House File 507 - Introduced HOUSE FILE 507 BY COMMITTEE ON EDUCATION (SUCCESSOR TO HSB 107) A BILL FOR An Act relating to computer science education by providing 1 for education standards by the state board of education, 2 for instructor endorsements and authorizations issued by 3 the board of educational examiners, for establishment of a 4 computer science professional development incentive fund, 5 and for the establishment of a computer science education 6 work group. 7 BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF IOWA: 8 TLSB 1277HV (3) 87 kh/rj

H.F. 507 Section 1. Section 256.7, subsection 26, paragraph a, Code 1 2017, is amended by adding the following new subparagraph: 2 NEW SUBPARAGRAPH . (4) The rules shall provide for the 3 establishment of high-quality standards for computer science 4 education taught by elementary, middle, and high schools, 5 in accordance with the goal established under section 6 284.6A, subsection 1, setting a foundation for personal and 7 professional success in a high-technology, knowledge-based 8 Iowa economy. Such rules shall be applicable only to school 9 districts and accredited nonpublic schools receiving moneys 10 from the computer science professional development incentive 11 fund under section 284.6A, or from other funds administered by 12 the department for the same purposes as specified in section 13 284.6A, subsection 2. 14 Sec. 2. Section 272.2, Code 2017, is amended by adding the 15 following new subsection: 16 NEW SUBSECTION . 20. Establish by rule endorsements and 17 authorizations for computer science instruction, including 18 traditional and nontraditional pathways for obtaining such 19 endorsements or authorizations. 20 Sec. 3. NEW SECTION . 284.6A Computer science professional 21 development incentive fund —— legislative findings. 22 1. The general assembly finds and declares all of the 23 following: 24 a. That instruction in high-quality computer science for 25 elementary, middle school, and high school students establishes 26 a foundation for personal and professional success in a 27 high-technology, knowledge-based Iowa economy. 28 b. It is the goal of the general assembly that by July 29 1, 2019, each accredited high school offer at least one 30 high-quality computer science course, each accredited middle 31 school offer instruction in exploratory computer science, and 32 each accredited elementary school offer instruction in the 33 basics of computer science. 34 c. It is the intent of the general assembly to appropriate 35 -1- LSB 1277HV (3) 87 kh/rj 1/ 6

H.F. 507 moneys for purposes of the computer science professional 1 development incentive fund for the fiscal year beginning July 2 1, 2018. 3 2. Subject to an appropriation of sufficient funds by 4 the general assembly, the computer science professional 5 development incentive fund is established in the state treasury 6 under the control of the department. The department may 7 disburse moneys contained in the fund to a school district 8 or accredited nonpublic school, or a collaborative of one or 9 more school districts, accredited nonpublic schools, and area 10 education agencies, that apply to the department, in the manner 11 prescribed by the department, to receive moneys from the fund 12 to provide proven professional development activities for Iowa 13 teachers in the area of computer science education. 14 3. Notwithstanding section 8.33, moneys in the computer 15 science professional development incentive fund that remain 16 unencumbered or unobligated at the close of the fiscal year 17 shall not revert but shall remain available for expenditure 18 for the purposes designated until the close of the succeeding 19 fiscal year. 20 Sec. 4. COMPUTER SCIENCE EDUCATION WORK GROUP. 21 1. The director of the department of education shall 22 convene a computer science education work group to identify 23 and recommend measures for incentivizing school districts and 24 accredited nonpublic schools to meet the following goals by the 25 school year beginning July 1, 2019: 26 a. Offer at least one high-quality computer science course 27 in each high school. 28 b. Offer instruction in exploratory computer science in 29 each middle school. 30 c. Offer instruction in the basics of computer science in 31 each elementary school. 32 2. The work group shall also develop recommendations that, 33 at a minimum, address or identify the following: 34 a. How one or more high-quality computer science courses can 35 -2- LSB 1277HV (3) 87 kh/rj 2/ 6

H.F. 507 satisfy high school graduation requirements for mathematics or 1 science. 2 b. How one or more high-quality computer science courses can 3 be integrated into a career and technical education pathway. 4 c. Multiple settings for the delivery of high-quality high 5 school computer science courses, including traditional high 6 school classes, concurrent enrollment classes, and online 7 learning classes that include the opportunity for students to 8 collaborate within a classroom setting. 9 d. Guidelines for creating a kindergarten through grade 10 twelve career pathway in computer science, with an appropriate 11 scope and sequence for high-quality computer science 12 instruction at each such grade level. 13 e. How the computer science professional development 14 incentive fund established under section 284.6A, if enacted 15 by this Act, could be used to meet the goals set forth in 16 subsection 1. 17 3. a. The membership of the work group shall represent 18 kindergarten through grade twelve school districts and 19 accredited nonpublic schools, higher education, business, 20 labor, and other appropriate stakeholders. 21 b. The membership of the work group shall also include 22 four members of the general assembly. The legislative members 23 shall serve as ex officio, nonvoting members of the work group, 24 with one member to be appointed by each of the following: the 25 majority leader of the senate, the minority leader of the 26 senate, the speaker of the house of representatives, and the 27 minority leader of the house of representatives. 28 4. The work group shall submit its findings and 29 recommendations, including any proposed legislation, in a 30 report to the governor, the state board of education, and the 31 general assembly by November 1, 2017. 32 Sec. 5. DIRECTIVE TO STATE BOARD OF EDUCATION. The state 33 board of education shall submit a notice of intended action to 34 the administrative rules coordinator and the administrative 35 -3- LSB 1277HV (3) 87 kh/rj 3/ 6

