Defining Concepts, Practices, and Standards for K-12 CS (Abstract Only)

Our community has been seeing explosive interest and growth in K-12 computer science education. With this, a common question from states and school districts arises: What should students learn in a K-12 computer science pathway? We in the community are routinely asked to provide input on what is critical for students to learn at various grade levels.

Code.org, CSTA, ACM, and lead states have kicked off the development of a framework for states and districts creating a K-12 pathway in computer science. This effort, called Framing K-12 CS, is not about developing standards (that will be left up to the CSTA/states to do), but rather a more high-level framework that can guide states or districts who want to then design their own curriculum, standards, assessments, or teacher certification programs. The framework would identify the core themes, practices, and (within each theme) learning statements that detail CS literacy when exiting certain grade spans (ex: exit competencies at grades 2, 5, 8, and 12). The CSTA and Code.org are aligning the development of this framework and the current CSTA standards revision. K-12 practitioners, researchers, states, districts, industry, and non-profit organizations have been involved throughout the development.

This BOF will allow the CS education community to get an internal community preview of the framework and standards before the larger public review period later in the Spring, and discuss its relationship to the CSTA standards. The BOF will include the opportunity to give input and ask questions.