The X Factor: STEM + Computer Science = An Equity-Based District Partnership CSLNet Summit, Los Angeles March 16, 2015 Nicole Reitz-Larsen, Code.org Julie Flapan, ECS and ACCESS

ACCESS: Alliance for California Computing Education for Students and Schools K-12 administrators and teachers CS higher education: community colleges - universities Education schools/teacher training programs California educational policy staff California CS&IT industry leaders Relevant non-profits/policy organizations: CSTA, Computing in the Core, Code.org

ACCESS Goals Elevate the status of computer science education Ensure equitable access to computer science education for all California students Establish a computer science certification pathway for K- 12 teachers in California Update state standards for computer science education Advocate for CS counts for core credit in high school graduation and UC/CSU eligibility and admissions Streamline computer science education pathways for students entering community college and preparing for careers in computer science and/or transition to four- year colleges and universities

Key Partnerships Code.org Computer Science Teachers Association Exploring Computer Science Computer Science Principals Researchers/Practitioners in K12, Higher Ed, and Industry

What is Computer Science? “Computer Science (CS) is the study of computers and algorithmic processes, including their principles, their hardware and software designs, their applications, and their impact on society.” CS is not Educational Technology, Computing Literacy, Information Technology (IT or ICT) nor is it simply coding/programming. CS builds students’ computational and critical thinking skills, which enables them to create—not simply use—the next generation of computing technology innovations CS provides fundamental knowledge needed to prepare students for the 21st Century and equips them with lifelong skills they can use in a wide variety of fields of study and occupations Source: CSTA K-12 Computer Science Standards, CurrFiles/CSTA_K-12_CSS.pdf CurrFiles/CSTA_K-12_CSS.pdf

STEM Employment Projections in U.S. Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Projections Computing will create 1.4 million new jobs in the U.S. between 2010 and 2020 – more than all other STEM fields combined

Jobs vs. Graduates Source: NCWIT, By the Numbers The projected number of U.S. college graduates in computing between 2010 and 2020 will meet less than one-third of the demand 29%

From 2000 to 2012, California high school enrollment increased 16% from 1.7 to 2.0 million, while the number of sections of computer science & programming courses fell 34% from 2,667 to 1,766. Reduced Access and Opportunity No Data Source: Dataquest, California Department of Education

2013 California AP Test Takers California has one of the lowest CS AP participation rates in the United States. Source: College Board

Underrepresentation in CS Source: CDE Dataquest and The College BoardDataquest The College Board Under-Represented Minority % of HS Students % of AP CS Test Takers AP CS Pass Rate Female49%22%72% African American6.7%1.5%57% Hispanic / Latino51%7.9%47% Average pass rate for all students taking AP CS 76% California AP CS A Exam Participation ( )

Ensuring equal access to learn computer science

California CS Legislation 2014 AB 1764 (Olson/Buchanan): allows computer science to count toward advanced math credit in districts that require >2 math for graduation SB 1200 (Padilla): requests UC/CSU to establish guidelines for CS classes that satisfy college admission requirements AB 1539 (Hagman): recommends IQC (Instructional Quality Commission) to develop K12 CS content standards 6 for adoption by SBE (State Board of Education)

Challenges Scaling up CS education curriculum while scaling up teacher preparation

Alignment with Standards NGSS, Common Core, CS

Getting CS to Really Count And for Whom?

Exposure to Computer Science Matters  Students who take high school computer science are 8 times more likely to major in CS in college  California needs quality K-12 CS education to fill the state’s employment gap and to address the digital divide

Democratizing Computer Science

EQUITY ACCESS Exploring Computer Science Informs Policy Supports Local Implementation Broadening Participation in Computing Local and Statewide

Inquiry Based Human Computer Interaction Problem Solving Web Design Programming Computing and Data Analysis Robotics

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

Bringing Computer Science to Your school

Our Vision: every school every student opportunity

Code.org Curriculum Overview  Grades K-5  4 (20 hours each) courses, blended Learning, online “games”, with video lectures  Computer Science in Math  8 Units of Study (Modules) to fit in an Algebra course, using functional programming to create an interactive video game driven by algebraic functions, approx hours  Computer Science in Algebra  4 Modules to fit into existing Science Courses, 5 hours each using modeling and simulation tools to connect CS and Science  Exploring Computer Science  6 Units of Study, exploring foundational computer science concepts and computational practices through inquiry, year long course  Computer Science Principles  5 Units of Study, year long course, exploring computing and how it transforms the world we live in, AP exam in  Free professional development workshops nationwide

