S. 3122Senate115th Congress (2017-2019)In Committee

High School CODES Act

AI-Generated Summary

Updated April 15, 2026 at 10:33 PM UTC

The High School CODES Act aims to boost coding and computer‑science education in U.S. high schools. It urges states to count coding classes toward graduation requirements and calls for a national strategy to embed coding in K‑12 curricula. The bill also creates a federal grant program that helps schools add or expand coding courses that can replace a math, science, or foreign‑language class for graduation. It primarily affects local school districts, especially those in rural or underserved areas, and the federal Department of Education that administers the grants.

Key Provisions

The Senate adopts a sense encouraging states to recognize coding classes as meeting graduation requirements and to develop a national strategy for K‑12 computer‑science education.
Amends the Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Education Act to add a Coding Demonstration Program, authorizing the Secretary of Education to award grants to local educational agencies for new or expanded high‑school coding courses that can count toward graduation.
Grant applications must include a sustainability plan, spending plan, program goals, and a data‑collection strategy for reporting outcomes.
Grants are prioritized for agencies in rural or underserved areas.
Recipients must submit a performance report within five years, and the program expires five years after enactment.

Legislative Activity

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1 earlier action

SenateIntro Referral Latest Action

Read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.

Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee

June 25, 2018

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SenateIntro Referral

Introduced in Senate

June 25, 2018

SenateIntro Referral

Read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.

Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee

June 25, 2018

Floor Debate

2 members

What members said about S. 3122 on the floor

1 Republican1 Democrat

Sen. Bill CassidyR-LA · Aug 23, 2018

Mr. President, I, too, want to emphasize the importance of introducing young students to computer science and coding courses as part of their education. I thank my colleague and friend, Senator…

Mr. President, I, too, want to emphasize the importance of introducing young students to computer science and coding courses as part of their education. I thank my colleague and friend, Senator Cantwell, for working with me on this issue. The answer is yes. Our legislation, the High School CODES Act, will incentivize states to allow coding and computer science classes to satisfy an advanced math, science, or foreign language graduation credit.

Now, this is not to replace the basic math, science, and foreign language classes all students need, but to allow students who do not need to take Calculus II or III to instead take a computer science or coding course. The CODES Act does not mandate curriculum on States; it gives them the flexibility to provide students with the type of education that best fits their needs. It gives students more opportunity to succeed in our rapidly changing economy.

According to code.org, computing occupations are the No. 1 source of all new wages in America and make up over half of all projected new jobs in STEM fields; yet, computer science is marginalized throughout our education system, with fewer than half of U.S. schools offering any computer science course, and only 8 percent of STEM graduates studying it.

In my home State of Louisiana, there are currently more than 2,300 open computing jobs. The average salary for a computing occupation in Louisiana is approximately $67,600, about $26,000 higher than the average salary in my State.

I applaud the State legislature for creating the LaSTEM Advisory Council to oversee the creation and delivery of STEM programs in Louisiana and for the LA Board of Elementary and Secondary Education for approving new STEM pathways for students allowing new, industry- based courses to count towards math and sciences for graduation.

In addition to thanking Senator Cantwell, I want to thank education committee Chairman Alexander for his support for including provisions in the reauthorization of the Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Education Act that effectively captures the original intent of our bipartisan bill. We are also pleased the chairman agreed to report language and a letter to Education Secretary DeVos expressing the intent of the provisions. Lastly, I am pleased that Senator Cantwell and my amendment is included in the minibus appropriations bill highlighting the importance of funding for coding courses in K-12 education.

These are positive steps that will give more students the opportunity to take computer science and coding classes.

Sen. Maria CantwellD-WA · Aug 23, 2018

Mr. President, I come to the floor to speak about the importance of teaching computer science and coding in our education system. Throughout the United States and especially in my home State of…

Mr. President, I come to the floor to speak about the importance of teaching computer science and coding in our education system. Throughout the United States and especially in my home State of Washington, our internet economy is booming. Nationwide it represents 7 percent of our GDP, which makes up 13 percent of Washington State's economy. In Washington State, over 13,000 internet companies provide more than a quarter of a million jobs.

Every student in America should be taught the tools they need to enter our 21st century economy. Every student in the United States should have the opportunity to learn about the internet, and algorithms, and apps. This is a skills gap we have to close, and that is why I joined with my colleague from Louisiana, Senator Cassidy, to introduce the High School CODES Act earlier this year.

