NC H898

Requires the State Board of Education, Department of Public Instruction, Friday Institute, and UNC educator preparation programs to collaborate with a competitive-selected provider to develop comprehensive professional development for teachers and teacher candidates on using technology and digital resources in K-12 classrooms, including personalized training plans based on ISTE standards and flexible delivery methods.

Mandates implementation of student digital literacy instruction in kindergarten through eighth grade in economically distressed counties, with curriculum covering computer fundamentals, computational thinking, keyboarding, digital citizenship, online safety, and office productivity tools aligned to ISTE standards.

Specifies that the digital literacy curriculum must be entirely online, accessible on multiple devices and operating systems without special software installation, and support both self-paced and teacher-facilitated learning approaches.

Requires the digital literacy program to include project-based learning integration with core subjects, automatically scored assessments, preassessment capabilities, and support for English language learners with Spanish instruction.

Allocates up to $1,800,000 of the $4,000,000 in recurring Digital Learning Plan funds to implement the bill's requirements, effective July 1, 2017.