EAGER: CSforAll:Engaging Districts to Plan, Implement and Assess Scalable Models for CSforAll

University Of Massachusetts Amherst, Amherst MA

Investigators

Abstract

The University of Massachusetts will collaborate with district and school administrators and teachers in the Springfield and Holyoke Massachusetts public schools to develop research-based planning, design and implementation processes that will facilitate introducing computational thinking across all grade levels and provide computer science curricula and content to all students. As part of the efforts around the CS for All Initiative, this work will assist two school districts in developing comprehensive plans to make computing curricula available across all public high schools, get students involved in CS learning opportunities in elementary and middle schools, and ensure access for all students, including girls and underrepresented minorities. The goal of this proposed project is to create processes that will lead to effective district-level CS for All strategies, informed by research and evaluation that will serve as models for other Massachusetts districts and provide a roadmap for national adoption. Each district in Massachusetts faces challenges: understanding the expectations of the new state Digital Literacy/Computer Science standards; defining strategies at grade bands; selecting, developing, and implementing curricula; addressing teacher and student issues; and understanding administrative and structural issues. These challenges are exacerbated by the recent proliferation of curricula, tools, and professional development options, along with a growing number of competing providers. Many of these options are not sufficiently grounded in educational research, adding to the complexity of developing model district strategies that can inform statewide strategic planning. This proposed activity begins two model planning processes, informed by research and best practices, for creating CSforAll plans for Holyoke and Springfield districts in Massachusetts. The effort will integrate research and practice communities to create networked improvement communities that include district and school administrators and teachers, members of state and local computing education initiatives, professional development providers, representatives from state education authorities, students, parents, and a strong team of CS and STEM education professionals and education and social science researchers to assess options and to begin to design strategies that best fit district priorities and constraints. It will insure these processes include evaluation and are informed by the important research questions that need to be addressed as part of the design, implementation and evolution of the models.