WEST VIRGINIA LEGISLATURE
2025 REGULAR SESSION
Introduced
Senate Bill 558
By Senators Oliverio and Boley
[Introduced February 20, 2025; referredto the Committee on Education; and then to the Committee on Finance]
A BILL to amend the Code of West Virginia, 1931, as amended, by adding a new section, designated ยง18-2-9b, relating to requiring public high school students to take a computer science course prior to graduating; setting forth definitions; and requiring the Board of Education to adopt rules and update computer science standards.
Be it enacted by the Legislature of West Virginia:
## Article 2. State Board of Education.
(a) Beginning with the ninth-grade class entering in the 2027-2028 school year, a public high school student shall be required to earn one-half unit of credit in a high school computer science course before the student graduates.
(1) "Computer science" means the study of computers, programming, and algorithms, including their principles, their hardware and software designs, their implementation, and their impact on society. Computer science does not include the study of everyday uses of computers and computer applications, such as keyboarding, word processing, digital literacy, or accessing the internet.
(2) A computer science course offered for high school credit shall meet or exceed the standards established by the state board. The course shall be offered in person unless it is not feasible for a school district to do so.
(3) The one-half high school credit required in this subsection may be earned in grades eight through twelve.
(4) The one-half credit required in this subsection shall be allowed to substitute for one-half math credit or one-half personalized education plan credit.
(5) The state board shall adopt rules detailing how credit fulfillment under paragraph (4) of this subsection shall be granted. The rules shall ensure maximum flexibility for students, including by maximizing the number of computer science course options eligible for math credit.
(6) The state board shall update computer science standards to include high school introductory computer science courses that include foundational computer science concepts.
(7) Beginning in August of 2026, the state board shall make available to all public schools a list of course options that can meet the requirements for this credit. The state board shall update the list as often as necessary.
(8) The state board shall adopt additional rules to ensure schools can obtain the necessary teacher capacity to support implementation of this subsection. Such rules shall include flexible options to license computer science teachers, including, but not limited to, an authorization or endorsement. In adopting such rules, the board shall consider including policy that ensures teacher subject area certification does not restrict the ability of students to earn a math or other substitution credit for a computer science course taken under this section.
(9) The state board may adopt any rules in addition to those adopted under paragraph (8) it deems necessary to administer this subsection.
NOTE: The purpose of this bill is to require public high school students to take a computer science course prior to graduating.
Strike-throughs indicate language that would be stricken from a heading or the present law and underscoring indicates new language that would be added.