Gail Chapman, UCLA Scaling High School Computer Science: Exploring Computer Science Compute Colorado Task Force Meeting November 5-6, 2015

Exploring Computer Science A year-long high school-level introduction to computer science NSF “BPC” Supported Exploring Computer Science is a K12/University national program committed to democratizing computer science by increasing learning opportunities at the high school level for all students, with a specific focus on under-represented students.

The ECS Curriculum  Creative nature of computing  Technology as a tool for solving problems  Relevance of computer science and its impact on society 3

Computer Science Content Human-Computer Interaction Problem Solving Web Design Introduction to Programming Computing and Data Analysis Robotics Computational Practices  Analyze effects of computing  Design creative solutions and artifacts  Apply abstractions and models  Analyze computational work and work of others  Communication computational thought processes  Collaborate with peers on computing activities 4 Design of ECS Curriculum

Design of ECS Professional Development Inquiry + Equity + CS Concepts

ECS PD—2 Year Model 6  Five-day Summer Institute prior to teaching ECS  Quarterly one-day sessions during academic year  Five-day Summer Institute after teaching ECS  Deepen understanding of Equity, Inquiry, CS Content  Build vibrant learning community  In-classroom coaching and other ongoing supports

Broadening Participation in Computing  2,000+ students each year in LAUSD,  45% enrolled students are girls Los Angeles ECS and School Enrollment by Ethnicity

 Provides an opportunity to scale nationally  Maintaining program fidelity  Building toward sustainability  Many lessons learned along the way  Ingredients for success Partnerships Cooperation Time District Partnership model

 Strong, collaborative local partnerships Multiple stakeholders involved University District Leaders School Administrators Teachers Counselors Local Industry Partnerships

 Cooperative planning and decision making with all stakeholders and full district support Course embedded in master schedules Recruit interested and enthusiastic teachers Teachers are expected to attend PD for the full 2 years On the ground support—coaching, small inquiry groups Recruitment of students Cooperation

 Start small A few teachers in a few schools Build a core advocacy group Experienced teachers and principals can be resources as new schools are added  Expect setbacks Staff turnover Changing district priorities Two steps forward/one step backward It takes time

Current ECS Locations 12  NSF Funded  LA, Chicago (joint with Code.org)  Utah, Wisconsin, Maine, Massachusetts  Code.org Funded  Atlanta, Broward County, Las Vegas, Miami-Dade, Ohio, Maryland, Idaho, Durham, Houston, Indiana, Orange County, New York City, Seattle  Locally Funded  Northern California, Delaware, San Jose (formerly NSF)

 Summer 2015 ECS PD  32 week-long sessions, over 725 teachers  Academic Year  Additional NSF-funded locations  Additional locally funded locations  Expand in current regions Looking Forward

Questions?