Computer Science Teachers Association Llc

EXPANDED COMPUTER SCIENCE PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT WEEK (E_CSPD_WK)

COMPUTER SCIENCE FOR ENGLISH LEARNERS (CSFOREL): INCREASING PARTICIPATION AND ACHIEVEMENT IN ADVANCED PLACEMENT COMPUTER SCIENCE PRINCIPLES (AP CSP) FOR ENGLISH LEARNERS

AI PD WEEKS: CS FOUNDATIONS FOR CREATING WITH AI -ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE (AI) IS RAPIDLY TRANSFORMING WORK, CIVIC LIFE, AND LEARNING, YET MOST K-12 TEACHERS LACK THE PREPARATION NEEDED TO UNDERSTAND HOW AI SYSTEMS WORK, HOW THEY CONNECT TO FOUNDATIONAL COMPUTER SCIENCE, AND HOW TO DESIGN INSTRUCTION IN WHICH STUDENTS MEANINGFULLY CREATE WITH AI RATHER THAN SIMPLY CONSUME AI-GENERATED OUTPUTS. THIS PROJECT RESPONDS TO THE NATIONAL NEED FOR TEACHER PREPARATION BY EXTENDING A PROVEN, MULTI-STATE COMPUTER SCIENCE TEACHER PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT MODEL INTO A COHERENT, AI-FOCUSED INITIATIVE THAT WILL PREPARE K-12 TEACHERS TO INTEGRATE AI AND COMPUTER SCIENCE CONCEPTS AT SCALE. AI PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT WEEKS COMBINE INTENSIVE, STRAND-BASED SUMMER PROFESSIONAL LEARNING WITH SUSTAINED COMMUNITY SUPPORT THROUGH EXISTING STATE AND LOCAL NETWORKS, CREATING A SCALABLE INFRASTRUCTURE FOR RAPIDLY EXPANDING AI TEACHING CAPACITY. THIS PROJECT WILL EXPAND AI AND COMPUTER SCIENCE LEARNING OPPORTUNITIES FOR HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS OF STUDENTS BY EQUIPPING THOUSANDS OF TEACHERS ACROSS MULTIPLE STATES WITH THE CONTENT KNOWLEDGE AND INSTRUCTIONAL STRATEGIES NEEDED TO TEACH FOUNDATIONAL AI AND COMPUTER SCIENCE CONTENT. THIS PROJECT EXAMINES HOW TEACHERS INTEGRATE AI CONCEPTS, TOOLS, AND ETHICAL CONSIDERATIONS INTO INSTRUCTION WHEN SUPPORTED BY INTENSIVE PROFESSIONAL LEARNING AND ONGOING COMMUNITY. IT ALSO DOCUMENTS THE INFRASTRUCTURE, PARTNERSHIPS, AND CONDITIONS THAT ENABLE AI-FOCUSED PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT TO SCALE EFFICIENTLY ACROSS VARIED STATE AND LOCAL CONTEXTS. RESEARCH ACTIVITIES INCLUDE SYSTEMATIC COLLECTION OF PRE- AND POST-ASSESSMENTS, SURVEYS, INSTRUCTIONAL ARTIFACTS, AND PARTICIPATION RECORDS. FINDINGS CONTRIBUTE TO RESEARCH ON TEACHER KNOWLEDGE DEVELOPMENT, AI PEDAGOGY, AND LARGE-SCALE TEACHER LEARNING SYSTEMS AT A MOMENT OF URGENT NATIONAL NEED. THE PROJECT WILL PRODUCE A REPLICABLE AI PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT WEEK AND MINI-WEEK MODEL, IMPLEMENTATION TOOLKIT, AND OPENLY SHARED RESOURCES THAT STATES AND DISTRICTS CAN ADOPT TO BUILD SUSTAINABLE AI TEACHING CAPACITY. THIS AWARD REFLECTS NSF'S STATUTORY MISSION AND HAS BEEN DEEMED WORTHY OF SUPPORT THROUGH EVALUATION USING THE FOUNDATION'S INTELLECTUAL MERIT AND BROADER IMPACTS REVIEW CRITERIA.- SUBAWARDS ARE NOT PLANNED FOR THIS AWARD.

