Exploring the K-12 computer science curriculum standards in the U.S
Meize Guo, Anne Todd Ottenbreit-Leftwich · 2020
In order to create early exposure and to guide more talent into computing, computer science was included in K-12 education as a new subject area in many states. Although each state has different educational goals, computer science curriculum standards ensure equality among the states, especially in guiding teaching and accessing students' achievements. In this study, we applied content analysis to investigate the published computer science standards to examine: (1) How did computer science standards fit within the whole curriculum? (2) What concepts were covered in the computer science standards in the U.S.? The results showed four approaches to housing computer science in the whole curriculum. The Computer Science Teachers Association Computer Science framework was broadly adopted. Moreover, three major concepts, computer literacy, digital citizenship, and computational thinking, were additionally emphasized at the state standard level. This study fundamentally reported K-12 CS promotion in the U.S. through an academic standard scope, which directs K-12 CS teaching and learning. Additionally, this study prompted a conversation of preparing for different kinds of computing skills at the K-12 level in the U.S. among the policy makers and scholars