Whether you are or will be teaching Exploring Computer Science (ECS) or Computer Science Principles (CSP), the topic of data will begin to permeate your course. This topic is fairly new to many of us. I barely remember a college stats class and that was probably one of only a few times many of us gave it much thought! Well, all of that is going to change! The good news is that as the topic slides into the spotlight in not only CS, but into all of the sciences, more and more resources appropriate for K-12 are coming online.
A quick review of what is expected
In ECS, students will be exploring how computing has facilitated new methods of managing and interpreting data and use computers to translate, process, and visualize data in order to find patterns and test hypotheses. They will work with a variety of large data sets that illustrate how widespread access to data and information facilitates identification of problems. In student projects, they will collect and generate their own data related to local community issues and discuss appropriate methods for data collection and aggregation of data necessary to support making a case or facilitating a discovery.
In CSP, students will use computational tools to analyze and study data, another of the big ideas of computer science, as data plays an incredibly important role in so many aspects of our lives. Students in this course work with “big-data.” They will analyze it, visualize it, and draw conclusions from trends in it. They will be expected to explain how data, information, or knowledge are represented for computational use; explain how abstractions are used in computation or modeling; identify abstractions; and describe modeling in a computational context.
A couple resources
I came across this really interesting and valuable site called “Using Data in the Classroom.” There are data sets, ideas for using data in the classroom, pedagogical resources, and ideas for teaching with models. It is geared mostly toward science classrooms, but I found quite a bit that would be useful in ECS and CSP. Take a look.
Data.gov is another useful site for finding the “big data” necessary for teaching many data concepts. There are 1000’s of data sets! You (as well as your students) will have fun just exploring the information on this site, with everything from baby names since 1879, to a national bridge inventory, to biodiversity reports. Take a look (and be prepared to be hooked)
Pat Phillips
Editor, CSTA Voice

Last year I showed my programming students the nine minute version of the video Code.org created and we talked about what they thought and if anything surprised them. It was a fairly productive conversation but I didn’t feel all the students participated. This year I tried something different and announced that we were going to watch a nine minute video and then they were going to write down what they felt about it, if they agreed or disagreed with anything said, or just what their reaction had been. I did not tell them the topic or give any other description than that. I played the video for the calls and then told them not to talk to anyone but go to their response page and type something. Some of the quotes are below.
These are actual student quotes so some of the sentences are not structurally sound but I had told them I wanted reactions and comments not perfect paragraphs and I got just that.
Programming isn’t always just in computers, its all around us, patterns, of numbers and letters, that go hand in hand to make up a code that means something greater.”
“Before watching the video, I thought that Programming wasn’t very useful in peoples everyday lives. And now I think that it actually has a lot of different uses in jobs and everyday life. I didn’t know that it actually had that many uses and I also didn’t know that a lot of famous people learned how to code in school and that not many kids are learning how to code because some schools don’t offer the course where they go to. I realize that I’m lucky for being able to take this course and be able to learn how to code.”
“After watching the video, my outlook on computer science and coding has now changed. I now realize that coding is a very important thing to learn and is a very useful thing to know how to do.”
“What I thought about the video is that it was shocking how many people don’t know how to program a computer. It was like why don’t other schools teach this it is fun and easy and I enjoy it.”
“One of the big things that got me was Gabe from Valve. That is my favorite game company. so hearing him say those things just make me want to be a programmer even more. i already love doing it but hearing him say that just lit the flame.”
“I feel that making something on the computer do what you want it to is the coolest thing, because it’s like you have the power.”
“After watching the video my opinion on computer programming has swayed towards a new direction. Before, I thought computer programming was only for people who already had a lot of knowledge in that type of subject, and if it didn’t come naturally to you then it would be very difficult or next to impossible to learn. The video made me realize that anyone who has the determination can be a computer programmer or even just have the ability to code.”