COMPUTER SCIENCE TEACHER PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT PASSPORT ALLIANCE -THE COMPUTER SCIENCE TEACHERS ASSOCIATION (CSTA) IN COLLABORATION WITH CSEDRESEARCH.ORG AND THE AMERICAN INSTITUTES FOR RESEARCH (AIR) WILL DEVELOP AN ALLIANCE TO TRACK PARTICIPATION IN PREK-12 COMPUTER SCIENCE (CS) TEACHER PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT (PD) EXPERIENCES. TO PREPARE STUDENTS TO LEARN CS SKILLS AND COMPETENCIES NEEDED TO THRIVE IN MODERN SOCIETY, IT IS CRITICAL TO SUPPORT PK-12 CS TEACHERS WITH PD EXPERIENCES. THERE HAS BEEN A LACK OF CONSISTENT TRACKING OF PARTICIPATION AND OUTCOMES FOR INDIVIDUAL CS TEACHERS ACROSS CS EDUCATION RESEARCH PROJECTS. AN ALLIANCE OF THREE LEADING CS EDUCATION ORGANIZATIONS WILL DEVELOP A CS PD PASSPORT SYSTEM TO ADDRESS THIS MAJOR INFRASTRUCTURE CHALLENGE, ALLOWING US TO MORE ACCURATELY ANSWER QUESTIONS LIKE ?HOW MANY UNIQUE PK-12 TEACHERS HAVE ENGAGED IN NSF-FUNDED COMPUTER SCIENCE PD OPPORTUNITIES?? AND ?WHAT ARE THE DEMOGRAPHICS OF PK-12 TEACHERS WHO HAVE ENGAGED IN COMPUTER SCIENCE NSF-FUNDED PD OPPORTUNITIES?? TEACHERS WILL BENEFIT FROM HAVING A COMMON PLACE FOR RECORD FOR VALIDATED PARTICIPATION IN CS PD, WHICH CAN BE USED TO PROVE COMPLETION OF PD FOR CONTINUING EDUCATION CREDITS, HIGHLIGHT SKILLS FOR FUTURE EMPLOYERS, AND UNLOCK ACCESS TO MORE ADVANCE PD OPPORTUNITIES. PD PROVIDERS WILL BENEFIT FROM SIMPLIFIED REPORTING AND BETTER TARGET RECRUITMENT OF PARTICIPANTS, ESPECIALLY WHEN SEEKING TO WORK WITH TEACHERS WHO TEACH HISTORICALLY MARGINALIZED IN CS. ULTIMATELY, THE ALLIANCE AIMS FOR A WORLD WHERE WIDESPREAD ADOPTION OF THE PD PASSPORT LEADS TO STATE DEPARTMENTS OF EDUCATION AND SCHOOL DISTRICTS USING THIS PLATFORM TO IMPLEMENT NEW TEACHER CERTIFICATION PATHWAYS AND CONTINUING PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT CREDIT REQUIREMENTS. OVER THREE YEARS, THE PROJECT WILL FULFILL THREE PRIMARY GOALS: (1) DEVELOP AND PILOT A SYSTEM FOR NSF-FUNDED CS EDUCATION RESEARCH PROJECTS TO REPORT THEIR PD CHARACTERISTICS, PARTICIPATING TEACHER DEMOGRAPHICS, AND OTHER DATA IDENTIFIED THROUGH RESEARCH AND EVALUATION; (2) CREATE A PD PASSPORT SYSTEM THAT PK-12 CS TEACHERS CAN USE AS PART OF THEIR PROFESSIONAL PORTFOLIO; AND (3) IDENTIFY AND SUPPORT THE CONDITIONS NECESSARY FOR SUSTAINING THE PD PASSPORT BEYOND THE LIFE OF THE GRANT. THE ALLIANCE AIMS TO DEVELOP A SYSTEM THAT TEACHERS, PD PROVIDERS, AND NSF FIND USEFUL, USABLE, FINDABLE, VALUABLE, ACCESSIBLE, AND CREDIBLE. RESEARCH WILL UTILIZE A USER DESIGN FRAMEWORK TO DEFINE USER CONSIDERATIONS AND FUNCTIONAL REQUIREMENTS, CHALLENGES AND IMPLICATIONS RELATED TO DATA PRIVACY, AND BUILDING TRUST WITH USERS. FORMATIVE AND SUMMATIVE EVALUATION WILL INVOLVE SEMI-STRUCTURED FOCUS GROUPS AND USABILITY TESTING WITH BOTH TEACHERS AND CS PD PROVIDERS FROM NSF-FUNDED PROJECTS, EXTANT DATA ANALYSES, AND AN ADVISORY BOARD OF CS EDUCATION AND RESEARCH EVALUATION METHODOLOGY EXPERTS. THIS AWARD REFLECTS NSF'S STATUTORY MISSION AND HAS BEEN DEEMED WORTHY OF SUPPORT THROUGH EVALUATION USING THE FOUNDATION'S INTELLECTUAL MERIT AND BROADER IMPACTS REVIEW CRITERIA.- SUBAWARDS ARE PLANNED FOR THIS AWARD.

