AB 887: Pupil instruction: high schools: computer science courses: California Computer Science Demonstration Grant Program: reporting.

SECTION 1.

(a) The Legislature finds and declares all of the following:

(1) In 2014, Assembly Member Curt Hagman authored, and Governor Jerry Brown signed, Assembly Bill 1539 of the 2013–14 Regular Session, directing the Instructional Quality Commission to consider developing, and recommending to the State Board of Education, computer science content standards, on or before July 31, 2019, pursuant to recommendations developed by a group of computer science experts. The Instructional Quality Commission recommended computer science standards to the State Board of Education in July 2018, and that state board adopted those standards in September 2018.

(2) In 2016, Assembly Member Susan Bonilla authored, and Governor Jerry Brown signed, Assembly Bill 2329 of the 2015–16 Regular Session, to require the State Board of Education to create a California Computer Science Strategic Implementation Plan (CSSIP). The CSSIP was developed by 23 CSSIP Advisory Panel members, appointed or designated by a variety of entities, including the Governor, the Senate Committee on Rules, the Speaker of the Assembly, and the Superintendent of Public Instruction. The CSSIP Advisory Panel members had expertise in computer science and included educators from higher education and K–12 educational entities, superintendents, researchers, representatives from industry, and others. The CSSIP recommendations were submitted to the State Department of Education, the State Board of Education, and the Legislature in September 2018 and approved by the State Board of Education in May 2019. The vision statement of the CSSIP states, “California’s vision is to ensure that all students develop foundational knowledge and skills in computer science to prepare them for college, careers, and civic engagement.” The mission statement of the CSSIP states, “All schools offer rigorous and relevant computer science education equitably and sustainably throughout grades K–12. All teachers are adequately prepared to teach rigorous and relevant computer science aligned with the California K–12 Computer Science Standards (CA K–12 CS Standards).”

(3) Studies on computer science education prove that computer science education develops computational, critical thinking, and problem solving skills that are foundational knowledge for all pupils, regardless of their ultimate field of study or occupation. The Computer Science Standards for California Public Schools, Kindergarten through Grade Twelve, were adopted unanimously by the State Board of Education in 2018, and the Computer Science Strategic Implementation Plan states, “computer science for all ensures each and every student develops foundational conceptual knowledge and proficiency in computer science practices to provide the skills to responsibly and productively participate in a world in which digital technologies are broadly integrated.”

(4) Despite the value of computer science education, the most recent available data shows that:

(A) Forty-nine percent of high schools in California do not offer a single course in computer science.

(B) Just 5 percent of the 1,930,000 high school pupils in California are enrolled in a computer science course.

(C) Only 34 percent of schools serving high proportions of Black, Indigenous, Latinx, and Pacific Islander pupils offer computer science courses, compared to 52 percent of schools serving a greater proportion of White and Asian pupils.

(D) While female pupils comprise 49 percent of the high school population, just 30 percent of pupils taking computer science courses are female.

(E) Schools serving low-income communities are three times less likely to offer core computer science courses, and over two times less likely to offer Advanced Placement courses, than schools serving high-income communities.

(F) Rural schools are two times less likely to offer computer science courses than urban schools.

(5) The introduction of the California Computer Science Standards for Public Schools: Kindergarten Through Grade Twelve (the California computer science standards) highlights the importance of inclusive computer science opportunities, stating “The standards are designed for each and every student, including underserved populations: girls, low-income students, homeless students, rural students, African American and Latinx students, students who are English learners, students with disabilities, and foster youth. Students’ access to and achievement in computer science must not be predictable on the basis of race, ethnicity, gender, socioeconomic status, language, religion, sexual orientation, cultural affiliation, or special needs.”

(6) California lags behind the national average, and behind 36 other states, in the percentage of high schools offering at least one computer science course, making California in the lowest 25 percent of states.

(7) Thirty-two other states currently require high schools to offer a computer science course, with 11 of those states requiring a computer science course for graduation.

(8) As of January 2023, California has 45,245 open computing jobs that have an average salary of $153,544, yet there were only 9,339 graduates in computer science in 2020. California has the highest number of open computing jobs in the nation.

(9) A lack of diversity and representation in computer science and science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields has long been a concern. In April of 2021, the Pew Research Center indicated that Latinx and Black workers are underrepresented in the STEM workforce, while White and Asian workers are overrepresented. Women were reported to make up a mere quarter or less of all computer and engineering jobs. To address this issue, it is crucial to start early in the educational pipeline, which makes K–12 schools an ideal setting for nurturing diversity, inclusion, and equal access.

