ASSIST-MSCS is addressing critical needs of middle school computer science (CS) teachers across the country by deepening their knowledge of CS concepts and supporting their formative assessment practices.

Equity in CS education through quality instruction

Public demand for CS education in K-12 classrooms is high, yet the number of teachers with a thorough understanding of CS concepts is limited. Typically, CS teacher professional development (PD) is focused on learning about a specific CS tool or programming language and how to facilitate a specific curriculum. ASSIST-MSCS aims to supplement middle school teachers’ curriculum-specific PD with standards-focused professional learning experiences that develop an understanding of (a) the CS concepts underlying the standards, and (b) how to use formative assessments to evaluate and support student progress toward the standards. By developing CS teachers’ content and pedagogical knowledge as called for in the Computer Science Teachers Association (CSTA) Standards for CS Teachers, we anticipate improved CS instruction and student learning. Through ASSIST, our goal is to support middle school CS teachers using any CS curriculum in any programming language.

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