Preparing In-Service Teachers in AP Computer Science Principles

University Of West Florida, Pensacola FL

Investigators

Abstract

The University of West Florida will partner with the Santa Rosa County School District to provide ongoing support and training for teachers as they successfully teach Advanced Placement Computer Science Principles (AP CSP). For the United States to maintain its dominance in Artificial Intelligence (AI), it must significantly improve the offerings of foundational Computer Science courses, which lay the foundations for AI. So far, only 11 states require students to earn credit in Computer Science to graduate from High School. In the Santa Rosa County School District, situated in the panhandle of Florida, only 38% of the High Schools offer foundational courses in Computer Science. But, as we rush to fill this gap, where do we get the teachers to teach Computer Science effectively? There is a critical need for professional development opportunities for teachers. Although there exist many quick, short-term solutions a few days of training are not sufficient to prepare and teach an entirely new subject. This project will provide ongoing support for AP CSP teachers in Santa Rosa County School District high schools. Professional development for teachers will follow Knight’s Instructional Coaching model, which offers much-needed continuous support for teachers to successfully teach a new subject, in this case, AP CSP. This continuous coaching model focuses on the content as well as pedagogy of teaching Computer Science. The professional development will be delivered with the help of coaches, using a continuous feedback loop that utilizes three stages: (i) determining the readiness of the teachers at the topic level; (ii) providing content and pedagogical knowledge to the teachers; and (iii) providing continuous feedback to the teachers. The coaches, guided by the University of West Florida’s Computer Science faculty, will work one-on-one with the teachers, providing them with personalized guidance throughout the year. The coaches and teachers will be selected from in-service Math and Science teachers. As discovered from prior work by the project team, in this era of competing resources, more than just teacher professional development is required to attract more students to computing. Professional development should also be offered to school guidance counselors and Assistant Principals, enabling them to prioritize the importance of Computing. This project aims to train two high school coaches and provide professional development for six teachers, guidance counselors, and Assistant Principals. The project team will study the impact of professional development with continuous support, specifically Knight’s Instructional Coaching model. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.