Tech Plans

E-rate Technology Plan Approval Criteria

E-rate requires approved technology plans as a prerequisite for receiving Internet access or internal connections discounts. The three-year E-rate technology plan has five approval criteria:

1. Goals and Realistic Strategy
The plan must establish clear goals and a realistic strategy for using telecommunication and information technology to improve education or library services.

a. Should support and validate the services requested on Forms 470/471

b. What improvement will occur from the use of technology by students,

teachers, parents?( e.g. increased staff competency, additional Internet

opportunities and telecommunications options for the classroom

activities, greater accessibility to technology for learning)

c. What plans do you have to integrate the technology??

d. How many computers will have Internet access?

e. What will you do to assure year to year progress in your plan?

2. Professional Development: The plan must have a professional development strategy to ensure that staff knows how to use these new technologies to improve education or library services.

a. How will members of our staff be trained to use these resources
effectively?

b. Identify the person or group in charge of planning and coordinating
staff training

c. What methods of training will be used?
(Professional days, hired companies, train the trainer etc.)

d. Documentation of training
(sign-in lists, teacher logs, list of in-service activities.)

3. Resources: The plan must include an assessment of the telecommunication services, hardware, software, and other services that will be needed to improve education or library services.

	a. What resources do we have now? (telephone system, building infrastructure, electrical capacity, cooling system, computer hardware, software, Internet access, training opportunities. Include age, model, year, operating system of your current computers.
	b. What resources will we need? (Add a firewall; replace servers, upgrades to phone system, adding network switches, adding cable drops, installing a new network, classroom/lab materials. Don’t forget to add how often the technology will be serviced.)

4. Budget: The plan must provide for a sufficient budget to acquire and maintain the hardware and software. You must already have the money to pay the non-discount share of the cost. Please give numbers in this section. How much you spend on what in real numeric value.

                                          Include: Salaries, telephone, software, hardware, servicing.

5.      Evaluation: The plan must include an evaluation process that enables the school to evaluate the success and progress toward meeting technology goals.

            a. How frequently the tech plan will be evaluated?
            b. Who is responsible for updating the plan?
            c. Teacher progress will be measured in what way?
            d. Student progress will be measured in what way?

Click to see a Sample Plan

– The plan must contain a sufficient level of detail to validate the e-rate request

– Be approved by a USAC-certified Technology Plan Approver (TPA) before Form 486 is filed or services start,