Roundup: Curriculum in state education policy

This article is part of a monthly roundup that outlines curriculum-related state education policy news.

Here's a list of some of the most notable bills, listed by topic, along with the most recent updates:

More states are recognizing the need to include computer science courses in their curriculum.

Alabama is making it easier for students to take such courses with its recent passage of legislation that would let high school students fulfill math or science requirements with a computer science course. The act will also phase-in a requirement for all K-12 public schools in the state to offer such courses.
Georgia passed legislation to phase-in a core computer science course that high school students will be required to take in order to graduate. The legislation calls education in computer science “a critical need” for the state.
Texas also adopted a bill that would include essential knowledge and skills in the technology applications curriculum for K-8 students.
Tennessee is in the early stages of implementing a computer science education across its districts, with recent legislation requiring the development of a state plan to integrate computer science into elementary education and ensuring high school students have access to courses.
States like West Virginia are ensuring teachers have professional development opportunities available to equip educators with the knowledge and skills required to teach computer science.

A significant number of states passed legislation to include material on the Holocaust in school curriculums.

In Delaware, legislation passed encouraging schools and teachers to incorporate Holocaust and genocide material in their instruction. The bill recognizes the importance of teaching the “consequences of hatred, discrimination, and indifference,” referencing other known genocides against groups including Native Americans, Armenians, Rohingya Muslims and more. Iowa and Washington enacted similar legislation.
Texas established Holocaust Remembrance Week, which would include age-appropriate instruction for public school students on the history of and lessons learned from the Holocaust.

Financial literacy is increasingly becoming available to students, and in some cases is even a requirement for graduation.

A bill in Arizona that recently passed makes an economic course on financial literacy and personal financial management a prerequisite for high school graduation.
Louisiana’s legislation enacted in June requiring financial literacy for graduating students goes even a step further, including within its personal financial management course instruction on the process, responsibilities, repayment and default of student loan borrowing to fund post-secondary education.
Other states, like Massachusetts, are making financial literacy optional for public schools but encourage them to integrate it into existing curriculum in subject areas like math, technology and business.
In a more unique initiative, Utah passed legislation that would provide professional development opportunities for teachers around financial and economic literacy concepts through summer workshops and videos.
New Jersey is incorporating financial literacy for its younger students, establishing instruction in the topic as early as middle school for students in grades 6-8.