BILL ANALYSIS �
AB 1539
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Date of Hearing: April 9, 2014
ASSEMBLY COMMITTEE ON EDUCATION
Joan Buchanan, Chair
AB 1539 (Hagman) - As Amended: April 2, 2014
SUBJECT : Content standards: computer science.
SUMMARY : Requires the State Board of Education (SBE) to adopt
computer science academic content standards. Specifically, this
bill :
1) Requires the State Superintendent of Public Instruction
(SPI), in consultation with the SBE, to convene a group of
experts in computer science and ensure that the members of
this group include, but not necessarily be limited to,
teachers who teach computer science, including mathematics
and science teachers, in grades 7 - 12, schoolsite
principals, school district or county office of education
administrators, university professors, representatives of
private sector business or industry. Requires that at
least one-half of the members of this group are teachers,
as described.
2) Requires, on or before July 31, 2015, and pursuant to
recommendations of the computer science experts and in
consideration of national computer science content
standards, the SBE to adopt computer science academic
content standards that provide a framework for teaching
computer science education in grades 7 - 12, inclusive.
3) Requires the standards to include, but not necessarily
be limited to, standards for teaching coding.
4) Defines "coding" as the process of converting a program
design into an accurate and detailed representation of that
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program in a suitable language.
5) Specifies these academic content standards may be used
by school districts to develop computer science programs
and course assessments, but are not mandatory.
EXISTING LAW
1) Makes Legislative findings recognizing that increasing
the integration of computers and computer technology into
California's economy has profound implications for
California's society and the state's educational policy.
2) Makes Legislative findings that recognize the importance
of early exposure to basic computer education and computer
resources for all students to ensure academic and career
success.
3) Makes a legislative finding that it is imperative
California adopt a policy to ensure equitable access to
technological education programs.
4) Declares a policy for the state of California that all
students in grades 1 - 12 shall have equitable access to
educational programs designed to strengthen technological
skills, including, but not limited to, computer education
programs and that funds appropriated for educational these
programs have the goal of ensuring equitable access to
those programs for all students.
5) Requires the SBE to adopt model academic content
standards in career technical education, English language
arts/English language development, health education,
history/social science, mathematics, model school library,
physical education, science, visual and performing arts,
and world languages.
FISCAL EFFECT : unknown
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COMMENTS :
Curriculum, Standards, and Frameworks
California curriculum is based on academic content standards
that are developed by the Instructional Quality Commission (IQC)
(also referenced in statute as the "commission") and approved by
the SBE. The frameworks, similarly developed by the IQC and
approved by the SBE, are guidelines for implementing these
standards. The IQC is an 18-member commission consisting of one
member of the Assembly, one member of the Senate, and 16 public
members. At least seven of the public members must have taught,
written, or lectured on the subject areas required for
graduation. The state suspended the review of frameworks and
the adoption of instructional until the 2015-16 school year,
though specific statutory exceptions have been made for the
review of the English language arts, mathematics, and
history/social science frameworks. Committee staff recommends
amendments encourage the IQC to develop computer science content
standards and recommend them to the SBE for adoption. These
amendments remove the potential burden on the state to undertake
a costly process without a guarantee of adequate funding, and
more appropriately shift the development of such standards to
the IQC, rather than the SBE.
To date, the SBE has adopted academic content standards in
career technical education, English language arts/English
language development, health education, history/social science,
mathematics, model school library, physical education, science,
visual and performing arts, and world languages. These
standards define the knowledge, concepts, and skills that
students should acquire at each grade level within each subject
area. Each of the adopted content standards spans kindergarten
through grade 12, inclusive, with the exception of visual and
performing arts, which also includes prekindergarten. The
committee may also wish to consider whether the proposed
deadline of July 31, 2015 is reasonable. With such a tight
turnaround, it is unlikely that the SPI, California Department
of Education (CDE), IQC, and SBE will have sufficient time to
craft and review rigorous content standards that reflect
California's commitment to high quality standards. Committee
staff also recommends the language of this bill be made to
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encourage the development of these standards and all related
activities rather than require such actions.