“This opened my eyes to a possible career in my future. After watching this video I’m rather excited to learn about code.”
“I think that everybody should have to learn how to read and write code because it can be very fun and people should learn to create parameters, methods and could have fun making websites and storyboards.”
“Having the ability to sit down and use a computer is one thing but to actually be able to write a program is like ‘having a superpower’.”
“Coding can allow me to create anything that my heart desires, which is an incredibly powerful capability. To be able to make anything, gives you free reign over your creative mind, and allows you to express your ideas in ways you never could have before. this is a powerful, and wonderful ability, and I’m glad I have the chance to do it. Each time I watch the video, I become more inspired by the speakers.”
I hope this small sampling captured the wonder and amazement some of my students had from the realization that our programming class is not just some random class they take for a technology credit. Having the students write down their reactions without talking to anyone gave me valuable feedback and ideas of what I will need do to keep the flame of excitement and amazement burning for my students.
So what does this have to do with advocacy? EVERYTHING! In nine minutes I was able to reach my students at a different level with a video geared specifically at them showing what programmers do, who can do it, and the need there is for someone to do it.
Can you imagine the possibilities if you showed this video to your principal, your school board, your community, your students’ parents, or anyone willing to would watch? After seeing how my students respond, I plan to incorporate this video into our CS ED Week and reach beyond my own students. Maybe I can start a CS revolution in just nine minutes -just maybe.
Stephanie Hoeppner
CSTA 9-12 Representative

There is so much momentum around the need for more computer science education in the country’s schools, and many organizations in addition to CSTA are now working toward getting more computer science teachers in more elementary, middle, and high schools. While there is no doubt that there is much happening in Washington, DC, at state and local education agencies and in state capitals on these issues, there is arguably some confusion about what is and isn’t or has or hasn’t happened this year.
So, here is a timeline that explains the constantly shifting surface that is CS education advocacy at the national level.
June 12, 2013
After months of pressure from the education advocacy community desperate for a revision to the current version of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) formerly known as No Child Left Behind, the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee passed a bill to revise the 11-year old law that included computer science-friendly provisions. It was passed via a partisan vote, although Committee Chairman Tom Harkin (D-IA) and the Ranking Republican, Senator Lamar Alexander (R-TN), both said they hoped that a robust floor debate, including open amendments, later in the year might produce a bill that would win bipartisan support.
June 19, 2013
The House Education and the Workforce Committee approved an ESEA reauthorization package that was very different from the Senate bill approved the week before. The Student Success Act (HR 5), which was also approved on a party line vote, reflects a more conservative role for the federal government in K-12 education and does very little to support any specific subject or group of teachers, including computer science and computer science educators.
June 27, 2013
Representatives Susan Brooks (R-IN), Jared Polis (D-CO) and others introduced legislation that addresses the urgent need for more computer science education in the country’s K-12 classrooms. The Computer Science Education Act (HR 2536) would strengthen computer science education by changing federal education policies to support providing access to computer science in the country’s elementary, middle, and high schools.
July 18, 2013
In a rare moment of bipartisanship, the House of Representatives overwhelmingly supported a computer science amendment to legislation that would reauthorize the Elementary and Secondary Education Act. Proposed by Representatives Susan Brooks (R-IN) and Jared Polis (D-CO), the amendment would improve K-12 computer science education policies by clarifying that computer science educators should have access to the same supports as their colleagues. (This amendment’s provisions are different from those of the Computer Science Education Act.)
July 19, 2013
The House passed the Student Success Act after a very partisan debate, and only via a partisan vote. The bill includes the amendment approved the day before that clarifies that the bill’s professional development programs would support computer science teachers.
August 1, 2013
Senators Robert Casey (D-PA) and Marco Rubio (R-FL) introduced legislation that addresses the urgent need for more computer science education in the country’s K-12 classrooms. The Computer Science Education and Jobs Act (S 1407) would strengthen computer science education by changing federal education policies to support providing access to computer science in the country’s K-12 schools. The bill is larger and more detailed than the House bill, but its goals are similar.
