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One Byte at a Time:
A Policy Evaluation of Implementing K-12 Computer Science Curricula in Ontario
Barrie Li and Amy Lin
April 11, 2016
Instructor Dr. R. Nabert
PS618: Public Policy Development

RUNNING HEAD: Implementing K-12 Computer Science Curricula in Ontario
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Introduction
In the 21st century, computer science (CS) skills is poised to become as fundamental as
math, sciences and writing. Across global economies, the linkage between technology, innovation
and economic survival is undeniable (ACM, 2008). While education systems around the world
have taken steps to strengthen the availability of CS education, Ontario lags behind. Ontario’s
current education policies do not support the development of CS education, whereas Israel and the
United States have implemented computational content 20 years ago. The purpose of this policy
analysis is to a draw upon the experiences of other jurisdictions that have implemented CS
curricula and to recommend an effective education policy framework for the provincial
government to improve the success of CS education in Ontario.
Part I: Jurisdictional Scan
This section includes a cross-jurisdictional scan that highlights core policy values in CS K-
12 education in British Columbia, Israel, and the United States. Lastly, the lessons learned section
highlights key lessons taken from other jurisdictions relevant to policymakers modernizing
Ontario’s CS education policies.
British Columbia
B.C. is the first province in Canada to incorporate compulsory K-12 CS education. This
education policy reform initiative is part of a broader provincial strategy, #BCTECH 2016, to
improve B.C.’s economy (Government of B.C., 2016). The policy attempts to shift the province’s
dependence on a natural resource economy to a knowledge-based economy. The technology sector
in B.C. has been rapidly growing in the past few years which employs 86,000 more people than
forestry, fisheries, mining and oil industries combined (Silcoff, 2016). The addition of coding to
the school curriculum addresses the chronic skill shortages in the technological sector and the lack

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of pre-college courses currently available. Starting September 2016, elementary students will learn
CS fundamentals to code, debug algorithms, and program; high school students will be taught
specialized tech-skills that empower them with tools to problem-solve and create innovative
solutions through computing (Government of B.C., 2016). Because the addition of CS in the B.C.
education reform was announced recently in January 2016, new curricula implementation
documents are not yet publicly released.
Israel
Since 1995, the Israeli Ministry of Education has offered CS as an elective course similar
to biology, chemistry and physics to middle-school students. For over 20 years, they have valued
the benefits of CS education and thus allocated resources to improve and refine the syllabus
quality. Researchers Hazzan et al. (2008, p.7) identified four key elements that were essential for
success in the implementation of Israel’s CS education program: “(1) a well-established
curriculum; (2) a formal requirement for a mandatory CS teacher certification; (3) preparation
study programs for pre-service and in-service teachers offered by universities and colleges; and
(4) an energetic researchers community.” With these key four elements, Israel’s curriculum
provides students with a set of basic concepts in CS and fosters a smooth transition to specialized
post-secondary level CS programs.
The United States
Educational decisions in the United States is decentralized where the unequal access to CS
education permeates across all states. In the recent years, criticisms have focused on the marked
decline in the availability of CS courses in public secondary schools (Wilson et al., , 2010) as CS
knowledge has increasingly become a ‘privileged education’ that is almost exclusively available
only to wealthy white schools (Margolis et al., 2008). In addition, women and minorities

