HB1304 revises Oklahoma’s school graduation and subject-matter requirements to expand the role of computer science and career-tech coursework in high school curricula. The bill amends the state standards statute to add computer science as an option within the science and mathematics pathways, allow certain computer science or career and technology education courses to satisfy existing graduation requirements, and require the State Department of Education to adopt rules addressing emerging computer science technologies, including artificial intelligence, in the Oklahoma Academic Standards for Computer Science.
The bill also preserves and reorganizes Oklahoma’s existing college-preparatory, core, and modified graduation tracks, while adding a new statewide graduation requirement beginning with students entering eighth grade in the 2026-2027 school year: one unit of Department of Education-approved computer science or an approved industry-aligned CTE course covering computer science foundations. It continues to permit flexibility through locally approved math and science application courses, concurrent enrollment, AP/IB, technology center coursework, and other approved pathways, while maintaining requirements for English, math, science, social studies, arts, and computer/world language study. The bill takes effect July 1, 2025, and includes an emergency clause.
In terms of state law, HB1304 would amend 70 O.S. 2021, Section 11-103.6, which governs subject matter standards and high school graduation requirements. It would direct the State Board of Education, the State Board of Career and Technology Education, and the State Regents for Higher Education to coordinate on maintaining rigor in graduation pathways, and it would require rulemaking by the Department of Education and CareerTech on industry-valued credentials and computer science standards. School districts would retain discretion over some locally approved courses, but would need to align offerings with the revised graduation framework and notify the Department about approved math and science application courses.
The general sentiment reflected in the available voting history appears strongly favorable, at least at the committee stage: the House Common Education Committee advanced the bill unanimously, 8-0, with no recorded opposition in the provided materials. The bill’s structure suggests support for expanding STEM and workforce-oriented education while preserving flexibility for districts and students.
The main points of contention, based on the bill text itself, are likely to center on graduation requirements, local control, and implementation burden. The new computer science requirement could be viewed as beneficial by supporters who want more STEM preparation, but potentially challenging for districts that lack staffing, scheduling, or course capacity. Another possible issue is the breadth of authority given to state boards to define approved credentials, rules, and standards, as well as the extent to which computer science can substitute for existing science or math credits.
HB1304 would amend Oklahoma’s graduation and curriculum standards statute, 70 O.S. 2021, Section 11-103.6, by adding computer science and career-tech options to the list of courses that can satisfy science, math, and graduation requirements. It would also require the State Department of Education to promulgate rules on emerging computer science technologies, including artificial intelligence, and would direct state education agencies to coordinate on maintaining rigor in high school graduation pathways. Beginning with students entering eighth grade in 2026-2027, the bill would impose a new one-unit computer science or approved CTE computer science-foundations requirement for graduation, affecting students, school districts, the State Board of Education, and CareerTech programs.
The available legislative history shows positive momentum for the bill, with the House Common Education Committee reporting it out unanimously 8-0. No committee transcript is provided, so there is no recorded debate in the supplied materials, but the vote suggests broad support for strengthening computer science and career-tech education. The bill’s emergency clause and effective date also indicate an intent to move the policy into place quickly.
The most likely areas of contention are whether the new computer science requirement is too prescriptive for local districts and whether schools will have the staffing, scheduling, and course offerings needed to comply. There may also be disagreement over how much flexibility districts should have to substitute computer science or career-tech coursework for traditional math and science credits, and over the role of state boards in defining approved credentials and updating standards for emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence. Supporters are likely to emphasize workforce readiness and STEM literacy, while skeptics may focus on implementation costs and local control.