Chapter 793

Plan Guide

Regional Plans

for

Technology Services

The University of the State of New York

The State Education Department

Office of District Superintendents, BOCES

and School District Organization

2002

Introduction

Each Board of Cooperative Educational Services Regional Center, working cooperatively with other BOCES within its regional service delivery area, is required to prepare a regional plan for providing technology services in the supervisory district. This plan must be submitted to the Commissioner on or before the first day of December of each year. Each plan must outline the actions completed during the prior year, current technology efforts in the region, and a five-year projection of major tasks to be undertaken.

Consistent with prior policy, each regional plan must have a signoff from all District Superintendents (Section 6). Each plan must also include a statement assuring that new technology services were analyzed using an appropriate cost-benefit methodology and that existing services were analyzed using an appropriate cost-effectiveness methodology. (Section 7).

Cost-effectiveness is defined as:

· When the same or better results can be achieved for less dollars.

· When the results can be improved with the same dollars.

· When an increase in dollars will provide greater results than the incremental increase in cost.

All plans must conform to the following format. That is, one summary page for each of the first seven sections of the plan. Section 8 should include all applications and services provided through the 7710 and 6360 Co-Sers, using the format and categories mutually agreed to by the Regional Information Centers and the Department. Should additional information need to be included, links may be inserted in the plan to information available online at the Regional Information Center. Only if information is unavailable online should it be appended at the end of the plan format. Specific descriptions of individual services should not be submitted separately. We encourage Regional Information Centers to provide the plans and any supporting documentation online at the Center, with the caveat that the plan is a draft until it has been approved by the Department. Each plan must be submitted electronically by December 1 of each year, to the following address. If the plan is not received in a timely fashion, approval to conduct this particular BOCES service within the region may be jeopardized.

Complete plans should be submitted to: rkesper@mail.nysed.gov. Signed assurances (Sections 6 and 7) should be mailed to the address below.

Should paper copies of supporting documentation be necessary, they may be mailed to:

Office of District Superintendents and BOCES

New York State Education Department

876 EBA

Education Building Annex

Albany, NY 12234

2

Table of Contents

Section 1: Five-Year Summary................................................................................. 5

Section 2: The Regional Planning Process.................................................... 6

Section 3: Current Context.................................................................................... 7

Section 4: Implementation Plan........................................................................... 8

Section 5: Evaluation................................................................................................. 9

Section 6: Assurance Form 1.................................................................................. 10

Section 7: Assurance Form 2.................................................................................. 11

Section 8: Applications/Services....................................................................... 12

Section 9: Additional Information.................................................................. 13

Appendix 1: Hardware..................................................................................................... 13

Appendix 2: Software....................................................................................................... 13

Appendix 3: Online Applications..................................................................................... 13

Appendix 4: Network(s).................................................................................................... 13

Appendix 5: Staffing......................................................................................................... 13

Appendix 6: Finances....................................................................................................... 13

Section 10: Statutory Requirements.............................................................. 14

Directions

¨ This format must be used for the report. That is, there is to be one page of information only for Sections 1 through 7. The space available for items within any of the pages in these sections may be adjusted to meet local needs. However, each section must be confined to a single page. Links to additional supporting online information may be provided. The tables of Section 8 should be provided in the standardized categories agreed to by the RIC Directors and the Department, updated to reflect any changes in RIC services since the general information was prepared. The plan should be made available online, to the extent possible. Links should be provided to any necessary additional information. Only in rare instances should material be appended to the submitted plan.

¨ Year 1 begins on the July 1 following the December 1 submission date.

¨ Each plan should reflect the shared information for the region, including the consensus of all the BOCES within the regions.

¨ These plans will be reviewed by several offices within the State Education Department before approval will be granted. Therefore, plans should be submitted by the required December 1 date. Any delays in submission may delay plan approval, disrupting aid for these services.

¨ All the information listed in Section 115.1 of the Regulations of the Commissioner of Education (Section 11) need not be submitted as part of this plan, though such information should be maintained within the Regional Information Center in case it is needed as part of the review process.

Helpful Suggestions

¨ Regional planning is not a one-time event. Rather, it is an ongoing process, involving all parties interested in serving the needs of the region. It is helpful to have both a standing regional committee and a regular calendar of meetings, at least once every three months, to discuss the directions for technology development, and to work out the issues that may arise over the course of the service year.

¨ This plan should specifically address the provision of services in Co-Sers 7710 and 6360. While this is the case, technology services under the provision of these Co-Sers should be integrated with any State plan for technology, and should allow for consistency with school district planning, in general and specifically related to technology.

¨ Any references to specific Co-Sers should reflect both the program serial number and the activity code.

Section 1: Five-Year Summary