The Louisiana State Board of Elementary and Secondary Education has approved the state’s first-ever academic content standards for computer science. These standards, to be implemented in the 2025-2026 school year, aim to equip students with essential digital literacy, problem-solving, and technological skills, preparing them for the modern workforce. The standards apply across all grade levels, from kindergarten through 12th grade. There are a total of five chapters, including computing systems, networks and the internet, data and analysis, algorithms and programming and impacts of computing. Within each are various teaching and learning standards for various educational materials. For instance, within computing systems is hardware, software and troubleshooting. Other materials within the chapters include cybersecurity, data and analysis, data storage and collection, variable and algorithms, BESE President Ronnie Morris emphasized the importance of these standards, saying in a news release, “The standards BESE adopted today will apply at every grade level, so every student benefits. We are particularly excited about mapping these standards to the core curriculum so students can appreciate the practical application.” In the news release, Ashley Townsend, the deputy chief of policy for the Department of Education, stressed the long-term value of computer science education, noting it prepares students for future careers in computing and fields that may not yet exist. These standards stem from the Computer Science Education Act, passed in 2022, which led to the creation of the Computer Science Education Advisory Commission. The commission’s recommendations laid the groundwork for the standards approved today. Educators across the state will receive support through webinars and additional resources to ensure a smooth implementation of the new curriculum starting in the 2025-2026 school year, BESE said in a news release. Louisiana has made significant strides in expanding computer science education over the past few years, enacting several policies to boost participation. The state has more than doubled the number of high schools offering foundational computer science in the last six years, leading to a surge in student enrollment, according to a 2023 report from the Advocacy Coalition. “More than 13,000 middle and high school students took foundational computer science in 2022-2023,” the coalition wrote. “Louisiana has achieved race/ethnicity parity and has some of the highest participation rates for female students. While Louisiana still has a long way to go to ensure all students have access, this data is encouraging.” The report recommends Louisiana implement a computer science graduation requirement for all high school students and continue providing annual funding for professional development to ensure schools have enough trained teachers to offer these courses statewide.