Grades K-5  Short courses for elementary school  Free / open-source  Online “games” on any modern browser/tablet  Video lectures by Mark Zuckerberg, Chris Bosh, Bill Gates  Deeply aligned to Common Core Math + ELA, NGSS  Free professional development workshops nationwide  99% approval by teachers  Any district, school, or teacher can participate

K-5 Curriculum

K-5 PD  Code.org trained affiliates provide full day PD workshops free of charge to interested teachers.  Workshops focus on “unplugged” lessons  Moderated online forums for support throughout the year  Separate workshops for K-1, 2-3, and 4-5 grade bands  We will ensure space with a local affiliate for teachers from our district partners 

Middle School Math Overview  Students use algebraic and geometric concepts to help them solve relevant programming problems that they can apply to the real world.  Students write algebraic functions to generate art, animations, and video games that can be shared.  Using the Design Recipe, students will learn to programmatically analyze and write functions to solve word problems.  Modules are integrated into an existing Algebra course Inspired by

MSM Curriculum Overview  9 Areas of focus  Videogames and Coordinate Planes  Contracts, Strings and Images  Function Definition  The Design Recipe  Game Animation  Boolean Operators and Comparison  Conditionals Piecewise Functions  The Distance Formula  Project Presentation and Celebration

Middle School Science Overview  Introduction of computer science practices and concepts to be implemented into existing science courses in the context of life, physical, and earth science  Uses computer science as a tool to more deeply explore STEM concepts while addressing course standards  Lesson resources are aligned to the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS)

Curriculum Overview  4 Modules, each consisting of five or more lessons  Computer Modeling and Simulations  Earth Science  Life Science  Physical Science

 Spring: Online knowledge building and pedagogy reflection up to ~ 2 hours  Summer: In-person workshop (Math 3 days, Science 3 days)  School Year: Online community and in-person workshops (~ 10 hours online, 2 days in person) MS Blended PD: 3 phases, 12 months

Exploring Computer Science  Introductory computer science course  3 Strands  Equity  Inquiry  Computer Science Concepts  Uses Computational Practices and Problem Solving  6 Units of Study  Year long course  Mapped to national academic standards NGSS & CCS, national computing standards CSTA & ISTE and California and Illinois state standards (Math/ELA/CTE)

Computational Practices gained  Analyze the effects of developments in computing  Design and implement creative solutions and artifacts  Apply abstractions and models  Analyze their computational work and the work of others  Communication computational thought processes, procedures, and results to others  Collaborate with peers on computing activities

 Six Units of Study, six weeks each  Unit 1 Human Computer Interaction  Unit 2 Problem Solving  Unit 3 Web Design  Unit 4 Introduction to Programming  Unit 5 Computing Data Analysis  Unit 6 Robotics ECS Curriculum Overview

Computer Science Principles  AP Computer Science course  Rigorous, engaging and approachable  Explores the big, foundational ideas of computing  7 Big Ideas  Creativity  Abstraction  Data  Algorithms  Programming  Internet  Impact  Uses a Connecting Theme: Internet and Innovation to provide a narrative arc for the course  Official Exam is set for with an exam and portfolio-based assessment 

HS Blended PD: 4 phases, 15 months  Spring: Online knowledge building and pedagogy reflection (~2 hours)  Summer: In-person workshop (5 days in-person)  School: Online community and in-person workshops (~ 12 hours online, 4 days in-person)  Summer: In-person reflection and follow-up (3 days in-person)

Celebrate - Hour of Code Started with a simple idea: Can we get every school in the US to at least try one hour of code for their students? External Call to Action: 10 million students to take an Hour of Code online Internal Goal: 3 million will actually do it.

Participate in the Hour of Code The website is December 7-13, 2015 Plugged lesson Unplugged lesson

Contact Information Nicole Reitz-Larsen - Code.org Jane Margolis – ECS Julie Flapan – ACCESS and ECS Alliance for California Computing Education for Students and Schools