SLS 22RS-150 ORIGINAL
2022 Regular Session
SENATE BILL NO. 191
BY SENATOR HEWITT
TOPS. Provides relative to high school core curriculum requirements. (gov sig)
1 AN ACT
2 To amend and reenact R.S. 17:5025(introductory paragraph) and (5) and to enact R.S.
3 17:5025.5, relative to high school core curriculum requirements for the Taylor
4 Opportunity Program for Students; to authorize courses in computer science to be
5 included in the core curriculum; and to provide for related matters.
6 Be it enacted by the Legislature of Louisiana:
7 Section 1. R.S. 17:5025(introductory paragraph) and (5) are hereby amended and
8 reenacted and R.S. 17:5025.5 is hereby enacted to read as follows:
9 §5025. High school core curriculum requirements; Opportunity, Performance,
10 Honors Awards
11 To be eligible for an Opportunity, Performance, or Honors Award pursuant
12 to this Chapter, a student who graduates during or after the 2021-2022 2025-2026
13 school year shall have successfully completed a core curriculum which consists of
14 nineteen units of high school course work as follows:
15 * * *
16 (5) Foreign Language or Computer Science - two units
17 (a) Foreign Language - the two units shall be in the same language, which
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SLS 22RS-150 ORIGINAL
1 may include the following: AP Chinese Language and Culture, AP French Language
2 and Culture, AP German Language and Culture, AP Italian Language and Culture,
3 AP Japanese Language and Culture, AP Latin, AP Spanish Language and Culture,
4 French IV IB, French V IB, Spanish IV IB, and Spanish V IB.
5 (b) Computer Science - the two units shall be in principles, coding, and
6 programming, which may include the following: AP Computer Science A, AP
7 Computer Science Principles, Computer Science Year One IB, and Computer
8 Science Year Two IB.
9 * * *
10 §5025.5. High school core curriculum requirements; Opportunity,
11 Performance, Honors Awards; students graduating 2021-2022
12 through 2025-2026 school year
13 To be eligible for an Opportunity, Performance, or Honors Award
14 pursuant to this Chapter, a student who graduates during the 2021-2022
15 through the 2025-2026 school year shall have successfully completed a core
16 curriculum which consists of nineteen units of high school course work as
17 follows:
18 (1) English - Four Units
19 (a) English I.
20 (b) English II.
21 (c) One unit chosen from the following: English III, AP English
22 Language Arts and Composition, or English III IB (Language A or Literature
23 and Performance).
24 (d) One unit chosen from the following: English IV, AP English
25 Literature and Composition, or English IV IB (Language A or Literature and
26 Performance).
27 (2) Mathematics - Four Units
28 (a) Algebra I (one unit), Geometry (one unit), and Algebra II (one unit).
29 Integrated Mathematics I, Integrated Mathematics II, and Integrated
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SLS 22RS-150 ORIGINAL
1 Mathematics III may be substituted for the Algebra I, Geometry, and Algebra
2 II sequence.
3 (b) One unit chosen from the following: Algebra III; Advanced Math
4 Functions and Statistics, Advanced Math-Pre-Calculus, Pre-Calculus, or Math
5 Methods I IB (Mathematical Studies SL); Calculus, AP Calculus AB, or Math
6 Methods II IB (Mathematics SL); AP Calculus BC; Probability and Statistics
7 or AP Statistics; IB Further Mathematics HL; IB Mathematics HL.
8 (3) Science - Four Units
9 (a) Biology I.
10 (b) Chemistry I.
11 (c) Two units chosen from the following: Earth Science; Environmental
12 Science; Physical Science; Agriscience I and Agriscience II (one unit combined);
13 Chemistry II, AP Chemistry, or IB Chemistry II; AP Environmental Science,
14 or IB Environmental Systems; Physics I, AP Physics I, AP Physics B, or IB
15 Physics I; AP Physics C: Electricity and Magnetism, AP Physics C: Mechanics,
16 IB Physics II, or AP Physics II; Biology II, AP Biology, or IB Biology II.
17 (4) Social Studies - Four Units
18 (a) One unit chosen from the following: U.S. History, AP US History, or
19 IB US History.
20 (b) One unit chosen from the following: Civics, Government, AP US
21 Government and Politics: Comparative, AP US Government and Politics:
22 United States.
23 (c) Two units chosen from the following: Western Civilization, European
24 History, or AP European History; World Geography, AP Human Geography,
25 or IB Geography; World History, AP World History, or World History IB;
26 History of Religion; IB Economics, Economics, AP Macroeconomics, or AP
27 Microeconomics; African American History.
28 (5) Foreign Language - two units in the same language, which may
29 include the following: AP Chinese Language and Culture, AP French Language
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SLS 22RS-150 ORIGINAL
1 and Culture, AP German Language and Culture, AP Italian Language and
2 Culture, AP Japanese Language and Culture, AP Latin, AP Spanish Language
3 and Culture, French IV IB, French V IB, Spanish IV IB, and Spanish V IB.
4 (6) Art - one unit chosen from the following: Performance course in
5 Music, Dance, or Theatre; Fine Arts Survey; Art I, II, III, and IV; Talented Art
6 I, II, III, and IV; Talented Music I, II, III, and IV; Talented Theater Arts I, II,
7 III, and IV; Speech III and Speech IV (one unit combined); AP Art History; AP
8 Studio Art: 2-D Design; AP Studio Art: 3-D Design; AP Studio Art: Drawing;
9 AP Music Theory; Film Study I IB; Film Study II IB; Music I IB; Music II IB;
10 Art Design III IB; Art Design IV IB; Theatre I IB; or Drafting.
11 (7) For the purposes of this Section, any core curriculum course that is
12 taken by a student who has been identified as gifted pursuant to State Board of
13 Elementary and Secondary Education policy and that is taken in fulfillment of
14 the student's Individualized Education Program shall be considered a gifted
15 course and shall fulfill the core curriculum requirement in its given subject
16 area.
17 Section 2. This Act shall become effective upon signature by the governor or, if not
18 signed by the governor, upon expiration of the time for bills to become law without signature
19 by the governor, as provided by Article III, Section 18 of the Constitution of Louisiana. If
20 vetoed by the governor and subsequently approved by the legislature, this Act shall become
21 effective on the day following such approval.
The original instrument and the following digest, which constitutes no part
of the legislative instrument, were prepared by Cheryl Serrett.
DIGEST
SB 191 Original 2022 Regular Session Hewitt
Present law provides for a high school core curriculum that is required for a student to be
eligible for a Taylor Opportunity Program for Students (TOPS) award. Present law requires
two units of foreign language that are in the same language.
Proposed law provides that students graduating during or after the 2025-2026 school year,
may elect to earn two units in computer science or two units in the same foreign language.
Proposed law provides the Computer Science units shall be in computer science principles,
coding, or programming and lists certain AP and IB courses allowed for credit in the
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SLS 22RS-150 ORIGINAL
required TOPS core.
Effective upon signature of the governor or lapse of time for gubernatorial action.
(Amends R.S. 17:5025(intro para) and (5); adds R.S. 17:5025.5)
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Coding: Words which are struck through are deletions from existing law;
words in boldface type and underscored are additions.