While June and July were very busy months for CSTA, Computing in the Core, and computer science education advocates, since then, not much has happened. For those who remember Schoolhouse Rock and the “I’m Just a Bill” episode, you know that the House and Senate have to approve the exact same version of a bill in order for it to be sent to the President and signed into law. That hasn’t happened to the Computer Science Education Act, the Computer Science Education and Jobs Act, or the amendment that would help computer science educators that was included in the Student Success Act.
Despite the pause in momentum, it is worth noting and celebrating that together, these actions represent a shift in the profile of K-12 computer science issues in education policy debates in Washington. Practically speaking, however, you are probably wondering what’s next. The Senate needs to pass its ESEA reauthorization bill and still could do so before the end of the 113th Congress, which runs through the end of 2014. Then, the House and Senate would have to conference their two bills, which means try to bridge their significant differences to develop a single version of the bill that both chambers could pass and send to the President. Then, the President would have to sign it.
While the ESEA reauthorization process limps forward, CS advocates are pursuing a separate strategy on HR 2536, which amends the definition of core academic subjects to add computer science, defines computer science and makes a modest change to professional development provisions to clarify that CS educators should be supported. CSTA members and others can help. How? By asking their House representatives to cosponsor HR 2536. The bill has about two dozen cosponsors as of the middle of October, and needs 100 more to get the attention of leadership and force some action on K-12 computer science education policy. Ready to write to your Member and asking him or her to cosponsor the bill? Computing in the Core has pulled together the resources to help you do that.
Della Cronin
CSTA Policy Consultant
Note: Computing in the Core is a non-partisan advocacy coalition of associations, corporations, scientific societies, and other non-profits seeking to elevate the national profile of computer science education in K-12 within the US and work toward ensuring that computer science is one of the core academic subjects in K-12 education. CSTA is a founding Member of Computing in the Core.

As we launch into a new academic year, I can’t help but be excited by the amazing momentum I am currently feeling in computer science education.
This past summer marked a steady march forward by hundreds of computer science teachers as they joined professional learning communities to further build the knowledge and skills to broaden participation in computing for students. The Exploring Computer Science program offered eight weeklong summer institutes across the nation. The Computer Science Principles program expanded its number of pilot teachers and offered intensive professional development for dozens of teachers. Never before has such a cohesive and large-scale effort at broadening participation taken hold in our community.
And the conferences! The CSTA Conference was a huge success and included a variety of workshops and sessions for attending participants. At the AP Annual Conference later the same week, leading computer science education supporters stood together during the keynote address to introduce the new AP Computer Science Principles course to the national education audience. Following this keynote, the largest contingent of CS teachers to ever attend this conference carried this momentum into several sessions related to CS Principles and Exploring Computer Science.
There was even national media coverage as the Today show covered Code.org’s mission to further expand and broaden computer science teaching and learning for all students.
Taken together, this incredible wave of success is an indicator of the incredible collaboration and commitment by teachers and other educators to strengthen the curriculum, pedagogy, and policies of computer science education.
I can’t wait to see what comes next!
Joanna Goode
CSTA Equity Chair

Perhaps many of you have read the recent Letter to my daughter’s high school programming teacher, a blog post from an impassioned journalist whose daughter was bullied in computer science class by the males in the classroom. The girl’s prior enthusiasm and interest in computer science was dimmed by her experience in that class. While the author used pretty harsh language to admonish the teacher, she brought up some good points that I think all teachers should consider.
She had seven suggestions: recruit students, set the tone, enforce an anti-harassment policy, don’t be boring, pay attention, check in, and follow up. I thought the last three suggestions were especially important. We all know teaching is not an easy job. Often the classroom is chaotic, with students asking for help at every turn. It can be difficult to detect harassment if it is not overt. We do need to pay attention to the culture of the classroom and check in with our students to make sure everyone feels safe and encouraged. According to the daughter in an update to the original blog post, she had talked to the teacher about the harassment and there was some follow-up with the principal, but it fizzled out. The girl finished the class, but is now discouraged from taking another computer science class.
