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1998 SESSION
982164128Patrons-- Puller, Bennett, Christian, Councill, Crittenden, Darner, Hull, Rhodes, Van Landingham and Van Yahres; Senators: Couric, Edwards, Howell, Lucas, Quayle, Saslaw and Woods
WHEREAS, recognizing that "educational technology is one of the most important components, along with highly skilled teachers, in ensuring the delivery of quality public school education throughout the Commonwealth" and that "education technology can only be successful if teachers and administrators are provided adequate training and assistance," the General Assembly established a variety of initiatives to support educational technology in the public schools in 1995, pursuant to § 22.1-199.1 of the Code of Virginia; and
WHEREAS, these initiatives addressed funding for educational technology and set priorities to support technology resource assistants, automate library media centers, provide network capabilities in Virginia's public schools, ensure access to the statewide library and other information networks, and address the retrofitting and upgrading of existing school buildings to efficiently use educational technology; and
WHEREAS, supporting this commitment to educational technology is Standard 5 of the Standards of Quality, which directs the Board of Education to assist local school boards in ensuring that instructional personnel are "proficient in the use of educational technology" consistent with this Plan pursuant to the Standards of Quality; and
WHEREAS, these educational technology initiatives will enhance classroom learning capabilities through distance learning opportunities that are critical to smaller and more remote school divisions; and
WHEREAS, the recently revised Standards of Learning for mathematics, English, social studies, and science incorporate curriculum standards for computer skills and technology and state that "the teaching of these skills should be the shared responsibility of teachers of all disciplines"; and
WHEREAS, acknowledging that the "efficient use of state resources dedicated to the acquisition of technology to provide access to the electronic classroom throughout the Commonwealth requires a comprehensive examination of the state's educational technology infrastructure," the General Assembly created the Commission on Educational Infrastructure pursuant to House Joint Resolution No. 135 (1996) to "develop and recommend, in collaboration with the Select Committee on School Construction and the Select Committee on Educational Technology, an educational technology master plan which incorporates current networking and funding initiatives and provides a vision for meeting future school construction and educational technology needs as Virginia embarks upon the 21st century"; and
WHEREAS, to provide an educational program of the highest quality for all students, it is essential to build upon the efforts of these special studies and to continue to support the Commonwealth's commitment to improving educational technology in the public schools; and
WHEREAS, while some school divisions have updated local technology plans to establish connectivity with Net.Work.Virginia, the Commonwealth's precedent-setting high-speed network, a technology needs assessment and appropriate guidelines for connectivity will promote uniformity and expanded access to educational technology throughout Virginia's public schools; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED by the House of Delegates, the Senate concurring, That the [
Board Department ] of Education be requested to assess
the technology needs of local school divisions and to develop guidelines for
technology connectivity for the public schools. Such guidelines shall include
school local area networks, architectural models, definitions for local and
shared services, and leveraging volume purchase agreements, and shall be
designed to help ensure that the Commonwealth is connected through a network
infrastructure to support K-12 school initiatives for the 21st century, provide
access for voice, video, and data telecommunications, and enhance the
educational quality and experience for students across the Commonwealth. In
developing such guidelines, the [ Board Department ] shall
collaborate with the Center for Innovative Technology [ , the Council on
Information Management, ] and high-technology companies in the Commonwealth,
and shall consider the work of the Commission on Infrastructure and such other
issues as it deems appropriate.
All agencies of the Commonwealth shall provide assistance to the [
Board Department ] , upon request.
The [ Board Department ] shall complete its work in time to report
its findings and recommendations to the House Committees on Education and
Appropriations and the Senate Committees on Education and Health and Finance by
December 1998 and shall submit such findings and recommendations to the
Governor and the 1999 Session of the General Assembly as provided in the
procedures of the Division of Legislative Automated Systems for the processing
of legislative documents.