BILL ANALYSIS Ó AB 2329 Page 1 Date of Hearing: April 20, 2016 ASSEMBLY COMMITTEE ON APPROPRIATIONS Lorena Gonzalez, Chair AB 2329 (Bonilla) - As Amended April 13, 2016 ----------------------------------------------------------------- |Policy |Education |Vote:|7 - 0 | |Committee: | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |-------------+-------------------------------+-----+-------------| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | ----------------------------------------------------------------- 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, AB 2329 Page 2 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. AB 2329 Page 3 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, AB 2329 Page 4 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. AB 2329 Page 5 Analysis Prepared by:Misty Feusahrens / APPR. / (916) 319-2081