Teaching computer code as a foreign language?

FRANKFORT, Ky. – With nearly a quarter of the state lacking access to broadband Internet, computer code may already seem like Greek to many students in Kentucky.

Now one lawmaker wants to put it on that level officially.

Senate President Pro Tem David Givens has filed a bill in the 2015 General Assembly that would let school districts teach computer programming as a credit in foreign language.

The measure also would allow programming courses to satisfy foreign language requirements for admission into Kentucky's public universities.

Givens, R-Greensburg, said the changes are needed to prepare Kentucky's workforce for the millions of programming jobs that are expected to flourish over the next five years.

"Computer programming is truly a language, and let's be honest, it's foreign to a lot of people," he said.

The bill is expected to pass the GOP-controlled Senate, where the same measure won approval last year only to die in the Democrat-led House.

But critics — even those who support more programming in schools — fear that Senate Bill 16 would sacrifice equally important studies that help students compete in the international economy.

House Education Chairman Derrick Graham, D-Frankfort, said he has heard misgivings from colleges and that the bill is likely to face opposition in the House again this year.

"In order to be globally prepared you've got to learn the language," he said. "You should not cut one program that we know is beneficial and important to incorporate another."

The Kentucky Council on Postsecondary Education says it remains neutral on the bill but plans to discuss the issue more with colleges.

Likewise, a spokeswoman for the Kentucky Department of Education said officials are still reviewing Givens' legislation.

But Givens warns that the state is facing workforce inadequacies in many skilled industries — a problem, he says, his bill can help address.

"We are going to have to take a look at thinking a little differently," he said.

A 'wide variance'

Programming is generally taught as part of the broader field of computer science.

According to Code.org, a national nonprofit promoting computer science in schools, Kentucky is like most states: Few students take advanced placement computer science courses and participation is low among females and minority students.

In 2014, for instance, only 382 students in Kentucky took an AP computer science test, Code.org reports. That's about 3 percent of the more than 14,800 students who took an AP test in the areas of science, math and technology overall.

Dr. Brent Seales, a professor and chair of the Department of Computer Science at the University of Kentucky, said UK's program sees a "wide variance," with some students having up to two years of exposure to programming when they enter college while others have no experience at all.

"The brightest kids, even if they have never seen a computer before, can come in and be extremely successful at computer science, and our program is geared to make that happen," he said. "But there is undoubtedly an advantage when you come in and have had experience."

In Jefferson County, 550 students are enrolled in programming studies at Eastern High School, Fern Creek Traditional High School and duPont Manual High School. Some additional high schools offer programming as an elective.

Oldham County has 65 students enrolled in the information technology program at its Arvin Education Center, although the program is largely focused on areas like gaming and design.

Cameron Wilson, Code.org's chief operating officer, said the biggest challenge for school districts is introducing a new discipline amid tight resources and overcoming confusion between true computer science and basic computer literacy.

Oldham County district spokeswoman Tracy Green said officials there would rather see the state increase backing for efforts like Project Lead the Way, a nonprofit organization that provides curriculum to the Arvin Center on science, technology, engineering and mathematics.

Green said the center is considering ways to add the project's curriculum on computer science two years from now.

Considering the options

Kentucky students must earn 22 credits to graduate from high school. Fifteen of those represent requirements in core areas like math, science, social studies and English, and college prerequisites call on students to have two credits of foreign language.

Givens said that leaves little room for serious study in computer programming.

But Wilson said his group is concerned that Givens' approach would create confusion about how computer science fits into the silos of education, and that it could cause issues when teachers have to be certified in a particular field.

Code.org instead prefers policies — like one already adopted in Kentucky — that allow computer science to count toward high school graduation as a math credit.

Still, Givens cautions that the next best alternative for Kentucky would probably involve extending the school day and finding more funds in the strapped state budget.

"I don't sense that there is a move to a longer school day," he said.

Reporter Mike Wynn can be reached at (502) 875-5136. Follow him on Twitter at @MikeWynn_CJ.