Legislative Report

Computer science as … science?

by William Taylor Potter, Manship School News Service

A resolution asking the State Board of Elementary and Secondary Education to allow computer science courses to count as science credits has moved on to full House debate.

Photo Illustration by William Taylor Potter

A resolution asking the State Board of Elementary and Secondary Education to allow computer science courses to count as science credits moved through the House Education Committee Monday and on to full House debate.

House Concurrent Resolution 14, by Rep. Helena Moreno, D-New Orleans, would ask BESE to accept computer science as a science credit when satisfying high school graduation requirements. The resolution also requests the board develop goals for computer science, strategies to meet the goals and a plan to implement the strategies.

Computer science courses can already be used for math credits, Moreno said. She said several other states have moved in the direction of making it count for science or foreign language credit.

Supporting the concept, Rep. Chris Broadwater, R-Baton Rouge, said computer science was one of the fastest growing disciplines at Southeastern University: “The workforce commission is ranking this as four- and five-star jobs.”