House Study Bill 580 - Introduced HOUSE FILE _____ BY (PROPOSED COMMITTEE ON EDUCATION BILL BY CHAIRPERSON JORGENSEN) A BILL FOR An Act relating to high school graduation requirements. 1 BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF IOWA: 2 TLSB 5574YC (2) 85 kh/rj

H.F. _____ Section 1. Section 256.7, subsection 26, paragraph a, 1 subparagraph (1), Code 2014, is amended to read as follows: 2 (1) The rules establishing high school graduation 3 requirements shall authorize a school district or 4 accredited nonpublic school to consider that any student 5 who satisfactorily completes a high school-level unit of 6 English or language arts, mathematics, science, or social 7 studies has satisfactorily completed a unit of the high school 8 graduation requirements for that area as specified in this 9 lettered paragraph, and shall authorize the school district or 10 accredited nonpublic school to issue high school credit for 11 the unit to the student. For purposes of this subsection, an 12 advanced placement computer science course may be considered as 13 equivalent to a high school mathematics or science course. 14 Sec. 2. Section 280.3, Code 2014, is amended by adding the 15 following new subsection: 16 NEW SUBSECTION . 6. The board of directors of each public 17 school district and the authorities in charge of each nonpublic 18 school may approve and offer an advanced placement computer 19 science course as equivalent to a high school mathematics or 20 science course for purposes of the graduation requirements 21 established pursuant to section 256.7, subsection 26. However, 22 a student successfully completing an advanced placement 23 computer science course shall only be issued credit for the 24 course that counts toward meeting the graduation requirements 25 established pursuant to section 256.7, subsection 26, if the 26 student has also successfully completed an advanced mathematics 27 course. 28 EXPLANATION 29 The inclusion of this explanation does not constitute agreement with 30 the explanation’s substance by the members of the general assembly. 31 This bill authorizes school districts and accredited 32 nonpublic schools to consider a unit of advanced placement 33 computer science to be equivalent to a unit of high school 34 mathematics or science for purposes of fulfilling high school 35 -1- LSB 5574YC (2) 85 kh/rj 1/ 2

H.F. _____ graduation requirements. 1 Currently, the state board of education is required to 2 authorize a school district or accredited nonpublic school to 3 consider that any student who satisfactorily completes a high 4 school-level unit of English or language arts, mathematics, 5 science, or social studies has satisfactorily completed a unit 6 of the high school graduation requirements for that area, and 7 to authorize the school district or school to issue high school 8 credit for the unit to the student. The bill adds that an 9 advanced placement computer science course may be considered as 10 equivalent to a high school mathematics or science course. 11 The bill authorizes school districts and accredited 12 nonpublic schools to approve and offer an advanced placement 13 computer science course as equivalent to high school 14 mathematics or science for purposes of the state board’s 15 graduation requirements. However, a student successfully 16 completing an advanced placement computer science course shall 17 only be issued credit for the course that counts toward meeting 18 the graduation requirements established by the state board 19 if the student has also successfully completed an advanced 20 mathematics course. 21 -2- LSB 5574YC (2) 85 kh/rj 2/ 2