BILL ANALYSIS                                                                                                                                                                                                    Ó



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          Date of Hearing:  April 20, 2016 


                        ASSEMBLY COMMITTEE ON APPROPRIATIONS


                               Lorena Gonzalez, Chair


          AB  
          2329 (Bonilla) - As Amended April 13, 2016


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          Urgency:  No  State Mandated Local Program:  NoReimbursable:  No


          SUMMARY:


          This bill requires the California Department of Education (CDE)  
          to establish a computer science strategic implementation  
          advisory board  on or before July 1, 2017 to develop  
          recommendations for a computer science strategic implementation  
          plan (plan). Specifically, this bill:  


          1)Requires the advisory board to be comprised of 20 members,  








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            including: a representative appointed by the Governor, a  
            representative from each house of the Legislature, the  
            Superintendent of Public Instruction (SPI), the State Board of  
            Education (SBE), the Commission on Teacher Credentialing,  
            higher education segments, teachers, a variety of school  
            district representatives, the private sector, and parents. 


          2)Requires the advisory board to submit recommendations for a  
            computer science strategic implementation plan to the CDE and  
            the SBE on or before March 1, 2018.


          3)Requires the recommendations to include ways to broaden the  
            pool of computer science teachers, including; professional  
            development and training, certification pathways, scholarships  
            and loan forgiveness. 


          4)Requires the advisory board to provide recommendations on the  
            development of computer science standards, including, defining  
            K-12 computer science education principles and building on the  
            computer science frameworks. 


          5)Requires the advisory board to provide recommendations to  
            ensure all pupils have access to quality computer science  
            courses, including, removing local barriers that local  
            educational agencies face when implementing computer science  
            education and increasing the participation of pupils  
            traditionally underrepresented in computer science education.


          6)Requires the Governor to appoint a statewide computer science  
            liaison to serve the advisory board. Duties include  
            coordinating the efforts of the advisory board and ensuring  
            that the advisory board's recommendations are implemented to  
            achieve the intentions of the computer science strategic  
            implementation plan.








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          7)Requires the advisory board to report any necessary  
            legislative changes related to computer science education to  
            the SBE and to the CDE on or before January 1, 2018.





          


          FISCAL EFFECT:


          1)General Fund administrative costs of approximately $400,000  
            for the CDE to staff the stakeholder group. Costs include  
            review of potential member applications, arranging meeting  
            logistics and travel for members, preparation of meeting  
            materials, and reports to the Legislature. This cost estimate  
            does not include the statewide computer science liaison that  
            would serve the advisory board. It is unclear what the role of  
            the liaison would be since the advisory board would be  
            established by the CDE. The cost estimate assumes CDE would  
            staff the advisory board.


          2)Proposition 98/GF cost pressure, in the millions of dollars,  
            to implement the recommendations of the advisory board,  
            including standards development, teacher recruitment and  
            retention efforts such as scholarships and student loan  
            forgiveness, and professional development.


          COMMENTS:


          1)Purpose. According to TechNet, the sponsor of the bill,  








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            providing recommendations for the computer science  
            implementation plan will move California schools forward in a  
            coordinated fashion to expose more children to computer  
            science at a younger age and will prepare them for technology  
            jobs that California has to offer. This bill will help better  
            position California with the necessary research and  
            development to leverage future federal funds for computer  
            science education. Ultimately, this plan will help the state  
            reach the goal of having computer science curriculum in every  
            school.


          2)Comments. Current law requires the Instructional Quality  
            Commission (IQC) to consider developing and recommending  
            computer science content standards to the SBE, pursuant to  
            recommendations developed by a group of computer science  
            experts. The enabling legislation (AB 1539, Hagman, Statutes  
            of 2014) was intended to encourage the IQC and SBE to review  
            the standards developed by the Computer Science Teachers  
            Association. In 2013, the national Computer Science Teachers  
            Association created K - 12 standards with the intention that  
            state and local governing bodies, such as California's SBE,  
            would use these standards to create their own state and local  
            academic standards. 


            This bill requires the CDE and SBE to develop and adopt a  
            computer science strategic implementation plan, pursuant to  
            recommendations by both this bill's advisory board, and the  
            IQC. The requirements of this bill appear to be duplicative.   
            The author states the bill is necessary because current law  
            requires the IQC to merely "consider" developing standards and  
            the IQC has not yet received funding to assist in the  
            development of computer science standards.













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          Analysis Prepared by:Misty Feusahrens / APPR. / (916)  
          319-2081