A Clean Slate
Approach to
High School CS
Jan Cuny
9/26/2009
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Why High School?
Why High School?
1. Things are really bad there.
2. Without the HS piece, anything we
do for middle school will be lost.
3. Without the HS piece, anything we do
at the college level will be insufficient.
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Why focus on AP?
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Often the only CS course that carries
college prep credit
Attractive to students & schools
2,000 CB-audited teachers
Single point of national leverage
What’s wrong with the
current AP course?
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Doesn’t appeal to many students (particularly
women and minorities)
AP test takers (2007)
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14,529 students took AP CS A
• 204,564 Calculus AB
• 141,321 Bio
• 96,282 Statistics
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AP CS had the worst gender balance of
any of the AP tests
• 18.3% CS A
• 48.7% Calculus AB
• 50.2% Statistics
What’s wrong with the
current AP course?
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Doesn’t appeal to many students (particularly
women and minorities)
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Inaccessible to students without previous experience
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Fails to introduce the fundamental concepts of CT
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Doesn’t teach the breadth of application or
“magic” of computing
Math and Science in U.S.
High Schools (NRC, 2002)
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AP courses should
• Reflect what we know about how students learn
• Build students’ transferable, conceptual understanding and
inquiry skills
• Convey the content and unifying concepts of a discipline
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AP courses should not be designed solely to
replicate introductory college courses (which are not
typically exemplary models)
Chemistry, Biology, Physics, and
Environmental Science are leading the
way.
(ESI-0525575)
AP Commission
Owen Astrachan, Chair
Stacey Armstrong
Charmaine Bentley
Amy Briggs
Mark Guzdial
Rich Kick
Jody Paul
Chris Stephenson
AP Advisory Group
Duane Bailey (Williams)
Jim Kurose (UMass)
Tiffany Barnes (UNC Charlotte)
Andrea Lawrence (Spelman)
Gail Chapman (CSTA
Richard Pattis (UCI)
Tim Cortina (CMU)
Eric Roberts (Stanford)
Stephen Edwards (VA Tech)
Katie Seik (CU)
Dan Garcia (Berkeley)
Beth Simon (UCSD)
Joanna Goode (UO)
Larry Snyder (UW)
Susanne Hambrusch (Purdue)
Lynn Andrea Stein (Oiln)
Michelle Hutton (HS, CA)
Fan Trees (Drew)
Deepak Kumar (Bryn Mawr)
Cameron Wilson (ACM)
AP GSC’s Big Ideas
1. Computing is a creative human activity that
engenders innovation, exploration, and the
creation of knowledge.
2.
Abstraction is the process of reducing
information and detail to solve problems.
3.
Humans use computer programs to
manipulate data and information to facilitate
the creation of insight and knowledge.
AP GSC’s Big Ideas
4.
Algorithms are tools for developing and expressing
solutions to computational problems and for
exploring and creating data.
5.
Programming is a tool for computational problem
solving and the exploration and creation of
knowledge.
6.
Computer systems and networks facilitate
communication and computational problem solving.
7.
Computing engages with other disciplines to drive
innovation and define new fields.
AP GSC
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Engaging, accessible, inspiring, rigorous
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Focused on the fundamental concepts of
computing (CT)
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A target for K-9 course development
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An impetus for college curriculum reform
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Available nationwide (IB as well)
AP GSC
Piloted at the college level 2010
 Piloted at the high school level 2011
 Test available 2015
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What’s before GSC?
Introductory CS
Define a framework
 Pick exemplars
 Provide materials
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Exploring Computer Science
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LAUSD, Jane Margolis
Piloted ECS 08/09
Currently in 20 LAUSD schools
Complete, detailed curriculum & lessons
plans on CSTA site
“G” credit and CTE credit
HS Computing Curriculum
Introductory Computing (for everyone)
 GSC
 AP CS A (possibly modified)
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The new AP course will be coming to
a school near you in 2014 …
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GOAL: Have the new
curriculum taught in 10,000
schools by 10,000 wellprepared teachers by 2015.
CS / 10,000 Project
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Curriculum development
Teacher Preparation
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In-service preparation
Pre-service preparation
Ongoing professional development
Entrée into schools
In-Service Preparation
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Significant training
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Coaching & mentoring for novice teachers,
e.g. Teacher Residency Programs
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Collaborations with other STEM programs
e.g. MSP, GK-12
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High quality on-line options (infrastructure,
content)
Pre-service preparation
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Partnerships between CS & Ed Schools
(computing methods courses, recruiting)
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Traditional and alternative certification:
UTEACH,TFA, MFA, Teaching Fellows,
Transitions to Teaching (Troops to
Teachers) …
On-going professional
development
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CSTA
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Something like the National Writing Project
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In class assistance: GK-12, SLC-like Computing
Corps, Citizen teachers, Faculty (Adopt a
Classroom)
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Collaborate with math & science teachers’
associations
Entrée into the schools
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Hardware, Software, Connectivity, & Tech
Support
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Extended hours & Out of school hours
availability
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Help with teacher salaries / Stipends
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AP Incentives
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Maneuver patchwork of state standards,
credit issues, certification requirements, etc.
Entrée into the schools
Good news:
Lots of school districts REALLY want us.
Status
Intro & AP course well underway
 Demo sites on teacher training in LA
(Margolis) & Atlanta (Ericson)
 Discussions with UTEACH, NMSI,
MFA
 Thought Leaders Meeting 10/20 to
design national rollout (Google)
 Discussions with possible funders
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The time is right.
Clean slate …
but we can’t blow it.
We need the computing
community to step up.
What ACM Ed do?
Publicize the effort
 Advocacy
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Local schools: computing classes
 States: standards, certification, etc.
 Universities:
• GSC credit
• Adding computing to the preferred list
of HS courses
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What can individuals do?
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Pilot GSC (university & high schools)
Run summer teacher training programs
Work with your Ed School to get develop preservice
computing courses
Use GK-12 or Service Learning courses to get your
students into K-12 class rooms
Recruit students to teaching
Work with programs like UTEACH, TFA, MFA, etc.
What can individuals do?
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Participate in larger projects e.g. MSP, Race to the
Top, Innovation Projects
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Consider an Expeditions proposal
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Promote teaching to your students
Help build the significant public/private partnerships
that we will need to commandeer major funding
Help review proposals, etc.
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Thanks!
jcuny@nsf.gov