Honorable Larry Taylor, Chair, Senate Committee on Education
FROM:
Ursula Parks, Director, Legislative Budget Board
IN RE:
HB3593 by Bernal (Relating to instruction in career and technology education provided by public schools, including instruction in technology applications, cybersecurity, and computer coding, and to consideration of completed practicums and internships in school accountability ratings.), As Engrossed
No significant fiscal implication to the State is anticipated.
The bill would require the State Board of Education (SBOE) to approve local cybersecurity courses for high school credit; add computer coding as a component of computer programming language substitute for the curriculum requirements in a language other than English; add courses in cybersecurity and computer coding to the description of a science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) endorsement; and adopt or select five technology applications courses on cybersecurity for inclusion in a cybersecurity pathway for the STEM endorsement. The bill would allow districts to offer a course in cybersecurity that is approved by the local board of trustees without approval by the SBOE and the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board (THECB) if the district partners with a public or private institution of higher education (IHE) that offers an undergraduate degree program in cybersecurity to develop and provide the course and would require school districts to annually report the names of the courses and IHEs in which students have enrolled.
The bill would allow a teacher and a school district to qualify for a subsidy for certification examination if the teacher passes an examination related to cybersecurity. The bill would amend the fourth domain of the accountability system to include the percentage of students who successfully completed a practicum or internship approved by the SBOE as a measure of performance for high school campuses and districts that include high school campuses. The bill would take effect immediately if passed with necessary voting margins, or September 1, 2017, and would apply beginning in school year 2017-18.
The Texas Education Agency (TEA) estimates initial development costs to convene committees to approve courses in cybersecurity for credit in high school, develop additional courses that include computer coding to be used by students as substitutes for language graduation requirements, and to modify the Texas Student Data System (TSDS) Public Education Information Management System (PEIMS) related to the requirement to collect the names of the cybersecurity courses. However, this analysis assumes the TEA can absorb those costs within existing resources. The THECB and IHEs indicate the provisions of the bill can be implemented within existing resources.
Local Government Impact
TEA estimates that school districts voluntarily implementing cybersecurity or coding courses would incur costs for additional staff, facilities, and training required for implementation. However, these costs would vary from district to district depending on a district's existing staff and resources.
Source Agencies:
701 Texas Education Agency, 710 Texas A&M University System Administrative and General Offices, 720 The University of Texas System Administration, 758 Texas State University System, 768 Texas Tech University System Administration, 781 Higher Education Coordinating Board, 783 University of Houston System Administration, 769 University of North Texas System Administration