I consider the introductory computer science class I teach a distinct opportunity to turn kids on to computer science. The mother wrote in her blog: “Sadly, you only get one chance to make a first impression, and you, sir, created a horrible one for girls in computer programming.” We do have that one chance to grab the students, in their first computer science class. Creating a positive, welcoming environment in our classrooms is a powerful way to encourage and promote computer science as a field of study. Girls especially can feel threatened or intimidated when they are the minority in a class full of boys. I know I can do a better job of checking in individually with all my students. Although I have them journal during the class, face-to-face conversations can be a more effective way to really learn how students are faring.
What ways do you encourage a positive environment in your classroom?
Karen Lang
CSTA 9-12 Representative

How have you used the resources on the CSTA website? Have you read the new reports? Are you familiar with the CSTA K-12 Computer Science Standards? The crosswalks to other standards and skills? I think it is important to familiarize yourself with these resources as you never know when you will need them or when you can use them to advocate.
Just recently, I have had to rely heavily on the CSTA standards and the crosswalks. Ohio has created a new teacher evaluation piece that is directly tied to student achievement. For that piece teachers have to give pretests, write a student learning objective (SLO) for the class based on pretest results, and then give a post test at the end of the course. Your student growth results from that posttest are 50% of your teacher evaluation. The SLO piece must tie to the common core, state and/or national standards. Armed with the computer science standards and the crosswalks I was able to show relevance for what I do in my classroom. I also showed relevance to other teachers because what I do also relates to the common core.
This process required me to relate each pretest question or a section of the pretest directly to standards. Consequently, when the test was completed I was able to show what standards the students were not proficient with. As part of the SLO I had to address how I will bring the students to a level of proficiency. If I had not had the resources from CSTA I would still be combing through other standards trying to find something to use.
As a secondary result of matching the standards to test questions, I realized I was focusing a little too much in one area and maybe not enough in another. I was able to take a look at the overall view of my class, what I was teaching, and evaluate my content. It was a valuable experience to reevaluate what I am doing and why. Sometime we get so bogged down with the daily things and the other school requirements we forget to see the overall goal of our courses.
If you are thinking, “well that is great but it doesn’t apply to me” you may want to think again. This type of evaluation system is being piloted and considered in several states. Ohio is not the first and will not be the last. One of my favorite quotes about education is “there are three things to remember when teaching: know your stuff; know whom you are stuffing; and then stuff them elegantly” (Lola May). Given the current direction of education in the U.S.; I would say we must now add “prove your stuffing worthy” and because of the CSTA K-12 Computer Science Standards I can do just that.
Stephanie Hoeppner
CSTA Board 9-12 Representative

One of the great things about working in a top-10 computer science department is that I get to see which fields are really hot. At the University of Washington I get the added bonus of working with faculty who care deeply about teaching. I get to see both of these in spades when I wander three doors down the hallway to the always busy office of Yoshi Kohno. Yoshi is our security guy. Computer security, that is.
It’s abundantly clear that security is a hot topic these days. Everyone is scrambling to figure out how to keep our systems secure. And Yoshi can give you endless examples of how the technology has gotten way out ahead of the security. We are deploying computer applications all the time without worrying about whether they are secure. This is an issue for privacy and protection of intellectual property and national security and even personal safety.
Yoshi and his students figure out all sorts of fascinating vulnerabilities in commonly used technologies. They’ll show you how they can use the keyless entry mechanism in your car to steal it. Then they’ll point out that a stalker can hack into the communication between your tennis shoes and your wristband health monitor to track you as you go on your evening jog. They’ll even show you stuff straight out of a spy movie where they drive up next to your car and order it to disable the breaks and accelerate out of control.