SCALING MENTORS IN CS (MATCHING EXPERIENCED AND NOVICE TEACHERS FOR ONGOING RIGOROUS SUPPORT IN COMPUTER SCIENCE) -THE COMPUTER SCIENCE TEACHERS ASSOCIATION (CSTA), IN COLLABORATION WITH THE CSTA CHAPTERS IN WISCONSIN AND NEW JERSEY, THE CSTA BLACK AFFINITY GROUP, AND WESTED, WILL IMPLEMENT SCALING MENTORS IN CS (MATCHING EXPERIENCED AND NOVICE TEACHERS FOR ONGOING RIGOROUS SUPPORT IN COMPUTER SCIENCE), A CSFORALL HIGH SCHOOL STRAND RESEARCH-PRACTICE PARTNERSHIP TO EXPAND AND ITERATIVELY IMPROVE A PEER MENTORSHIP PROGRAM TO PROVIDE ONGOING, RIGOROUS, AND JOB-EMBEDDED SUPPORT TO HIGH SCHOOL TEACHERS WHO ARE NEW TO TEACHING COMPUTER SCIENCE (CS). WHILE NOVICE TEACHERS OFTEN REQUIRE MORE INTENSIVE SUPPORT TO BE EFFECTIVE, THERE ARE RELATIVELY FEW OPPORTUNITIES FOR ONGOING PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT AND SUPPORT IN CS. IN THIS PROJECT, EXPERIENCED CS TEACHERS WILL GUIDE NOVICE CS TEACHERS IN SETTING, MONITORING PROGRESS TOWARD, AND MEETING INDIVIDUALIZED GROWTH GOALS TO STRENGTHEN THEIR TEACHING PRACTICES AND THEIR ABILITY TO EFFECTIVELY SERVE STUDENTS TRADITIONALLY UNDERREPRESENTED IN CS, PARTICULARLY AFRICAN AMERICAN AND HISPANIC STUDENTS AND STUDENTS FROM ECONOMICALLY DISADVANTAGED BACKGROUNDS. THIS PROJECT WILL REACH 152 CS TEACHERS IN THREE YEARS, IMPACTING APPROXIMATELY 18,240 STUDENTS. KEY PROJECT ACTIVITIES INVOLVE RECRUITING AND MATCHING TEACHERS IN MENTORING PARTNERSHIPS; TRAINING MENTORS AND HOSTING REGULAR COMMUNITY OF PRACTICE MEETINGS; HOLDING FREQUENT MENTORING MEETINGS; AND USING RESEARCH AND EVALUATION DATA TO ITERATIVELY IMPROVE THE PROGRAM AND OUTCOMES. THE SCALING MENTORS IN CS PARTNERS EXPECT THE FOLLOWING PROJECT OUTCOMES: (1) GROWTH IN CS TEACHING KNOWLEDGE AND CONFIDENCE IN TEACHING CS, AS MEASURED BY SURVEYS, INTERVIEWS, MENTOR EVALUATIONS, AND SELF-REFLECTIONS; (2) GROWTH IN MENTORING SKILLS, AS MEASURED BY SURVEYS, INTERVIEWS, AND FOCUS GROUPS; (3) INCREASED USE OF EQUITABLE AND INCLUSIVE TEACHING PRACTICES, AS MEASURED BY SURVEYS, INTERVIEWS, AND MENTOR EVALUATIONS; AND (4) INCREASED COMMITMENT TO CS TEACHING, AS MEASURED BY SURVEYS AND INTERVIEWS. THIS PROJECT SCALES THE MENTORS IN CS PROGRAM TO TWO NEW COMMUNITIES, WHILE LEARNING HOW TO ADJUST PROGRAM STRUCTURES TO MEET VARYING SOCIOCULTURAL AND EDUCATIONAL CONTEXTS. WITH SUCCESS, THE TEAM SUPPORTED BY THIS GRANT INTENDS TO APPLY FOR A FUTURE LARGE-SIZED PROPOSAL TO SCALE FAR MORE BROADLY ACROSS CSTA?S GROWING NETWORK OF 100+ REGIONAL CHAPTERS AND AFFINITY GROUPS, ULTIMATELY REACHING THOUSANDS OF TEACHERS ACROSS THE UNITED STATES. THIS AWARD REFLECTS NSF'S STATUTORY MISSION AND HAS BEEN DEEMED WORTHY OF SUPPORT THROUGH EVALUATION USING THE FOUNDATION'S INTELLECTUAL MERIT AND BROADER IMPACTS REVIEW CRITERIA.- SUBAWARDS ARE PLANNED FOR THIS AWARD.

