AB 887: Pupil instruction: high schools: computer science courses: California Computer Science Demonstration Grant Program: reporting.

Existing law creates the California Computer Science Coordinator as a position within the State Department of Education to provide statewide coordination in, among other things, implementing the computer science content standards and leading the implementation of the Computer Science Strategic Implementation Plan, as provided.

This bill would establish the California Computer Science Demonstration Project Grant Program for specified purposes, including increasing the number of public high schools offering a computer science course to increase pupil access to computer science education and increasing the computer science course access of pupils eligible for free or reduced-priced meals and pupils that are underrepresented in the field of computer science. The bill would also establish the California Computer Science Demonstration Project Grant Program Working Group that includes the coordinator and nonprofit organizations and private industry stakeholders with relevant expertise and experience in computer science education. The bill would authorize the coordinator to engage with the working group, as provided. The bill would authorize only public high schools that do not offer computer science courses to be eligible to voluntarily participate in the demonstration project. grant program.

The bill would require the funding entity or funding entities, as defined, to administer the demonstration project. grant program. If there are multiple funding entities, the bill, among other things, would require each funding entity to determine how the funds that it contributes to the demonstration project grant program will be spent, provided that expenditure aligns with the demonstration projects grant programs purposes, and require the funding entities to coordinate implementation of the demonstration project. grant program. The bill would require the funding entities, in coordination with the working group, to select the public high schools to participate in the demonstration project, grant program, as provided. The bill would require the demonstration project grant program to be funded through contributions, gifts, grants, in-kind donations, and donations from the funding entity or funding entities, and would specify the allowable uses of those funds.

The bill would require the funding entity or funding entities, in coordination with the working group, to evaluate the effectiveness of the demonstration project grant program and submit an interim report to certain legislative committees on or before July August 1, 2027, and a final report on or before April July 1, 2028, as specified. The bill would separately repeal the grant programs provisions as of January 1, 2029.

The bill would separately require the department, on or before June 30, 2028, and annually thereafter, to publicly post specified computer science course-related data on its internet website, as specified.