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represented the lowest participation rate in computer sciences compared to any other scientific
field. In 2008, women represented only 17% of AP CS test takers compared to 55% in all other
AP subjects (Association for Computing Machinery, 2008). Similarly, minorities represented 11%
of AP-test takers in CS compared to 19% for all AP subjects. Ultimately, the lack of consistent
access to quality CS courses across the United States has weakened the enrolment of CS program.
Lessons Learned for Ontario Education Policymakers
There were several lessons learned from other jurisdictions that would help Ontario’s education
policymakers to successfully implement CS courses in K-12 school curriculums.
Mandate CS Courses as “core” academic discipline
Across jurisdictions, the value placed on the importance of computer literacy by education
policymakers represented a significant driver to the quality of education delivered. The education
system in the United States is decentralized where the priority in delivering CS varies greatly state
to state and is often ignored by the public sector (Gal-zer & Stephenson, 2014). Only one in four
U.S. schools offer CS courses (Johnson, 2016). Because most states do not view CS education as
a core academic discipline, policymakers have not mandated every school to allocate resources to
provide the necessary support to run effective CS programs. Furthermore, a lack of recognition of
CS as a credit towards graduation has contributed to low CS enrolment rates. Thus, students would
rather take other traditional elective courses such as english, math, and sciences over computer
sciences (Johnson, 2016).
In contrast, policymakers of Israel viewed CS as a core discipline. This increased the
amount of government funding, resources, and support which significantly strengthened the
quality of programs delivered. Likewise, B.C.’s position to adopt mandatory computer coding
programs signifies the government values digital literacy and ensures the necessary structures are

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in place to produce a consistent teaching and learning experiences in computer science. To date,
the B.C. provincial government has developed curriculum standards which distinguishes learning
outcomes between K-5, 6-9, and 10-12.
To optimize the success of CS programs, Ontario should follow steps to mandate CS
courses through K-12 to cement the value of digital literacy and innovation throughout the
population. Studies show that when CS counted towards a graduation requirement, female and
minority students were more likely to take CS (Gal-ezer & Stephenson, 2014). Furthermore,
studies show that students who do not take CS courses in high school are less likely to study CS
in post-secondary education (Gal-ezer, & Stephenson, 2014). Ontario’s education policy goal
needs to focus on improving the enrollment rate and retention of students in science, technology,
engineering, and mathematics (STEM) related courses in post-secondary studies.
Clarify Teacher-Training Certification Processes to Teach CS Courses K-12
Consistent across all jurisdictions, the availability and clarity of CS teacher training
processes played an instrumental role in determining the success of computer education programs.
The Israeli Ministry of Education Professional CS Committee recognized early on that qualified
CS teachers should have at least a Bachelor’s degree in CS and should complete a CS teachers’
preparation study program. These intensive structured teacher training programs assisted Israel
teachers in addressing pedagogical challenges faced, teacher subject matter knowledge, and
curricular knowledge (Gal-ezer & Stephenson, 2014).
In contrast, The U.S. system certification system for CS teachers lacks clarity and is deeply
flawed. According to a study by the Computer Science Teachers Association (CSTA) (2008),
teachers, education policymakers, and administrators were confused by the lack of clarity and
consistency with regards to computer certification teaching requirements. In states where

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certifications do exist, the content of the courses often have no strong connection to CS concepts
to assist teachers with no prior CS background.
To provide quality CS education, Ontario policymakers need to establish a transparent
certification process for teachers to qualify and teach computer science. According to the Bureau
of Labor Statistics, the quality of student’s CS classroom experience was improved when K-12
teachers with little or no knowledge were trained to provide CS education rather than having an
external consultant to teach (Liu et al., 2011). The Ontario government needs to provide necessary
supports to fund the professional development of CS instructions to improve classroom instruction
and the students’ engagement in innovative and technological fields (Code.org, 2016).
Inclusion of researchers and tech leaders to develop effective CS curriculum
As observed across jurisdictions, the early involvement of teachers and industry tech
experts is necessary to develop a successful and relevant CS curriculum. One of the major
criticisms over the U.S. CS education program is the failure to develop a industry relevant
curriculum. The report “Running on Empty: The Failure to Teach CS in the Digital Age” revealed
that more than two thirds of states did not develop up-to-date standards to guide CS education
content (Wilson et al., 2010). In response to the lack of government initiatives, tech industry
leaders, external researchers, and professional associations, such as the International Society for
Technology Education (Gal-ezer & Stephenson, 2014) have intervened to supplement the CS
educational content. For instance, Google, Oracle, CSTA, and the National Science Foundation
have funded and provided teachers access to high quality professional development for K-12 CS
material to improve the industry relevance and quality of CS education (Gal-ezer & Stephenson,
2014).

