PRINTER'S NO. 1533
THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF PENNSYLVANIA
SENATE BILL
No.
1162
Session of
2024
INTRODUCED BY BROWN, PENNYCUICK, BREWSTER AND VOGEL,
APRIL 22, 2024
REFERRED TO EDUCATION, APRIL 22, 2024
AN ACT
Amending the act of March 10, 1949 (P.L.30, No.14), entitled "An
act relating to the public school system, including certain
provisions applicable as well to private and parochial
schools; amending, revising, consolidating and changing the
laws relating thereto," in terms and courses of study,
providing for computer science education; and abrogating a
regulation.
The General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
hereby enacts as follows:
Section 1. The act of March 10, 1949 (P.L.30, No.14), known
as the Public School Code of 1949, is amended by adding a
section to read:
Section 1529. Computer Science Education.--(a) The
Department of Education shall develop a State strategic plan for
a Statewide computer science education program and present the
plan to the State Board of Education no later than July 1, 2026.
The following shall apply:
(1) The plan shall include at least the following:
(i) A statement of purpose that describes the objectives or
goals the board will accomplish by implementing a computer
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science education program, the strategies by which those goals
will be achieved and a timeline for achieving those goals.
(ii) A summary of the current State landscape for
kindergarten through grade twelve computer science education,
including demographic reporting of students taking these
courses.
(iii) A plan for expanding computer science education
opportunities to every school in this Commonwealth within five
(5) years and increasing the representation of students from
traditionally underserved groups in computer science, including
female students, students from historically underrepresented
racial and ethnic groups, students with disabilities, English-
language learner students, low-income students and rural
students.
(iv) A plan for the development of rigorous standards and
curriculum guidelines for kindergarten through grade twelve
computer science, including ways to incorporate computer science
into existing standards at the elementary level.
(v) A plan for defining high-quality professional learning
for teachers to begin teaching computer science.
(vi) An ongoing evaluation process that is overseen by the
State Board of Education.
(vii) Proposed rules that incorporate the principles of the
master plan into this Commonwealth's public education system as
a whole.
(viii) A plan to ensure long-term sustainability.
(2) Beginning with the 2027-2028 school year, and continuing
in each school year thereafter, each public high school shall
offer at least one computer science course.
(b) A computer science course or instruction in computer
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science offered by a public school or public charter school
shall:
(1) Be of high quality, as defined by the State Board of
Education.
(2) Meet or exceed the standards and curriculum requirements
established by the State Board of Education.
(3) Permit a student to apply up to one credit earned for
successful completion of the course to satisfy a mathematics or
science credit requirement for graduation if the governing body
of the student's high school has discretion to determine the
graduation credit requirement to which the credit earned will
apply.
Section 2. The provisions of 22 Pa. Code ยง 57.31 are
abrogated insofar as they are inconsistent with the addition of
section 1529 of the act.
Section 3. This act shall take effect in 60 days.
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