CONFERENCE: BRIDGE TO POSTSECONDARY COMPUTER SCIENCE -THE COMPUTER SCIENCE TEACHERS ASSOCIATION (CSTA) WILL LEAD THE BRIDGE TO POSTSECONDARY COMPUTER SCIENCE (CS) PROJECT AND HOST CONVENINGS OF THE CS EDUCATION COMMUNITY AND PRODUCE A REPORT OUTLINING RECOMMENDATIONS ON THE CONTENT OF A HIGH SCHOOL COMPUTER SCIENCE COURSE TO SATISFY A GRADUATION REQUIREMENT, THE ALIGNMENT OF SUCH A COURSE WITH ADVANCED PLACEMENT COMPUTER SCIENCE COURSES AND INTRODUCTORY POST-SECONDARY COURSES, AND MODEL PATHWAYS FOR HIGH SCHOOL COMPUTER SCIENCE BEYOND AN INTRODUCTORY COURSE FOR ALL STUDENTS. THE BRIDGE TO POSTSECONDARY CS PROJECT SEEKS TO UNDERSTAND AND PROVIDE RECOMMENDATIONS BASED ON HOW THESE FORCES SHOULD INFORM THE FUTURE OF FOUNDATIONAL HIGH SCHOOL COMPUTER SCIENCE, AP COMPUTER SCIENCE, THE INTRODUCTORY EXPERIENCE AT INSTITUTIONS OF HIGHER EDUCATION, AND COURSE PATHWAYS IN HIGH SCHOOL. TIMED TO PROVIDE RECOMMENDATIONS AHEAD OF UPDATES TO THE CSTA STANDARDS AND AP COMPUTER SCIENCE COURSE FRAMEWORKS, THE RESULTS OF THIS PROJECT HAVE THE POTENTIAL TO INFLUENCE CONTENT USED BY OVER 40 STATE DEPARTMENTS OF EDUCATION, CURRICULUM AND PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT PROVIDERS ACROSS THE FIELD, AND HIGH SCHOOL COURSES TAKEN BY TENS OF THOUSANDS OF STUDENTS ANNUALLY. ACROSS 18 MONTHS, THE BRIDGE TO POSTSECONDARY COMPUTER SCIENCE (CS) PROJECT WILL HOST CONVENINGS OF THE CS EDUCATION COMMUNITY AND PRODUCE A REPORT OUTLINING RECOMMENDATIONS ON THE CONTENT OF A HIGH SCHOOL COMPUTER SCIENCE COURSE TO SATISFY A GRADUATION REQUIREMENT, THE ALIGNMENT OF SUCH A COURSE WITH AP COMPUTER SCIENCE COURSES AND INTRODUCTORY POST-SECONDARY COURSES, AND MODEL PATHWAYS FOR HIGH SCHOOL COMPUTER SCIENCE BEYOND AN INTRODUCTORY COURSE FOR ALL STUDENTS. WITH THE LONG-TERM GOAL OF CREATING CLEAR ALIGNMENT OF CS COURSES THAT FULFILL A HIGH SCHOOL GRADUATION REQUIREMENT, AP COMPUTER SCIENCE COURSES, AND INTRODUCTORY POST- SECONDARY COMPUTER SCIENCE COURSES, BRIDGE TO POSTSECONDARY CS PARTNERS EXPECT THE FOLLOWING PROJECT OUTCOMES OVER THE GRANT PERIOD: (1) THREE MEETINGS OF REPRESENTATIVES FROM ACROSS THE K- 13 CS EDUCATION LANDSCAPE (INCLUDING TEACHERS, ADMINISTRATORS, 2- AND 4-YEAR COLLEGE INSTRUCTORS, CURRICULUM DEVELOPERS, AND INDUSTRY), WITH WRITTEN SUMMARIES SHARED WITH THE PUBLIC; (2) RELEASE OF A WRITTEN REPORT WITH RECOMMENDATIONS ON THE CONTENT THAT SHOULD BE INCLUDED IN COURSES SATISFYING A HIGH SCHOOL GRADUATION REQUIREMENT, AND HOW FUTURE CSTA STANDARDS AND AP COURSES COULD BE ADJUSTED TO ALIGN WITH SUCH A COURSE; (3) MODELS OF HIGH