Will WA State Require Computer Competency to Graduate High School?

Benefits to the Community and Technical College System

If the law passes next year, the CTC community could expect:

• More articulation agreements with high schools for pipelining students into college
• Development of more relationships with high schools for the co-sharing of resources and insights
• Increased enrollments from high schools into colleges that offer Information Technology and Cybersecurity degrees
• Deliver more graduates into IT and Cybersecurity jobs, thus filling critical gaps in the workforce

A Timeline of Legal Developments

Passed WA Senate and House vote in 2019: 

Senate Bill 5088 – Requires all high schools to provide an opportunity for students to access an elective computer science course beginning no later than the 2022-2023 school year. 

• Allows school districts to award computer science credits based on completion of a competency exam.
• Requires the Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI) to adopt rules on competency testing.

Did not pass WA House vote in 2023-2024 legislative session: 

Senate Bill 5049 – Requires high school graduates by 2030 to demonstrate competency in the state learning standards for computer science. By resolution on 3-7-24, it was returned to Senate Rules Committee for third reading. 

Videos of the legislative sessions for SB 5849 (2023-24) are at the app.leg.wa.gov website.

The bill’s latest revision: 

• Establishes options for students to demonstrate competency
• Offers provisions to waive the requirement for individual students
• Directs OSPI to collect data and report to the education committees of the Legislature summarizing student outcomes by 12/1/2030 and annually thereafter
• Directs OSPI to ensure professional development opportunities are available to educators
• Directs the OSPI to review and update the state learning standards for computer science.
• Creates data collection and reporting duties for the State Board of Education regarding computer science learning opportunities of school districts and compliance with provisions for the computer science competency graduation requirement

What’s Next? 

The bill may be revived in the 2024/25 session. Meanwhile, here are some of the preparations taking place: 

To gather input from educators and other stakeholders, the OSPI is working with an organization called PNW CS Teach. This consortium includes members from college academia, public school representatives, and state representatives. 

Together, these groups will collaborate with educators who teach computer science courses, including cybersecurity. Feedback will be sought regarding the implementation of SB 5049.  

A workshop for educators and lawmakers is scheduled for Saturday September 14th, 2024. Feedback from schools will thereafter be gathered into a report for lawmakers. This feedback will inform a new draft of SB 5049 to be presented in the next legislative session which starts in January 2025. 

Feedback Request 

PNW CS Teach solicits advice from subject matter experts. They ask for a one-hour commitment to participate in an interview. Advisors who share valuable insights with the consortium can be awarded an $80 Amazon gift card as a token of appreciation. See details at this link. 

Benefits of Passing SB 5049 

Despite being a tech leader, Washington lags behind other states that do require computer science competency as a requirement for high school graduation. On the other hand, 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.  

Code.org currently reports that only 47% of Washington public high schools teach a computer science class. Contrast that number with the ten thousand unfilled computer-related jobs that Code.org also reports finding in Washington. 

In October of 2023, CEO of Code.org, Hadi Partovi appeared before the WA State Board of Education to petition that all Washington students be required to take a computer science course before graduation and to require computer science within all teacher certifications. The influence of Code.org along with the startlingly rapid adoption of ChatGPT inspires Senator Lisa Wellman to keep sponsoring bills such as SB 5049. 

Partovi’s slide deck claims that:  

Elementary school students who study computer science:

• Score higher in exams for reading, writing, math and science
• Outperform in executive functioning skills
• Perform better in high school math
• Are 17% more likely to enroll in a four-year college
• Outperform in problem-solving in university
• Make higher wages after graduation

Plan Ahead

In the slide deck, Code.org offers a timeline to help Washington high schools comply with SB 5049 if it passes next year. Since the bill includes a requirement for professional development for educators, can we also expect funding to support that effort? That remains to be seen. 

When all Washington high schools are required to offer CS classes, Washington colleges could subsequently predict increased enrollments into CS and Cybersecurity degree programs. Planning should begin now. 

According to Sinead Plagge from Career Connect NW, “it is important that we understand how the state defines computer science because it is broad and includes skills/concepts that align to information technology, programming, data and cyber pathways.” 

WASHINGTON STATE DEFINITION OF COMPUTER SCIENCE 

The state definition of computer science includes, but is not limited to, the following ideas:

• The design of both computer equipment and digital systems, and the interface between the hardware and software required for these systems.
• How algorithms, data structures, and modules are used to implement computer software and hardware.
• Problem-solving skills for designing computer software and hardware such as pattern recognition, decomposition, debugging, and software troubleshooting.
• How hardware and software are used to implement computers, networks, and other digital systems.
• The use of computer programs to collect, analyze, store, transform, model, and visualize data.
• How networking devices enable communication and organization and increase the need for cybersecurity.
• Using computers to collect, analyze, transform and store data to create visualizations, models, and inferences. •
• How the privacy and security of data can be protected with computers.
• How computers affect people and society.

The state describes approved cybersecurity courses as follows:

“A program that prepares individuals to assess the security needs of computer and network systems, recommend safeguard solutions, and manage the implementation, auditing, and maintenance of security devices, systems, and procedures. Includes instruction in computer architecture, programming, and systems analysis; networking; telecommunications; cryptography; security system auditing and design; applicable law and regulations; risk assessment and policy analysis; contingency planning; user access issues; investigation techniques; and troubleshooting.”