Senate Study Bill 1047 - Introduced SENATE/HOUSE FILE _____ BY (PROPOSED GOVERNOR BILL) 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 1277XL (11) 87 kh/sc

S.F. _____ H.F. _____ 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 1277XL (11) 87 kh/sc 1/ 6

S.F. _____ H.F. _____ 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 the 4 general assembly, the computer science professional development 5 incentive fund is established in the state treasury under the 6 control of the department. The department may disburse moneys 7 contained in the fund for professional development activities 8 or tuition reimbursement as follows: 9 a. A school district or accredited nonpublic school, or 10 a collaborative of one or more school districts, accredited 11 nonpublic schools, and area education agencies, may apply to 12 the department, in the manner prescribed by the department, to 13 receive moneys from the fund to provide proven professional 14 development activities for Iowa teachers in the area of 15 computer science education. 16 b. A school district or accredited nonpublic school 17 may apply to the department, in the manner prescribed by 18 the department, to receive moneys from the fund to provide 19 tuition reimbursement for Iowa teachers seeking endorsements 20 or authorizations for computer science under section 272.2, 21 subsection 20. 22 3. Notwithstanding section 8.33, moneys in the computer 23 science professional development incentive fund that remain 24 unencumbered or unobligated at the close of the fiscal year 25 shall not revert but shall remain available for expenditure 26 for the purposes designated until the close of the succeeding 27 fiscal year. 28 Sec. 4. COMPUTER SCIENCE EDUCATION WORK GROUP. 29 1. The director of the department of education shall 30 convene a computer science education work group to identify 31 and recommend measures for incentivizing school districts and 32 accredited nonpublic schools to meet the following goals by the 33 school year beginning July 1, 2019: 34 a. Offer at least one high-quality computer science course 35 -2- LSB 1277XL (11) 87 kh/sc 2/ 6

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

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

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

S.F. _____ H.F. _____ The work group must also develop recommendations that, at 1 a minimum, address or identify how one or more high-quality 2 computer science courses can satisfy high school graduation 3 requirements for mathematics or science; how one or more 4 high-quality computer science courses can be integrated into 5 a career and technical education pathway; multiple settings 6 for the delivery of high-quality high school computer science 7 courses, including traditional high school classes, concurrent 8 enrollment classes, and online learning classes that include 9 the opportunity for students to collaborate within a classroom 10 setting; guidelines for creating a kindergarten through grade 11 12 career pathway in computer science, with an appropriate 12 scope and sequence for high-quality computer science 13 instruction at each such grade level; and how the computer 14 science professional development incentive fund could be used 15 to meet the computer science instruction goals. 16 The work group’s membership must represent kindergarten 17 through grade 12 school districts and accredited nonpublic 18 schools, higher education, business, labor, and other 19 appropriate stakeholders. The work group must submit 20 its findings and recommendations, including any proposed 21 legislation, in a report to the governor, the state board of 22 education, and the general assembly by November 1, 2017. 23 -6- LSB 1277XL (11) 87 kh/sc 6/ 6