BILL ANALYSIS Ó
AB 1258
Page 1
Date of Hearing: April 29, 2015
ASSEMBLY COMMITTEE ON EDUCATION
Patrick O'Donnell, Chair
AB 1258
Chau - As Amended April 21, 2015
SUBJECT: Elementary and secondary education: Computer Science
Education Grant Pilot Program
SUMMARY: Establishes a Computer Science Start-Up Courses Grant
Pilot program and a Computer Science Educator Training Grant
Pilot program, for the purpose of providing grants to school
districts to establish and maintain computer science courses and
provide professional development for educators to teach computer
science. Specifically, this bill:
1)Requires the Superintendent of Public Instruction (SPI) to
establish a public-private computer science education grant
program through which an eligible school district may receive
funding to establish and maintain computer science courses and
provide professional development for educators to teach
computer science, either as a stand-alone course or integrated
into other courses.
2)States that any school district may apply for participation in
this pilot program.
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3)Establishes the program as consisting of two parts: the
Computer Science Start-Up Courses Grant Pilot program and the
Computer Science Educator Training Grant Pilot program.
Permits school districts to apply for participation in either
or both of those two programs.
4)Requires the SPI to provide notice of this program to all
school districts and encourage them to apply for participation
in this program.
5)Requires the SPI to award one-year grants to school districts
to applicants deemed to be eligible.
6)Allows a school district that receives a grant to apply for a
grant in a subsequent year, but requires that grants not be
automatically renewed.
7)Prohibits the SPI from awarding a grant unless the he or she
determines that there are sufficient funds in the Computer
Science Education Grant Matching Account
8)States that in order to be deemed eligible for the program, a
school district must meet all of the following criteria:
a) demonstrate engaged and committed leadership in support
of introducing students to computer science who would not
otherwise have such opportunities
b) demonstrate a plan to engage these students with the
subject matter of computer science
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c) demonstrate that school district staff are appropriately
trained to carry out the plan
d) demonstrate capacity to maximize the use of grant
resources by addressing the availability of appropriate
physical space and technology, projected enrollment, and
other specific requirements set forth by the SPI
e) demonstrate a history of successful partnerships within
the community and partner support for computer science.
Partnership support may include, supplying materials or
technology, instruction support, internships, mentorships,
and apprenticeships
f) demonstrate the capacity to continue in the school years
following the initial grant year.
1)States that the SPI may convene an advisory group of computer
science experts to discuss and refine the eligibility
criteria, and allows the SPI to use the same group of computer
science experts selected to produce state standards in
computer science.
2)States that the Computer Science Start-up Courses Pilot Grant
program is intended to support innovative ways to introduce
pupils who would not otherwise have opportunities to computer
science and inspire them to enter computer science careers.
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3)Requires the SPI to give priority in making grants for both
programs to school districts with higher percentages of low
income, English learner, and foster youth, and award grants to
school districts that reflect the socioeconomic and geographic
diversity of the state.
4)Requires an applicant to submit a specific plan for an
introductory course in computer science designed to be of
maximum value in meeting the particular needs of students in
that district.
5)States that the Computer Science Educator Training Grant
program is intended to support professional development for
educators to acquire the knowledge and skills necessary to
teach computer science, either as a stand-alone course or
integrated into other courses.
6)Requires the SPI to award training grants, on a competitive
basis, to eligible educators employed by applicant school
districts. Requires a grant recipient to submit a specific
plan for professional development for educators to acquire the
knowledge and skills necessary to teach computer science,
either as a stand-alone course or integrated into other
courses.
7)States that grant funds shall be allocated to fund
professional development and training for educators on
computer science education.
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8)Establishes the Computer Science Education Grant Matching
Account in the State Treasury, to provide matching funds for
the Computer Science Start-Up Courses Grant Pilot Program and
the Computer Science Educator Training Grant Pilot Program.
9)Requires that grants and related administrative costs to be
funded by a combination of funds from the account and matching
funds provided by a participating school district.
10)States the intent of the Legislature that no funds from the
state General Fund be used to support the grant program
established by this chapter.
11)Authorizes the State Treasury to receive, and deposit into
the account, any gifts, grants, or donations received for
purposes of this chapter from the federal government or
private persons or entities.
12)Requires that the funds deposited in the Computer Science
Education Grant Matching Account be continuously appropriated
to the SPI for purposes of funding the grants established
under this chapter and covering related administrative costs,
which must be limited to 10 percent of the allocations made in
any fiscal year.
13)Authorizes the SPI to refund to donors all or a portion of
any gift, grant, or donation made to the account by that donor
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if the funds have not been encumbered due to surplus funding
or the section has not become operative because there are
insufficient funds for this purpose.
