Leveling Up in Texas CS Education, Presented by Carol Fletcher at the CS Firehose event during ISTE 2017 in San Antonio, TX.

1. Educating, Empowering, & Inspiring CS Teachers
Carol Fletcher, Ph.D.
Deputy Director, Center for STEM Education
The University of Texas at Austin
carol.fletcher@utexas.edu
@drfletcher88 ● @weteachcs
ISTE CS Firehose
June 24, 2017
San Antonio, TX
Leveling Up in Texas CS Education

2. Code Wizards HQ

3. By 2020
there will be
1,000,000 more
computing jobs
than graduates
to fill them.
Source: Code.org, 2014

4. 40%
All other STEM
jobs
60%
Computing
jobs
90%
All other
STEM
graduates
10%
Computing
graduates
The STEM problem is in CS
20%
female
8%
hispanic
or black
Sources: College Board, Bureau of Labor Statistics, National Science Foundation

5. 0
5,000
10,000
15,000
20,000
25,000
30,000
35,000
40,000
45,000
50,000
2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014
Fewer computer science graduates than
10 years ago (and half as many women):
Source:: Code.org - National Science Foundation, National Center for Education Statistics
FEMALE
MALE

6. NCWIT.org
Percentage of computing occupations held by women
has been declining since 1991

7. NCWIT.org
Percentage of Computing Occupations
Held by Women

8. Percentage of
graduates who
earned credit in
high school
computer science
classes between
1990 and 2009.
It was the only STEM subject
to experience a drop.
6%
Nord et al., 2011

9. In 2015, of the 5,172 HS
students in Texas who took the
AP CS Exam
https://research.collegeboard.org/programs/ap/data/archived/ap-2015
Texas Education Agency Pocket Edition 2014-2015
19%
3%78%
HS Students Who
Took AP CS Exam
Even though the total
student population was:
Other
Hispanic
Black
52%
13%
35%
Total HS Student
Population
Hispanic
Black
Other

10. In 2014-2015, 400 of the 1,459 high schools
in Texas offered Computer Science.
Texas Education Agency, 2016
This represents
27% of the
campuses.
TX HS Offering CS
Campuses

11. Where Are the
CS Teachers?
Only 14 individuals
completed a pre-service
teacher education
program to become
certified in Grades 8-12
Computer Science.

12. No CS Teachers = No CS Students
Only 3% of Texas
high school
graduates in 2015
had completed a
CS course.

14. Texas is considered a national leader in
K-12 CS Education.
• TX counts AP Computer Science as a math credit for graduation.
• TX requires high school CS teachers to be certified in computer
science.
• TX requires teachers to pass a CS content exam to be CS certified.
• TX has state standards for computer science courses.
• TX is a leader in the number of Black, Hispanic, and female AP CS
enrollees.
• And…

15. TX requires all HS to offer CS courses!

16. 74.3(b)(2)(I) Tech App Curriculum Requirement – every district must offer, and
74.3(b)(4) each student must have the opportunity to participate in the following:
Computer Science I
AP Computer Scienceor
At least two (2) of the following:
• Computer Science III
• Digital Art and Animation
• Digital Communications in the
21st Century
• Digital Design and Media
Production
• Digital Forensics
• Digital Video and Audio Design
• Discrete Mathematics for
Computer Science
• Fundamentals of Computer
Science
• Game Programming and Design
• Independent Study in
Evolving/Emerging Technologies
• Independent Study in Technology
Applications
• Mobile Application Development
• Robotics Programming and Design
• 3-D Modeling and Animation
• Web Communications
• Web Design
• Web Game Development
Computer Science II
16
Curriculum Requirement
Source: http://ritter.tea.state.tx.us/rules/tac/chapter074/ch074a.html

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Tracking Progress Toward CS for All in Texas
• WeTeach_CS is dedicated to
setting the standard for
measuring progress toward
the goal of CS for All.
• If you don’t know where you
are going, how will you know
when you get there?
• https://tinyurl.com/y76x5a4v

18. Elbow Partner Activity
(1 minute per person/question)
• What is the state of CS in YOUR
school or district?
• What resources are you
currently using?
• What are your goals for
improvement?

