California Technology Assistance Project

The California Technology Assistance Project (CTAP) is a statewide technical assistance program, funded by the California Department of Education (CDE). Intended to promote the effective use of technology in teaching, learning and school administration, CTAP provides assistance to schools and districts based upon local needs in each of 11 regions in California.

Each region has developed and implemented a three year plan (July 2005—June 2008) to provide technology assistance in four key areas:

Move your mouse pointer over the regions on the map to view regional directors and the counties they serve.

Professional development and learning resources to use technology as a tool to improve teaching and learning.

Professional development and support for hardware and telecommunications infrastructure design, implementation, and sustainability.

Professional development and support to use technology as a tool to improve school management, including pupil record-keeping and tracking for pupil instruction and data-driven decision making.

Funding and Coordination with other Federal, State, and local programs

CDE encourages schools, districts and county offices of education to contact their regional CTAP staff for assistance integrating technology into their curriculum, using technology to support school management and furthering professional development.

In the past, CTAP regions have provided support for AB1339, Staff Development Grants for Grades 4-8, AB2882, Educational Technology Program for High Schools, and the Technology Literacy Challenge Grant program.

During the current year, CTAP regions are helping districts develop technology plans that meet the State Board of Education (SBE) guidelines so that they may apply for federal funds available for technology as part of the No Child Left Behind legislation’s Enhancing Education Through Technology (EETT) program.

Annual CTAP Statewide Evaluation Report

The most recent annual CTAP Statewide Evaluation Report (2005-06) addresses the implementation and impact of the program on California educators and recommended actions for CTAP to take based on the data acquired by regional and statewide evaluators.

The evaluation showed that the CTAP regions collectively delivered about 3000 professional development events serving approximately 42,000 educators during the reporting period. About 60% of the participants were teachers and 40% administrators and technical support staff.

The full statewide report can be viewed at: 2005-06 Evaluation Report

The Executive Summary can be viewed at: 2005-06 Executive Summary

SB 1637 (Torlakson) is the current bill that seeks to reauthorize CTAP until 2018. Updates on the status of this bill can be found at: LegInfo - SB1637

Annual CTAP Regional Evaluation Reports In addition to the statewide report, annual
CTAP regional reports address the implementation and impact of the CTAP program for
each region on California educators and explains the actions to be taken by the CTAP
regional staff to address the recommendations based on the data collected by the CTAP regional evaluators. You can find links to these regional evaluation reports on this CDE web page:
CTAP Regional Evaluation Reports

CTAP Legislative Authorization

Assembly Bill 1761 (Sweeney, 1998) (AB 1761) This legislation established the California Technology Assistance Project (CTAP), and requires it be composed of a regional consortia, to provide a regionalized network of technical assistance to schools and school districts on the implementation of education technology, and to work collaboratively with school districts and county offices of education in order to meet locally defined technology-based needs (Sec. 2, 51871(a)).

The SETS and CTAP projects are major components of California’s technology plan under No Child Left Behind (NCLB), and establish State eligibility for the NCLB Title II D, Enhancing Education Through Technology (EETT) funding.

In 2004, the SETS and CTAP projects were reauthorized through 2008 under the provisions of SB 1254. Another bill, AB764 is currently in the review process and, if approved, would extend funding through 2014.