ACCESS Summer Update 2015
Welcome to the Alliance for California Computing Education for Students and Schools summer update about computer science education equity in California. Please spread the word and invite your friends and colleagues to subscribe to our list by visiting access-ca.org to stay informed.
UC Program Status for
Exploring Computer Science
Exploring Computer Science (a project of UCLA Center X and the University of Oregon) has just been granted program status approval as a “G” elective with the University of California Office of the President. This course can now easily be adopted by schools and districts across California through the high school articulation’s A-G Course Management Portal. High schools can easily add a program’s “a-g” course to their own school’s “a-g” course list without having to prepare a full course submission to UC for review. ECS strongly recommends teachers participate in the full ECS professional development program. These P.D. workshops will be available annually to teachers interested in adopting Exploring Computer Science. More information can be found at www.exploringcs.org.
ECS Curriculum has now been updated!
ECS version6 is now available for download at www.exploringcs.org/curriculum.
Computer Science Supplementary Authorization to Increase Pool of Qualified Teachers to Teach Computer Science in California
ACCESS has proposed an update of the current Computer Concepts and Applications Supplementary Authorization which is now under review by the California Commission on Teacher Credentialing. The new Computer Science Supplementary Authorization incorporates computational thinking and problem solving in order to prepare teachers with the core skills and concepts of computer science. In addition to better reflecting the current field of computing, the CS SA provides teachers who hold credentials in other subjects such as English, History, or Science, a path for acquiring the content and skills to teach computer science (including AP CS A and CS Principles and ECS). For more information, contact Debra Richardson at djr@uci.edu or view her presentation to the CTC.
Path Not Found: Disparities in Computer Science Course Access in California High Schools
Level the Playing Field Institute’s new report, Path Not Found: Disparities in Computer Science Course Access in California High Schools exposes disparities in access to computer science in California’s public high schools. The report also highlights dismal computer science enrollment in California’s 20 largest school districts and offers recommendations to close these gaps in opportunity. LPFI invited ACCESS to participate in their press release which drew widespread coverage including a few listed here with quotes from ACCESS:
EdWeek, “California Study: High Minority High Schools Offer Little Computer Science” May 8, 2015
La Opinion, “Reporte: Latinos son los menos educados en computación May 8, 2015
Take Part and Republished on Yahoo! News, “Kids of Color Are Already Behind on Landing These Future Jobs” May 11, 2015
Computer Science and the Next Generation Science Standards Framework
ACCESS, in partnership with CSLNet and Code.org are working together with expertise from Irene Lee to suggest more robust inclusion of computer science principles into the Next Generation Science Standards frameworks document. For more information about the NGSS, please visit http://www.nextgenscience.org/california
Beyond Coding: Informational Briefing in Sacramento
In partnership with Code.org, CSLnet, Technet, and others, we are planning an informational briefing to be held at the State’s Capitol on Tuesday, August 25th to educate legislators, staffers, and education advocates about the value of computer science education equity. Please Join Us for a Policy Roundtable Event “Beyond Coding: Advancing K-12 Computer Science Education in California” Tuesday, August 25, 2015, 1:00 pm-3:00 pm California State Capitol, Room 125, Sacramento. RSVP directly to http://beyondcoding.eventbrite.com.
Building a robust CS education teaching force
The rules and regulations about who can and can’t teach computer science education in California can be very confusing. In an effort to simplify the issues and to identify our goals, ACCESS prepared this infographic.
Conferences
Please join us at the CDE STEM conference in Anaheim October 29-30 to learn more about computer science education equity. For more information, http://cdefoundation.org/stemsymposium/2015-stem-symposium/.
Hold the Date:
Computer Science Teachers Association annual conference
July 10-12, 2016 in San Diego
San Francisco Unified School Districts adopts computer science in grades K12
Read more about it at The Hechinger Report where ACCESS is quoted.
Copyright © 2015 Alliance for California Computing Education for Students and Schools, All rights reserved.
