HB 8 — Various Statutory Changes.

GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF NORTH CAROLINA SESSION 2023 H 21 HOUSE BILL 8 Committee Substitute Favorable 2/14/23 Short Title:

Representatives Paré, Torbett, Blackwell, and Hardister (Primary Sponsors).

For a complete list of sponsors, refer to the North Carolina General Assembly web site.

Education - K-12, if favorable, State Government, if favorable, Rules, Calendar, and Operations of the House January 26, 2023 A BILL TO BE ENTITLED AN ACT TO REQUIREALLOW INSTRUCTIONCOMPUTER INSCIENCE COMPUTERCOURSES TO FULFILL ONE SCIENCE ELECTIVE CREDIT AND TO REQUIRE COMPLETION OF A COMPUTER SCIENCE COURSECOURSES FOR GRADUATION FROM HIGH SCHOOL.

– a.… c.

The Board mayshall developrequire exitthat standardsone thatfull shallcredit beof requireda forcomputer highscience schoolcourse, graduation.as defined in G.S.

The115C-81.90 Boardand shallapproved requireby thea followinglocal forboard highofeducation,shall schoolbeusedto graduation:fulfillonefull academiccredit in science.

1.However, the computer science course cannot be used to fulfill the requirement for biology or a physical science course.

SuccessfulThe completionBoard ofshall instructionset incriteria cardiopulmonaryto resuscitationdetermine asif providedcourses completed in middle school qualify for this credit." SECTION 1.(b) The requirements of G.S.

115C-81.25(c)(10).115C-12(9d), as amended by this section, shall apply beginning with students entering grade nine in the 2024-2025 school year.

2.

A passing grade in the semester course on the Founding Principles of the United States of America and the State of North Carolina described in G.S.

115C-81.45(d)(1).

3.

A passing grade in a computer science course as provided in G.S.

115C-81.90(c).

The computer science course shall fulfill one credit that is not an English, mathematics, science, or social studies credit.

Students enrolling in a public high school in this State after completion of the eleventh grade shall be exempt from this requirement.

b.

The following restrictions apply to the Board regarding Algebra I and high school graduation projects:certain graduation requirements:

1.

The Board shall not adopt or enforce any rule that requires Algebra I as a graduation standard or as a requirement for a high school diploma for any student whose individualized education program (i) identifies the student as learning disabled in the area of mathematics and (ii) states that this learning disability will prevent the student from mastering Algebra I.

2.

The Board shall not require any student to prepare a high school graduation project as a condition of graduation from high school;

local boards of education may, however, require their students to completea high school graduation as provided in G.S.

115C-47(54a).

3.

The Board shall not enforce a computer science graduation requirement for any student whose individualized education *H8-v-2* General Assembly Of North Carolina Session 2023 program states that the student's disability would prevent the student from completing that graduation requirement." SECTION 1.(b) When establishing the computer science graduation requirement, the State Board of Education shall not increase the current number of required credits but shall instead decrease the number of required science credits by one.

SECTION 1.(c) The requirements of G.S.

115C-12(9d)a.3., as amended by this section, apply beginning with students entering the ninth grade in the 2024-2025 school year.

(a) RequiredThe Instruction.standard course of study shall include the requirement that students complete a high school level computer science course.

–For Thepurposes State Board of Educationthis shallsection, include instruction in computer science in the standardfollowing coursedefinitions ofapply: study for middle and high school students.

(1) Computer sciencescience. shall mean the study of computers and algorithmic processes, including their (i) principles, (ii) hardware and software designs, (iii) implementation, and (iv) impact on society.

(b)– IntroductoryThe Course.study of computers and algorithmic processes, including their principles, hardware and software designs, implementation, and impact on society, as defined by the North Carolina Computer Science Standards.

–(2) EachComputer public school unit shall offer to middle school students an elective introductory computer science coursecourse. that surveys the field of computer science.

The– StateA Boardcourse ofset Education, in consultation with the Department of Public Instruction, shall adopt a listmiddle ofschool approvedor courseshigh school that fulfillteaches thiscomputer requirementscience andas makea itstandalone publiclysubject availablefor onone thesemester Department'sor website.full-year course.

(c)The Graduationcontent Requirement.of computer science courses shall focus on teaching students how to create new technologies as well as the use of existing technologies.

–(3) EachExploratory public school unit shall offer to high school students a computer science coursecourse. which includes instruction in using existing technologies and creating new technologies.

The– publicA course set in a middle school unitthat mayofferserves suchas aan courseintroduction to middlecomputer schoolscience students.and surveys the field of *H8-v-1* General Assembly Of North Carolina Session 2023 computer science.

TheAn Stateexploratory Boardcomputer ofscience Education,course inshall consultationnot withsatisfy the Departmentcomputer ofscience Publicgraduation Instruction,requirement. shall adopt a list of approved courses that fulfill this requirement and make it publicly available on the Department's website.