AB 2329, as introduced, Bonilla. Computer science curriculum: study.
The California Council on Science and Technology is a nonprofit corporation organized pursuant to Section 501(c)(3) of the federal Internal Revenue Code. Existing law provides that the council was established at the request of the Legislature for the specific purpose of offering expert advice to state government on public policy issues significantly related to science and technology. Existing law authorizes school districts that require more than 2 years of mathematics courses for graduation to award mathematics credit for completion of a California State University and University of California approved “category C” computer science course. Existing law requires the California State University and requests the University of California to develop guidelines for high school computer science courses to be approved for purposes of recognition for admission to the California State University and the University of California, respectively, and would encourage the University of California to ensure that computer science courses that satisfy the mathematics subject area requirements for admission build upon fundamental mathematics content provided in courses that align with the academic content standards developed by the Academic Content Standards Commission.
This bill would request that the council undertake and complete a study, and submit the study to the Legislature, by January 1, 2018, analyzing the status and impact of recently enacted laws, as specified. The bill would state that the goal of the study is to help the Legislature, through a data-driven review, understand the needs to advance computer science in California’s high school curriculum and to move forward with policy that increases computer science education opportunities in high school, leading to an increase in the number of computer science degree holders produced by public postsecondary educational institutions in California.
Vote: majority. Appropriation: no. Fiscal committee: no. State-mandated local program: no.
The people of the State of California do enact as follows:
(a) The Legislature finds and declares both of
2the following:
3(1) The California Council on Science and Technology was
4established by California academic research institutions, including
5the University of California, the University of Southern California,
6the California Institute of Technology, Stanford University, and
7the California State University, and was organized as a nonprofit
8corporation pursuant to Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue
9Code, in response to Assembly Concurrent Resolution 162
10(Resolution Chapter 148 of the Statutes of 1988).
11(2) The council was uniquely established at the request of the
12Legislature for the specific purpose
of offering expert advice to
13state government on public policy issues significantly related to
14science and technology.
15(b) The California Council on Science and Technology is hereby
16requested to undertake and complete a study, and to submit the
17study to the Legislature, by January 1, 2018, analyzing the status
18and impact of recently enacted laws that do both of the following:
19(1) Authorizes school districts that require more than two years
20of mathematics courses for graduation to award mathematics credit
21for completion of a California State University and University of
22California approved “category C” computer science course.
23(2) Requires the California State University and requests the
24University of California to develop guidelines for high school
25computer science courses to be approved for purposes of
P3 1recognition
for admission to the California State University and
2the University of California, respectively, and would encourage
3the University of California to ensure that computer science courses
4that satisfy the mathematics subject area requirements for
5admission build upon fundamental mathematics content provided
6in courses that align with the academic content standards developed
7by the Academic Content Standards Commission.
8(c) The goal of the study is to help the Legislature, through a
9data-driven review, understand the needs to advance computer
10science in California’s high school curriculum and to move forward
11with policy that increases computer science education opportunities
12in high school, leading to an increase in the number of computer
13science degree holders produced by public postsecondary
14educational institutions in California.
15(d) The study is requested to focus on, but not be
limited to, the
16implementation of Assembly Bill 1764 (Chapter 888 of the Statutes
17of 2014) and Senate Bill 1200 (Chapter 518 of the Statutes of
182014), and is requested to include all of the following:
19(1) The number of schools that require three years of
20mathematics for graduation requirements.
21(2) The associated number of schools that have a qualifying
22computer science course that can satisfy the third year of the
23mathematics requirement.
24(3) The number of pupils taking a computer science course
25identified in paragraph (2).
26(4) The diversity by gender and ethnicity of those pupils
27identified in paragraph (3).
28(5) The number of pupils who took a computer science course
29identified in
paragraph (2), graduated, and went to a postsecondary
30educational institution.
31(6) The number of pupils studying or continuing computer
32science course study at the postsecondary level.
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