BILL ANALYSIS                                                                                                                                                                                                    �



                                                                  SB 1200
                                                                  Page  1

          Date of Hearing:   June 18, 2014

                        ASSEMBLY COMMITTEE ON APPROPRIATIONS
                                  Mike Gatto, Chair

                   SB 1200 (Padilla) - As Amended:  June 16, 2014 

          Policy Committee:                              Higher  
          EducationVote:11-0

          Urgency:     No                   State Mandated Local Program:  
          No     Reimbursable:               

           SUMMARY  

          This bill:

          1)Requires the California State University (CSU) and requests  
            the University of California (UC) to develop guidelines for  
            high school computer science courses that may be approved for  
            recognition for admission. 

          2)Encourages UC, for computer science courses deemed to satisfy  
            mathematics subject area requirements, to ensure the courses  
            build upon fundamental mathematics content provided in courses  
            aligning with the state's Common Core academic standards.

           FISCAL EFFECT  

          Any costs to UC and CSU would be minor and absorbable.

           COMMENTS  

           1)Background  . To be considered for admission to UC and CSU, high  
            school students must take a minimum of 15 academic courses  
            from a list of established common high school course  
            requirements ("a-g"). This course pattern is intended to  
            ensure students have achieved a basic level of academic  
            preparation for university level coursework. California high  
            schools submit their courses to UC for a-g review and  
            approval. The CSU generally defers recommendations of  
            additions or revisions to the a-g requirements to the UC. 

            In the 2013-14 academic year, over 400 high schools offered at  
            least one UC-approved computer science course to their  








                                                                  SB 1200
                                                                  Page  2

            students. The majority of currently approved computer science  
            courses satisfy the college preparatory elective (requirement  
            "g").

            In March 2013, the UC Board of Admissions & Relations with  
            Schools (BOARS) convened six faculty advisory workgroups to  
            review and update course criteria for the a-g requirements.  
            The revised requirements, applicable beginning in the 2015-16  
            school year, explicitly mention computer science courses as  
            able to satisfy the math subject requirement. UC indicates  
            that courses that include a mathematics prerequisite and are  
            intended for 11th and 12th grade students, "such as discrete  
            mathematics or computer science," may be deemed to satisfy the  
            mathematics requirement.

           2)Purpose  . According to the author, the majority of high schools  
            only require students to use computers for basic typing or  
            essay assignments and seldom provide students opportunities to  
            develop coding skills. Additionally, the author notes that  
            high schools are not encouraged to establish advanced computer  
            courses for college bound students because courses generally  
            do not satisfy core a-g requirements for college admissions,  
            and are only counted toward electives.  This bill establishes  
            guidelines to help high schools design advanced computer  
            science courses that meet mathematics requirements for  
            undergraduate admissions.

           Analysis Prepared by  :    Chuck Nicol / APPR. / (916) 319-2081