69传媒 who successfully complete an Advanced Placement computer science class in Washington state will get a math or science credit toward graduation, rather than having it count as an elective, under legislation Democratic Gov. Jay Inslee signed last week.
鈥淚f we can encourage more of our students to try their hand at computer science in high school, we can open their world to so many amazing careers,鈥� the .
The action makes Washington the 10th state to count computer science as a core math or science credit, according to a , a broad-based advocacy group for improved science, technology, engineering, and mathematics education. Currently, the group says, only 35 out of Washington鈥檚 622 high schools offer the course.
鈥淭his is a step forward to making Washington state a national STEM leader,鈥� said Brad Smith, an executive vice president at Microsoft and a founding board member of Washington STEM. 鈥淓very young person in our state should have the chance to learn how to code; it鈥檚 the new language of opportunity.鈥� You can hear more from Smith on the issue in .
Microsoft last September issued what it called a that features a push for expanding access to computer science education, as well as improving STEM education more broadly. (It also calls for a short-term strategy to allow more foreign workers with STEM skills into the United States.)
has grown by more than 60 percent over the past five years. About 19,000 AP computer science tests were taken by the graduating class of 2012, up from roughly 12,000 in the class of 2007.