Yoshi teaches the most popular undergraduate course in our department. The security course regularly fills up before the end of the first day of registration. This is partly because the field is hot, but also because Yoshi is such a creative teacher. He has written papers on his use of “science fiction prototyping” to get students to think about potential security scenarios. And Yoshi has developed a game that he hopes will be used by students in K-12 and in college. It is a card game called Control-Alt-Hack. Students pretend that they work for a computer security company that does ethical hacking to help organizations find any security vulnerabilities. Each character has different hacking skills and the players work through various scenarios to see if they can find security problems that should be addressed.
Stuart Reges, Principal Lecturer, University of Washington
Faculty Representative, CSTA Board

In a couple of weeks, a team of Teaching Fellows from Google will begin leading various after-school computer science (CS) programs throughout the Charleston area. Based in South Carolina at Google’s Berkeley County data center. The Computer Science Teaching Fellows program is an initiative aimed at preparing new STEM teachers and CS graduates to become K12 CS teachers. These fellows, hailing from around the U.S., are the first cohort in a two-year fellowship practicum that will increase the number of students learning computational thinking and CS. Since starting in mid-June, there has been much excitement and curiosity about the program. Specifically, we are often asked about the implementation details of the program, and if we will be sharing what we learn from all of the exploration we are planning to do. I’m pleased to say that we have much to share already and that there will be even more to pass along as we continue to grow the program.
Starting in June, the fellows began their immersion into the world of CS education. For those fellows with a background in CS, the process involved intensive training in pedagogy as well as numerous opportunities to gain teaching experience through lessons and activities. The other fellows, with a background in STEM teaching, were immersed in a series of in-depth lessons on CS and CS education. Both groups, after much training and development, are currently preparing to enter their first after school classrooms!
Through this process, the fellows are exploring various curricula (such as Bootstrap, Exploring Computer Science, and App Inventor Lessons) and programs (such as Scratch, App Inventor, and Blockly) to determine which are most appropriate for their initial target student population – 4th and 5th grade students. We have two research fellows focused on evaluation and measurement, so we can acquire the data we need to improve and iterate. In my own experience as a middle school teacher, I always found that my preparation was significantly bolstered by conversations with those who have had both successes and failures identifying new and exciting ways to teach. We are finding that many of our fellows are coming to the same conclusion.
What does that mean for you, a member of CSTA? As a new program coming into a space with many outstanding leaders and key stakeholders, we will need your help. We hope that the CSTA community will get involved as our fellows begin their work. Conversely, we want to do what we can to help. Our team is excited to learn more about what you’re doing and to learn from those that have worked for years to shape CS education. Your track record is an invaluable asset and we hope that you’ll be interested in sharing your expertise. For those of you in SC, NC, or GA we will be joining the CSTA South Carolina Chapter for their October meeting. We will be sharing what we’ve learned so far and I hope (if you can join us) that you can share with us!
Cameron Fadjo,
Program Lead, Computer Science Teaching Fellows

The cover of the famous fictional “Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy” reads, in big letters, “Don’t panic.” There isn’t a definitive “teacher’s guide to teaching computer science” but if there were I suspect it would have the same message on the cover. Students are back to school in some of the US as I write this and most will be back in the next week or so. As teachers we start the year with all sorts of emotions. Excitement, anticipation, and to some extent a wonder of how it will all come together.
One never knows what will happen once school begins. Oh sure we start off with carefully thought out plans for the whole semester or years. Or at least we tell everyone we do. But plans change as they meet the reality of the classroom. Some years we get start students who force us to move faster than we’d planed. Other times students need a bit more attention and the plans have to be slowed down a bit. Seldom do they go completely as planned. While this happens in many subjects it is a bit different for many computer science teachers as we often have no one else in our building to go to to bounce ideas off of. We can be isolated and alone. I am here to say “don’t panic” because there are resources available. You are not alone!