Senator Cassidy and I have long considered and spoken about the importance of allowing students to have the ability fulfill a math, science, or language requirement with a coding class.

That is why Senator Cassidy and I were pleased to include language in the reauthorization of the Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Education Act that the President signed into law yesterday. The language in the bill would allow Federal funds to support ``efforts to expand, develop, and implement programs to increase the students' opportunity for rigorous courses'' in coding and computer science and ``support statewide efforts to create access to implementation of coding and computer science.'' Additionally, Senator Cassidy and I were pleased to get an amendment included in the appropriations bill that highlights the importance of a dedicated funding stream for coding courses in K-12 education.

During the Carl D. Perkins markup negotiations both the majority and minority agreed to include strong report language that captures the intent of our original bill, S. 3122, the High School CODES Act. Additionally, we are pleased that Senator Alexander agreed to send a letter to Education Secretary DeVos expressing the same.

I ask Senator Cassidy, is it your understanding that the purpose of our legislation is to incentivize States to allow coding classes be used in lieu of advanced math, science, or foreign language requirements?

Bill Text

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Introduced in SenateIssued June 25, 2018

115th CONGRESS

2d Session

S. 3122

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

June 25, 2018

Ms. Cantwell (for herself and Mr. Cassidy) introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions

A BILL

To support coding education.

Short title

This Act may be cited as the Coding Opportunities and Development for Equitable Students Act or the High School CODES Act.

Definitions

In this Act:

(1)

Coding

The term coding has the meaning given the term in section 114(e)(6) of the Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Education Act of 2006 (20 U.S.C. 2324(e)(6)).

(2)

Computer science

The term computer science means the study of computers and algorithmic processes, including the principles, hardware and software designs, implementation, and impact on society, of computers and algorithmic processes.

Sense of the Senate

It is the Sense of the Senate that—

(1)

States should support high schools in recognizing coding and computer science classes as classes that count toward the fulfillment of graduation requirements;

(2)

it should be a priority to create a national strategy to incorporate computer science and coding into the elementary and secondary educational system in the United States;

(3)

learning to write and read code is critical to creating and innovating in cyberspace, and learning to write and read code is a skill critical to the national security and economic competitiveness of the United States; and

(4)

the modernization of the educational system in the United States is a priority, and modernization is necessary to bolster the next generation of high-tech workers.

Coding Demonstration Program

Section 114 of the Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Education Act of 2006 (20 U.S.C. 2324) is amended—

(1)

by redesignating subsection (e) as subsection (f);

(2)

in subsection (d)(2)(A), by striking subsection(e) and inserting subsection (f);

(3)

in subsection (d)(4)(A), by striking subsection (e) and inserting subsection (f); and

(4)

by inserting after subsection (d) the following:

(e)

Coding Demonstration Program

(1)

In general

The Secretary shall carry out a coding demonstration program, through which the Secretary shall award grants to local educational agencies to enable those local educational agencies to establish new programs or expand existing programs that allow high school students to take a coding class in place of a mathematics, science, or foreign language class in order to fulfill a graduation requirement.

(2)

Application

(A)

In general

A local educational agency desiring a grant under this subsection shall submit an application to the Secretary at such time, in such manner, and containing such information as the Secretary may require, including the information described in subparagraph (B).

(B)

Contents

An application submitted under subparagraph (A) shall include—

(i)

a strategy for obtaining future funding to sustain the program after the grant has ended from State, private, or other non-Federal funding sources;

(ii)

a spending plan;

(iii)

a description of the goals of the program; and

(iv)

a description of the statistics the local educational agency will collect to include in the local educational agency's report to the Secretary described under paragraph (4).

(3)

Priority

In awarding grants under this subsection, the Secretary shall give priority to a local educational agency submitting an application under paragraph (2) that is located in a rural or underserved area.

(4)

Report

Not later than 5 years after the date of enactment of this subsection, each local educational agency receiving a grant under paragraph (1) shall submit to the Secretary a report about the coding program activities carried out with grant funds, including information and statistics about that program's findings, successes, and failures.

(5)

Sunset

This subsection shall remain in effect until the date that is 5 years after the date of enactment of this subsection.

(6)

Definitions

(A)

Coding

In this subsection, the term coding means the creation and modification of—

(i)

source code (defined as any series of statements written in some human-readable computer programming language); or

(ii)

machine code (defined as instructions for a computer processor in some machine language).

(B)

High school

In this subsection, the term high school has the meaning given the term in section 8101 of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 7801).