19. WeTeachCS.org
WeTeach_CS helps connect
educators with CS professional
development opportunities to
deepen skills, encourage innovation
and build relationships with other
educators.

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21. WeTeach_CS Program Overview

22. WeTeach_CS Year at-a-glance
Accomplishments to Date September 1, 2016 – June 5, 2017

23. 870 educators
34%
21%
45%
Rural
Suburban
Urban
Since September 1, 2016, WeTeach_CS has served
School Profile

24. Since September 2016,
WeTeach_CS has served
• 516 Campuses
• 245 Districts
78% of Campuses
are Title I eligible

25. 25

26. 2%
9%
29%
60%
PK/K
Elementary
Middle School
High School
Teachers Served by Grade Level

27. CS Teaching Background
of teachers reported NO
CS teaching background48%

28. 498 individuals completed
the online course
Foundations of Computer
Science for Teachers since
Summer 2016
Building Teacher Capacity

29. 29Apply 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.
Reward Teachers

30. 30
260 Texas educators
have become CS certified since
Fall 2015

32. Professional Development
on the Horizon

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Certification Incentive
Program (CIP)
Funded by
$1,000 incentive to get
8-12 CS Certified
Apply TODAY!
Apply at weteachcs.org

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WeTeach_CS Certification Prep
• ESC 20 ➢ July 11-12
San Antonio
• ESC 5 ➢ Jul 18-19
Beaumont
• UT Dallas ➢ August 7-8
Richardson
Face-To-Face

35. 35
Foundations of Computer Science for
Teachers
➢ Online Now – Aug 19
• Self-paced
• Asynchronous
• Enroll by July 31
• 36 CPE credits
Online

36. 36
Bootstrap: Video Game
Programming with Algebra
Face-To-Face
ESC 1, Edinburg ➢ August 9-11

37. 37
3D Printer Training
WeTeach_CS ➢ July 20-21 Austin - FULL
Face-To-Face

38. 38
LOGO Summer Institute
Face-To-Face
Target Audience: K-8
Pflugerville ISD
July 24-27

39. How Can ESSA Support
STEM in Your School?

40. ESSA Title II language specifically
says states and districts can
develop and provide professional
development and other
comprehensive systems of
support “to promote high quality
instruction and instructional
leadership in STEM, including
computer science.”
• 15 plus uses of funds for Title II
• Districts must submit
applications to the state for
subgrant funds
• Teachers can (and should) be
included in district application
process
ESSA means YOU must advocate for STEM in your school!

41. STEM must be specified in your district ESSA plan!
Title II Part A funds can be used to:
• train educators to teach new STEM concepts and
approaches, including those in computer science
• provide stipends to attract STEM educators to the
profession
• recruit qualified individuals with STEM content knowledge
from other fields to become teachers
• provide professional learning opportunities to educators
• support educators as they implement new courses, such
as computer science and engineering
• support educators to effectively teach students with
disabilities in STEM subjects
• support elementary STEM teachers, including preschool
educators, to incorporate STEM learning experiences into
their classrooms

42. Can be used by districts for:
Safe and drug free schools
Mental health counselors
Counseling
Music education
Civics
IB/AP testing
STEM
And for . . .
Drug and violence prevention
Training on trauma-informed practices,
Health and physical education
Effective use of technology
ESSA Title IV/A Student Support and Academic Enrichment Grants
Is STEM a PRIORITY
in your School?

43. The SSAE grant is intended to improve students’ academic achievement by
increasing the capacity of State educational agencies (SEAs), local educational
agencies (LEAs), and local communities to:
• provide all students with access to a well-rounded education;
• improve school conditions for student learning; and
• improve the use of technology in order to improve the academic achievement and
digital literacy of all students.
ESSA Title IV/A Student Success and Academic Enrichment Grants

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Thanking our Sponsors…
for their continuous support of the WeTeach_CS program