Special Education Services
Educational Technology
March 2013
If your District has a technology plan that will expire on June 30, 2013, please note that there is a new technology plan template on the IIRC. Below, ISBE has provided a writing guide to help districts through the new template and provide writing guidance. For access to the IIRC, log-in or register at https://iirc.niu.edu/MyIIRC/Login.aspx?ReturnUrl=%2fMyIIRC%2fHome.aspx
2012-2013 Materials:
- ISBE District Technology Plan 2012-2013 Writing Guide
(Revised 11/12) - Goal Examples (Revised 1/13)
- CIPA Information
- Technology Portion Of District Integrated Plan IIRC Template Worksheets
(Revised 2/13)
Tech
Plan Overview
An approved Technology Integration Plan (TIP) is required of Local Education Agencies (LEA) for participation in and eligibility for priority two e-Rate reimbursement or discounts*, and other state or federal funding initiatives, which support educational technology.
- Technology Plan requirements for e-Rate under the law can be found online at:
Approval Process
Final plan action/approval status is awarded by ISBE based upon the recommendation of plan reviewers and certified by USAC certified Technology Integration Plan Approvers. (See the complete list at http://www.sl.universalservice.org/reference/tech/default.asp).
The FY13 period of review and approval is over. The FY13 template for plans expiring June 30, 2013 is now closed. A new template for creating and posting TIPs for FY14 approval will be available now through the IIRC in the Fall of 2013.
Illinois public school districts seeking FY13 TIP approval through the Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) were required to submit a three-year TIP online through the Illinois Interactive Report Card (IIRC) site at http://iirc.niu.edu. This was due by 11:59 PM, Thursday, February 28, 2013.
ISBE is not the primary TIP Approver for non-public and charter schools in Illinois. Non-public schools and charter schools do not submit plans to ISBE for approval unless an exception is necessary because of an appeal. These entities must submit their plan to an approver listed as available through USAC’s Technology Plan Approver Locator.
Technical Assistance
Technical Assistance for writing a TIP is available from Learning Technology Centers (LTC) throughout the state. LEAs should contact the LTC director for their region for a list of TIP writing training dates and support opportunities. In addition to LTC information on ISBE’s website, you can learn more about LTC services and view a calendar of training opportunities online at http://www.ltcillinois.net/.
USAC requires an annual review of Tech Plans written to support e-Rate reimbursements or discounts, when a plan is required. LEAs having an approved plan must document an annual review of their plan and monitoring compliance in respect to the schedule written into the approved plan for all plan sections.
- Minor changes to an approved TIP do not necessitate access to the template. A locally developed tech plan addendum will suffice to document or explain minor changes to contact information, assessment tools or data information within an approved plan.
- Major changes, also known as mid-course corrections, will require access to the TIP template online at http://iirc.niu.edu. LEAs discovering a need to make a major change to update an approved plan “to order services beyond the scope of their existing plan” should contact their LTC director for assistance with writing the necessary changes. A district Superintendent of the LEA must contact James Walsh at ISBE at 217-782-5589 or jawalsh@isbe.net to request to have the applicable TIP template unlocked before changes can be made. Once completed the plan must be electronically resubmitted for approval.
Questions about the Technology Integration Plan approval process and e-Rate Tech Plan compliance are always welcome at ISBE. Contact James Walsh at jawalsh@isbe.net, Jamey Baiter at jbaiter@isbe.net, or Kathy Barnhart at kbarnhar@isbe.net for assistance.
*Districts already having or seeking E-Rate priority two service already holding an approved TIP that covers FY12 and FY13 E-Rate eligible services and activities are accountable for reviewing their technology plan in accordance to the monitoring schedule set forth in their approved TIP to ensure alignment with the Form 470. Significant changes to tech plans in reference to the Form 470 must be approved prior to the start of services, July 1 of the affected fiscal year, or the filing of a Form 486 relative to eligible services.