14)Requires that the program not become operative unless and
until the SPI certifies, in writing, to the Director of
Finance that there are sufficient funds in the account to
implement these programs.
15)Requires the SPI report annually to the Governor and the
Legislature on the programs by January 10, 2018 and annually
on that date until January 10, 2021. Requires the report to
include all of the following data:
a) the number of applicants
b) the number of participants
c) the rate of compliance with academic and employment
requirements
d) an assessment of the success rates for each
participating school district
e) the amount of grant funds awarded each fiscal year,
classified by school district
1)Sunsets the programs on January 1, 2022.
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EXISTING LAW:
1)Requires the Instructional Quality Commission (IQC) to
consider developing and recommending to the State Board of
Education (SBE), on or before July 31, 2019, computer science
content standards for kindergarten and grades 1 to 12 pursuant
to recommendations developed by a group of computer science
experts.
2)Requires that, if the governing board of a school district
requires more than two courses in mathematics for graduation
from high school, the governing board of the school district
may award a pupil up to one mathematics course credit for
successfully completing a "category C" approved computer
science course.
3)Requires that, on or before July 31, 2019, the IQC consider
developing and recommending to the state board computer
science content standards for kindergarten and grades 1 to 12,
inclusive, pursuant to recommendations developed by a group of
computer science experts.
4)Requires the Trustees of the California State University, and
requests the Regents of the University of California, to
establish a uniform set of academic standards, and create
guidelines for high school computer science courses, to
satisfy the "A-G" subject requirements for the area of
mathematics for purposes of recognition for undergraduate
admission at their respective institutions.
FISCAL EFFECT: Unknown
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COMMENTS:
Need for the bill. The author's office states, "Computer
science and the emerging technologies it enables directly impact
California's industries and economy. According to the U.S Bureau
of Labor Statistics, it is predicted that by the year 2020, 4.6
million jobs will be in computing or information technology,
which is more than all other science, technology, engineering,
and mathematics (STEM) fields combined.
California policymakers, business leaders, and educators
understand the value of computer science education, as evidenced
by the numerous bills signed into law in 2013-2014. As we
continue to move towards integrating computer science into all
K-12 classrooms, we must also improve the future participation
and success of underrepresented populations in this field of
study. When we look at the number of students that took the
Advanced Placement Computer Science exam in California in 2013,
out of the 4,964 students, 74 were African American, 392 were
Hispanic, and 1,074 were females. Consequently, there is a need
to incentivize school districts to support innovative ways to
introduce and engage students from historically underrepresented
groups to computer science. At the same time, it is critical to
encourage school districts to offer professional development to
their teachers on this emerging subject matter.
Early exposure and equal access is essential for all students to
excel in the fundamentals of computer science and its connection
to innovation and emerging technologies. As the world continues
to move towards a technology intensive society, we as state
leaders must do more to bring computer science to all California
students."
Teacher certification in computer science. In a 2013 report
titled Bugs in the System: Computer Science Teacher
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Certification in the U.S., the Computer Science Teachers
Association writes that, nationally, teacher certification
programs in this subject are confused, disparate and sometimes
absurd," and that the process is "typified by confounding
processes and illogical procedures-bugs in the system that keep
it from functioning as intended." They recommend, among other
changes, the establishment of pathways for people transitioning
from industry to teaching, the development of a Praxis Computer
Science examination, and requirements for teacher preparation
institutions to include programs to prepare computer science
teachers.
CTC changing its authorization in computer science. California
has three Single Subject Teaching Credentials (Mathematics,
Business, and Industrial and Technology Education) and a
supplementary authorization (Computer Concepts and Applications)
that authorize a teacher to provide instruction in computer
science. The Commission on Teacher Credentialing (CTC) is
currently modifying their Computer Concepts and Applications
authorization to reflect a change in focus from teaching basic
computer use, keyboarding, and software application to broader
preparation in computer science education. Changes to the
authorization are expected later this year.
A new grant program in the era of local control. This bill
establishes a new categorical program. With the establishment
of the Local Control Funding Formula (LCFF) in 2013,
approximately three-quarters of all categorical programs were
eliminated, and the funds previously dedicated for the programs
were incorporated into the LCFF. The Committee may wish to
consider whether the strategies proposed by this bill can be
incorporated in a school district's Local Control and
Accountability Plan (LCAP) and funded locally, either
independently or through public-private partnerships. LCFF can
be used for any purpose in accordance with the LCAP, which is
developed locally to meet the needs of each district.
