HB 17-1184 Summary

• Creates a publicly available resource bank maintained by the Department of Education containing sample academic standards, instructional programs, learning resources, and professional development materials for computer science courses, available to school districts, charter schools, boards of cooperative services, and the public by July 1, 2018.

• Amends state academic standards to replace "information technology application skills" with "the ability to use information and communications technologies to find, evaluate, create, and communicate information" as a requirement for student development.

• Makes participation voluntary for school districts, charter schools, and boards of cooperative services to provide computer science classes or use resource bank materials.

• Allows the resource bank to identify existing resources that pair industry experts with teachers for co-teaching computer science courses and to list schools and industry experts interested in volunteering for such partnerships.

• Requires the Department to implement the provisions using existing resources and permits contracting with outside entities; prevents creation of the resource bank unless the Department receives sufficient gifts, grants, or donations to fund implementation.