(10) California has made significant investments in in-service professional development education opportunities in computer science for teachers throughout California. To date, California has invested $20,000,000 for professional learning for educators through the Educator Workforce Investment Grant Program for computer science. An additional $15,000,000 has been invested in the Computer Science Supplementary Authorization Incentive Grant Program to support educators in credentialing. The $50,000,000 Mathematics, Science, and Computer Science Professional Learning Grant reflects further investment in computer science, and Assembly Bill 1251 (Chapter 834, Statutes of 2023), requires the Commission on Teaching Credentialing to, upon appropriation by the Legislature, convene a workgroup to discuss options for expanding credentialing options for computer science.

(11) In accordance with the concepts in the California computer science standards, a comprehensive computer science foundation for pupils includes conceptual understanding and skills of the five concept areas of the standards, which are computing systems, networks and the internet, data and analysis, algorithms and programming, and impacts of computing. Artificial intelligence (AI) touches upon each of these concept areas. Computer science is referred to as a core subject in the State Board of Education-adopted California computer science standards, designed for all K–12 pupils. In alignment with these K–12 standards, as pupils gain the ability to navigate computing systems, utilize networks and the internet responsibly, analyze and interpret data with an antibias lens, solve problems using algorithms and programming, and carefully consider the ethics of computing technologies, they become informed digital citizens who can leverage AI and other technologies to promote social justice and equity.

(12) The importance of computer science is recognized at a national level, with the federal Every Student Succeeds Act (Public Law 114–95) including computer science as part of a “well-rounded education.” Computer science concepts permeate nearly every industry in our midst, with the California computer science standards emphasizing its interdisciplinary nature and relevance in our digitally connected society for computer science.

(b) It is the intent of the Legislature to establish a pilot program to increase pupil access to computer science courses and to increase educator availability and capacity, in participating public high schools that do not offer computer science courses, as a step toward the ultimate goal of ensuring that all California public high schools operated by school districts and charter schools offer computer science.

(4)

(5)

Allowable expenses for the pilot program may include any of the following:

(A) Educator recruitment.

(B) Professional development training.

(C) Examination and industry certification costs.

(D) Incentives for school districts to increase access to computer science courses.

(E) Incentives for educators who successfully complete professional development and teach a computer science course.

(F) Administrative costs.

(d) (1) The funding entity or funding entities, in coordination with the California Computer Science Demonstration Project Grant Program Working Group, shall evaluate the effectiveness of pilot program based on the purposes of the pilot program, as described in subdivision (a).

(2) Notwithstanding Section 10231.5 of the Government Code, the funding entity or funding entities, in coordination with the working group, shall submit an interim report on or before July August 1, 2027, and a final report on or before April July 1, 2028, to the Assembly Committee on Education, the Senate Committee on Education, and any other relevant policy and fiscal committees of the Legislature, consistent with the requirements of Section 9795 of the Government Code.

(3) The interim and final reports are intended to include, but are not limited to, all of the following:

(A) Pupil enrollment data, disaggregated by gender, race and ethnicity, special education status, English learner status, socioeconomically disadvantaged status, and grade level.

(B) Equity and access data.

(C) Educator support data.

(D) Curriculum data.

(E) Implementation data, including case studies from participating public high schools.

(F) Recommendations for expansion of the pilot program, including any funding considerations.

(e) The pilot program shall be funded through contributions, gifts, grants, in-kind donations, and donations from the funding entity or funding entities. The California Computer Science Demonstration Grant Program Working Group shall not be funded by the state.

(f) For purposes of this section, the following definitions apply:

(1) “Computer science” means the study of computers and algorithmic processes, including their principles, hardware and software designs, implementation, and impact on society, as described in the computer science academic content standards adopted by the state board pursuant to Section 60605.4.

(2) “Computer science course” means a computer science course that is aligned to the computer science academic content standards adopted by the state board pursuant to Section 60605.4 and in which pupils do not merely use technology as passive consumers, but understand why and how computing technologies work, and then build upon that conceptual knowledge by creating computational artifacts.

(3) “Funding entity” means a nonprofit organization or private entity that contributes, gifts, grants, or donates funding to implement the pilot program.

(4) “Pilot program” means the California Computer Science Demonstration Project Grant Program established in subdivision (a).