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Since the 1980s, Israel’s curriculum refinement efforts involved a collaborative approach
between teachers, researchers and policymakers at every stage. The healthy community of
government-funded researchers have played an active role in publishing critical research at all
phases in the Israeli curriculum to improve educational outcomes (Gal-ezer & Stephenson, 2014).
Similarly, B.C.’s #BCTech Strategy outlines the importance of collaborative efforts between
multiple stakeholders such as universities, education policymakers and the tech industry to support
the development of industry-relevant curricula (Government of B.C., 2016).
Like other successful jurisdictions, Ontario needs to work collaboratively with the
technology sector and researchers to align the school curriculum with industry-relevant CS
education programs (BC Jobs Plan, 2016). Technology industry leaders possess a wealth of
technological expertise and resources that makes them invaluable collaborators for Ontario
policymakers to develop a relevant CS curriculum.
Part II: Computer Science Studies for Ontario and the rest of Canada
The second section of the policy analysis highlights the benefits a CS curricula would bring
to Ontario and the other provinces, primarily diminishing the labour market gap of Information
Communications Technology (ICT) professionals and resolving the gender disparity in the STEM
disciplines. Implementation concerns are also illustrated along with recommended criterias for
Ontario education policymakers to evaluate the success of CS curricula using examples from
provincial standardized testing, as well as international indicators.
Baseline Scenario for Ontario
In the Ontario provincial curriculum, CS courses are not consistently available and is
offered as an elective in Grades 10, 11, and 12. Three types of courses are offered in the program:
university preparation, college preparation, and open courses. Out of the four categories of

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knowledge and skills, thinking, provides the best evidence for early exposure to computer science,
as it introduces planning skills (e.g., focusing research, gathering information, selecting strategies,
organizing a project), processing skills (e.g., analysing, interpreting, assessing, reasoning,
generating ideas, evaluating, synthesizing, seeking a variety of perspectives), and creative thinking
processes (e.g., problem solving, decision making, research) (Ontario Ministry of Education,
2008).
Benefits to Ontario and Canada
By 2019, Canada will be short 182,000 ICT professionals (Information and
Communications Technology Council [ICTC], 2015). Numerous technological advancements and
emerging technologies require ICT talent, regardless of sector or industry in the near future. Early
childhood and youth education in computational capability helps supply ICT talent within the
Canadian labour market (Tam, 2016), create career opportunities for post-secondary graduates
(Ali, 2016), and puts Canada at a major economic advantage in the digital environment (ICTC,
2015).
Women are less likely to choose a STEM university program, regardless of their
mathematical ability, denoting a possibility that the choice is not a result of aptitude, but rather,
interest. The Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA), a study by the Organization
for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), assesses the mathematical, reading and
scientific knowledge of 28 million 15-year-olds worldwide (OECD, 2012). Among those who
went to university, 23% of women in the three highest categories of PISA scores chose a STEM
program, compared with 39% of men in the three lowest categories of PISA scores (Hango,
2013b). Early exposure to the computer sciences and course availability in high school could offset
this imbalance (SFGOV, 2013). Entrenching computer coding and programming awareness

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counters the perception that there are few opportunities for women in STEM and ICT, that it is a
male-dominated field, and that the careers are not stimulating (ICTC, 2015). Choosing a career in
the STEM disciplines, especially CS and engineering, has major results. On average, these degrees
lead to better labour market outcomes in terms of earnings, employment, and job matches (Hango,
2013b).
Implementation Concerns
In order for children to pick up coding skills, schools require additional resources such as
internet access, high-speed infrastructure, and current software applications (Hunter, 2016). The
inequity of hardware access is an issue based on the geographic location of rural and urban schools
across Ontario. Different school districts may experience trouble in their budgets, as they
experience cutbacks or expenses, while being mandated to prioritize the procurement of
technology (Hamlin, 2016).
Ontario is also a province that is geographically diverse and widespread so the fundamental
service of high-speed internet access would be costly to construct complex networking
infrastructure (Hamlin, 2016). If there is a strong commitment to provide all K-12 students with
experiences in coding and computer studies, reliable and sustainable access to the internet, in
addition to technology, should remain a key priority for provincial and federal governments.
Evaluation and Measurement Criteria:
To determine the effectiveness of the education policy reform to minimize labour shortage
in the technology sector, policy makers can compare data pre-policy implementation with post-
policy implementation ten years from now using data from labour, GDP, OECD’s PISA
government R&D spending, and patent databases. For instance, unmet labour demand data from
the Statistics Canada’s (2016) Job Vacancy and Wage Survey, provides data on the potential

