Senate File 2332 - Introduced
SENATE FILE 2332
BY COMMITTEE ON TECHNOLOGY
(SUCCESSOR TO SSB 3171)
A BILL FOR
1 An Act relating to computer science instruction, including by
2 modifying provisions related to the graduation requirements,
3 the computer science instruction provided to students
4 enrolled in grades nine through twelve, computer science
5 instruction endorsements and authorizations issued by the
6 board of educational examiners, and the computer science
7 professional development incentive fund.
8 BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF IOWA:
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1 Section 1. Section 256.7, subsection 26, paragraph a,
2 unnumbered paragraph 1, Code 2024, is amended to read as
3 follows:
4 Adopt rules that establish a core curriculum and high school
5 graduation requirements for all students in school districts
6 and accredited nonpublic schools that include at a minimum
7 satisfactory completion of four years of English and language
8 arts, three years of mathematics, three years of science, and
9 three years of social studies, and, beginning with students in
10 the 2028-2029 school year graduating class, one semester of
11 computer science, or the trimester or quarter equivalent.
12 Sec. 2. Section 256.11, subsection 5, paragraph l, Code
13 2024, is amended to read as follows:
14 l. (1) One-half unit of computer science commencing with
15 the school year beginning July 1, 2022. The one-half unit of
16 computer science shall incorporate the standards established
17 pursuant to section 256.7, subsection 26, paragraph “a”,
18 subparagraph (4), and may be offered online in accordance
19 with rules adopted pursuant to section 256.7, subsection 32,
20 paragraph “a”. The one-half unit of computer science shall
21 satisfy all of the following requirements:
22 (a) Be of high quality.
23 (b) Meet or exceed the curriculum standards and
24 requirements established by the state board.
25 (c) Be offered and taught in a traditional classroom
26 setting; provided, however, that if a traditional classroom
27 setting is not feasible, the one-half unit of computer science
28 may be offered and taught in any of the following ways:
29 (i) Through a combination of instruction that is delivered
30 in a traditional classroom setting and instruction that is
31 delivered primarily over the internet.
32 (ii) Through instruction that is delivered primarily over
33 the internet in accordance with rules adopted by the state
34 board pursuant to section 256.7, subsection 32, paragraph
35 “a”, and is tailored to meet the needs of each participating
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1 student.
2 (2) (a) All students, beginning with students in the
3 2028-2029 school year graduating class, shall complete one-half
4 unit of computer science as a condition of graduation. The
5 condition of graduation shall not apply to a student who
6 enrolls in a school district or an accredited nonpublic school
7 in grade twelve immediately after being enrolled in a school
8 located outside of this state.
9 (b) On or before July 1, 2030, a school district or
10 accredited nonpublic school may apply to the department of
11 education for a waiver of the implementation of the condition
12 of graduation described in this subparagraph. The waiver shall
13 be for a period not longer than one school year.
14 (c) The state board shall adopt rules pursuant to chapter
15 17A establishing standards for the submission of applications
16 for waivers of the implementation of the condition of
17 graduation described in this subparagraph and the department’s
18 consideration and approval of waivers.
19 (3) The department shall publish on the department’s
20 internet site a list of computer science courses that satisfy
21 the rules adopted by the state board pursuant to section 256.7,
22 subsection 32, paragraph “c”, and that a school district or
23 accredited nonpublic school may use to implement the graduation
24 requirement described in subparagraph (2). The list shall
25 include the names of the computer science courses and the
26 course codes associated with each computer science course.
27 (4) Each school district shall report annually to the
28 department all of the following:
29 (a) To the extent such information is available, the course
30 names and course codes associated with all computer science
31 courses offered and taught in the school district pursuant to
32 this paragraph, descriptions of the curriculum covered in such
33 courses, and a description of format in which each course is
34 offered and taught.
35 (b) The number of teachers employed by the school district
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1 who teach computer science instruction, sortable by the
2 endorsements and authorizations held by each teacher, the
3 gender of each teacher, the race and ethnicity of each teacher,
4 and the highest academic degree attained by each teacher.
5 The report shall not include any personally identifiable
6 information related to the teachers employed by the school
7 district who teach computer science instruction.
8 (c) The number of students enrolled in a computer science
9 course offered and taught by the school district pursuant to
10 this paragraph, sortable by the gender of each student; the
11 race and ethnicity of each student; each student’s special
12 education status, including students with an individualized
13 education program or a plan under section 504 of the federal
14 Rehabilitation Act, 29 U.S.C. §794; each student’s status as
15 an English learner, as defined in section 280.4, subsection 1;
16 each student’s eligibility for free and reduced price meals
17 under the federal National School Lunch Act and the federal
18 Child Nutrition Act of 1966, 42 U.S.C. §1751 – 1785; and each
19 student’s grade level. The report shall include the percentage
20 of students who fit within each category described in this
21 subparagraph division. The report shall not include any
22 personally identifiable information related to the students
23 enrolled in a computer science course offered and taught by the
24 school district.
25 Sec. 3. Section 256.146, subsection 19, Code 2024, is
26 amended to read as follows:
27 19. Adopt rules pursuant to chapter 17A establishing
28 endorsements and authorizations for computer science
29 instruction, including. The rules shall include traditional
30 and nontraditional pathways for obtaining such endorsements or
31 authorizations, including through instruction that is delivered
32 primarily over the internet that may be used to demonstrate
33 competence in computer science instruction for teachers under
34 an initial or intern license.
