Institutional Education Program.

The state's statutory program of basic education requires that instruction and associated state funding be provided for school-aged students in institutional education facilities.  The institutional education facilities are managed and operated by the Department of Children, Youth, and Families (DCYF), the Department of Social and Health Services, the Department of Corrections, counties, and cities, but the basic education services are generally provided by school districts.  

Institutional education facilities include three state long-term juvenile institutions maintained by the DCYF for the diagnosis, confinement, and rehabilitation of juveniles committed by the courts.  To the extent it is practical and judged appropriate, a school district must provide to youth in state long-term juvenile institutions the same courses of instruction and school related student activities that are provided to other students.

Computer Science.

Learning Standards.  State learning standards adopted by the Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI) describe what students need to know and be able to do at each grade level.  The state learning standards for computer science address the following concepts:  computing systems, networks and the Internet, data and analytics, algorithms, and programming, and impacts of computing.

Electives.  Beginning with the 2022-23 school year, each school district that operates a high school must, at a minimum, provide an opportunity for high school students to access an elective computer science course that is aligned to the state learning standards for computer science or mathematics.

Competency Credits.  School districts may award academic credit for computer science to students based on student completion of a competency examination that is aligned with the state learning standards for computer science or mathematics and course equivalency requirements adopted by the OSPI.

Graduation Requirements.  Among other requirements to qualify for graduation from a public high school, students must complete 24 credits, including three in mathematics, three in science, and four electives.  Under certain conditions, a student may substitute one computer science course aligned to state computer science learning standards as an alternative to a third year mathematics or third year science course.  To qualify graduation, students must also complete at least one of eight graduation pathway options.  One of these options allows students to meet pathway options for mathematics by earning a grade of C+ or better in computer science or computer science principles. 

Reporting.  Annually by June 30, school districts must submit to the OSPI, and the OSPI must post on its website, a report for the preceding academic year that includes:

1. the total number of computer science courses offered in each school and whether these courses are Advanced Placement classes;
2. the number and percentage of students who enrolled in a computer science program, disaggregated by gender, race and ethnicity, special education status, English learner status, eligibility for the free and reduced-price lunch program, and grade level; and
3. the number of computer science instructors at each school, disaggregated by certification, if applicable, gender, and highest academic degree.

Subject to state funding, each school district operating an institutional education program for youth in state long-term juvenile institutions must provide an opportunity to access an elective computer science course in accordance with specified requirements.  If, due to facility or technology security limitations, a school district cannot provide a computer science course that is fully aligned with all state computer science learning standards, the school district must adapt the course curriculum and instructional activities to align with as many state computer science learning standards as possible.

Each school district operating an institutional education program for youth in state long-term juvenile institutions must annually report the following information to the Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction: 

1. data indicating the number of students who enrolled in a computer science course in the prior school year, disaggregated by gender, race, ethnicity, and age;
2. a brief description of each computer science course and whether the course is fully aligned to state computer science learning standards; and
3. a brief description of any facility or technology security limitations that prevent the school district from offering a course fully aligned with state computer science learning standards, and the actions the district is taking to address those limitations.