CSTA local chapters have been growing in recent years and they can serve as a great support system. Chapters can be great sources of professional development, networking and opportunities for personal and professional growth. If you are not involved in a local chapter, it is time to get involved. If there is no local chapter, perhaps you can find some help to get one started.
There are resources online as well. Are you signed up for the CSTA listserv? This is a great place to ask (and answer) questions with CSTA members.
The CollegeBoard also runs an online discussion forum for AP CS teachers that is useful for more than just AP issues. You’ll need to create a free professional account at the site if you don’t already have one. If you’re teaching AP CS the account you used for your curriculum audit works just fine.
You can also find information and discussions on the CSTA Facebook page. Yes, Facebook does have educational value.
This year is alive with potential. This can be as intimidating as it is invigorating but “don’t panic” the best is yet to come!
Alfred Thompson
At Large Member CSTA Board

I’ve been programming since 1972 (junior year of high school, long before programming in high school was considered a normal course of events). Over the years I’ve programmed in BASIC, FORTRAN, LISP, PL/1, Scheme, Prolog, C, C++, Pascal, Python, various other languages here and there when I took Programming Languages and AI Programming (CLU anyone?). But even with that long laundry list of languages, reasons still arise to learn more.
So I have spent the past few weeks learning R. If you aren’t familiar with R, it’s a language designed for statistical computing and graphics. Why, you might ask, would I bother? I’m working with some of my faculty colleagues from Economics and Political Science. We have purchased a very large database of Chinese customs data. Millions of records of trade transactions at the level of “on such and such a day 25 pairs of sneakers were exported by this company through that port on their way to this other company in this other country”. Oh yeah, we’ve got imports too. Of course, my colleagues want all kinds of aggregation. It seems that customs data comes with things called HS Codes (Harmonized System Codes for commodity classification). The first two digits get you into high level categories like Foodstuffs or Textiles. But then you can dig deeper. Was that shipment wool, or was it fine or course animal hair?
I could see how I’d compute in Python what my colleagues wanted using tons of loops and complicated data structures. But that seemed unwieldy considering that they are interested in 2-digit and 4-digit HS codes so I could be dealing with 1000 buckets of aggregation. But R is completely designed for dealing with data frames and data imported from CSV files. It can do quickly, with one line of code, the kinds of things that I would otherwise have to write a lot of loops for. On the other hand, getting started is not for the faint of heart. I made some quick headway, for sure, enough that my colleagues could use preliminary results to better articulate what they really wanted. And then I realized that my baby skills were not adequate, that I was going to have to do some serious learning.
Two books, plenty of Googling for examples, some downloaded PDFs. But I also told myself what I always tell my students. The joy of working in an interpreted language is that you can try things out, get quick feedback, and move on accordingly. So just when frustration was reaching high levels, I started going step by careful step. After a lot of trial and error, I came up with a new approach for the part that had me stumped, and then I wrote a little inline code to check the general idea behind my approach. That worked. Then I moved that code into a function. Then I made the function a little more complicated, and a little more complicated, so that eventually it fully executed step one of my new approach. Then I wrote code that completed what I needed. Little step by little step. Then I figured out how to write the results out to a new CSV file so my colleagues and their students can review the results. I’m still waiting to hear back, since I don’t want to write any more code until I’m sure I’m delivering the correct things to them. But I was every bit as joyous when my code ran correctly as my intro students are when they get code to run. And it served as a reminder of the value of thoughtful painstaking problem solving and thoughtful painstaking implementation. As I said to one of my colleagues, looking at the code, which is just over 50 executable lines, you’d never guess how long it took to write. But if I had written it faster it would have been 3 times longer and probably 10 times less efficient. Now that I have it running for 10,000 data records, can’t wait to see how it fares on the larger data sets!
Valerie Barr
Computational Thinking Task Force chair