A Systems Change Approach to CS Education: Creating Rubrics for School System Implementation

Computer science education is moving from an elective subject in K-12 schools to a more compulsory topic with a focus on all students. As a new discipline is added to education, we need to explore not only the implications and theory behind student and teacher learning and development, but also the systems change that will happen in organizations in order to produce sustainable CS education. In this paper, we explore theories of systems change, especially in education, and describe the creation of a series of rubrics to help districts self-assess their CS education supports. Early data is presented from a pilot year of workshops with 67 school districts showing a partial landscape of how school districts rate their own strengths and weaknesses and provide a discussion of initial evidence of validity for the rubrics.

[1]  Mary Kay Stein,et al.  Architectures for Learning: A Comparative Analysis of Two Urban School Districts , 2008, American Journal of Education.

[2]  Eric M. Camburn,et al.  School Improvement by Design: Lessons from a Study of Comprehensive School Reform Programs , 2009 .

[3]  Leigh Ann DeLyser,et al.  A Public School Model of CS Education , 2015 .

[4]  James M. McPartland,et al.  Organizing Schools for Improvement: Lessons from Chicago , 2011 .

[5]  June Ahn,et al.  Equity in the Who, How and What of Computer Science Education: K12 School District Conceptualizations of Equity in ‘CS for All’ Initiatives , 2019, 2019 Research on Equity and Sustained Participation in Engineering, Computing, and Technology (RESPECT).

[6]  J. Leydens,et al.  Scoring Rubric Development: Validity and Reliability. , 2000 .

[7]  Louis M. Gomez,et al.  Learning to Improve: How America’s Schools Can Get Better at Getting Better , 2015 .

[8]  Peter Hubwieser,et al.  Computer Science Education in Secondary Schools -- The Introduction of a New Compulsory Subject , 2012, TOCE.

[9]  Ngss Lead States.  Next generation science standards : for states, by states , 2013 .

[10]  C. Coburn,et al.  Evidence, Interpretation, and Persuasion: Instructional Decision Making at the District Central Office , 2009, Teachers College Record: The Voice of Scholarship in Education.

[11]  Barry G. Rabe,et al.  Race to the Top: The Expanding Role of U.S State Renewable Portfolio Standards , 2010 .

[12]  Barbara Ericson,et al.  Measuring demographics and performance in computer science education at a nationwide scale using AP CS data , 2014, SIGCSE '14.

[13]  Next Generation Science Standards: Considerations for Curricula, Assessments, Preparation, and Implementation. , 2014 .

[14]  Joanna Goode.  Increasing diversity in k-12 computer science: strategies from the field , 2008, SIGCSE '08.

[15]  M. Mclaughlin.  Learning From Experience: Lessons From Policy Implementation , 1987 .

[16]  Mark Guzdial.  Bringing computer science to U.S. schools, state by state , 2016, Commun. ACM.

[17]  W. Penuel,et al.  Organizing Research and Development at the Intersection of Learning, Implementation, and Design , 2011 .

[18]  K. Leithwood,et al.  Leading Data Use in Schools: Organizational Conditions and Practices at the School and District Levels , 2010 .

[19]  Janice E. Cuny,et al.  The CS10K project: mobilizing the community to transform high school computing , 2011, SIGCSE.

[20]  Rachel Cole,et al.  A Landscape Study of Computer Science Education in NYC: Early Findings and Implications for Policy and Practice , 2018, SIGCSE.

[21]  W. Penuel,et al.  Design-Based Implementation Research: An Emerging Model for Transforming the Relationship of Research and Practice , 2013 .

[22]  Peter Hubwieser,et al.  The Darmstadt Model: A First Step towards a Research Framework for Computer Science Education in Schools , 2013, ISSEP.

[23]  Anthony S. Bryk,et al.  Coherence : What It Is and Why It Should Guide School Improvement Policy , 2002 .

[24]  James P. Spillane,et al.  Alignment and Accountability in Policy Design and Implementation , 2016 .

[25]  Patrick McGuinn,et al.  Stimulating Reform , 2012 .

[26]  Hai Hong,et al.  Landscape of K-12 Computer Science Education in the U.S.: Perceptions, Access, and Barriers , 2016, SIGCSE.

[27]  Shuchi Grover,et al.  Assessments for Computational Thinking in K-12 (Abstract Only) , 2015, SIGCSE.

[28]  M. Bair,et al.  Failure, The Next Generation: Why Rigorous Standards are not Sufficient to Improve Science Learning , 2014 .

[29]  Adah Stock,et al.  Guide to Implementing the Next Generation Science Standards , 2015 .