AB 1053: Educational technology: evaluation and selection.
The bill aims to improve the adoption and use of instructional materials in schools. Before adopting digital supplemental instructional materials, local educational agencies must convene a publicly noticed workgroup to evaluate the materials. The workgroup will consider the cost and impact on pupil behavioral health, and report its findings to the governing board. The bill also requires reimbursement for costs mandated by the state if the commission determines the bill contains such costs.
| Feb. 02, 2026 | From committee: Filed with the Chief Clerk pursuant to Joint Rule 56. |
| Jan. 31, 2026 | Died pursuant to Art. IV, Sec. 10(c) of the Constitution. |
| May. 23, 2025 | In committee: Held under submission. |
| May. 14, 2025 | In committee: Set, first hearing. Referred to APPR. suspense file. |
| May. 01, 2025 | From committee: Do pass and re-refer to Com. on APPR. (Ayes 7. Noes 1.) (April 30). Re-referred to Com. on APPR. |
| Amended IN Assembly April 21, 2025 |
| Amended IN Assembly March 24, 2025 |
| Introduced by Assembly Member Zbur |
February 20, 2025 |
LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST
This bill would require the governing board or body of a local educational agency, defined to be a school district, county office of education, charter school, or educational joint powers authority, to, before adopting and using digital supplemental instructional materials or approving the expenditure of public funds for licensure, purchase, or other use of digital supplemental instructional materials, (1) convene a publicly noticed workgroup consisting of specified personnel to evaluate the proposed digital supplemental instructional materials and (2) consider the reported evaluation from the workgroup, as provided. The bill would require the workgroup to evaluate, among other things, the cost of the materials and the impact the materials will have on the behavioral health of pupils, and to report its findings to the governing board or body of the local educational agency. To the extent that this bill would impose additional duties on local officials or local educational agencies, the bill would impose a state-mandated local program.
The people of the State of California do enact as follows:
SECTION 1.
The Legislature finds and declares all of the following:SEC. 2.
Section 60003 is added to the Education Code, to read:60003.
(a) The governing board or body of a local educational agency shall provide for substantial teacher involvement in the evaluation and selection of educational technology, as defined in paragraph (1) of subdivision (a) of Section 60004, that is required to be used by all teachers or all paraprofessionals of the local educational agency, and shall promote the involvement of parents and other members of the community in the evaluation and selection process. Commencing January 1, 2027, local educational agencies are encouraged to follow best practices for the evaluation and selection of educational technology developed by the Superintendent pursuant to Section 60004.SEC. 3.
Section 60004 is added to the Education Code, to read:60004.
(a) For purposes of this section, the following definitions apply:SEC. 4.
If the Commission on State Mandates determines that this act contains costs mandated by the state, reimbursement to local agencies and school districts for those costs shall be made pursuant to Part 7 (commencing with Section 17500) of Division 4 of Title 2 of the Government Code.(a)It is the intent and purpose of the Legislature in enacting this section to provide for the adoption and selection of quality digital supplemental instructional materials for use by local educational agencies.
(b)The Legislature hereby recognizes that because of the common needs and interests of the citizens of this state and the nation, there is a need to establish broad minimum standards and general educational guidelines for the selection of digital supplemental instructional materials for local educational agencies, but that because of economic, geographic, physical, political, educational, and social diversity, specific choices about digital supplemental instructional materials may need to be made at the local level.
(c)The Legislature further recognizes that the governing board or body of a local educational agency has the responsibility to establish courses of study and that if they use digital supplemental instructional materials, they must choose materials that are appropriate to their courses of study, support pupil academic achievement, respect the academic freedom and autonomy of educators to meet the needs of individual pupils, avoid inequitable access to learning, and are aligned with the academic content standards adopted by the state board.
(d)The governing board or body of a local educational agency shall, before adopting and using digital supplemental instructional materials or approving the expenditure of public funds for licensure, purchase, or other use of digital supplemental instructional materials, do both of the following:
(1)(A)Convene a publicly noticed workgroup consisting of at least two employed teachers, two classified employees that perform paraeducator duties or aid in classroom instruction, and one employee that is tasked with managing the informational technology needs of the local educational agency.
(B)The workgroup shall evaluate the proposed digital supplemental instructional materials and report its findings to the governing board or body of the local educational agency. At a minimum, the workgroup shall evaluate all of the following, as applicable:
(i)The cost, including any tools to use the materials, maintenance, and long-term reliability.
(ii)The academic benefit to pupils and the percentage of pupils that will benefit from the materials.
(iii)The impact on all of the following:
(I)Instructional time in the classroom.
(II)The local educational agency’s homework policy, as encouraged by Section 52000.
(III)The behavioral health of pupils.
(IV)The workload of educators.
(iv)The academic and social integrity of the company and its materials.
(v)The interests of superintendents, trustees, board or body members, or other administrative or elected officers of the local educational agency that are required to be reported pursuant to Article 3 (commencing with Section 87300) of Chapter 7 of Title 9 of the Government Code and that may be linked to a vendor of digital supplemental instructional materials.
(vi)How the software complies with privacy standards in current law, whether or not the software allows for the selling of data, and whether or not the software may be used for the surveillance of pupils or teachers.
(vii)The extent to which the use of the software promotes or upholds equity for pupils and recognizes technological access or disparity in digital literacy among a diverse pupil population.
(viii)Whether or not there is regular human oversight in the processing, evaluation, collection, and safeguarding of pupil performance and other pupil information.
(C)Before the workgroup reports an evaluation pursuant to subparagraph (B), the workgroup shall solicit information from parents, teachers, classified employees, and pupils regarding their experience using the proposed digital supplemental instructional materials and consider this information when reporting to the governing board or body of the local educational agency.
(2)Consider the reported evaluation from the workgroup.
(e)It is the intent of the Legislature that the workgroup’s reported findings to the governing board or body of the local educational agency will ensure that expenditures for digital supplemental instructional materials reflect the best interest of pupils, use of public funds, and the autonomy of educators to best meet the needs of pupils.
(f)For purposes of this section, the following definitions apply:
(1)“Digital supplemental instructional materials” means any digital educational software, including, but not limited to, providing information, lessons, attendance tracking, examinations, grades, notifications, or other communications among educators, parents, or pupils, through the use of a downloadable application, a web-based application, or other digital format.
(2)“Local educational agency” means a school district, county office of education, charter school, or educational joint powers authority.
If the Commission on State Mandates determines that this act contains costs mandated by the state, reimbursement to local agencies and school districts for those costs shall be made pursuant to Part 7 (commencing with Section 17500) of Division 4 of Title 2 of the Government Code.