Education Committee Report – Week 6, 2017

SSB 1047 – Computer science education standards and work group

 

COMMITTEE ACTION:

SSB 1047 requires computer science education standards, computer science instructor endorsements and authorizations, and alternative ways to obtain endorsements and authorizations. The bill establishes a computer science professional development incentive fund for schools that adopt the standards and directs the Department of Education to convene a computer science education work group.

It is the Legislature’s intent that each high school offer at least one high-quality computer science course, middle schools offer exploratory computer science, and elementary schools offer the basics of computer science. The Legislature intends to appropriate money for the professional development incentive fund for 2018. The money would be disbursed to school districts or accredited nonpublic schools for tuition reimbursement for teachers seeking computer science endorsements. The Department of Education will convene a computer science education work group, which will submit recommendations by November 1.
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