CS Policies – How Is Your State Doing?
Last week, Code.org announced that Idaho just became the second state to adopt the Code.org Advocacy Coalition’s Nine Policies to Make Computer Science Fundamental. Arkansas was the first state to adopt all nine of the policies.
This is important as Code.org and CSTA data shows that implementation of more policies is directly correlated with more schools teaching computer science and thus more students having access to computer science education (see chart image).
The nine policies are outlined in the State of Computer Science Education Report and include:
Create a state plan for K-12 computer science
Define computer science and establish rigorous K-12 computer science standards
Allocate funding for rigorous computer science teacher professional learning and course support
Implement clear certification pathways for computer science teachers
Create programs at institutions of higher education to offer computer science to preservice teachers
Establish dedicated computer science positions in State and Local Education Agencies
Require that all secondary schools offer computer science with appropriate implementation timelines
Allow computer science to satisfy a core graduation requirement
Allow computer science to satisfy an admission requirement at institutions of higher education
Idaho adopted CS standards in February 2017. The state has outlined a plan that will offer CS education in all K-12 schools by 2022 and give graduation credit for CS courses by 2025. The state has also allocated $6 million for FY 2017–2019 for the expansion of CS throughout the state.
How is your state doing across these nine policies? Would you like to advocate for CS education advancement in your state? If so, you can check out Idaho’s Computing Technology K-12 CS State Plan or the Code.org Advocacy Coalition’s resources and recommendations to get started.
