Increasingly, many states are encouraging the integration of computer science across all the grade levels. One of the best guidelines for organizing this work is from the Computer Science Teachers Association (CSTA). CSTA’s recently revised K-12 computer science standards introduce the fundamental concepts of computer science to all students, present secondary-level computer science as part of STEM credits, and increase the availability of challenging computer science for all students, especially those who are members of groups underrepresented in technology-driven fields of study and work.
The CSTA computer science standards are organized into five strands:
- Computational Thinking
- Computing Practice and Programming
- Computer and Communications Devices
- Community, Global, and Ethical Impacts
These revised standards come at a time when many school districts are in the process of computer science implementation. According to Code.org’s “K-12 Computer Science Policy and Implementation in States,”
Tens of thousands of teachers are going through professional development to bring computer science into their schools. Hundreds of school districts have embraced computer science in their curriculum. New York City and Chicago Public Schools — two of the largest districts in the country — have announced that computer science will be in all schools, and in Chicago, it is a required graduation credit. And in the past three years more than 30 states have responded to this growing interest by passing policies to boost computer science.
As your school moves toward computer science implementation, RicherPicture can help. Within RicherPicture, teachers can link assignments to the CSTA standards and create digital badges that define what students need to be able to do to demonstrate any of these expectations.