According to the department's website, as of Sept. 1, 2024, educators who teach computer science will need either a Computer Science Certificate issued by the state Board of Regents or a Computer Science Statement of Continued Eligibility (SOCE), which may be given to instructors who don't have the specific certificate but have nonetheless taught computer science since Sept. 1, 2017. This credential covers all grades, is good for 10 years and cannot be used in other districts. NYSED will also verify whether the applicant's computer science courses meet state standards. K-12 teachers are not required to get a certificate or SOCE if they're only including computer science-related lessons as a single learning unit in other subject areas.
The NYSED website says the SOCE is a temporary measure that will be phased out after 10 years, at which point all computer science instructors will need a Computer Science Certificate.
New York State Department of Education spokeswoman Erica Conley Komoroske explained in an email this week that New York State’s Board of Regents approved a long-term plan in 2020 to establish and implement computer science instruction and digital fluency learning standards — albeit not a graduation requirement — and the state's website indicates that districts are supposed to have fully implemented them by September 2024.
“Districts are able to ensure students are receiving instruction in computer science in a number of ways,” she wrote, adding that since 2021 the state has also offered computer science professional development opportunities to teachers in grades K-8. “If they have teachers eligible to teach computer science courses, they can offer standalone courses. If they do not, they can weave the standards into other content areas to create interdisciplinary lessons.”
Under New York’s current guidelines, a high school computer science class can count as one of the math or science credits required for graduation.
Eight states — Arkansas, Nebraska, North Carolina, South Carolina, Rhode Island, Tennessee, North Dakota and Nevada — have passed legislation requiring computer science instruction for high school graduation, according to a national analysis report from Code.org in November 2023.
