CS Education Legislation in Washington 2014-26

With the State Board of Education approval of the FutureReady proposal to comprehensively update Washington’s high school graduation requirements, the State BOE will be requesting legislation to implement the proposal for the 2027 legislative session.

Because this new legislation will likely modify the implementations resulting from computer science education legislation over the past twelve years, this previous legislation is listed below for reference.

• SB 5327 (2025) This bill mandated that: (a) the state board of education consider how to incorporate CS into their revised graduation requirements, (b) the board develop a report on district needs in meeting the requirement, and (c) OSPI update the CS learning standards. Note:  This bill passed the State Senate but stalled in the House. 

• SB 5849 (2024) Beginning with the 2029 graduating class, all students shall be required to show competency in the high school learning standards related to computer science in order to graduate from high school through a variety of mechanisms.  Note:  This bill passed the State Senate but stalled in the House. 
   
• SB 5088 (2019) required that each school district that operates a high school must provide access to an elective computer science course by the 2022–2023 school year.   Note:  In the 2022-23 school year, only 47% of Washington high schools offer a computer science elective. 
   
• HB 1577 (2019) required each school district to report the number of computer science course offerings and demographics of the students enrolled in the courses, starting in June 2020.
   
• SB 5657 (2022) required each school district operating an institutional education program for youth in state long-term juvenile institutions to provide an opportunity to access an elective computer science course.
   
• SB 5389 (2021) requires that PESB establish two specialty endorsements for computer science one for elementary and one for secondary.  Note:  Despite investigation, no providers were ever certified to provide the training for these specialty endorsements and no Washington state teacher has received this specialty endorsement.   The endorsement would not have qualified any teacher to teach a particular course – only that they had taken the necessary PD.  
   
• HB 1813 (2015) Expanding computer science education.  Required OSPI to develop computer science learning standards, PESB to create a computer science endorsement, and create the Educator Retooling Scholarship.  Note:  Washington adopted CS standards are exactly the same as CSTA standards.
   
• HB 1472 (2014) Providing initiatives to improve and expand access to computer science education.   Allow AP Computer Science to be used as either Math or Science credit. 

The majority of this content was originally posted on the previous CSTA Puget Sound/CSTA Washington website and is archived here: Washington CS Education Advocacy Info.