2. CSTA National Standards and their Impact on the Future of K-12 Computer Education Rutgers University August 21, 2012 Anita Verno, Bergen Community College, NJ averno@bergen.eduaverno@bergen.edu Brian Fuschetto, Lyndhurst High School, NJ brian_fuschetto@lyndhurst.k12.nj.usbrian_fuschetto@lyndhurst.k12.nj.us

3. Presenters Anita Verno Associate Professor, Information Technology CSTA Advisory Council Northern NJ CSTA College Representative Associate Member ACM CCECC Certified Teacher NJ Textbook Author Brian Fuschetto Lyndhurst High School, Business & Technology Instructor Northern NJ CSTA President Bergen Community College, Adjunct Professor, Information Technology

4. Rules for Engagement Please Do! Questions accepted at any time Answers may be available Now Later in the discussion Some great questions may need research

5. Topics & Objectives Understand some of the K-12 issues relating to computing education and the need for standards Introduce the origins and development of the K-12 Standards Project Proposed Course Levels and Standards Breakdown The Standards Framework Cross-walk to the CTE Common Core Standards Some Things to Look At… Uniting Forces – Spreading the Word - CSTA Get Involved…

6. Instruction Could be this

7. Or this Boring Dull Yawn

8. Let’s Make it Interesting and Exciting

9. Model Curriculum for K-12 CS Publications 2003 2006: revised forward New developments K-12 Computer Science Standards, Revised 2011 Electronic version still currently available: http://csta.acm.org/Curriculum/sub/CurrResources.html ACM Model Curriculum for K-12 CS, 2nd Edition, 2006

10. How Has the Curriculum Been Used? Curriculum Design Curriculum Review / Modification Improving Instruction Advocacy Planning Resource Reference Teacher Certification

11. Using the Model Curriculum GA curriculum standards, Business and CS NH competencies for vocational programming CS standards for elementary/H.S. (Diocese, FL) Resource in writing state curriculum National curriculum for South African schools Advocate a national CS curriculum in Taiwan Topics guidelines for 2-year college core classes Increase problem solving in K-12 Math curriculum Outreach activities for K-8 students Develop the competencies and skill sets for the FL Teacher Certification Examination in K-12 CS

12. 2011 CSTA Standards Task Force Deborah Seehorn North Carolina Department of Public Instruction, Chair Stephen Carey Brunswick School Department Brian Fuschetto Lyndhurst High School Irene Lee Santa Fe Institute Daniel Moix Ouachita Technical College Dianne O’Grady-Cuniff Howard High School Chris Stephenson Computer Science Teachers Association Anita Verno Bergen Community College

13. The Standards Project Review of the 2006 Model Curriculum Still a very powerful and useful document Minor modifications to specific content Course level approach is still a valid option

14. The Standards Project Why Standards Instead of Another Model Many states have a computer education requirement at the K-12 grade level General computer knowledge and skills have been moving… Traditional HS courses are now elementary and middle school Keyboarding, General Computers, Office Programs, etc. Trends in the High School Curriculum An Elective Environment Focus on Standards and Assessment Computer Teachers – Certification The National Standards Movement Accountability, Accountability, Accountability…

15. The Standards Project Standards Are Organized into Levels

16. The Standards Project Developing the Strands

17. The Standards Project Developing & Aligning the Standards Review of Current National and International Standards State Curriculums Advanced Placement CS Principles / CS A NETS (ISTE) European CS Standards Project CSTA 2006 Model Curriculum K-12 programs and course syllabi Entry level college programs and syllabi

18. The Standards Project Review & Publication In April 2011, the first draft of the publication was released for professional review Majority of feedback was very positive Negative feedback was in the form of very specific paradigms and or terminology individuals felt needed to be added/removed June – August 2011: Made modifications to standards based on feedback Second draft release for professional review – September 2011 Finalization of publication – September to October 2011 Finalized Print Version released – November 2011

19. The CTE Common Core Standards 45 States have adopted the Common Core Curriculum Only mention of Computer Science in the Mathematics Standards is a reference to the AP Computer Science A course as an advanced elective Computer references in Standards: Mathematics Standards refer to the use of calculators and algebraic spreadsheet applications English Language Arts & Literacy in History/Social Studies, Science, and Technical Subjects Standards refer to assistive technology for special needs students Computer Science and Information Technology has truly been underrepresented in the Common Core at this point The Science Standards have not been developed yet

20. The CTE Common Core Standards The National Association of State Directors of Career and Technical Education Consortium (NASDCTEc) The Common Career Technical Core – June 2012 State-led initiative, with 42 states, the District of Columbia and Palau participating in the development stage. Business and industry representatives, educators and others helped guide the development of the CCTC from beginning to end to ensure CTE students will have the knowledge and skills to thrive in a global economy

