HB 694

            
2020 SESSION


20106191D

HOUSE BILL NO. 694

AMENDMENT IN THE NATURE OF A SUBSTITUTE

(Proposed by the House Committee on Education

on February 5, 2020)

(Patron Prior to Substitute--Delegate Simonds)

A BILL to amend the Code of Virginia by adding a section numbered
22.1-207.7, relating to students in grade six, seven, or eight; computer
science or introduction to technology course required.

Be it enacted by the General Assembly of Virginia: 

1. That the Code of Virginia is amended by adding a section
numbered 22.1-207.7 as follows:

� 22.1-207.7. Students in grade six, seven, or eight;
computer science or introduction to technology course required.

A. In order to ensure equitable access and exposure to
computer science literacy and technology education and promote the knowledge of
computational systems and their uses that is needed for responsible citizenship
in a data-rich and interconnected world, each student shall complete during
grade six, seven, or eight at least one semester-long or year-long computer science
elective course or introduction to technology course.

B. Each course that satisfies the requirements of
subsection A shall be aligned with the appropriate Standards of Learning and
may include the following content: examining systems and resources of
technology, solving problems in technology, introducing microcontrollers,
exploring the designed world, computing systems, networks and the Internet,
cybersecurity, data and analysis, algorithms and programming, and the impacts
of computing. 

C. No student shall be required to complete an
end-of-course assessment for any course that satisfies the requirements of
subsection A.

2. That the provisions of � 22.1-207.7 of the Code of
Virginia, as created by this act, shall become effective starting with students
in grades six, seven, and eight in the 2025�2026 school year.

3. That the Board of Education shall create or amend any
Standard of Learning necessary to implement the provisions of this act, to be
effective no later than the start of the 2025�2026 school year.

4. That the Department of Education (i) shall confer with
CodeVA to ensure that appropriate and no-cost training is available to teachers
who teach any computer science elective course that satisfies the requirements
of subsection A of � 22.1-207.7 of the Code of Virginia, as created by this
act; (ii) shall confer with the Virginia Society for Technology in Education to
ensure that appropriate training is available to teachers who teach any
introduction to technology course that satisfies the requirements of subsection
A of � 22.1-207.7 of the Code of Virginia, as created by this act; and (iii)
may confer with any other organization that it deems appropriate, including the
Commonwealth Center for Advanced Manufacturing or the Virginia Manufacturers Association,
to ensure that any such teacher is connected to real-world experiences in
technology, computer science, and advanced manufacturing.