WASHINGTON STATE

Washington State House Democrats

HOUSE DEMOCRATS

Encouraging high-schoolers to study computer science

ComputerScienceThe demand for computer programmers exceeds the supply available to businesses in Washington that want to hire them.

That’s an opportunity that high-school students should take advantage of as they think about their future careers. But at the same time, they need to make sure they complete all the courses required for a high-school diploma.

Thanks to a bill by Rep. Drew Hansen that’s nearing final legislative approval, it could soon be easier for high-schoolers to satisfy both those goals.

House Bill 1472 calls for school boards to approve an advanced placement (AP) computer-science course as equivalent to a math or science course that counts toward meeting graduation requirements.

Other states that do that, instead of treating the computer course as simply an elective, have seen more students enroll in computer science.

Read more about HB 1472 on Rep. Hansen’s web page.