1. WeTeach_CS: Strategies for Scale
NSF CISE PI Meeting
March 2017
Denver, CO
Carol Fletcher, Ph.D.
Deputy Director, Center for STEM Education
The University of Texas at Austin
@drfletcher88
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Only 3% of Texas HS
students took a
computer science
course in 2015-16
CS Fact
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2. Engage Business/CS Professionals
• TX CS Task Force
• Landscape Report
• 15 people representing CS teachers,
edtech business, higher ed, TCEA,
CTAT, Code.org, College Board, ISD
leaders and policymakers
• Built consensus around key barriers
and recommendations
Building the Texas
Computer Science Pipeline
Strategic Recommendations
for Success
Carol L. Fletcher, Ph.D., The University of Texas at Austin
Weteachcs.org
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in computer science, computational thinking,
coding, and programming.
In 2015-16, provided 24,010 contact
hours of training to 1,352 Texas
educators
representing 697
schools
339 public, private, and
charter school districts
&
4. Plan for Scale
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In 2014-15,
only 14 Texas
teachers completed
a traditional or alternative pre-service
CS certification program.
State Board of Educator Certification, 2015
#1 Admin need was certified teachers
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Face-to-Face
Certification Prep Course
• 2 days
• Focused on the teacher competencies measured on CS
Teacher Certification Exam (TExES)
• TExES is the same as Praxis
• Offered 16 times across the state through summer 2017
6. Design hybrid models of PD
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WeTeach_CS: Foundations of CS for Teachers
Week 1: Software Design and
Programming basics
Week 2: Programming Fundamentals
Week 3: Loops and Recursion
Week 4: Data Structures
Week 5: More OOP, Algorithms and
Big O (Oh my!)
Week 6: Programming Fundamentals
• Six-week program
• Foundational CS concepts
• Lots of practice
• Prepares teachers for CS certification
• Some prior experience in coding or
programming required for educators
interested in becoming certified to
teach Grades 8-12 CS.
Course was developed with funding from:
ONLINE
COURSE
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Apply TODAY!
Funded by
Certification Incentive
Program (CIP)
Through the support of 100Kin10
and TEA, the CIP provides
the opportunity for Texas
educators to apply for a
$1,000 STIPEND awarded by the
TRC for successfully attaining
their certification goal.
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218 Texas educators have been
CS certified since fall 2015
7. Early and measurable success
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• Enrollment Opens: 3/27/2017
• Course Starts: 5/8/2017
• Pacing: Self Paced
• Cost: Free - $99 for Verified Certificate
WeTeach_CS:
Foundations of CS for Teachers
To register please visit: www.WeTeachCS.org
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Connecting Texas educators with state
and national leaders / resources to
teach CS and computational thinking.
Professional
development for
K-12 educators,
focused on building
the CS Education
Community
9. Build Community
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Strategies for Effective and Inclusive CS Teaching
• New online course launching in Fall 2017 sponsored by
• Focused on Broadening Participation in CS
• Practical strategies for growing an equitable CS program in
your school
– Recruitment and retention for diversity
– Securing administrator buy-in
– Selecting an IDE
– Evaluating curriculum like ECS and CSP
– Unconscious bias
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Policy Objectives
• Incentivize school districts to invest in
CS by moving HS CS from Tech Apps to
CTE to provide weighted funding.
• Continue to support teacher training
and incentives for CS certification.
Notas del editor
Strategies for Scaling Statewide PD program
Tied to the CS content teachers must know to pass the CS certification test
Teachers driving 1,000 miles to attend
Designed for any teacher -not just Texas
Over 2,000 enrolled, XXX completed
Not limited to teacher certification
Continue to support teachers at all levels of preparation
Now your certified – how do you launch a program?
Provided grants to 29 partnerships between CS faculty and experienced professional development providers across the state to deliver regional training