BILL ANALYSIS

Senate Research Center	H.B. 2871
88R17613 CXP-F	By: Gonz�lez, Mary et al. (Paxton)
	Education
	5/3/2023
	Engrossed

AUTHOR'S / SPONSOR'S STATEMENT OF INTENT

Despite evidence that enrolling in computer science courses can put students on the path to a position in the fast-growing and high-earning technology industry, few Texas high school students have access to computer science courses in high school. Computer science is a foundational subject area for 21st century students to prepare for a career, college, or the military. Yet in the 2020-2021 school year, the Texas Advanced Computing Center found that only five percent of Texas high school students enrolled in a computer science course when offered at their school. Additionally, data from the Code Advocacy Coalition reveals that only 47 percent of Texas public schools offer a foundational computer science course, which means that as a whole, Texas public schools are not in compliance with the requirement to offer essential educational tools. Furthermore, less than a third of Texas high schools had a certified computer science teacher in the 2019-2020 school year, and both the U.S. Department of Education and the Texas Education Agency report teachers certified in this area have been in shortage for most of the past 25 years.

To encourage more Texas students to enroll in computer science courses and seek jobs in the technology industry, it is critical that additional training and professional development opportunities are offered to prepare teachers to teach those courses. The proposed legislation seeks to provide teachers the resources to obtain a computer science certification and continue professional development in coding, computational thinking, and computer science education by creating a professional development grant program.

H.B. 2871 amends current law relating to the establishment by The University of Texas at Austin of a program to promote computer science education capacity in this state.

RULEMAKING AUTHORITY

This bill does not expressly grant any additional rulemaking authority to a state officer, institution, or agency.

SECTION BY SECTION ANALYSIS

SECTION 1. Amends Subchapter B, Chapter 67, Education Code, by adding Section 67.28, as follows:

Sec. 67.28. COMPUTER SCIENCE EDUCATION CAPACITY PROMOTION PROGRAM. (a) Defines "institution of higher education."

(b) Requires The University of Texas at Austin (university), from money appropriated or otherwise available for the purpose, to design, develop, and implement a program to support and streamline computer science education and professional development for educators (program).

(1) provide public primary and secondary schools and institutions of higher education with access to evidence-based and accredited computer science professional development resources provided by institutions of higher education, nonprofit organizations, or other accredited providers;

(2) recruit educators to the field of computer science education by providing continued professional development for existing and aspiring educators and certification stipends for newly certified educators; and

(3) provide stipends to educators who gain new skills through professional development or who successfully obtain an accredited or evidence-based computer science education certification.

(d) Requires the university to prioritize providing services under the program to educators from public school campuses that lack certified computer science educators and from other underserved geographic locations and demographic communities.

(e) Requires the board of regents of The University of Texas System to adopt policies for the implementation and administration of the program.

SECTION 2. Requires the university, as soon as practicable after the effective date of this Act, to establish the computer science education capacity promotion program required by Section 67.28, Education Code, as added by this Act.

SECTION 3. Effective date: upon passage or September 1, 2023.