Bill Text: CA AB1054 | 2023-2024 | Regular Session | Amended
Bill Title: Pupil instruction: high schools: computer science education courses.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 6-0)
Status: (Engrossed) 2023-09-01 - In committee: Held under submission. [AB1054 Detail]
Download: California-2023-AB1054-Amended.html
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Amended
IN
Senate
June 12, 2023 |
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Amended
IN
Assembly
May 01, 2023 |
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Amended
IN
Assembly
March 23, 2023 |
CALIFORNIA LEGISLATURE—
2023–2024 REGULAR SESSION
Assembly Bill
No. 1054
| Introduced by Assembly Member Berman (Principal coauthors: Assembly Members Juan Carrillo, Haney, Luz Rivas, and Wilson) (Principal coauthor: Senator Becker) |
February 15, 2023 |
An act to add Section 51220.7 to the Education Code, relating to pupil instruction.
LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST
AB 1054, as amended, Berman.
Pupil instruction: high schools: computer science education courses.
Existing law requires the adopted course of study for grades 7 to 12, inclusive, to offer courses in specified areas of study, including, among others, science and mathematics.
This bill would require the governing board of each school district, and the governing body of each charter school, maintaining any of grades 9 to 12, inclusive, by January 1, 2025, to adopt a plan at a regularly scheduled public meeting to offer at least one course in computer science education pursuant to a specified timeline, to post the plan to its internet website, and, on or before May 31, 2025, and annually thereafter, to review the plan at a regularly scheduled public meeting and report to the public on the plan’s implementation, as provided. The bill would, among other things, specify that a computer science education course means a computer science course that
is aligned to the computer science academic content standards adopted by the State Board of Education and in which pupils do not merely use technology as passive consumers, but understand why and how computing technologies work, and then build upon that conceptual knowledge by creating computational artifacts. The bill would require school districts and charter schools to describe in the plan their planned efforts to increase the computer science course enrollment of female pupils, pupils with disabilities, pupils who belong to ethnic and racial groups, and pupils eligible for free or reduced-priced meals that are underrepresented in the field of computer science. The bill would require school districts and charter schools, on or before June 30, 2026, and by each June 30 thereafter, to report specified computer science education course-related data to the department, as specified. By imposing additional duties on school districts and charter schools, the bill would impose a state-mandated local program.
The California Constitution requires the state to reimburse local agencies and school districts for certain costs mandated by the state. Statutory provisions establish procedures for making that reimbursement.
This bill would provide that, if the Commission on State Mandates determines that the bill contains costs mandated by the state, reimbursement for those costs shall be made pursuant to the statutory provisions noted above.
Digest Key
Vote: MAJORITY Appropriation: NO Fiscal Committee: YES Local Program: YESBill Text
The people of the State of California do enact as follows:
SECTION 1.
(a) The Legislature finds and declares all of the following:(1) In 2014, Assembly Member Curt Hagman authored, and Governor Jerry Brown signed, Assembly Bill 1539 of the 2013–14 Regular Session, directing the Instructional Quality Commission to consider developing, and recommending to the State Board of Education, computer science content standards, on or before July 31, 2019, pursuant to recommendations developed by a group of computer science experts. The Instructional Quality Commission recommended computer science standards to the State Board of Education in July 2018, and that state board adopted those standards
in September 2018.
(2) In 2016, Assembly Member Susan Bonilla authored, and Governor Jerry Brown signed, Assembly Bill 2329 of the 2015–16 Regular Session, to require the State Board of Education to create a California Computer Science Strategic Implementation Plan (CSSIP). The CSSIP was developed by 23 CSSIP Advisory Panel members, appointed or designated by a variety of entities, including the Governor, the Senate Committee on Rules, the Speaker of the Assembly, and the Superintendent of Public Instruction. The CSSIP Advisory Panel members had expertise in computer science and included educators from higher education and K–12 educational entities, superintendents, researchers, representatives from industry, and others. The CSSIP recommendations were submitted to the State Department of Education, the State Board of Education, and the
Legislature in September 2018 and approved by the State Board of Education in May 2019. The vision statement of the CSSIP states, “California’s vision is to ensure that all students develop foundational knowledge and skills in computer science to prepare them for college, careers, and civic engagement.” The mission statement of the CSSIP states, “All schools offer rigorous and relevant computer science education equitably and sustainably throughout grades K-12. K–12. All teachers are adequately prepared to teach rigorous and relevant computer science aligned with the California K-12
K–12 Computer Science Standards (CA K-12 K–12 CS Standards).”
(3) Studies on computer science education prove that computer science education develops computational, critical thinking, and problem solving skills that are foundational knowledge for all pupils, regardless of their ultimate field of study or occupation.
(4) Despite the value of computer science education, the most recent available data shows that:
(A) Sixty percent of high schools in California do not offer a single course in computer science.
(B) Just 5 percent of the 1,930,000 high school pupils in California are enrolled in a computer science course.
(C) Only 34 percent of schools serving high proportions of Black, Indigenous, Latinx, and Pacific Islander pupils offer computer science courses, compared to 52 percent of schools serving a greater proportion of White and Asian pupils.
