Relating to computer science and artificial intelligence education, including high school curricula and graduation requirements, and practitioner preparation programs, and including applicability provisions

The bill also provides that one semester, or the trimester or quarter equivalent, of computer science and artificial intelligence instruction satisfies the graduation requirement associated with both computer science and artificial intelligence instruction and one semester, or the trimester or quarter equivalent, of the graduation requirement associated with either mathematics or science. Current law also requires that the graduation requirements provide for the establishment of high-quality standards for computer science education taught by elementary, middle, and high schools. The bill provides that these standards must require that all levels and grades of computer science and artificial intelligence instruction include instruction related to the fundamental concepts of evolving computer science technologies and artificial intelligence, including instruction that explains what artificial intelligence is, how artificial intelligence works, and the societal and ethical impacts of artificial intelligence. The bill provides that the condition of graduation shall not apply to a student who enrolls in a school district or an accredited nonpublic school in grade immediately after being enrolled in a school located outside of this state that does not impose a comparable computer science and artificial intelligence instruction requirement. The bill authorizes school districts and accredited nonpublic schools to apply to DE for a one-time waiver of the implementation of the graduation requirement. The bill requires the state board of education to adopt rules establishing standards for the submission of applications for waivers of the implementation of the condition of graduation and the department of education’s (DE) consideration and approval of waivers. The bill requires the director of DE to publish on DE’s internet site, on or before June 30, 2027, a list of computer science and artificial intelligence courses that satisfy the rules adopted by the state board and that a school district or accredited nonpublic school may use to implement the graduation requirement. Additionally, the director is required to create and publish on DE’s internet site, on or before June 30, 2027, a plan to expand statewide computer science and artificial intelligence teacher capacity to support implementation of the graduation requirement. The plan must specifically address targeted support for schools with a total enrollment of less than 500 students in grades through 12. Current law requires school districts and accredited nonpublic schools to offer and teach to students enrolled in grades through five units of science and two additional units of mathematics. The bill provides that the five units of science may include not more than one unit of instruction related to computer science and artificial intelligence, and the two additional units of mathematics may include not more than one unit of instruction related to computer science and artificial intelligence. Current law requires school districts and accredited nonpublic schools to offer and teach to students enrolled in grades through one-half unit of computer science. The bill modifies provisions related to how the computer science and artificial intelligence instruction is offered and taught by allowing the instruction to be offered and taught through blended learning, or through instruction that is delivered primarily over the internet, when it is not possible to provide such instruction in a traditional classroom setting. Current law allows school districts to, by agreement, provide for attendance of pupils residing in one district in the schools of another district for the purpose of taking courses not offered in the district of their residence. The bill provides that such courses may include computer science and artificial intelligence courses. The bill modifies provisions related to the career and technical education instruction provided to students enrolled in grades through to provide that instruction provided under either the arts, communications, and information systems or applied sciences, technology, engineering, and manufacturing service areas may include up to one unit of instruction related to computer science and artificial intelligence, if the teacher has either an initial career and technical education authorization or a career and technical education authorization issued by the BOEE. The bill requires school districts to report annually to DE specified information related to computer science and artificial intelligence courses offered and taught in the school district, teachers providing computer science and artificial intelligence instruction, and students involved in computer science and artificial intelligence courses. DE is required to publish on DE’s internet site all of the information submitted by school districts pursuant to these provisions. The bill requires each higher education institution providing practitioner preparation to include preparation in computer science, artificial intelligence, and computational thinking that is appropriate to the grade level and subject area in which the student who is enrolled in the practitioner preparation program will teach. This requirement applies to students admitted to an approved practitioner preparation program on or after July 1, 2028. The bill requires the state board of regents, in consultation with the institutions of higher education governed by the state board of regents, to develop guidance related to how a higher education institution providing practitioner preparation can best incorporate preparation related to computer science, artificial intelligence, and computational thinking into the approved practitioner preparation program, as required under the bill’s provisions. The bill requires that the rules adopted by the BOEE establishing nontraditional pathways for obtaining endorsements and authorizations for computer science and artificial intelligence instruction also include opportunities to obtain such endorsements or authorizations through instruction that is delivered primarily over the internet that may be used to demonstrate competence in computer science and artificial intelligence instruction for teachers under an initial or conditional license. Current law establishes a computer science professional development incentive fund in the state treasury under the control of DE. Current law authorizes DE to disburse moneys contained in the fund to a school district or accredited nonpublic school to provide tuition reimbursement for Iowa teachers seeking endorsements or authorizations for computer science and artificial intelligence from the BOEE. The bill modifies this provision to allow such tuition reimbursement to be provided to Iowa teachers under an initial or condition