Washington has made progress on policy, but not on implementation

What are our state's current policies?

Code.org maintains a progress report on each state's K-12 CS education policy (including an up-to-date spreadsheet for all states). Here's Washington state's current status:

• Washington has established K-12 computer science standards. They borrow largely from the CSTA standards.

• Washington has allocated some funding for professional development for current teachers.

• Washington has certification pathways for CS teachers.

• Washington has some pre-service programs that are beginning to integrate CS teacher preparation. See the future teachers page for a list.

• Washington state's Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction has a dedicated CS position to oversee state efforts.

• Washington allows CS to count for a core graduation requirement.

• Washington allows CS to count as a core admission requirement at institutions of higher education.

These policies were established primarily by SHB 1813.

In 2019, two policies were passed regarding CS:

• SB 5088 did two things:

  • Required that public high schools in Washington state offer at least one CS elective by the 2022-23 school year.

  • Required that students be able to receive academic credit based on a competency examination.

• HB 1577 required that K-12 public schools in Washington state submit a report after each year to OSPI and publish online the following data:

  • The total number of computer science and related math programs offered in each school

  • The number and percentage of students who enrolled in a computer science program; and

  • The number of computer science instructors at each school.

In 2021, one policy passed regarding CS:

• SB 5299 allows high school students to count one CS elective toward math and science credit.

In 2022, OSPI released a draft state plan for implementing CS for All.

What policies are we missing?

If you look at Washington state's CS education map, you can see that most youth in Washington state don't even have access to CS classes. To truly reach every student, we need policies that address the following:

• Primary schools aren't required to teach anything about computing.

• Middle schools aren't required to offer computing electives, or integrate computing into any required courses.

• We have no required state plan for implementing CS for All in K-12.  It needs a plan that articulates the goals for computer science, strategies for accomplishing the goals, and timelines for carrying out these. We have a state plan we believe the state should adopt.

• We provide no sustained funding to ESDs to offer high quality professional development for CS teaching

• We provide no funding to higher education to offer high quality pre-service programs to become CS teachers

• Our laws make no mention of supporting students with disabilities in CS learning. Other states such as Nevada have mentioned this in legislation and have state standards that mention disability.

• Teachers who earn the CS endorsement, including those that have dedicated preparation for teaching CS, must still earn a CTE certificate to be able to teach CS courses under the CTE context. Most courses are taught as CTE courses, meaning that this unnecessary certificate is a major barrier to qualified CS educators teaching CS in the state. State law should remove this barrier either by matching the enhanced CTE funding for courses taught under a CS endorsement, or by allowing the endorsement to be used for either type of course.

Are there any relevant U.S. federal policies?

One federal law that might be relevant in the future is the Higher Ed Act. Title II, Part A mentions a grant program that supports K-12 teacher preparation that refers to “teacher shortage areas, including mathematics and science” (section 202(d)(5)(B)). There are two other programs in Title II-B that more specifically target training toward STEM teachers. There are some congressional efforts to update this language to include CS.

Who is championing CS education policy in Washington state?

There are many state executives and legislators who support CS for All:

• Washington State Senator Lisa Wellman (41st District, Mercer Island) is a vocal supporter of  CS education.

• Representative Drew Hansen (WA-23) has been a champion of CS education policy.

Additionally, Washington STEM advances excellence, innovation, and equity in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) education for all Washington students, including computer science. 

How can we advocate for K-12 CS education in the state?

Washington's constitution makes K-12 education the state's "paramount duty," but authority is spread across several bodies. The Legislature writes education law and controls funding. The Governor shapes the budget and signs or vetoes bills. Three state agencies turn that law into practice: OSPI sets learning standards and distributes legislative funding when designed in the state budget, the State Board of Education (SBE) sets graduation requirements, and the Professional Educator Standards Board (PESB) decides who is qualified to teach. Within those state rules, Washington's 295 local school districts (including state-tribal compact schools), governed by elected school boards, decide what is actually taught: which courses are offered, which curriculum is adopted, and how teachers and money are allocated. In short, the state sets the floor and the funding, and districts decide what happens in classrooms. Effective computer science advocacy usually needs pressure at both levels.

Who does what

• State Legislature. The Legislature passes the laws (mostly in Title 28A RCW) that create or change requirements, such as directing OSPI to adopt CS standards, requiring schools to offer CS courses, or deciding whether CS can count toward graduation credits. It also writes the biennial state budget, including grants for CS teacher training and course expansion. Sessions start in January and run 105 days in odd years (full budget) and 60 days in even years (supplemental budget). 