(D) While female pupils comprise 49 percent of the high school population, just 30 percent of pupils taking computer science courses are female.
(E) Schools serving low-income communities are three times less likely to offer core computer science courses, and over two times less likely to offer Advanced Placement
courses, than schools serving high-income communities.
(F) Rural schools are two times less likely to offer computer science courses than urban schools.
(5) California lags behind the national average, and behind 41 other states, in the percentage of high schools offering at least one computer science course.
(6) Twenty-seven other states currently require high schools to offer a computer science course, with five of those states requiring a computer science course for graduation.
(7) In 2022, California averaged 76,446 As
of January 2023, California has 49,040 open computing jobs each month with that have an average salary of $115,754, yet there were only 7,942 9,339 graduates in computer science in 2019. 2020. California has the highest number of open computing jobs in the nation.
(8) California has made significant investments in
in-service professional development education opportunities in computer science for teachers throughout California. To date, California has invested $20,000,000 $35,000,000 specifically for computer science education professional development.
(b) It is the intent of the Legislature to ensure all California public high schools operated by school districts and charter schools offer computer science.
SEC. 2.
Section 51220.7 is added to the Education Code, to read:51220.7.
(a) (1) The governing board of each school district, and the governing body of each charter school, maintaining any of grades 9 to 12, inclusive, shall, by January 1, 2025, adopt a plan at a regularly scheduled public meeting to offer at least one course in computer science education pursuant to the following timeline, such that:(A) (i) Commencing with the 2025–26 school year, at least one high school per school district offers a computer science education course.
(ii) Notwithstanding clause (i), school districts maintaining only one high school
instead offer a computer science education course by no later than the 2026–27 school year.
(B) Commencing with the 2026–27 school year, all charter schools maintaining any of grades 9 to 12, inclusive, offer a computer science education course.
(C) Commencing with the 2026–27 school year, at least 50 percent of the high schools per school district offers offer a computer science education course.
(D) Commencing with the 2027–28 school year, all high schools in a school district shall
offer a computer science education course.
(2) School districts and charter schools shall post the plan adopted and required
pursuant to paragraph (1) on their internet websites and shall otherwise make them available upon the request of the department.
(3) On or before May 31, 2025, and annually thereafter until each high school in a school district, or each charter school maintaining any of grades 9 to 12, inclusive, offers a computer science education course, the governing board of a school district and the governing body of a charter school shall review the plan adopted and required pursuant to paragraph (1) at a regularly scheduled May public meeting and report to the public on its progress in implementing the plan.
(b) For purposes of this section, the following definitions apply:
(1) “Computer science” means the study of computers and algorithmic processes, including their principles, hardware and software designs, implementation, and impact on society, as described in the computer science academic content standards adopted by the state board pursuant to Section 60605.4.
(2) “Computer science education course” means a computer science course that is aligned to the computer science academic content standards adopted by the state board pursuant to Section 60605.4 and in which pupils do not merely use technology as passive consumers, but understand why and how computing technologies work, and then build upon that conceptual knowledge by creating computational artifacts.
(c) If a traditional classroom setting for a computer science education course is not feasible, the school district or charter school
shall include its plan to offer a virtual or distance course option in the plan adopted and required pursuant to subdivision (a). The computer science education course shall be listed as an option in the school’s course catalog.
(d) School districts and charter schools shall describe, in the plan adopted and required pursuant to subdivision (a), its planned efforts to increase the computer science education course enrollment of female pupils, pupils with disabilities, pupils who belong to ethnic and racial groups, and pupils eligible for free or reduced-priced meals, as defined in Section 42238.01, that are underrepresented in the field
of computer science.
(e) On or before June 30, 2026, and by each June 30 thereafter, each school district and charter school shall submit to the department a report for the concluding academic year that shall include, but not be limited to, all of the following:
(1) The names and course codes of computer science education courses offered in each school, including course descriptions and which computer science academic content standards are covered, to the extent that information is available.
(2) The number and percentage of pupils who enrolled in each computer science education course, disaggregated by each of the following:
(A) Gender.
(B) Race and ethnicity.
(C) Special education status.
(D) English learner status.
(E) Eligibility for free and reduced-price meals, as defined in Section 42238.01.
(F) Grade level.
(3) The number of computer science teachers at each school, disaggregated by:
(A) Credential, authorization, and certification, as applicable.
(B) Gender.
(C) Race and ethnicity.
(f) (1) The department shall publicly post all of the following on its internet website:
(A) The data identified in paragraph (1) of subdivision (e), disaggregated by school.
(B) The data identified in paragraphs (2) and (3) of subdivision (e), aggregated to the statewide level.
(C) A list of computer science education course codes and names, including course descriptions and which courses align to the computer science academic content standards adopted pursuant to Section 60605.4.
(2) The department shall publicly post data consistent with any standards
prescribed pursuant to the California Cradle-to-Career Data System established pursuant to Article 2 (commencing with Section 10860) of Chapter 8.5 of Part 7 of Division 7 of Title 1.
