California schools offering instruction in any of grades nine to twelve, inclusive, can now give students an option to enroll in a Career Technical Education (CTE) course as an alternative to the graduation requirement in visual or performing arts or foreign language beginning with the 2012–13 school year (class of 2013).

Under previous California law, all pupils receiving a diploma of graduation from high school must complete one course in visual or performing arts or foreign language.  Teachers, who wish to teach a CTE course not currently offered, can advocate for the course by calling a meeting with your site administrator and counselors to let them know about the job opportunities for students and the need for all students to learn why computer savvy students will have an advantage in meeting their career and college goals.

If authorized by the local governing board, this new option could give opportunity for all students to elect to take an introductory computer course that has a CTE focus, like Exploring Computer Science, and satisfy a graduation requirement.

The Exploring Computer Science course can receive Perkins IV funding if it is offered as an elective, included in an approved sequence of courses, taught by a teacher with the appropriate credential, and industry experience in computer technology.

For more information on high school graduation requirements, visit: http://www.cde.ca.gov/ci/gs/hs/hsgrmin.asp.