Substitute Senate Bill No. 957
Public Act No. 19-128
AN ACT CONCERNING CO MPUTER SCIENCE INSTR UCTION IN
PUBLIC SCHOOLS.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General
Assembly convened:
Section 1. Subsection (a) of section 10-16b of the general statutes is
repealed and the following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective July
1, 2019):
(a) In the public schools the program of instruction offered shall
include at least the following subject matter, as taught by legally
qualified teachers, the arts; career education; consumer education;
health and safety, including, but not limited to, human growth and
development, nutrition, first aid, including cardiopulmonary
resuscitation training in accordance with the provisions of section 10-
16qq, disease prevention and cancer awareness, including, but not
limited to, age and developmentally appropriate instruction in
performing self-examinations for the purposes of screening for breast
cancer and testicular cancer, community and consumer health,
physical, mental and emotional health, including youth suicide
prevention, substance abuse prevention, including instruction relating
to opioid use and related disorders, safety, which shall include the safe
use of social media, as defined in section 9-601, and may include the
dangers of gang membership, and accident prevention; language arts, Substitute Senate Bill No. 957
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including reading, writing, grammar, speaking and spelling;
mathematics; physical education; science, which may include the
climate change curriculum described in subsection (d) of this section;
social studies, including, but not limited to, citizenship, economics,
geography, government, history and Holocaust and genocide
education and awareness in accordance with the provisions of section
10-18f; computer science, including, but not limited to, computer
programming instruction; and in addition, on at least the secondary
level, one or more world languages and vocational education. For
purposes of this subsection, world languages shall include American
Sign Language, provided such subject matter is taught by a qualified
instructor under the supervision of a teacher who holds a certificate
issued by the State Board of Education. For purposes of this
subsection, the "arts" means any form of visual or performing arts,
which may include, but not be limited to, dance, music, art and theatre.
Sec. 2. Subsection (d) of section 10-145a of the general statutes is
repealed and the following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective July
1, 2020):
(d) On and after July 1, [1998] 2020, any [candidate in a] program of
teacher preparation leading to professional certification shall [complete
a] include, as part of the curriculum, instruction in computer science,
and [other] instruction in information technology skills [component of
such program,] as applied to student learning and classroom
instruction [, communications and data management] that are grade-
level and subject area appropriate.
Sec. 3. Section 10-155d of the general statutes is repealed and the
following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective July 1, 2019):
(a) The Office of Higher Education shall encourage and support
experimentation and research in the preparation of teachers for public
elementary and secondary schools. To help fulfill the purposes of this Substitute Senate Bill No. 957
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section, the Office of Higher Education shall appoint an advisory
council composed of qualified professionals which shall render
assistance and advice to the office. In carrying out its activities
pursuant to this section, the office shall consult with the State Board of
Education and such other agencies as it deems appropriate to assure
coordination of all activities of the state relating to the preparation of
teachers for public elementary and secondary schools.
(b) The Office of Higher Education, with the approval of the
Commissioner of Education, shall expand, within available
appropriations, participation in its summer alternate route to
certification program and its weekend and evening alternate route to
certification program. The office shall expand the weekend and
evening program for participants seeking certification in a subject
shortage area pursuant to section 10-8b. The office, in collaboration
with the Department of Education, shall develop (1) a regional
alternate route to certification program targeted to the subject shortage
areas, [and] (2) an alternate route to certification program for former
teachers whose certificates have expired and who are interested in
resuming their teaching careers, and (3) an alternate route to
certification program targeted for computer science teachers.
(c) The Office of Higher Education, in consultation with the
Department of Education, shall develop alternate route to certification
programs for (1) school administrators and superintendents, [and] (2)
early childhood education teachers, and (3) computer science teachers.
The programs shall include mentored apprenticeships and criteria for
admission to the programs.
Sec. 4. Subsection (e) of section 10-145d of the general statutes is
repealed and the following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective July
1, 2019):
(e) [The] Not later than July 1, 2020, the State Board of Education Substitute Senate Bill No. 957
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shall adopt regulations, in accordance with chapter 54, to provide
standards for the certification of computer science teachers. Such
regulations shall create a computer science endorsement and make
provision for certification requirements to be met by either (1)
completion of prescribed courses of study, or (2) such other experience
as the state board shall deem appropriate.
Sec. 5. (Effective from passage) Not later than January 1, 2020, the State
Board of Education shall approve and adopt a subject area assessment
for computer science for purposes of certification pursuant to chapter
166 of the general statutes.
Sec. 6. Section 10-145l of the general statutes is repealed and the
following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective July 1, 2019):
(a) On and after July 1, 2010, the State Board of Education shall
allow an applicant for certification to teach in a subject shortage area
pursuant to section 10-8b or a certified employee seeking to teach in
such a subject shortage area to substitute achievement of [an excellent]
a satisfactory score, as determined by the State Board of Education, on
any appropriate State Board of Education approved subject area
assessment for the subject area requirements for certification pursuant
to section 10-145f.