SCHOOL COMPUTER SCIENCE COURSES (HIGH LEVEL COURSE DESCRIPTIONS AND OUTCOMES) THAT CREATE POTENTIAL PATHWAYS BEYOND AN INTRODUCTORY COURSE FOR ALL STUDENTS; AND (4) A FRAMEWORK THAT ENABLES A SYSTEMATIC AND DELIBERATE PROCESS FOR EXAMINING AND RECREATING SIMILAR PATHWAYS IN THE FUTURE. TO BROADEN PARTICIPATION, THE PROJECT WILL SEEK TO ALIGN VARIOUS STAKEHOLDERS, AT A TIME WHEN MOMENTUM IS ON CS EDUCATION?S SIDE, TO CREATE AN ALIGNED AND COHERENT COURSE FRAMEWORK THAT COULD INCREASE ACCESS, PARTICIPATION, HIGH SCHOOL AND COLLEGE COURSE CREDENTIALS, AND HAVE IT ALIGNED TO INDUSTRY NEEDS. THIS AWARD REFLECTS NSF'S STATUTORY MISSION AND HAS BEEN DEEMED WORTHY OF SUPPORT THROUGH EVALUATION USING THE FOUNDATION'S INTELLECTUAL MERIT AND BROADER IMPACTS REVIEW CRITERIA.

COLLABORATIVE RESEARCH: UNIVERSAL DESIGN THROUGH PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT AND SYSTEMS CHANGE TO INCREASE ACCESS TO K-8 COMPUTER SCIENCE EDUCATION FOR LEARNERS WITH DISABILITIES -PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES ARE LARGELY UNDERREPRESENTED IN COMPUTING. INCREASING ACCESS TO COMPUTER SCIENCE (CS) EDUCATION FOR THE BROAD RANGE OF LEARNERS WITH DISABILITIES PRESENTS AN EQUITY ISSUE. THIS PROJECT STARTS FROM THE UNDERSTANDING THAT STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES HAVE A RIGHTFUL PRESENCE TO BE INCLUDED IN COMPUTER SCIENCE CLASSROOMS. IN ADDITION TO THE BARRIERS THAT ARE ALREADY BEING RESEARCHED TO PROVIDE ACCESS FOR K-8 GENERAL EDUCATION STUDENTS IN COMPUTER SCIENCE, THE FIELD NEEDS TO ADDRESS THE MISCONCEPTIONS BROADLY EXISTING AROUND STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES ENGAGING IN STEM FIELDS. FOCUSING ON STUDENTS? FIRST EXPERIENCES WITH COMPUTING IN SCHOOL CONTEXTS, THIS PROJECT SEEKS TO FUNDAMENTALLY IMPROVE THE LEVEL OF ACCESS, ENGAGEMENT, AND LEARNING FOR K-8 LEARNERS WITH DISABILITIES WHO HAVE A RIGHTFUL PRESENCE IN COMPUTER SCIENCE AND ROBOTICS EDUCATION. THROUGH A NETWORKED IMPROVEMENT COMMUNITY RESEARCH-PRACTICE PARTNERSHIP, THIS PROJECT WILL BROADEN PARTICIPATION BY COLLECTIVELY WORKING TOWARDS INCLUSION OF K-8 STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES IN THREE LARGE, DIVERSE K-12 SCHOOL CONTEXTS: BROWARD COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOLS IN FLORIDA, CHICAGO PUBLIC SCHOOLS IN ILLINOIS, AND, AND THE COMPUTER SCIENCE TEACHERS ASSOCIATION?S NATIONWIDE COMMUNITY OF PRACTICE. THE COLLABORATIVE PARTNERSHIP WILL (1) BRING TOGETHER COHORTS OF SPECIAL AND GENERAL EDUCATION TEACHERS IN BOTH FACE-TO-FACE AND ONLINE PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT FOCUSING ON UNIVERSAL DESIGN FOR LEARNING AND HIGH LEVERAGE PRACTICES, (2) INVESTIGATE THE NEEDS, BARRIERS, AND STRATEGIES FOR SPECIAL AND GENERAL EDUCATION TEACHERS TO MEET THE NEEDS OF STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES IN K-8 CS EDUCATION, (3) BUILD AND DISSEMINATE A SHARED PRACTICAL KNOWLEDGE BASE ABOUT WAYS IN WHICH PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT FOR GENERAL AND SPECIAL EDUCATION TEACHERS CAN CONTRIBUTE TO INCLUSIVE CS EDUCATION, AND (4) COMBAT MISPERCEPTIONS ABOUT WHAT STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES CAN ACCOMPLISH IN STEM EDUCATION. THIS PROJECT IS A NETWORKED IMPROVEMENT COMMUNITY RESEARCH-PRACTICE PARTNERSHIP AIMED AT ADDRESSING A SHARED PROBLEM OF PRACTICE RELATED TO THE LIMITED INCLUSION OF LEARNERS WITH DISABILITIES IN CS EDUCATION. THE PARTNERSHIP WILL LEVERAGE IMPROVEMENT SCIENCE AND DESIGN-BASED IMPLEMENTATION RESEARCH TO DEVELOP IMPROVEMENT GOALS AND UTILIZE A SHARED SET OF MEASURES TO UNDERSTAND VARIATION AND MAKE PROGRESS ACROSS A VARIETY OF CONTEXTS. NECESSARY STEPS TO ENSURING EQUITABLE ACCESS AND QUALITY CS EDUCATION FOR STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES INCLUDE: (1) STRENGTHENING THE PARTNERSHIP THROUGH DEVELOPING A SHARED THEORY OF IMPROVEMENT, (2) DEVELOPING AND REVISING SHARED SYSTEMS OF MEASURES, (3) VALUING PRACTITIONER EXPERTISE AND SHARED LEADERSHIP, (4) CAPACITY-BUILDING THROUGH ONGOING TEACHER PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT AND PROFESSIONAL LEARNING COMMUNITIES, AND (5) CYCLES OF DESIGN-BASED IMPLEMENTATION IMPROVEMENT CYCLES. AS A NETWORKED IMPROVEMENT COMMUNITY, WE WILL INVESTIGATE THE LEVEL OF INCLUSION OF LEARNERS WITH DISABILITIES ACROSS DIFFERENT K-8 CS INSTRUCTIONAL SETTINGS, INCLUDING CATALYSTS AND BARRIERS TO INCLUSION ACROSS THE SCHOOL CONTEXTS; AND HOW INSTRUCTIONAL PRACTICES SUCH AS UNIVERSAL DESIGN FOR LEARNING, HIGH LEVERAGE PRACTICES AND ACCESSIBILITY ARE ENACTED BY GENERAL AND SPECIAL EDUCATION TEACHERS ACROSS MULTIPLE K-8 CS SETTINGS. LASTLY, WE WILL USE A MIXED METHODS APPROACH TO UNDERSTAND EACH PARTNERS? UNIQUE CONTEXTS AND LARGE-SCALE QUANTITATIVE ANALYSIS OF THE PARTICIPATION OF K-8 STUDENTS ACROSS SETTINGS. THIS PROJECT IS FUNDED THROUGH THE COMPUTER SCIENCE FOR ALL: RESEARCH AND RPPS PROGRAM. THIS AWARD REFLECTS NSF'S STATUTORY MISSION AND HAS BEEN DEEMED WORTHY OF SUPPORT THROUGH EVALUATION USING THE FOUNDATION'S INTELLECTUAL MERIT AND BROADER IMPACTS REVIEW CRITERIA.- SUBAWARDS ARE PLANNED FOR THIS AWARD.