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vacancies in industries that are present and the necessary requirements for filling the positions.
The impact of imparting computational capability at a young age can be observed by examining
the growth in the gross domestic product (GDP) of the ICT Sector over the next few years. From
2002-2011, the computer system design industry saw the fastest growth at 3.2% and accounted for
53% of the growth in the ICT services sub-sector (Industry Canada, 2012). If we were to look at
the GDP change again in ten years, the massive growth in this industry can be attributed to the
effectiveness of implementing computing sciences studies in all provinces.
As of now, global CS study programs are not directly linked to any quantifiable
pedagogical outcomes. For the effectiveness of computer science programs to be assessed, there
must be competencies that can be measured with appropriate standards for achievement at the
different stages from K-12. Established methodologies such as the PISA studies mentioned earlier
prepared by the OECD can measure CS competencies (Hubwieser et al., 2015). The focus of the
PISA studies has been on language comprehension, mathematics, and natural science, but
Hubwieser et al. (2015) suggest a PISA survey of CS competencies would further educational
research and educational policy in CS education on par with traditional subjects in school. PISA
questions are thoroughly designed to measure certain well-defined competencies, embedded in an
empirically derived competency model (pg. 12). Provinces can then use information acquired from
the PISA studies to develop provincial tests in computational competency to determine the
effectiveness of K-12CS curricula. Ontario should include an assessment of computational-related
skills students are expected to learn by the end of grade nine, adjacent to the mathematics tests
administered by the Education Quality and Accountability Office (EQAO, 2015).
In evaluating the overall possible success of embedding computer coding and programming
into all provincial curricula across Canada, certain OECD indicators can validate the efficacy.

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Main Science and Technology Indicators is a biannual publication of OECD member countries
and their amount of resources devoted to research and development, patent families, international
trade in highly R&D-intensive industries (OECD, 2016). As Canada seeks to establish itself as a
country of innovation, producing new materials, products, and devices, as well as installing new
processes, systems, and services, is a direct result of an emerging knowledge-economy.
Governments can track the effectiveness and progress of their respective CS programs by
inspecting the change in gross domestic spending on R&D, the number of researchers, and triadic
patent families. In terms of gross domestic spending on research and development activities as a
percentage of gross domestic product, Canada is at 1.612%, but an increase in choosing the STEM
disciplines in post-secondary education and occupation, as a result from early exposure to CS
courses, would lead to higher spending on research and development activities (OECD Data,
2016a).
Chart from OECD Data – Gross Domestic Spending on R&D, Total, % of GDP, 2000 – 2015 (2016a)

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Chart from OECD Data – Triadic Patent Families, Total, Number, 1985 – 2013 (2016b)
Furthermore, the triadic patent families’ indicator tracks the set of patents filed at the
European, Japan, and United States Patent and Trademark Offices, attributed to the inventor’s
country of residence. With more individuals with computational skills in the near future, Canada
should expect a growth from 593, compared to the OECD total of 50,390 and 53,933 patents in
the world (OECD Data, 2016b), as a result of an innovative labour force and a diverse knowledge-
based economy.
Conclusion
This paper presents a successful education reform policy framework for Ontario education
policymakers to consider in implementing CS K-12 programs. While fundamental sweeping
reform and a complete overhaul of our educational standards is unrealistic, expecting
computational and digital literacy from our younger generations is necessary. Canada and Ontario
can learn from international partners and adopt best practices for implementation to ensure our
provisional labour force does not fall behind, carefully and steadily, with one byte at a time.

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