An act relating to schools, the official text

1                            STATE OF OKLAHOMA

2   2nd Session of the 60th Legislature (2026)

3 HOUSE BILL 3031            By: Lowe

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6                            AS INTRODUCED

7   An Act relating to schools; requiring the State

    Department of Education to develop a common course

8   number system for public and charter schools;

    establishing number system requirements; allowing the

9   Department to use the Classification of Secondary

    School Courses as a resource for the number system;

10  stating which courses to include in the number

    system; prescribing design requirements; providing

11  six-digit code composition recommendations; allowing

    schools to seek approval for nonstandard courses;

12  requiring waivers for nonstandard courses; mandating

    the creation of a panel to review waivers; naming

13  appointors for panel; requiring panel appointments to

    be made by certain date; establishing panel member

14  limits; providing for codification; and providing an

    effective date.

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16 BE IT ENACTED BY THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF OKLAHOMA:

17  SECTION 1.      NEW LAW  A new section of law to be codified

18 in the Oklahoma Statutes as Section 11-103.17 of Title 70, unless

19 there is created a duplication in numbering, reads as follows:

20  A. In consultation with the Oklahoma Department of Career and

21 Technology Education and the State Regents of Higher Education, the

22 State Department of Education shall develop, implement, and maintain

23 a common course number system to be used by all public schools and

24 charter schools of this state for all courses taught at the

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1 secondary level that are eligible for credit towards a high school

2 diploma, and are aligned with the Oklahoma Academic Standards.

3 Courses granted a nonstandard course waiver under subsection F of

4 this section shall also be assigned a common course number by the

5 State Department of Education.

6   B. The common course number system shall be designed to

7 describe course offerings and to provide a coherent means for

8 classifying courses across the state between school districts. At

9 the discretion of the State Department of Education, the

10 Classification of Secondary School Courses (CSSC) may be utilized as

11 a resource to create a general inventory of courses taught at the

12 secondary level. Vocational, academic, elective, apprenticeship,

13 and general courses offered for credit shall be included in the

14 common course number list and coding.

15  C. The State Department of Education shall design the common

16 course number system to provide school administrators, state and

17 local education stakeholders, and policy officials a resource to

18 convert course offerings, make comparisons of course offerings,

19 input information from transcripts, streamline master teaching

20 schedules, and to provide families usable communication tools for

21 graduation pathways in practical and efficient formats.

22  D. The following six-digit numerical code composition is

23 recommended to the State Department of Education to identify each

24 course:

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1   1. The first two digits identify the main program area subject

2 such as mathematics, English language arts, history, and others;

3   2. The second set of two digits represent the set of Oklahoma

4 Academic Standards within the main program area subject that align

5 with the course such as Algebra 1, Literature, Economics, and

6 others; and

7   3. The final two numbers may be used by school districts to

8 differentiate between class sections for the same course.

9   E. The common course number system required by this section

10 shall be developed no later than March 31, 2027, and shall be

11 implemented in public schools and public charter schools beginning

12 with the 2027-2028 school year.

13  F. A school may offer a course for credit that does not fully

14 align with the Oklahoma Academic Standards if the school submits a

15 Nonstandard Course Waiver to the waiver panel described in

16 subsection G of this section, and the waiver is approved.

17  G. 1. There shall be created a panel for the purposes of

18 reviewing and approving or disapproving Nonstandard Course Waivers

19 submitted by schools. The panel shall consist of seven (7) members

20 with knowledge of, experience with, or expertise in the Oklahoma

21 Academic Standards or curriculum adoption. The panel members shall

22 be designees selected and appointed by the following:

23  a. the Chancellor of the Regents of Higher Education,

24  b. the Speaker of the Oklahoma House of Representatives,

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1   c. the President Pro Tempore of the Oklahoma State

2   Senate,

3   d. the Superintendent of Public Instruction,

4   e. the Director of Career and Technology Education,

5   f. the Secretary of Education, and

6   g. the Oklahoma State School Boards Association (OSSBA).

7   The OSSBA's panel designee shall be a locally elected

8   school board member.

9   2. Initial appointments to the panel shall be made by March 31,

10 2027. Each designee appointed under this subsection shall serve at

11 the pleasure of the appointing authority, but shall not serve more

12 than six (6) consecutive years.

13  SECTION 2. This act shall become effective November 1, 2026.

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15  60-2-13915      SW  12/12/25

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