(a)This section shall be known and may be cited as the "Computer Science Education Advancement Act of 2021".
(b)(1) Beginning with the entering ninth grade class of 2022-2023, a public high school student shall be required to earn one (1) unit of credit in a Department of Education-approved high school computer science or computer science-related career and technical education course before the student graduates.
(2)The one (1) unit required in subdivision (b)(1) of this section may be earned in grades eight through twelve (8-12).
(3)A computer science or computer science-related career and technical education course offered by a public high school shall:
(B)Meet or exceed the curriculum standards and requirements established by the State Board of Education; an
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(a) This section shall be known and may be cited as the "Computer Science Education Advancement Act of 2021". (b) (1) Beginning with the entering ninth grade class of 2022-2023, a public high school student shall be required to earn one (1) unit of credit in a Department of Education-approved high school computer science or computer science-related career and technical education course before the student graduates. (2) The one (1) unit required in subdivision (b)(1) of this section may be earned in grades eight through twelve (8-12). (3) A computer science or computer science-related career and technical education course offered by a public high school shall: (A) Be of high quality; (B) Meet or exceed the curriculum standards and requirements established by the State Board of Education; and (C) Be made available in a traditional classroom setting, a blended learning environment, an online-based or other technology-based format that is tailored to meet the needs of each participating student. (4) The Division of Career and Technical Education within the Department of Education shall work with the Arkansas Computer Science Initiative within the Department of Education to establish by rule the minimum criteria by which a career and technical education course may be approved as a computer science-related career and technical education course. (c) (1) The department shall designate at least four (4) state board-approved computer science or computer science-related career and technical education courses that students in grade eight (8) may take for high school credit. (2) If a student in grade eight (8) wishes to take a course not designated, a school district shall comply with any existing course approval requirements. (d) Beginning in August 2022, the department shall make available to all public schools high-quality digital content aligned to state board-approved computer science courses. (e) (1) Beginning with the 2023-2024 school year, a public school district may employ a computer science teacher at each high school in the public school district. (2) A computer science teacher employed in accordance with subdivision (e)(1) of this section shall hold a license approved by the state board. (f) The state board may adopt rules to administer this section, including rules for flexible options to license computer science teachers, which may include without limitation, approval codes, technical permits, ancillary licenses, and standard licenses.