Initial Publication Date: January 2, 2019
Integration of Computer Science Working Group
Vision Statement
To inspire and prepare all Washington State students for the 21st century and beyond, all Washington State teacher preparation programs will provide preservice and early career teachers with the knowledge and skills needed to foster an inclusive and diverse computing culture and will actively recruit diverse computer science teaching candidates into their programs.
Resources Developed By Working Group
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(Acrobat (PDF) 39kB Mar4 19)
An 8 minute video outlining the NextGen Integration of Computer Science working group.
Intro to CSI workshop for Faculty.pptx (PowerPoint 2007 (.pptx) 5.9MB Aug30 20)
Introduction to Computer Science Integration: Workshop for Faculty
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Key Goals and Objectives
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Use the following links to explore more about this working groups goals and their steps to achieve them.
Goal 1: Implementation of new Computer Science Endorsement and credentialing
In 2021, Washington State teacher preparation programs will offer the computer science endorsement and other PESB approved credentiality in Computer Science.
- Develop and share a summary of current CS endorsement and similar credential opportunities in Washington State and across the U.S.
- Work with interested Washington IHEs to identify path(s) for implementation of the new CS endorsement.
- Identify and share strategies that IHEs might use to recruit diverse Computer Science teaching candidates.
- Provide technical support to early innovators and additional IHEs interested in adding an endorsement option, including an online only option.
- At least one IHE in each region of the state will offer a Computer Science endorsement option.
Goal 2: Integrate Computer Science into existing K-8 teacher preparation programs
Washington State teacher preparation programs will ensure their graduates have computational thinking skills and an understanding of how to integrate Washington's Computer Science standards and practice with other content areas.
- Create a database of vetted current research and models of existing K-12 CS integration efforts and share with key stakeholders for Computer Science Education in Washington, including teacher preparation programs.
- Identify gaps in vetted current research and models of existing K-12 CS integration efforts.
- Develop relationships with key education and computer science faculty at teacher preparation programs interested in participating as early adopters of computer science integration.
- Use current research and existing models to plan and develop written resources and webinars for key faculty members of early adopters.
- Revise products based on feedback from pilot.
- At least one IHE in each region of the state will integrate computational thinking skills lessons into their teacher preparation program.
- Recent graduates of Washington Teacher preparation programs will be able to integrate computational thinking ideas, concepts and activities with other subjects in their own classrooms.
Goal 3: Integrate Computer Science into content classes for domain specific teachers grade 9-12
Domain-specific teaching candidates in Washington State teacher preparation programs will be supported with the content knowledge and pedagogical skills to address Computer Science standards and practices within their content area.
- Identify and share current existing examples and models of best practices/pedagogy for CS standards and computational tools integration in various domains.
- Create a document outline CS tools and practices for specific domains including their alignment to the domain specific standards. Share this resource with content/domain specific stakeholders in Washington State, including teacher preparation programs.
- Identify faculty from 1-2 domains (science, engineering, math, ELA, etc) connected with teach preparation programs who are interested in professional development on how to integrate CS tools and standards into domain specific courses.
- Identify or develop and implement PD opportunities for the interested faculty. Software Carpentry will be considered as an option for science/CS integration.
- Additional resources in support of integrating CS into domain specific classes will be identified or developed and shared.
- At least one Washington State higher education institution will have one or more domain specific faculty members integrating CS into their course(s) that serve teacher candidates.
- Additional faculty members will attend PD or access resources to integrate CS into their domain specific courses.
Goal 4: Collaborate to ensure ongoing professional development in Computer Science
Washington State teachers will have access to professional learning to develop computational thinking skills and an understanding of how to integrate WA's CS standards and practices.
- Create and share widely a database of current existing quality PD related to computational thinking and how to integrate CS standards and practice that is available for Washington State inservice teachers. Include microcredential, nanodegrees and other opportunities to certify the ability to successfully address CS standards as appropriate.
- Identify needs for professional development opportunities in Computer Science for inservice teachers, including domain specific teachers interested in integrating CS.
- Determine potential collaboration opportunities to provide needed PD.
- Collaborate with other stakeholders to develop needed PD opportunities, including online options for those in more remote areas of the state.
- A database of PD opportunities in CS for inservice teachers exists, is updated regularly and is consistently used.
- Teachers in more remote areas of the state have access to PD opportunities in CS.
- Inservice teachers are increasing their inclusion of CS in their lessons after participation in PD opportunities.
- Collaborations are producing additional PD opportunities for inservice teachers.
Goal 5: Develop metrics for programs to measure implementation of integration
Washington State teacher preparation programs have and are using implementation metrics for Computer Science integration into their program.
- Determine initial key components for a continuum of implementation and metrics for that implementation.
- Draft a set of metrics and gather feedback
- Draft rubrics for the metrics and pilot with one or more teacher preparation programs
- Revise draft metrics and rubric based on feedback and provide as a resource for programs implementing CS integration in their teacher preparation programs
- Teacher preparation programs implementing CS integration will use the developed metrics.
Working Group Members and Affiliations
Working Group Members
- Ann Wright-Mockler, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory
- Josh Caldwell, Code.org
- Adriano Cavalcanti, Central Washington University
- Vickei Hrdina, ESD 112
- Andy Ko, University of Washington
- Ann McMahon, University of Washington Bothell
- Shannon Thissen, OSPI
Working Group Contributors
- Greg Bianchi, previously with Bellevue School District (inactive)
- Theresa Britschgi, Washington State Opportunity Scholarships (inactive)
- Jonah Firestone, Washington State University Tri-Cities (inactive)
- David Flanagan, Mozilla (inactive)
- Qiang Ho, Western Washington University (inactive)
- Derek Jacques, Camas High School (inactive)
- Bob Lewis, Washington State University Tri-Cities (inactive)
- Tammie Schrader, ESD 101
- Grant Smith, Launch CS
- Chris Stephenson, Google CS Education Director (inactive)
- David Wicks, Seattle Pacific University (inactive)
Process, Methodology, and Decision Making
The Computer Science Integration working group is working in coordination with a number of other groups in Washington State that are leading the effort to expand computer science education to all K-12 students. These groups agree that there must be an effort to help pre-service teachers, as well as inservice teachers, prepare to incorporate computer science skills, concepts and practices into their classrooms at all grade levels. As such, our working group includes individuals who represent and collaborate with many of the CS education leaders in our state and beyond. As a group we share updates on what is happening in other areas and consider how best to leverage the collective efforts of all CS education groups in Washington State. This brings together more resources and research than any of us could gather individually. Currently we are working on creating a database of all CS education resources, experts, research, etc. that are relevant to our collective efforts. In addition, we are working with partners to develop a path to a CS endorsement for teachers and models for how to integrate CS with other domains both at the K-8 and 9-12 levels. Integration of CS is important both to help teachers meet the many demands they face and because computer science concepts, skills and practices are permeating nearly every aspect of daily life and nearly all careers.