Best Practices COMPUTER SCIENCE & STEM

Legislative Brief: Computer Science in Illinois

=Public Act 101-0654, signed in March 2021, made computer science and computer literacy part of the Illinois School Code. It required the Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) to adopt computer science learning standards, defined computer science in state law, and set requirements for computer literacy instruction and computer science course access. All of these requirements are now in effect. Every Illinois high school must offer at least one computer science course, and the class of 2026 was the first to graduate under the high school computer literacy requirement.

This updated brief summarizes the current statutes, the Computer Science Equity Grant Program, where Illinois stands on course access and participation, and legislation to watch, including proposals to make computer science a high school graduation requirement.

 

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For Administrators, Instructional Leaders, Teachers
Grade Levels All Grades (K-12)

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Computer Science (CS) Legal Issues