H.F. 507 code editor pursuant to section 17A.4, subsection 1, paragraph 1 “a”, not later than December 13, 2017, for the adoption of 2 rules to implement section 256.7, subsection 26, paragraph “a”, 3 subparagraph (4), as enacted in this Act. 4 EXPLANATION 5 The inclusion of this explanation does not constitute agreement with 6 the explanation’s substance by the members of the general assembly. 7 This bill requires the state board of education to adopt 8 computer science education standards, requires the board of 9 educational examiners to establish computer science instructor 10 endorsements and authorizations and alternative pathways to 11 obtain such endorsements and authorizations, establishes a 12 computer science professional development incentive fund in 13 the state treasury, and directs the department of education to 14 convene a computer science education work group. 15 The bill directs the state board of education to adopt rules 16 providing for the establishment of high-quality standards 17 for computer science education taught by elementary, middle, 18 and high schools. The rules shall be applicable only to 19 those school districts and schools that receive moneys from 20 the incentive fund or from other funds administered by the 21 department for the same purposes as specified for the incentive 22 fund. The state board must submit notice of intended action as 23 provided in Code section 17A.4(1)(a) by December 13, 2017. 24 The board of educational examiners is directed to establish 25 by rule endorsements and authorizations for computer science 26 instruction, including traditional and nontraditional pathways 27 for obtaining such endorsements or authorizations. 28 Under the bill, the general assembly finds and declares 29 that instruction in high-quality computer science for 30 elementary, middle school, and high school students establishes 31 a foundation for personal and professional success in a 32 high-technology, knowledge-based Iowa economy. The goal of 33 the general assembly is for each accredited high school to 34 offer at least one high-quality computer science course, each 35 -4- LSB 1277HV (3) 87 kh/rj 4/ 6

H.F. 507 accredited middle school to offer instruction in exploratory 1 computer science, and each accredited elementary school to 2 offer instruction in the basics of computer science. 3 It is the intent of the general assembly to appropriate 4 moneys for purposes of the computer science professional 5 development incentive fund for the fiscal year beginning July 6 1, 2018. The fund is established by the bill in the state 7 treasury under the control of the department, subject to an 8 appropriation of sufficient funds by the general assembly. 9 Moneys from the fund can be disbursed to a school district 10 or accredited nonpublic school, or a collaborative of one or 11 more school districts, accredited nonpublic schools, and area 12 education agencies, to provide proven professional development 13 activities for Iowa teachers in the area of computer science 14 education. A school district, accredited nonpublic school, or 15 a collaborative, as appropriate, must apply to the department 16 in the manner prescribed by the department in order to 17 receive moneys from the fund. Moneys in the fund that remain 18 unencumbered or unobligated at the close of the fiscal year 19 shall not revert but shall remain available for expenditure 20 for the purposes designated until the close of the succeeding 21 fiscal year. 22 The bill requires the director of the department of 23 education to convene a computer science education work group 24 to identify and recommend measures for incentivizing school 25 districts and accredited nonpublic schools to meet, by the 26 school year beginning July 1, 2019, the goals of offering at 27 least one high-quality computer science course in each high 28 school, offering instruction in exploratory computer science in 29 each middle school, and offering instruction in the basics of 30 computer science in each elementary school. 31 The work group must also develop recommendations that, at 32 a minimum, address or identify how one or more high-quality 33 computer science courses can satisfy high school graduation 34 requirements for mathematics or science; how one or more 35 -5- LSB 1277HV (3) 87 kh/rj 5/ 6

H.F. 507 high-quality computer science courses can be integrated into 1 a career and technical education pathway; multiple settings 2 for the delivery of high-quality high school computer science 3 courses, including traditional high school classes, concurrent 4 enrollment classes, and online learning classes that include 5 the opportunity for students to collaborate within a classroom 6 setting; guidelines for creating a kindergarten through grade 7 12 career pathway in computer science, with an appropriate 8 scope and sequence for high-quality computer science 9 instruction at each such grade level; and how the computer 10 science professional development incentive fund could be used 11 to meet the computer science instruction goals. 12 The work group’s membership must represent kindergarten 13 through grade 12 school districts and accredited nonpublic 14 schools, higher education, business, labor, and other 15 appropriate stakeholders, and include four ex officio, 16 nonvoting legislative members. The work group must submit 17 its findings and recommendations, including any proposed 18 legislation, in a report to the governor, the state board of 19 education, and the general assembly by November 1, 2017. 20 -6- LSB 1277HV (3) 87 kh/rj 6/ 6