(c) FISCAL AGENT.-If an eligible local partnership receives a subgrant under subsection (a)(2)(B), a local educational agency in the partnership shall serve as the fiscal agent for the partnership. (d) TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE.-Each State educational agency receiving a grant under section 2411(a) shall

(1) identify the local educational agencies served by the State educational agency that

(A) have the highest numbers or percentages of children from families with incomes below the poverty line; and

(B) demonstrate to such State educational agency the greatest need for technical assistance in developing an application under section 2414; and

(2) offer the technical assistance described in paragraph (1)(B) to those local educational agencies.

SEC. 2413. [20 U.S.C. 6763] STATE APPLICATIONS.

(a) IN GENERAL.-To be eligible to receive a grant under this subpart, a State educational agency shall submit to the Secretary, at such time and in such manner as the Secretary may specify, an application containing a new or updated statewide long-range strategic educational technology plan (which shall address the educational technology needs of local educational agencies) and such other information as the Secretary may reasonably require.

(b) CONTENTS.-Each State application submitted under subsection (a) shall include each of the following:

(1) An outline of the State educational agency's long-term strategies for improving student academic achievement, including technology literacy, through the effective use of technology in classrooms throughout the State, including through improving the capacity of teachers to integrate technology effectively into curricula and instruction.

(2) A description of the State educational agency's goals for using advanced technology to improve student academic achievement, and how those goals are aligned with challenging State academic content and student academic achievement standards.

(3) A description of how the State educational agency will take steps to ensure that all students and teachers in the State, particularly students and teachers in districts served by high-need local educational agencies, have increased access to technology.

(4) A description of the process and accountability measures that the State educational agency will use to evaluate the extent to which activities funded under this subpart are effective in integrating technology into curricula and instruction.

(5) A description of how the State educational agency will encourage the development and utilization of innovative strategies for the delivery of specialized or rigorous academic courses and curricula through the use of technology, including distance learning technologies, particularly for those areas of the State that would not otherwise have access to such courses and curricula due to geographical isolation or insufficient resources.

(6) An assurance that financial assistance provided under this subpart will supplement, and not supplant, State and local funds.

(7) A description of how the plan incorporates teacher education, professional development, and curriculum development, and how the State educational agency will work to ensure that teachers and principals in a State receiving funds under this part are technologically literate.

(8) A description of

(A) how the State educational agency will provide technical assistance to applicants under section 2414, especially to those applicants serving the highest numbers or percentages of children in poverty or with the greatest need for technical assistance; and

(B) the capacity of the State educational agency to provide such assistance.

(9) A description of technology resources and systems that the State will provide for the purpose of establishing best practices that can be widely replicated by State educational agencies and local educational agencies in the State and in other States.

(10) A description of the State's long-term strategies for financing technology to ensure that all students, teachers, and classrooms have access to technology.

(11) A description of the State's strategies for using technology to increase parental involvement.

(12) A description of how the State educational agency will ensure that each subgrant awarded under section 2412(a)(2)(B) is of sufficient size and duration, and that the program funded by the subgrant is of sufficient scope and quality, to carry out the purposes of this part effectively.

(13) A description of how the State educational agency will ensure ongoing integration of technology into school curricula and instructional strategies in all schools in the State, so that technology will be fully integrated into the curricula and instruction of the schools by December 31, 2006.

(14) A description of how the local educational agencies in the State will provide incentives to teachers who are technologically literate and teaching in rural or urban areas, to encourage such teachers to remain in those areas.

(15) A description of how public and private entities will participate in the implementation and support of the plan.

(c) DEEMED APPROVAL.-An application submitted by a State educational agency pursuant to subsection (a) shall be deemed to be approved by the Secretary unless the Secretary makes a written determination, prior to the expiration of the 120-day period beginning on the date on which the Secretary received the application, that the application is not in compliance with this part.

(d) DISAPPROVAL.-The Secretary shall not finally disapprove the application, except after giving the State educational agency notice and an opportunity for a hearing.

(e) NOTIFICATION.-If the Secretary finds that the application is not in compliance, in whole or in part, with this part, the Secretary shall

(1) give the State educational agency notice and an opportunity for a hearing; and

(2) notify the State educational agency of the finding of noncompliance and, in such notification, shall

(A) cite the specific provisions in the application that are not in compliance; and

(B) request additional information, only as to the noncompliant provisions, needed to make the application compliant.

(f) RESPONSE.-If the State educational agency responds to the Secretary's notification described in subsection (e)(2) during the 45day period beginning on the date on which the agency received the notification, and resubmits the application with the requested information described in subsection (e)(2)(B), the Secretary shall approve or disapprove such application prior to the later of

(1) the expiration of the 45-day period beginning on the date on which the application is resubmitted; or

(2) the expiration of the 120-day period described in subsection (c).

(g) FAILURE TO RESPOND.—If the State educational agency does not respond to the Secretary's notification described in subsection (e)(2) during the 45-day period beginning on the date on which the agency received the notification, such application shall be deemed to be disapproved.

SEC. 2414. [20 U.S.C. 6764] LOCAL APPLICATIONS.

