On May The Rhode Island Council on Elementary and Secondary Education endorsed the new Rhode Island Computer Science Education Standards which identify the knowledge, practices, and skills in computer science (CS) that all students should know and be able to do at each level in their education. They inform, encourage, and drive a sustainable computer science education program by creating realistic pathways and expectations for all students.
The CS Education Standards Advisory Committee represented a broad range of expertise including elementary, middle, and high school teachers, district coordinators and administrators, higher education faculty, and industry professionals. Experts in cybersecurity and specialists in digital literacy also contributed to the development of the standards. Additionally a secondary Review Team composed of Rhode Islanders active in education and industry provided feedback to the draft standards. Members of the public also contributed to the review offering insightful comments. Through the collaborative efforts of many including CS4RI and RIDE, the Rhode Island K-12 CS Education Standards have been developed to actively engage students in computer science.
The Rhode Island Computer Science Education Standards align with the nationally-recognized K-12 Computer Science Framework, the Computer Science Teachers Association (CSTA) Computer Science Standards, and CS standards work in other states.
The goal of broadening participation guided the Committee’s work. Equity aspects are embedded in the standards themselves, the descriptions, and the accompanying suggested activities. Additionally, standards can be met without computing devices or with a limited amount of available hardware so implementation is possible for all schools. The new standards can be found here.
