Gov.-elect Asa Hutchinson said Thursday that he hopes his proposal to give high school core graduation credits for computer science classes is one of the first 10 measures that clear the Legislature in the session starting Jan. 12.
He made his comments on the same day that the state Board of Education approved standards for another computer-related class.
Hutchinson said only about 475 students of 475,000 are taking a computer science class in Arkansas' classrooms.
"Let me tell you, under a Gov. Hutchinson administration, that number is going to change and it is going to go up dramatically," Hutchinson told about 100 people attending a meeting of the Arkansas STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) Coalition in Little Rock.
If only about 20 percent of the state's 30,000 high school graduates each year take computer science, that would produce 6,000 graduates a year with a background in computer coding, and "that has an opportunity to change the dynamics of the Arkansas economy, and that is my objective," Hutchinson said.
After the Legislature enacts a bill on computer science credits, "then we set the stage in education to make sure that we train enough math or science teachers, so that we have one in every high school in Arkansas," said Hutchinson, a Republican from Rogers.
Asked by Hutchinson how many high school teachers are equipped and prepared to teach computer science, coalition members tossed out several numbers, ranging from four to 20.
"That is amazing," he replied.
Afterward, Hutchinson told reporters that he was surprised by these figures, adding "that shows we have a lot of work to do ahead, but it is achievable."
He told the coalition that he is seeking its guidance and help to advance his computer-science proposal.
Hutchinson said he plans to meet soon with state Education Commissioner Tony Wood and "we need to have a working group to start working on that curriculum aspect
"Secondly, what is our game plan for training the teachers? I see this could be led by the Department of Education, but we need to have the right people in the room to do this," he said.
But Hutchinson said if a math or science teacher wants to learn computer coding so he can teach a computer science class and offer it in Yellville for the first time ever, "I don't want to have them to have to look at a two-year licensure program to get qualified to do that. I want to get them in there [and] I want them doing it."
In a related development, the education board approved standards for a new computer science and mathematics course that will give students another option for a fourth-year math credit. Four upper-level math credits are required for students taking the more challenging Smart Core program for high school graduation.
The computer science and mathematics curriculum framework was designed to be an initial step toward filling a void in Arkansas public school offerings, according to the state Department of Education.
"We developed these frameworks to provide students [a] choice for their fourth-year math," said Debbie Jones, assistant education commissioner of learning services. "We are not currently requiring schools to offer this, but they do have the choice to prepare their teachers by sending them to summer training for the computer science and mathematics course and offer the course next fall.
"It is designed for a math-certified teacher with a computer science background. Training this summer will focus on providing direction on integrating the math into computer science," Jones said.
Jones said that "I cannot speak to the similarities [with] Gov.-elect Hutchinson's computer science course. That will be his determination."
Hutchinson spokesman J.R. Davis said Hutchinson wants to review the proposal the state Board of Education adopted on Thursday.
"It sounds like a positive step in the right direction," Davis said, adding that Hutchinson's goal is for each high school in Arkansas to offer computer science.
Information for this article was contributed by Cynthia Howell of the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette.
Metro on 12/12/2014