(b) On and after July 1, 2020, the State Board of Education shall
allow an applicant for certification to teach computer science, or a
certified employee seeking to teach computer science, to substitute
achievement of a satisfactory score, as determined by the State Board
of Education, on the appropriate State Board of Education approved
subject area assessment for the subject area requirements for
certification pursuant to section 10-145f.
Sec. 7. (NEW) (Effective July 1, 2019) Not later than July 1, 2020, the
Department of Economic and Community Development may, within Substitute Senate Bill No. 957
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available appropriations, develop a model internship program for use
by companies and businesses in the state. The model internship
program shall assist such companies and businesses in providing
students attending public and independent institutions of higher
education in the state with internship opportunities in the fields of
technology and advanced manufacturing. The department may make
such model internship program available on its Internet web site.
Sec. 8. Section 31-11ff of the general statutes is repealed and the
following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective July 1, 2019):
(a) For purposes of this section:
(1) "Early college high school" means a school in which persons who
are underrepresented in higher education, including, but not limited
to, low-income youth, first-generation college students, English
language learners and minority students, may simultaneously earn,
tuition free, a high school diploma and an associate degree or up to
two years of credit toward a bachelor's degree;
(2) "Middle college program" means a collaboration between a
school district's high schools and a regional-community technical
college or a four-year college or university where a student may (A)
take core high school courses or courses for which college or
university-level credit may be given, and (B) attribute all such credits
earned toward a program of higher learning at an institution of higher
education in which such student enrolls upon graduation from the
middle college program; and
(3) "Connecticut Early College Opportunity program" or "CT-ECO"
means a collaboration between a school district's high schools, a local
community college and a company or business entity where a student
may earn an industry-recognized, two-year postsecondary degree in
addition to a high school diploma. Substitute Senate Bill No. 957
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(b) The Connecticut Employment and Training Commission shall
develop, in collaboration with the Connecticut state colleges and
universities, Department of Education, and regional work force
development boards established pursuant to section 31-3j, a state-wide
plan for implementing, expanding or improving upon career certificate
programs established under section 10-20a, middle college programs,
early college high school programs and Connecticut Early College
Opportunity programs to provide education, training and placement
in jobs available in the manufacturing, health care, construction, green,
science, technology, computer science, engineering and mathematics
industries and other emerging sectors of the state's economy. Such
plan shall include a proposal to fund such programs.
Sec. 9. (NEW) (Effective from passage) The Department of Economic
and Community Development , in consultation with the Labor
Department and Office of Higher Education, may, within available
appropriations:
(1) Identify (A) anticipated areas of job growth in the state over the
next five and ten years, state-wide and by region, (B) existing or
projected needs for certificate programs, degree programs and short-
term and long-term noncredit training programs to support areas of
job growth, (C) the certificate programs, degree programs and
noncredit training programs in the state that are most in demand by
employers and students, the percentage of graduates of such programs
who are employed in the state two years after graduation and the
fields and industries in which such graduates are employed, and (D)
the capacity for growth in high-demand academic programs offered by
institutions of higher education in the state;
(2) Coordinate with state agencies and quasi-public agencies to
prioritize and align state resources to meet the existing and future
talent needs of the state, identified pursuant to subdivision (1) of this
section; and Substitute Senate Bill No. 957
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(3) Coordinate with municipal leaders to (A) share the results of the
analysis performed under subdivision (1) of this section with
employers, public and independent institutions of higher education in
the state and other stakeholders, and (B) develop a program to award
grants to support evidence-based solutions to cultivate, attract, hire
and retain workers in high-demand fields and industries. Such
program may include, but not be limited to, internship programs,
education programs, incentives to attract mid-career workers and
fellowship programs to attract and retain recent graduates.
Sec. 10. (NEW) (Effective July 1, 2019) There is established an account
to be known as the "computer science education account", which shall
be a separate, nonlapsing account within the General Fund. The
account shall contain any moneys required or permitted by law to be
deposited in the account and any funds received from any public or
private contributions, gifts, grants, donations, bequests or devises to
the account. The Department of Education may make expenditures
from the account to support curriculum development, teacher
professional development, capacity development for school districts,
and other programs for the purposes of supporting computer science
education.
Sec. 11. Subsection (j) of section 10-221a of the general statutes is
repealed and the following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective July
1, 2019):
(j) For the school year commencing July 1, 2012, and each school
year thereafter, each local and regional board of education shall create
a student success plan for each student enrolled in a public school,
beginning in grade six. Such student success plan shall include a
student's career and academic choices in grades six to twelve,
inclusive. On and after July 1, 2020, in creating such student success
plans, consideration shall be given to career and academic choices in
computer science, science, technology, engineering and mathematics. Substitute Senate Bill No. 957
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