35 Sec. 4. Section 284.6A, subsection 1, Code 2024, is amended
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1 by adding the following new paragraph:
2 NEW PARAGRAPH. 0c. In order to provide students with the
3 competencies to compete in a twenty-first century workforce,
4 develop skills that translate into high-wage jobs, develop
5 problem solving and critical thinking skills, and encourage
6 the creation and retention of new, high-wage jobs in this
7 state, all high school students enrolled in school districts
8 or accredited nonpublic schools, beginning with the 2028-2029
9 school year graduating class, students should complete one
10 semester of computer science as a condition of graduation as
11 required by section 256.7, subsection 26, paragraph “a”.
12 Sec. 5. Section 284.6A, subsection 2, paragraph b, Code
13 2024, is amended to read as follows:
14 b. A school district or accredited nonpublic school may
15 apply to the department, in the manner prescribed by the
16 department, to receive moneys from the fund to provide tuition
17 reimbursement for Iowa teachers, including Iowa teachers
18 under an initial or intern license, seeking endorsements or
19 authorizations for computer science under section 256.146,
20 subsection 19.
21 Sec. 6. STATE MANDATE FUNDING SPECIFIED. In accordance
22 with section 25B.2, subsection 3, the state cost of requiring
23 compliance with any state mandate included in this Act shall
24 be paid by a school district from state school foundation aid
25 received by the school district under section 257.16. This
26 specification of the payment of the state cost shall be deemed
27 to meet all of the state funding-related requirements of
28 section 25B.2, subsection 3, and no additional state funding
29 shall be necessary for the full implementation of this Act
30 by and enforcement of this Act against all affected school
31 districts.
32 EXPLANATION
33 The inclusion of this explanation does not constitute agreement with
34 the explanation’s substance by the members of the general assembly.
35 This bill relates to computer science instruction,
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1 including by modifying provisions related to the graduation
2 requirements, the computer science instruction provided to
3 students enrolled in grades 9 through 12, computer science
4 instruction endorsements and authorizations issued by the board
5 of educational examiners (BOEE), and the computer science
6 professional development incentive fund.
7 Current law provides that the graduation requirements
8 applicable to students enrolled in school districts and
9 accredited nonpublic schools shall include, at a minimum,
10 satisfactory completion of four years of English and language
11 arts, three years of mathematics, three years of science,
12 and three years of social studies. The bill provides that
13 such graduation requirements shall also include, beginning
14 with students in the 2028-2029 school year graduating class,
15 satisfactory completion of one semester of computer science, or
16 the trimester or quarter equivalent.
17 Current law requires school districts and accredited
18 nonpublic schools to offer and teach to students enrolled in
19 grades 9 through 12 one-half unit of computer science. The
20 bill modifies provisions related to how the computer science
21 instruction is offered and taught by allowing the instruction
22 to be offered and taught through blended learning, or through
23 instruction that is delivered primarily over the internet, when
24 it is not possible to provide such instruction in a traditional
25 classroom setting.
26 The bill requires all students, beginning with students
27 in the 2028-2029 school year graduating class, to complete
28 one-half unit of computer science as a condition of graduation.
29 The bill provides that the condition of graduation shall not
30 apply to a student who enrolls in a school district or an
31 accredited nonpublic school in grade 12 immediately after
32 being enrolled in a school located outside of this state. The
33 bill authorizes school districts and accredited nonpublic
34 schools to apply to the department of education (DE) for a
35 waiver of the implementation of the graduation requirement.
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1 The bill requires the state board of education to adopt rules
2 establishing standards for the submission of applications for
3 waivers of the implementation of the condition of graduation
4 and DE’s consideration and approval of waivers.
5 The bill requires DE to publish on DE’s internet site certain
6 information related to computer science courses that satisfy
7 DE’s requirements and courses that may be used to satisfy the
8 computer science graduation requirement. The bill requires
9 school districts to report annually to DE certain specified
10 information related to teachers providing computer science
11 instruction and students involved in computer science courses.
12 The bill provides that the rules adopted by the BOEE
13 establishing nontraditional pathways for obtaining endorsements
14 and authorizations for computer science instruction also
15 include opportunities to obtain such endorsements or
16 authorizations through instruction that is delivered primarily
17 over the internet that may be used to demonstrate competence
18 in computer science instruction for teachers under an initial
19 or intern license.
20 Current law establishes a computer science professional
21 development incentive fund in the state treasury under the
22 control of DE. Current law authorizes DE to disburse moneys
23 contained in the fund to a school district or accredited
24 nonpublic school to provide tuition reimbursement for Iowa
25 teachers seeking endorsements or authorizations for computer
26 science from the BOEE. The bill modifies this provision
27 to allow such tuition reimbursement to be provided to Iowa
28 teachers under an initial or intern license.
29 The bill may include a state mandate as defined in Code
30 section 25B.3. The bill requires that the state cost of
31 any state mandate included in the bill be paid by a school
32 district from state school foundation aid received by the
33 school district under Code section 257.16. The specification
34 is deemed to constitute state compliance with any state mandate
35 funding-related requirements of Code section 25B.2. The
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1 inclusion of this specification is intended to reinstate the
2 requirement of political subdivisions to comply with any state
3 mandates included in the bill.
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Statutes affected:
Introduced: 256.7, 256.11, 284.6A