This bill requires the SBE to include coding in the adopted
standards. However, specifying particular content contrary to
the past practice of this committee which has been to instead
require the consideration of specified content in order to allow
the IQC and/or SBE to exercise their expertise and weigh the
desire for specific curriculum with the demands for limited
instructional time. While coding may be an important component
of any computer science program, such specificity as to any
single topic area to the exclusion of others, may interfere with
the recommendation that would be made by the group of experts.
Therefore, committee staff recommends an amendment that would
encourage the IQC to consider rather than require them to
incorporate coding in these standards.
This bill requires the SBE to adopt academic content standards
in computer science in consideration of national computer
science content standards. According to the author, this
language is intended to allow the SBE to look at 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. Committee
staff recommends an amendment to change this requirement.so that
the rather than requiring the SBE to consider these standards,
the Legislature encourages the IQC to consider exiting
standards, including those developed by the Computer Science
Teachers Association. This would allow the IQC greater
discretion in how they use other standards and the breadth of
standards they review. For instance, California has adopted
model Career Technical Education standards that include a
Programming and Systems Development Pathway that may also inform
the IQC in this work as would standards adopted by other states.
Teacher certification
According to a report by the Computer Science Teachers'
Association, the certification for teachers of computer science
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is a "deeply flawed system, typified by confusion about Computer
Science as a discipline, a dearth of clear and relevant
certification/licensure requirements, and a profound lack of
agreement (or perhaps understanding) about what teachers should
know and understand in order to be exemplary Computer Science
teachers."<1> Currently, 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. However, these varied
approaches and emphases may lead to a disjointed and widely
disparate approach to computer science. This bill would provide
a solid foundation upon which the California Commission on
Teacher Credentialing could construct a thoughtful approach to
computer science authorization(s).
Related Legislation
ACR 108 (Wagner) (2014), designates the week of December 8,
2014, as Computer Science Education Week. This measure is
pending in the Assembly Education Committee.
AB 1530 (Chau) (2014), encourages the SPI to develop or, as
needed, revise a model curriculum on computer science, and to
submit the model curriculum to the SBE for adoption. This
measure is pending in the Assembly Education Committee.
AB 1764 (Olsen and Buchanan) (2014), allows a school district to
award mathematics credit for completion of a California State
University and Universities of California approved "category c"
computer science course, if the district requires more than two
years of mathematics courses for graduation. This measure is
pending in the Assembly Education Committee.
AB 2110 (Ting) (2014), requires the SBE to incorporate computer
science curriculum content into the mathematics, science,
history-social science, and language arts curriculum frameworks,
---------------------------
<1> Bugs in the System: Computer Science Teacher Certification
in the U.S. (2013).
https://csta.acm.org/ComputerScienceTeacherCertification/sub/CSTA
_BugsInTheSystem.pdf . Accessed on February 21, 2014.
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as it deems appropriate. This measure is pending in the
Assembly Education Committee.
Previous Legislation
AB 887 (Atkins), Chapter 719, Statutes of 2011, established the
policy for the state of California that all students in grades 1
- 12 shall have equitable access to educational programs
designed to strengthen technological skills, including, but not
limited to, computer education programs and that funds
appropriated for these educational programs have the goal of
ensuring equitable access to those programs for all students.
This measure was not heard by the Assembly Education Committee.
ACR 88 (Torlakson), Resolution. Chapter 84, Statutes of 2010,
established, until January 1, 2014, the California Task Force on
Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics Education for
the purpose of promoting the improvement of mathematics,
science, engineering, and technology education across the state.
The task force would consist of Members of the Legislature and
experts appointed by the Speaker of the Assembly and the Senate
Committee on Rules. This measure passed out of the Assembly
Education Committee by a vote of 9 - 0.
SB 675 (Torlakson) (2007) require the State Department of
Education to conduct a needs assessment survey, including
specified components, of all school districts and county offices
of education to determine the availability and accessibility of
courses and coursework in the areas of career technology
education and computer literacy. This measure died in Assembly
Education without being heard, at the request of the author.
SB 1736 (Ackerman) (2005) establish the One-to-One Laptop
Computer Pilot Program to be administered by the SPI. This
measure died in Assembly Education without being heard, at the
request of the author.
REGISTERED SUPPORT / OPPOSITION :
Support
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California Chamber of Commerce
California School Boards Association
Children Now
Microsoft
Opposition
None on file
Analysis Prepared by : Jill Rice / ED. / (916) 319-2087