Discussion: View Thread

https://app.leg.wa.gov/billsummary/?BillNumber=5327&Year=2025&Initiative=false

On Jan 17, Sens Wellman, Nobles, and Wilson submitted a bill SB 5327 (2025) titled "Concerning learning standards and graduation requirements" specifically addressing computer science. This is in contrast to last legislative session's SB 5849 which would have made CS competency a graduation requirement. This time around, the mandates are essentially that (a) the state board of education consider how to incorporate CS into their revised graduation requirements, (b) the board develop a report on district needs in meeting the requirement, and (c) OSPI update the CS learning standards, which is already in the queue for the near future contemporaneously with CSTA's standards revisions.

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Lawrence Tanimoto
Treasurer/Advocacy Lead, CSTA Washington
Winner, Men's and Women's Brackets
2024 CSTA Chapter Leaders March Madness Challenge
Bellevue, WA
K-12 Teacher CTE (retired)
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The following "In Favor" statement was sent to the CSTA Washington interim board on Jan 24 for review.   This statement is to be used to testify on behalf of CSTA Washington at the first hearing on Jan 28 8:00 - 10:00.   Anyone with serious concerns should reply to this thread immediately:

https://washington.csteachers.org/ Click to follow link." target="_blank" rel="noopener">CSTA Washington is in favor of Sections 1 and 2 of Bill SB5327

The Computer Science Teachers Association (CSTA) of Washington greatly appreciates that this legislature understands

·       The importance that all students learn foundational computer science principles

·       The challenges that schools and students face in fitting computer science into an already crowded academic schedule

·       The difficulties in training and supporting teachers to teach a critical new subject computer science.

CSTA Washington can help in the effort represented by Sections 1 and 2 of SB5327. CSTA Washington is committed to supporting and representing all of Washington's K-12 teachers, whether they are teaching CS full or part-time, whether in standalone or integrated classes, whether CTE or as a core subject.   

CSTA Washington has created data dashboards to help the Board understand and interpret the CS education data published by OSPI. 

Members of our chapter are reviewers on the  K-12 CSTA CS standards revision team and can help OSPI with updating our K-12 CS standards.   CSTA will release these new CS standards in the summer of 2026.   As with many other states, Washington's current CS standards fully adopt the national CSTA CS standards of 2017. 

 

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Lawrence Tanimoto
Treasurer/Advocacy Lead, CSTA Washington
Winner, Men's and Women's Brackets
2024 CSTA Chapter Leaders March Madness Challenge
Bellevue, WA
K-12 Teacher CTE (retired)
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Video of the Senate hearing is here:  https://tvw.org/video/senate-early-learning-k-12-education-2025011498/?eventID=2025011498

from about 56:00 - 1:08:00   My testimony on behalf of CSTA Washington is from about 1:06:00. 

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Lawrence Tanimoto
Treasurer/Advocacy Lead, CSTA Washington
Winner, Men's and Women's Brackets
2024 CSTA Chapter Leaders March Madness Challenge
Bellevue, WA
K-12 Teacher CTE (retired)
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Bill has been referred to Ways and Means.

Has been amended to include financial education.   It requires that high schools provide access to learning materials to help students meet the financial education learning standards.  This is weaker than the CS requirement in the bill.

This fiscal note indicates that the bill will require 0.5 FTE in OSPI at a cost of $297K

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Lawrence Tanimoto
Treasurer/Advocacy Lead, CSTA Washington
Winner, Men's and Women's Brackets
2024 CSTA Chapter Leaders March Madness Challenge
Bellevue, WA
K-12 Teacher CTE (retired)
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This bill has passed the Senate and is now in House Committee on Education. 

https://app.leg.wa.gov/billsummary?billnumber=5327&year=2025&initiative=False

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Lawrence Tanimoto
Treasurer/Advocacy Lead, CSTA Washington
Winner, Men's and Women's Brackets
2024 CSTA Chapter Leaders March Madness Challenge
Bellevue, WA
K-12 Teacher CTE (retired)
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March 18, 2025 - Scheduled for public hearing in the House Committee on Education at 4:00 PM (Subject to change).

The SB 5327 has passed the Senate.   The CS education portions of the bill were not changed (although a section on financial education was added). There is a hearing on SB 5327 in the House Committee on Education on March 18 at 4:00 PM.   With the consent of the CSTA Washington board, I have submitted written testimony similar to our Senate testimony to this hearing.   

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Lawrence Tanimoto
Treasurer/Advocacy Lead, CSTA Washington
Winner, Men's and Women's Brackets
2024 CSTA Chapter Leaders March Madness Challenge
Bellevue, WA
K-12 Teacher CTE (retired)
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