IL HB1631

Amends the School Code to require school districts maintaining grades 9-12 to provide every high school student an opportunity to take at least one computer science course aligned to State Board of Education learning standards, beginning with the 2023-2024 school year.

Establishes a grant program administered by the State Board of Education (subject to appropriation) to award funds to eligible school districts for computer science education professional development activities.

Prioritizes grant awards to Tier 1 or Tier 2 school districts, districts partnering with high-quality professional learning providers, districts with strategies to enroll underrepresented students (including female students, marginalized racial and ethnic groups, low-income students, students with disabilities, and English learners), and rural or urban districts with low K-12 computer science offerings.

Permits grant funds to be used for professional learning, teacher credentialing costs, classroom teaching support and mentoring, curriculum resources, student recruitment, and cooperative planning among school districts.

Requires grant applicants to demonstrate how they will serve teachers with limited computer science background, use evidence-based professional development practices, focus on computer science foundations, support underrepresented groups, and implement courses within one school year of teacher training.