21. The CTE Common Core Standards 12 Principles of Career Ready Practice Act as a responsible and contributing citizen and employee Collaboration Community, Global, and Ethical Impacts Apply appropriate academic and technical skills Computational Thinking Computing Practice & Programming Attend to personal health and financial well being Computing Practice & Programming Community, Global, and Ethical Impacts Communicate clearly, effectively, and with reason Collaboration Computers and Communication Devices Consider the environmental, social and economic impacts of decisions Community, Global, and Ethical Impacts

22. The CTE Common Core Standards Demonstrate creativity and innovation All 5 Strands Employ valid and reliable research strategies Community, Global, and Ethical Impacts Utilize critical thinking to make sense of problems and persevere in solving them Computational Thinking Computing Practice and Programming Model integrity, ethical leadership and effective management Collaboration Community, Global, and Ethical Impacts Plan education and career path aligned to personal goals Computing Practice & Programming

23. The CTE Common Core Standards Use technology to enhance productivity All Strands Work productively in teams while using cultural/global competence Collaboration Community, Global, and Ethical Impacts

24. The CTE Common Core Standards In addition, there are more specific standards in the Information Technology Career Cluster (IT) and its respective pathways Information Support & Services Career Pathway Network Systems Career Pathway Programming & Software Development Career Pathway Web & Digital Communications Career Pathway Our National CS Standards align to all of these standards See Crosswalk PDF file

25. Some Things To Look At Some particularly nice additions to the 2011 Standards Document that are worth looking at include: Section 5.3.C (Topics in Computer Science) – Page 22 Section 8 (Activities) – Page 27 K-12 Standards Scaffolding Charts – Page 55

26. Who is the CSTA? The Computer Science Teachers Association is a membership organization that supports and promotes the teaching of computer science and other computing disciplines. CSTA provides opportunities for K-12 teachers and students to better understand the computing disciplines and to more successfully prepare themselves to teach and learn.

27. CSTA Local Chapters A CSTA chapter is a local branch of CSTA designed to facilitate discussion of local issues, provision of member services at the local level, and to promote CSTA membership on the national level. Provide professional development opportunities for K – 12 computing teachers. Provide awareness and advocacy for Computer Science Education at the local, state, and national levels. Membership K – 12 computing teachers 2- and 4- year college professors

28. 27 CSTA Regional Chapters  Kentucky  Maryland  Massachusetts  Michigan  Missouri  New Hampshire  New Jersey  New Mexico  New York (Long Island, Western NY, Lower Hudson Valley) Arizona Arkansas California (4) Canada-Alberta Colorado Connecticut Florida Georgia Illinois North Carolina Ohio Oregon Pennsylvania South Carolina Texas (2) Utah Virginia (2) Washington

29. 28 CSTA Chapter Activities include Computer contests for Middle School/ HS students Programming Web Technologies Robotics Gaming Professional Development Workshops Greenfoot (Java) Scratch CS Principles Course Modules Gaming Cryptography Robotics App Inventor Android

30. 29 CSTA Chapter Activities include Developing Careers Resources Posters Brochures Videos Lesson Plans Newsletters Conferences Workshops

31. 30 CSTA Chapter Activities include Activities to encourage computing Girls Have 'IT' Day Career Day CS Ed Week

32. 31 CSTA Why Should I Join??? Membership Benefits: Access to virtual binders on key topics such as Careers, Equity, Teaching Strategies, and Computational Thinking Access to research on computer science education CSTA Advocate Blog featuring Announcements, Breaking News, and Points of Interest Online access to Crossroads, ACM's magazine for college students TechNews, ACM's tri-weekly online IT news digest MemberNet, ACM's bimonthly online newsletter with the latest CSTA and ACM news Access to the Career Resource Centre, ACM's source for career articles, job board, and career assessment tools

33. 32 CSTA Why Should I Join??? Membership Benefits: Listing of regular meeting times/activities on the CSTA Chapters Webpage An avenue to meet and work with K-12 computing teachers CSTA Voice bi-monthly publication Free classroom posters and career resource materials for students Preferred registration for the CSTA annual conference (CS&IT) Access to professional development videos and podcasts Access to reports on key topics such as teacher certification, national standards, and equity

34. Summary What can YOU do? Be aware that the problem begins in elementary school Open a dialogue with a local school (college faculty) or your school administration (teachers) Provide / take advantage of professional development opportunities for teachers Join Forces and Become an Advocate We are not going to be represented if we don’t speak up for ourselves Partner up! Making distinctions between CS and IT only hurts ourselves There is power in numbers

35. Summary Join CSTA… It’s FREE! Stay up to date on CS “happenings” in K-12 Volunteer to assist on a project Help start / support a local CSTA chapter

36. Questions? Anita Verno Bergen Community College averno@bergen.edu Brian Fuschetto Lyndhurst High School, NJ brian_fuschetto@lyndhurst.k12.nj.us brian_fuschetto@lyndhurst.k12.nj.us bfuschetto@bergen.edu