BILL ANALYSIS Ó
AB 2329
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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