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Senate committee advances bill to make computer science a high-school graduation requirement
Summary
The Senate Education Committee voted to pass SB107, which would create the Computer Science Education Advancement Act, establish a flexible computer science graduation credit, and phase in a certified CS teacher requirement; ADE officials highlighted workforce demand, stipends and training while senators pressed on rural equity and accommodations.
The Arkansas Senate Education Committee on a voice vote advanced Senate Bill 107, the Computer Science Education Advancement Act of 2021, which would establish a high-school computer science graduation requirement and a phased-in requirement that each high school employ a certified computer science teacher. Senator Jane English sponsored the measure and closed for the bill, and the committee chair announced the motion carried.
Anthony Owen, director of computer science in the Arkansas Department of Education, told the committee Arkansas has led a statewide computer science initiative since 2015 and cited workforce data to justify the proposal. "Almost every industry uses technology to conduct business," Owen said, and he noted the median annual wage for computing jobs (cited in ADE materials as about $88,000 in May 2019). The bill would allow computer science to count…
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