MATCHING EXPERIENCED AND NOVICE TEACHERS FOR ONGOING RIGOROUS SUPPORT IN COMPUTER SCIENCE (MENTORS IN CS)

CONFERENCE: IDENTIFYING AI PRIORITIES FOR ALL K-12 STUDENTS -ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE (AI) IS GENERATING TRANSFORMATIONAL IMPACT IN THE WORLD AND PEOPLE'S LIVES. IT IS IMPERATIVE THAT ALL K-12 STUDENTS DEVELOP A FOUNDATIONAL UNDERSTANDING OF COMPUTER SCIENCE THAT INCLUDES AI. THIS WILL BE NECESSARY TO SUPPORT THEM IN NAVIGATING THEIR DAILY LIVES AND PREPARING THEM FOR THEIR FUTURE CAREERS, REGARDLESS OF INDUSTRY, AND WILL ALSO ENABLE THE DEVELOPMENT OF A DIVERSE PIPELINE OF STUDENTS WHO CHOOSE TO CONTINUE STUDYING AND WORKING IN AI AFTER HIGH SCHOOL. WHILE THE AI FOR K-12 INITIATIVE (AI4K12) HAS PUBLISHED NATIONAL GUIDELINES FOR AI EDUCATION, THESE LEARNING OUTCOMES ARE TOO NUMEROUS TO BE COVERED IN EXISTING K-12 COMPUTER SCIENCE CLASSES. THIS CONFERENCE WILL ADDRESS THE URGENT QUESTION OF WHAT AI CONTENT SHOULD TEACHERS PRIORITIZE FOR ALL STUDENTS IN EACH K-12 GRADE BAND?. THE COMPUTER SCIENCE TEACHERS ASSOCIATION (CSTA) AND AI4K12 WILL ANSWER THIS QUESTION BY CONVENING A DIVERSE GROUP OF EXPERTS REPRESENTING EDUCATORS, RESEARCHERS, CURRICULUM DEVELOPERS, AND STATE EDUCATION AGENCIES. CENTERED AROUND A TWO-DAY WORKSHOP, CONFERENCE PARTICIPANTS WILL: (1) EXAMINE HOW CURRENT AI CURRICULA ALIGN WITH THE AI4K12 GUIDELINES, (2) IDENTIFY MISSING CONTENT FROM THE AI4K12 GUIDELINES, (3) SELECT THE MOST IMPORTANT INSTRUCTIONAL PRIORITIES FOR ALL STUDENTS ACROSS GRADES K-12, REGARDLESS OF THEIR FUTURE CAREER CHOICES; AND (4) IDENTIFY PRIORITIES FOR FUTURE RESEARCH ON K-12 AI EDUCATION. PROJECT OUTCOMES WILL PROVIDE TIMELY AND DETAILED INFORMATION FOR THE CSTA K-12 STANDARDS WRITERS, WHO WILL THEN TRANSFORM SUGGESTIONS INTO A SET OF WIDELY ADOPTED STANDARDS DESIGNED AS UNIVERSAL LEARNING OUTCOMES WITH PLANNED PUBLICATION IN SUMMER 2026. OUTCOMES WILL ALSO BE USED TO INFORM THE REVISION OF THE AI4K12 GUIDELINES TO INCORPORATE GENERATIVE AI AND TO RESPOND TO FEEDBACK FROM CONFERENCE PARTICIPANTS. THIS CONFERENCE PROJECT IS FUNDED BY THE INNOVATIVE TECHNOLOGY EXPERIENCES FOR STUDENTS AND TEACHERS (ITEST) PROGRAM, WHICH SUPPORTS PROJECTS THAT BUILD UNDERSTANDINGS OF PRACTICES, PROGRAM ELEMENTS, CONTEXTS, AND PROCESSES CONTRIBUTING TO INCREASING STUDENTS' KNOWLEDGE AND INTEREST IN SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY, ENGINEERING, AND MATHEMATICS (STEM) AND INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY (ICT) CAREERS. THIS AWARD REFLECTS NSF'S STATUTORY MISSION AND HAS BEEN DEEMED WORTHY OF SUPPORT THROUGH EVALUATION USING THE FOUNDATION'S INTELLECTUAL MERIT AND BROADER IMPACTS REVIEW CRITERIA.- SUBAWARDS ARE PLANNED FOR THIS AWARD.