  • Advocacy target: your two representatives and one senator, plus members of the education committees (House Education; Senate Early Learning & K-12 Education) and the budget committees (House Appropriations; Senate Ways & Means). Testifying on bills and meeting legislators in the fall, before session, are especially effective.

• Governor. The Governor releases a proposed budget each December that sets the starting point for negotiations, can make education priorities part of the policy agenda, and signs or vetoes bills, including line-item vetoes of budget sections. The Governor also appoints most SBE members and PESB members. 

  • Advocacy target: the Governor's education policy advisor and budget office, ideally in late summer or fall while the December budget is being built.

• OSPI (Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction). OSPI is led by a statewide-elected, nonpartisan Superintendent. It adopts the state learning standards, including the K-12 CS standards, and publishes guidance, frameworks, and recommended resources to help districts implement them. It does not choose curriculum or require specific courses unless the Legislature directs it to. OSPI also administers state and federal funding and competitive grants such as CS grants, and collects and publishes data on course offerings and participation. That data is one of the most useful tools for showing gaps in CS access. OSPI also submits its own budget requests and proposed legislation each year. 

  • Advocacy target: the CS program supervisor and staff, public comment when standards are revised, and OSPI's budget and legislative requests. Note that the program supervisor is prohibted from lobbying, but awareness of community needs and preferences is still valuable for the scope above.

• State Board of Education (SBE). Within the framework the Legislature sets, SBE defines high school graduation requirements: credit requirements, graduation pathways, and rules on how courses like CS can satisfy math, science, or other credit areas. SBE also oversees parts of school accountability and basic-education compliance. Most members are appointed by the Governor; others are elected by school board members, and there are student representatives. Advocacy target: public comment at SBE's regular board meetings, especially when graduation requirements or credit-equivalency rules are under review.

• PESB (Professional Educator Standards Board). PESB sets the standards for teacher certification and endorsements, including the Computer Science endorsement. It also approves teacher preparation programs and alternative routes into teaching. Its decisions determine how easy it is for current teachers to add CS and for new CS teachers to enter the profession, which directly affects whether schools can staff CS courses. Advocacy target: public comment at PESB meetings and input on endorsement competencies and preparation program rules.

• School districts and local school boards. This is where most decisions about what students actually experience are made. Elected school boards adopt policies, budgets, and curriculum. District leaders and principals decide which CS courses are offered, at which schools, in which grades, and whether elementary and middle schools integrate CS. They also decide whether to fund teacher training and how to use state CS grants. Regional Educational Service Districts (ESDs) often provide CS training and support to districts. Advocacy target: public comment at school board meetings, curriculum and budget committees, principals, and building or district CS champions. Running for, or supporting candidates for, the school board also matters.

Learning standards describe what students should know and be able to do at each grade level. They are not curriculum, lesson plans, or required courses. Districts are legally expected to provide instruction that gives students the opportunity to meet the state standards, but elected school boards decide how: which curriculum to adopt, which courses to offer, and how much time to spend. In practice, how strictly standards are followed depends mostly on whether they are tested and tied to requirements:

• Tested subjects (English language arts, math, science). State assessments measure student performance against the standards, and the results feed into public school report cards and the state's school improvement system. Schools with low results are identified for support. This makes districts pay close attention to these standards.

• Untested subjects, including computer science. Washington adopted K-12 CS standards in 2016, but there is no state CS test and no specific state requirement for how much CS instruction students get in elementary or middle school. Districts are expected to work toward the standards, but nothing checks whether they do. As a result, CS instruction varies widely between districts and between schools in the same district.

For untested standards like CS, usually nothing formal happens if schools do not help students meet them. There is no audit, penalty, or loss of funding just because a district doesn't teach to the CS standards. The state's main enforcement tool is withholding funds when a district fails basic education requirements, such as minimum instructional hours, school days, and graduation credit requirements. Standards alignment is not part of that check in a way that would trigger penalties for missing CS.

The exception is specific statutory mandates: if the Legislature requires something concrete, such as offering a CS course or reporting CS enrollment data, districts must comply. Even then, enforcement tends to rely on reporting and public pressure more than sanctions. Separately, if CS access is unequal across student groups, such as by race, sex, or disability, families may be able to raise it with OSPI's Office of Equity and Civil Rights or the district's own complaint process.

What does this mean? Standards say what students should learn, but only laws, graduation requirements, testing, and funding make things happen. To turn CS from "recommended" into "required" or "funded," go to the Legislature and Governor. To shape standards, graduation rules, or the teacher pipeline, go to OSPI, SBE, or PESB. To change what kids at a particular school actually get, go to your district and school board, which is where most CS decisions really happen today.