CTCS: Integrating Computational Thinking into English Language Arts and Math, Building an Onramp to Computer Science in Grades K-5

Among the greatest barriers to elementary computer science education is a lack of time during the school day, especially given the ramping up of emphasis on state testing. To reach the most vulnerable learners with equitable, high-quality CS education, educators and researchers must find a way to marry computing and core disciplines in a way that will do justice to all subjects and meet the needs of all teachers and learners.

This partnership between Cornell University, New York University, The New York City Department of Education’s CSforALL unit, and a New York public elementary school aims to address this issue by integrating computational thinking into English Language Arts and math classes. This project builds on a three-year pilot that demonstrated promise in this approach to build confidence in computer science for both the teachers and the students they serve.

Reproducing this success in partnership with the nation’s largest school district will provide a vehicle to broadening participation to Black and Latinx students and those with disabilities by creating an accessible path to rigorous computer science.

Building on a three-year pilot, the Computational Thinking to Computer Science Research-Practice Partnership is refining and piloting instructional materials that integrate computer science and computational thinking into K-5 classrooms. The goals of the project are the following. (a) Build on an earlier pilot with a NYC public elementary school serving 1700 primarily Latinx students to integrate CT and CS into math and ELA. (b) Support and study the implementation of a tasks-based CT and CS curriculum and professional development model in two NYC public schools to understand its impact on teachers and students. (c) Identify the levers for making CTCS scalable in NYC public schools in pursuit of CSforAll.

The project is supporting two K-5 schools designated by the New York City Department of Education by providing a facilitator to lead school-wide professional development, co-facilitate teacher Professional Learning Community meetings, and build teacher and teacher leader capacity to implement the English and Language Arts tasks with Computer Science units. The research and evaluation conducted by the project are examining how prior Computational Thinking learning may shape teacher agency in leading computer-science instruction.

The implementation design is investigating the potential ways in which teacher efficacy for teaching computer science improves when introduced to computational thinking first. Confidence and implementation are being measured and compared.

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.