

k. Local districts will be encouraged to participate in professional development opportunities by providing reasonable access, support, and incentives to their staff. Incentives may include:

i.Professional development allocations from school district formula funds (minimum of 25% of school district formula funds) to school districts may be used to offer stipends to participating staff.

ii.Priority registration may be given to school districts that have membership in the consortia or provide services to the region through the center.

l. Consortia plans that leverage E2T2 formula allocations from school districts in combination with competitive funds are preferred.

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2. Mid-Year Deliverables

By the middle of year one, centers must be able to demonstrate that they have:

a. Coordinated training to school districts in the use of the resources provided from the NH OET, including those available through the NHEON web portal.

b. Provided state of the art technology resources for educators to work with. This includes a base of common assistive technology options.

c. Provided access and introductory training for professional development programs funded through federal technology programs. These opportunities will be for all administrators and educational staff in public and non-public schools in NH. However, centers must be able to demonstrate that high need school districts are given priority training and that technology leaders in high need school districts have been trained as turnkey trainers for their LEA.

d. Worked with partner sites to engage in project activities and assist in the creation of online resources available to all NH educators through the NHEON web portal.

e. Worked together with the NHDOE and statewide providers to provide frequent high quality professional development opportunities to NH teachers. While some of these opportunities may be directly funded by NHDOE, centers will be encouraged to continue successful efforts begun with funding from previous rounds of Technology Literacy Challenge Fund.

f. Maintained a web presence through the NHEON web portal, including the statewide professional development calendar. This will require a staff position with specific administrative responsibilities for updating portions of the resources available through the statewide portal.

g. Delivered services equitably across hardware platforms.

h. Worked together with all partners to implement the NH State Educational Technology Plan.

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3. Accomplished Tasks

Before the start of the following summer, local educational support centers must:

a. Identify and recruit persons and organizations willing to offer programs and services for students and families in the region or to assist with operations.

b. Negotiate agreements with persons and organizations to provide services.

c. Form an Oversight Committee to determine hours of operation, security, and procedures for dealing with other needs such as providing for substitute teachers and child care needs.

d. Develop a schedule of programs and activities to be offered and maintain updates on the state Professional Development Calendar.

e. Establish a procedure to coordinate and monitor programs and activities.

f. Establish a procedure to assist regional school districts without an approved technology plan to develop one.

g. Implement and maintain a process that encourages referrals to programs and services offered within the region and alerts the Oversight Committee to the need for programs not already offered. This procedure should enable the staff of the local educational support center to evaluate and make recommendations of programs to the Oversight Committee.

h. Oversee janitorial and security services for ensuring that facilities are clean and safe for participants.

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4. General Responsibilities

While some of the above responsibilities may be contracted out, general administration responsibilities by the local educational support center include:

a. Oversee payroll for program

b. Purchase/order materials and supplies

c. Provide regular reports to the Oversight Committee and NH OET

d. Regular participation as a member on the NH Technology Council.

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B. District Technology Planning

By June 30, 2004 each New Hampshire public school district will have an updated three-year district technology plan. This plan may be for multiple districts within an SAU.

1. Plans will correlate to and reflect the vision of the State of New Hampshire Educational Technology Plan. Plans will be referenced to components of the electronic NHDOE Technology Planning Guide available on the NHEON web portal. The NH Local Technology Planning Guide is currently under revision. These revisions include the school district technology plan objectives outlined above as well as requiring district technology plans to:

a. Provide a description of how the district will use technology effectively to promote parental involvement and increase communication with parents, including a description of how parents will be informed of the technology used.

b. Provide a description of how programs will be developed, where applicable, in collaboration with adult literacy service providers.

c. Provide a description of the process and accountability measures that the applicant will use to evaluate the extent to which activities funded with educational technology dollars are effective in integrating technology into curricula and instruction, increasing the ability of teachers to teach, and enabling students to reach State standards.

2. The NH OET will encourage and support districts in their efforts to update Local Tech Plans annually using the electronic Technology Planning Guide.

3. All school districts receiving educational technology dollars administered by the NHDOE will complete an annual online NH Technology Survey. The electronic Technology Planning Guide will correlate with the annual online Technology Survey and with the district technology plan. These will be available on the NHEON web portal. District data within this online survey/planning system will be updated on a yearly basis.

4. Beginning September 30, 2004, school district technology plans will be submitted to the NH OET through an online technology plan interface. The OET will approve both public and non-public school technology plans. All school district technology plans will be reviewed within 45 days of receipt. Reviewers of technology plans will include both NH OET staff and qualified educators from NH.

5. School district technology plans will be integrated with Professional Development Master Plans of the school district and form the basis of a comprehensive school improvement plan.

6. By June 30, 2004, the NH OET will identify school districts without approved technology plans and assist them in developing one.

7. Each school will identify at least one contact person to serve as recipient of regular electronic communications (ETNews) from the OET.

8. NH OET will update the Technology Planning Guide at least annually to reflect current best practices for technology planning. The Technology Planning Guide will include criteria for hardware, software, integration support ratios, and professional development activities based upon well-researched best practices.

9. NH OET will develop an “online tech tools reference area” categorized by types of tech tools (wireless laptops, digital cameras, PDAs, etc.) with descriptions of effective educational uses and research citations.

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