Curriculum for a Comprehensive Statewide In-Service CS Teacher Training Program

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Abstract
Training teachers to teach high-quality computer science courses is an important step towards increasing participation in computer science. To meet this need, our Research Practitioner Partnership (RPP) was formed with the primary goal of creating a comprehensive, graduate-level program to train in-service CS teachers with little to no prior CS coursework. Since its formation, the RPP has iteratively designed, implemented, and evaluated a five-course program to improve participants' knowledge of computer science content and pedagogy while allowing them to earn the state's grades 5-12 computer science endorsement. Our program has successfully scaled from a single-site pilot to a truly statewide, multi-site program, emphasizing educator-based, standards-based, and cohort-based instruction. Currently, the RPP serves 250 in-service participants. In this paper, we explain the curriculum development process and delivery model for our program. In doing so, we discuss how the program was intentionally developed from the ground up by designing course offerings that align with the CSTA student and educator standards. We make a case for peer-based Communities of Practice (CoPs) as an essential element of such programs. Finally, we discuss feedback and lessons learned during our ongoing curriculum development process with the hope that these lessons may be valuable for similar organizations looking to create a comparable, comprehensive, CS teacher training program.
Funding Information
  • NSF (National Science Foundation) (2219497)