Professional Development Plan:

With the already integrated Professional Learning Community framework, staff routinely meet in collaborative teams to learn, review data, and plan for instruction. The core teacher team for the initial year of implementation worked during the planning year to create horizontally and vertically aligned curriculum that incorporates computer science skills into core content. This was a process that staff have worked on for the previous three years and know and understand well. Adding the integration of CSTA K-12 Computer Science Standards into already aligned curriculum provided an additional layer of depth of the curriculum.

It was expected that teams study and understand the K12 Computer Science Framework adopting its vision where students are informed citizens who can...

• critically engage in public discussion on computer science topics;

• develop as learners, users, and creators of computer science knowledge and artifacts;

• better understand the role of computing in the world around them; and

• learn, perform, and express themselves in other subjects and interests." (K12 Computer Science Framework, p. 10)

Capacity Building

Our cohort teachers spent time digging into the CSTA Standards and computer science curriculum. They also took part in a book study around, Computational Thinking (and Coding) for Every Student, by Jane Krauss and Kiki Prottsman. The cohort teachers relayed information to their grade level teams.

Teachers have received computer science training during professional development from the Computer Science Integration Coach and the Math Coach each year. Time was built into the trainings for the teachers to have some hands-on practice with devices.

Our teacher capacity building was given a huge boost with the award of the Professional Development Incentive Fund from the State of Iowa for Computer Science K-12 during the 2020-2021 school year! This allowed us to work with Samantha Dahlby from NewBoCo during our cohort meetings, and allowed us to have a weeklong professional learning in computer science right after school got out that year. We had over 40 teachers attend! We also had some teachers agree to do a coaching cycle with computer science integration. As part of this cycle, they were recorded teaching an EL or math lesson. These recordings were then shared with Samantha, and together they reflected on the lesson and looked for integration points. Some of these videos were viewed and discussed during our cohort meetings.

We reached out to our high school Makerspace students to get some help with the 3D printers. They joined us at one of our cohort meetings and showed us some of the programs that they use and showed us how the printer works.

Professional Learning Plan

Fall 2019

Participants: Guiding Coalitions (leadership teams) Richardson and Lincoln Elementary

Providers: District Administration and Teacher Leadership Coordinator

Content: Explain and begin to build understanding and support of Computer Science is Elementary vision

2019-20 School Year

Participants: K-3 Computer Science teacher team

Providers: Code.org Trainers, District Instructional Coaches

Content: Code.org curriculum, computer programming basics

2020-21 School Year

Participants: K-3 Computer Science teacher team

Providers: Team and District Instructional Coaches, Samantha Dahlby from NewBoCo

Content: Learning together and curriculum planning and design for infusing computer science into reading and math curriculum

2021 Spring

Participants: All K-3 teachers

Providers: Computer Science and Math Instructional Coaches

Content: Computational Thinking and integration

2021 Summer Week-Long Workshop

Participants: About 45 PreK - 8th grade teachers

Providers: Samantha Dahlby from NewBoCo (Incentive Fund Grant) and District Instructional Coaches

Content: Computer Science Integration - Connecting computer science across the curriculum.

2021-22 School Year

Participants: K-3 Computer Science teacher team

Providers: Teacher Team and business partners

Content: Learning together and planning of problem-based projects