(a) IN GENERAL.-To be eligible to receive a subgrant from a State educational agency under this subpart, a local educational agency or eligible local entity shall submit to the State educational agency an application containing a new or updated local long-range strategic educational technology plan that is consistent with the objectives of the statewide educational technology plan described in section 2413(a), and such other information as the State educational agency may reasonably require, at such time and in such manner as the State educational agency may require.

(b) CONTENTS.-The application shall include each of the following:

(1) A description of how the applicant will use Federal funds under this subpart to improve the student academic achievement, including technology literacy, of all students attending schools served by the local educational agency and to improve the capacity of all teachers teaching in schools served by the local educational agency to integrate technology effectively into curricula and instruction.

(2) A description of the applicant's specific goals for using advanced technology to improve student academic achievement, aligned with challenging State academic content and student academic achievement standards.

(3) A description of the steps the applicant will take to ensure that all students and teachers in schools served by the local educational agency involved have increased access to educational technology, including how the agency would use funds under this subpart (such as combining the funds with funds from other sources), to help ensure that—

(A) students in high-poverty and high-needs schools, or schools identified under section 1116, have access to technology; and

(B) teachers are prepared to integrate technology effectively into curricula and instruction.

(4) A description of how the applicant will—

(A) identify and promote curricula and teaching strategies that integrate technology effectively into curricula and instruction, based on a review of relevant research, leading to improvements in student academic achievement, as measured by challenging State academic content and student academic achievement standards; and

(B) provide ongoing, sustained professional development for teachers, principals, administrators, and school library media personnel serving the local educational agency, to further the effective use of technology in the classroom or library media center, including, if applicable, a list of the entities that will be partners with the local educational agency involved in providing the ongoing, sustained professional development.

(5) A description of the type and costs of technologies to be acquired under this subpart, including services, software, and digital curricula, and including specific provisions for interoperability among components of such technologies.

(6) A description of how the applicant will coordinate activities carried out with funds provided under this subpart with technology-related activities carried out with funds available from other Federal, State, and local sources.

(7) A description of how the applicant will integrate technology (including software and other electronically delivered learning materials) into curricula and instruction, and a timeline for such integration.

(8) A description of how the applicant will encourage the development and utilization of innovative strategies for the delivery of specialized or rigorous academic courses and curricula through the use of technology, including distance learning technologies, particularly for those areas that would not otherwise have access to such courses and curricula due to geographical isolation or insufficient resources.

(9) A description of how the applicant will ensure the effective use of technology to promote parental involvement and increase communication with parents, including a description of how parents will be informed of the technology being applied in their child's education so that the parents are able to reinforce at home the instruction their child receives at school.

(10) A description of how programs will be developed, where applicable, in collaboration with adult literacy service providers, to maximize the use of technology.

(11) A description of the process and accountability measures that the applicant will use to evaluate the extent to which activities funded under this subpart are effective in integrating technology into curricula and instruction, increasing the ability of teachers to teach, and enabling students to meet challenging State academic content and student academic achievement standards.

(12) A description of the supporting resources (such as services, software, other electronically delivered learning materials, and print resources) that will be acquired to ensure successful and effective uses of technology.

(c) COMBINED APPLICATIONS.-A local educational agency that is an eligible local entity and submits an application to the State educational agency under this section for funds awarded under section 2412(a)(2)(A) may combine the agency's application for funds awarded under that section with an application for funds awarded under section 2412(a)(2)(B).

(d) SPECIAL RULE.

(1) CONSORTIUM APPLICATIONS.—

(A) IN GENERAL.-For any fiscal year, a local educational agency applying for financial assistance described in section 2412(a)(2)(A) may apply as part of a consortium that includes other local educational agencies, institutions of higher education, educational service agencies, libraries, or other educational entities appropriate to provide local programs.

(B) FISCAL AGENT.-If a local educational agency applies for and receives financial assistance described in section 2412(a)(2)(A) as part of a consortium, the local educational agency shall serve as the fiscal agent for the consortium.

(2) STATE EDUCATIONAL AGENCY ASSISTANCE.-At the request of a local educational agency, a State educational agency may assist the local educational agency in the formation of a consortium described in paragraph (1) to provide services for the teachers and students served by the local educational agency.

SEC. 2415. [20 U.S.C. 6765] STATE ACTIVITIES.

From funds made available under section 2412(a)(1), a State educational agency shall carry out activities and assist local efforts to carry out the purposes of this part, which may include the following activities:

(1) Developing, or assisting applicants or recipients of funds under this subpart in the development and utilization of, innovative strategies for the delivery of specialized or rigorous academic courses and curricula through the use of technology, including distance learning technologies, and providing other technical assistance to such applicants or recipients throughout the State, with priority given to high-need local educational agencies.

(2) Establishing or supporting public-private initiatives (such as interest-free or reduced-cost loans) for the acquisition of educational technology for high-need local educational agencies and students attending schools served by such agencies.

(3) Assisting recipients of funds under this subpart in providing sustained and intensive, high-quality professional development based on a review of relevant research in the integration of advanced technologies, including emerging technologies, into curricula and instruction and in using those technologies to create new learning environments, including training in the use of technology to