Class offerings for students will be limited with new education mandate

McCOOK, Neb. — A new mandate from the Nebraska Legislature requires computer science classes for public school students, but how students will be assessed on it has some local administrators scratching their heads.

LB 1112, the Computer Science and Technology Act, was approved by state senators in the 2022 session. It requires that by 2024-25, computer science be integrated into the curriculum for kindergarten through 12th grade and by 2026-27, a one-semester computer science/technology class be required for graduation. Annual status reports are to be submitted to the Nebraska Department of Education.

But what those status reports should contain is still a little fuzzy and for now, how to assess student technology skills is vague as well. Superintendent Grant Norgaard said Monday night at the McCook School Board meeting that due to the poor quality of the language contained in the bill, he expects that it may get re-written. Based on the language in the legislation, the NDE is having difficulty establishing standards for schools to follow, Norgaard said.

In addition, the new requirement will limit class selection for students. Norgaard told the Gazette that at McCook Public Schools, instead of hiring another teacher for a computer science class, teachers who teach a business apps class or an entrepreneurial class will instead teach a computer science class.

McCook High School previously had a computer science class but that was folded into a financial literacy class, another class mandated by the state legislature in 2021.

Tina Williams, McCook Public Schools technology director, said the goal of LB 1112 is to make sure students have enough skills to compete in the tech world in the 21st century. Williams presented a synopsis of what students are currently doing at each grade level related to computer science. This starts as early as first grade when students learn how to log into the school district’s computers. This isn’t as easy as it sounds, she said, as students are still learning the alphabet and how to keyboard.

This year, learning gaps in computer skills will be identified as a way to collect data for the required status reports and also to find out what areas can be improved, Williams said.

Computer skills are fine but more importantly, students need to have critical thinking skills, said board member Tom Bredvick. Williams said this is being addressed and gave the example of a teacher saying to a student, “This window doesn’t look right, what should you do?”