Key Takeaways:
– Legislation to add computer science to graduation requirement under discussion in Washington state.
– If passed, the bill will be applicable to students graduating high school in 2029.
– Computer literacy deemed as important as English, reading, writing and math by advocates.
– Current standing requires defining the computer science learning standards and training required teachers.
– The bill allows students to request a waiver through their principals.
– Other states have seen increased graduation rates following similar requirements.
Despite being a tech leader, Washington state struggles to keep up with educating the young population on computer science. A current bill being deliberated could offer a crucial turning point. If everything goes according to plan, the students graduating in 2029 would need to prove competency in computer science as a graduation requirement.
Senate Passes SB 5849, House Debates Companion Bill
SB 5849, the Senate version of the bill, has already received approval. The House’s equivalent bill is now under deliberation. “Computer science is the new literacy,” stated Dave Brown, director of CS Forward, during a public comment in a House Education committee meeting. He emphasized that with technology constantly evolving, students would require more computer skills both now and in the future.
Presently, data from Code.org, a non-profit organization promoting education innovation, reveals that only 48% of high schools provide foundational computer science classes.
Increasing Computer Science Opportunities in Schools
Hadi Partovi, Code.org founder and tech leader, has been pushing for increased computer science options in schools for a decade. Ten American states currently have computer science graduation requirements. Washington appears to be among the ten states aiming to implement this requirement in the current year.
According to Partovi, South Carolina, the first U.S. state to impose these requirements, saw an increase in graduation rates for all students and a significant growth of young women’s participation, once these guidelines were implemented.
Complications in Implementation
Despite other states leading the way in setting the precedent for computer science graduation requirements, actualizing this in Washington is far from straightforward. The current situation calls for determining the computer science learning standards, which entails training necessary teachers to deliver these standards starting in elementary school.
Chris Reykdal, the state’s superintendent of public instruction, said that the bill’s implementation was considered a complicated task. Despite this, an amendment was adopted to shift the implementation to 2030 and to allow students the option to request requirement waivers from their principals.
More Than Software Engineering: The Impact of a Computer Science Education
Partovi, however, views the impact of a computer science education as far-reaching beyond creating software engineers. The realization that students can create technology is empowering and instills creativity in school, according to him.
The debate continues, and the bill awaits a final vote. Regardless of the outcome, the momentum behind computer science as a core component of K-12 education is undeniable. As Washington grapples with the prospect of institutionalizing computer science education, a transformative shift in the educational landscape could be on the horizon.