For Immediate Release
July 17, 2006
Technology Immersion Pilot Project announced
School districts encouraged to apply for grants
SPRINGFIELD, Ill. – The Illinois State Board
of Education announced today, along with Lt. Gov. Pat
Quinn, an innovative technology program now available
for eligible schools.
ISBE and the Lt. Governor’s office have worked
in concert to implement this pilot project for the
2006-2007 school year – the Technology Immersion
Pilot Project, which will be in seven school districts
throughout Illinois.
The pilot program is designed to promote the integration
of technology into teaching and learning through the
provision of wireless laptop computers, related software,
hardware, staff development, technical support, and
other instructional materials to students, teachers
and relevant administrators in participating districts.
The legislation is designed to establish this three
year program which was passed in 2004 but did not receive
an appropriation until Fiscal Year 2007. The Fiscal
Year 2008 and 2009 funding is contingent on a sufficient
annual appropriation from the General Assembly. If
funding is available, then the program will be extended
one year at a time contingent upon the program making
satisfactory progress in the preceding year.
The Illinois State Board of Education will issue a
Request For Proposal (RFP) in July to select the school
districts that will participate in the project. According
to legislation, the districts must include the City
of Chicago Public School District 299; three school
districts chosen from the region comprising that portion
of Cook County that is located outside of Chicago and
the counties of DuPage, Kane, Lake, McHenry, and Will;
and three districts in the remainder of the state.
Within the seven school districts to be chosen, ISBE
will fund at least nine schools (three in Chicago and
one each in the other six school districts).
Eligible applicants include school districts, public
university laboratory schools approved by the Illinois
State Board of Education, charter schools, area vocational
centers and any public school operated by an agency
of the State of Illinois that:
- serve students in and configuration of
grades 6 through 8;
- have State-approved technology plans;
- and either
- have one or more schools in Academic
Early Warning or Academic Watch status; or
- serve
a significant percentage of students whose identified
needs would make the use of technology
devices more necessary or effective in their
education than
is the case for the student population as a whole.
The
eligible applicants for this competitive grant
program, the application process, and the
criteria
for ranking eligible proposals are all described
in emergency rules of the Illinois State Board
of Education
(23 Ill. Adm. Code 365, Technology Immersion
Pilot Project) which took effect on June 26,
2006.
These emergency rules will be in effect
for a maximum of 150 days. During that time, “regular” rulemaking
on the same subject will be completed and can
remain in effect as long as needed. Those proposed
rules,
which are identical to the emergency rules,
have been posted on ISBE’s web site, www.isbe.net/rules/proposed,
and comments may be submitted through August
21, 2006, as indicated in that posting.
Interested
school districts must submit an intent to
apply document to ISBE upon their decision
to apply
for this program. Directions for this document
will be in the RFP.
If they want to submit
a RFP, applicants are also required to attend a free
grant-writing
workshop,
that is open
to the public, on the core concepts of
this teaching
methodology. These grant-writing workshops
will be offered in both Chicago and Springfield.
- Chicago: 1-4:30 p.m. July 25
at the University of Illinois at Chicago
in Conference room C at Student
Center West, 828 S. Wolcott. Parking is one block away at Wood and
Taylor for minimal fee.
- Springfield: 9-12:30 p.m. July 26 at the University
of Illinois at Springfield in the Public
Affairs Building, Conference Room C/D. Free parking is located in Lot
C across the street.
Seating is limited for the workshops. Please RSVP
for the workshops by contacting Dan Persky from the
Lt. Governor’s office at 312-814-5220. The Office
of Lt. Governor Pat Quinn should also be contacted
if there are any questions about the workshops.
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