Sponsored by:
Senator LINDA R. GREENSTEIN
District 14 (Mercer and Middlesex)
SYNOPSIS
Requires instruction on cybersecurity in grades nine through 12; requires Office of Secretary of Higher Education to develop cybersecurity model curricula; establishes loan redemption programs for individuals in certain cybersecurity occupations.
CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT
As introduced.
An Act concerning cybersecurity curricula, degree programs, and loan redemption programs, and supplementing Title 18A of the New Jersey Statutes.
Be It Enacted by the Senate and General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:
1. As used in sections 2 and 3 of P.L. , c. (C. ) (pending before the Legislature as this bill), cybersecurity means the practice of defending computers, servers, mobile devices, electronic systems, networks, and data from criminal or unauthorized use or attacks.
2. A school district shall incorporate instruction on cybersecurity in an appropriate place in the curriculum of students in each of the grades nine through 12 as part of the district s implementation of the New Jersey Student Learning Standards in Computer Science and Design Thinking. The instruction shall be based on the curriculum guidelines established by the Commissioner of Education pursuant to section 3 of P.L. , c. (C. ) (pending before the Legislature as this bill). The instruction shall be included in the curriculum for each grade in a manner adapted to the age and understanding of the students and shall provide a thorough and comprehensive treatment of the subject.
3. a. The Commissioner of Education, in consultation with the Office of Homeland Security and Preparedness and the New Jersey Cybersecurity and Communications Integration Cell, shall develop curriculum guidelines to assist school districts in implementing the instruction on cybersecurity required pursuant to section 2 of P.L. , c. (C. ) (pending before the Legislature as this bill). The guidelines shall provide for a sequential course of study for each of the grades nine through 12, and shall include, but need not be limited to, the following:
(1) an introduction to the field of cybersecurity and definitions of terms frequently used in the field of cybersecurity;
(2) information concerning the proper and safe use of the Internet as well as strategies to detect solicitations of private or personal information from bad actors and how to protect private or personal information;
(3) an overview of the fundamentals of computer hardware and software as well as information on various computer operating systems;
(4) a summary of the basic and advanced skills needed to be successful in the field of cybersecurity, including computer networking and coding;
(5) examples of research projects and other applied activities relating to cybersecurity that school districts may offer to students; and
(6) information concerning post-secondary opportunities in the field of cybersecurity as well as other career pathways a student may pursue in the field of cybersecurity.
The guidelines shall include model instructional units, define learning objectives, and recommend instructional materials suitable for each of the grades nine through 12.
b. The guidelines developed pursuant to this section shall be reviewed annually and shall be updated as appropriate to ensure that the guidelines and the instruction on cybersecurity required pursuant to section 2 of P.L. , c. (C. ) (pending before the Legislature as this bill) reflects the most current information available on the field of cybersecurity.
4. a. No later than one year following the date of enactment of P.L. , c. (C. ) (pending before the Legislature as this bill), the Office of the Secretary of Higher Education, in consultation with the Department of Labor and Workforce Development, the Economic Development Authority, the Office of Homeland Security and Preparedness, and the New Jersey Presidents Council, shall develop a cybersecurity model curriculum for use by four-year institutions of higher education in the State and a cybersecurity model curriculum for use by county colleges in the State. The model curricula developed pursuant to this subsection shall be made available to assist four-year institutions of higher education and county colleges that intend to develop cybersecurity-related degree programs.
b. The cybersecurity model curricula developed pursuant to subsection a. of this section shall account for academic quality and other applicable standards required for accreditation of cybersecurity-related degree programs. The model curricula shall, at a minimum:
(1) provide a comprehensive sequence of courses that will ensure adequate preparation for further postsecondary education or a career in the field of cybersecurity;
(2) include a list of courses that would be suitable for cybersecurity-related degree programs;
(3) detail any requirements, other than coursework, that may be part of cybersecurity-related degree programs; and
(4) detail overall expected student outcomes for cybersecurity-related degree programs as well as expected student outcomes for individual cybersecurity courses.
c. As part of the development of the cybersecurity model curricula required pursuant to subsection a. of this section, the Department of Labor and Workforce Development and the Economic Development Authority, in consultation with the New Jersey Presidents Council, shall develop and distribute to institutions of higher education cybersecurity career pathway marketing materials that provide descriptions of cybersecurity careers and the benefits of pursuing such careers.
d. As used in this section, cybersecurity means the practice of defending computers, servers, mobile devices, electronic systems, networks, and data from criminal or unauthorized use or attacks.