Florida Senate - 2017                                     SB 104
       
       
        
       By Senator Brandes
       
       24-00158-17                                            2017104__
    1                        A bill to be entitled                      
    2         An act relating to computer coding instruction;
    3         amending s. 1007.2616, F.S.; authorizing high schools
    4         to offer students opportunities to take specified
    5         computer coding courses beginning with a specified
    6         school year; providing that high schools will not be
    7         required to offer such courses; requiring the
    8         Commissioner of Education to identify the computer
    9         coding courses that satisfy two credits of sequential
   10         foreign language instruction under certain
   11         circumstances; requiring Florida College System
   12         institutions and state universities to recognize the
   13         credits as foreign language credits; requiring each
   14         student and his or her parent to sign a statement that
   15         they acknowledge and accept that a computer coding
   16         course taken as a foreign language may not meet
   17         certain out-of-state requirements; requiring the
   18         inclusion of certain computer coding courses in the
   19         Course Code Directory; authorizing the Florida Virtual
   20         School to offer computer coding courses identified in
   21         the Course Code Directory; authorizing school
   22         districts to provide students with access to such
   23         courses under certain circumstances; requiring the
   24         Department of Education to annually report certain
   25         information to the Board of Governors and the
   26         Legislature; providing an effective date.
   27          
   28  Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
   29  
   30         Section 1. Present subsection (4) of section 1007.2616,
   31  Florida Statutes, is redesignated as subsection (5), and a new
   32  subsection (4) is added to that section, to read:
   33         1007.2616 Computer science and technology instruction.—
   34         (4) Beginning with the 2019-2020 school year, high schools
   35  may, but will not be required to, provide students with
   36  opportunities to take two credits in computer coding courses of
   37  sufficient rigor, as identified by the commissioner, that along
   38  with the earning of a related industry certification satisfies
   39  two credits of sequential foreign language instruction. Florida
   40  College System institutions and state universities must
   41  recognize the credits as foreign language credits; however, each
   42  student and his or her parent must sign a statement that they
   43  acknowledge and accept that a computer coding course taken as a
   44  foreign language may not meet out-of-state college and
   45  university foreign language requirements. Computer coding
   46  courses identified by the commissioner and computer coding
   47  courses taken to earn the related industry certification shall
   48  be included in the Course Code Directory.
   49         (a) The Florida Virtual School may offer computer coding
   50  courses identified in the Course Code Directory. If a school
   51  district does not offer an identified course, it may provide
   52  students with access to the course through the Florida Virtual
   53  School or through other means.
   54         (b) The Department of Education shall annually report to
   55  the Board of Governors and the Legislature:
   56         1. The courses identified in the Course Code Directory
   57  which meet the academic standards for computer coding; and
   58         2. The number of students, by district, including students
   59  enrolled in the Florida Virtual School, who are enrolled in a
   60  course identified in the Course Code Directory which meets the
   61  academic standards for computer coding.
   62         Section 2. This act shall take effect July 1, 2017.