Using this Toolkit to Build Pathways for Computational Thinking
This toolkit helps school and district leaders establish system-wide K-12 pathways that support equitable participation in computational thinking that is consistent across classrooms, cumulative from year to year, and competency-based.
How to use this toolkit
The toolkit is organized into three sequential sections: Why, What and How. Resources within each section will help you to:
- Articulate why equitable participation in computing is an essential initiative in your district
- Define and align what computational thinking looks like in your district
- Design and improve how the pathway is implemented in your district
Why? Your district’s vision
Clarifying your district’s vision sets the stage for your computational thinking pathway. Begin by assessing where you are and where you want to go.
- Self-assessment: SCRIPT
After you assemble the leadership team for designing the “why” of your computational thinking pathway, use the SCRIPT survey to start a discussion about your upcoming implementation.
What? Your district’s pathway
With a clear understanding of why computational thinking matters to your district, you can begin the process of defining what your pathway looks like. The resources in this section will help you create a map of learner progressions from K-12, which will be the center of your pathway.
- Self-assessment: Focus Groups
After you have defined what your pathway looks like with a competency map, use this sample focus group protocol to check in with different stakeholder groups and refine your rollout plan.
How? Your district’s rollout plan
Now that you’ve identified why computational thinking is important to your districts and defined what competencies students will develop, it’s time to plan how you will roll out your pathway. This roll out plan should include opportunities for teachers to engage in professional learning and formative assessments to guide improvement. The toolkit will soon provide additional resources to support learning as well.
- Self-Assessment: Thematic Analysis
After you have collected data about implementation in your district, use this thematic analysis example to analyze data to inform pathway modifications to better align with your vision.
Acknowledgments
Special thanks to the Core district partners in this research-practice partnership:
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| Indian Prairie School District 204 | Iowa City Community School District | Talladega County Schools |
Additional thanks to the Pilot district partners in this collaboration.
For more about the participating districts, learn about the League of Innovative Schools.