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Recommended amendments. Staff recommends the following
amendments:
1)Consistent with amendments made to AB 252 (Holden) by this
Committee, staff recommends that the bill be amended to
specify the purposes for which grant funds may be used in the
start-up courses program. Specifically, staff recommends that
the bill specify that the grant funds may be used for one-time
purposes associated with the costs of establishing or
expanding computer science courses, including teacher
recruitment, professional development, instructional
materials, laboratory supplies and equipment, and facilities
remodeling.
2)Also consistent with amendments made to AB 252 (Holden) by
this Committee staff recommends that the bill be amended to
provide that the grant applications for both programs shall be
on a form developed by the SPI and that the form include, at a
minimum: an itemized budget for the one-time use of the grant
funds, an identification of local matching resources
constituting a 50% match, an agreement by the grant recipient
to provide the SPI the data needed to complete the required
report.
3)Add "students from groups historically underrepresented in the
field of computer science" to the mentions of the students who
are proposed to benefit from these programs in grant-making,
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program design, and reporting requirements (as shown below).
4)To parallel the requirements of the Educator Training Grant,
staff recommends that the Start-Up Courses program also
require in its application a specific plan for the development
of courses.
5)In the report required to be submitted to the Legislature,
replace "the rate of compliance with academic and employment
requirements" with "the increase in the number of courses
offered and teachers trained in computer science as a result
of the grants made in the program."
6)In the report required to be submitted to the Legislature
replace "an assessment of the success rates for each
participating school district" with "the increase in the
number of students, including unduplicated pupils pursuant to
42238.02 and students from groups historically
underrepresented in the field of computer science, who have
taken a computer science course, and to the extent available,
any increase in the number of students who enroll or intend
to enroll in computer science programs at postsecondary
institutions" and "the increase in the number of pupils,
including unduplicated pupils pursuant to 42238.02 and
students from groups historically underrepresented in the
field of computer science, who have taken a course with an
educator trained as a result of this program," respectively.
7)Change the recipients of grants from "eligible educators" to
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"school districts for the support of educators" in Section
52977.
8)Require that the plan submitted as part of an application for
the Educator Training Program be developed in consultation
with teachers.
9)Delete the provision requiring that the funds for this program
be continuously appropriated, limit administrative costs to
5% (instead of 10%), specify that the local matching
requirement is 50% and that in-kind donations are eligible
sources for the local match.
10)The implementation of this program is contingent upon the SPI
certifying Department of Finance certifying that the program
has sufficient funds, but "sufficient funds" is not defined.
Staff recommends that it be defined to enough funds to support
at least two grants in at least one of the programs.
Related legislation. AB 252 (Holden) of this Session would
establish a grant program to award funds to cover the costs
associated with a high school establishing or expanding its
advanced placement STEM curriculum.
Prior legislation. AB 1539 (Hagman), Chapter 876, Statutes of
2014, requires the IQC to consider developing and recommending
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to the SBE, on or before July 31, 2019, computer science content
standards for kindergarten and grades 1 to 12 pursuant to
recommendations developed by a group of computer science
experts.
AB 1530 (Chau) of the 2013-14 Session would have required the
SPI to consider identifying existing model curricula for
kindergarten to grade 6 on computer science. The bill would
also require the SPI to consider the revision of existing, or
the development of new, model curricula on computer science, and
to consider submitting any model curricula revised or developed
as a result of this bill to the SBE for adoption. This bill died
in the Senate Appropriations Committee.
AB 1540 (Hagman) of the 2013-14 Session would have expanded
opportunities for high school pupils to concurrently enroll in a
community college to undertake one or more courses in computer
science. This bill died in the Assembly Appropriations
Committee.
AB 2110 (Ting) of the 2013-14 Session would have required the
IQC to consider incorporating computer science curriculum
content into the mathematics, science, history-social science,
and English language arts/English language development
curriculum frameworks when those frameworks are next revised.
This bill died in the Senate Appropriations Committee.
AB 1764 (Olsen), Chapter 888, Statutes of 2014, authorizes the
governing board of a school district that requires more than 2
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courses in mathematics for graduation to award a student up to
one mathematics course credit for successfully completing an
approved computer science course.
SB 1200 (Padilla), Chapter 158, Statutes of 2014, Requires the
Trustees of the California State University, and requests the
Regents of the University of California, to establish a uniform
set of academic standards create guidelines for high school
computer science courses, to satisfy the "A-G" subject
requirements for the area of mathematics for purposes of
recognition for undergraduate admission at their respective
institutions.
REGISTERED SUPPORT / OPPOSITION:
Support
California Teachers Association
Microsoft Corporation
1 individual
Opposition
None on file
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Analysis Prepared by:Tanya Lieberman / ED. / (916) 319-2087