Thank You for your interest in the Programming the Acceleration of Computing and Equity (PACE) program. Our vision for the PACE program evolved during a year-long series of meetings with the Massachusetts Association of School Superintendents. Our big-picture focus is to support school districts in creating a pilot middle school computer science program that would accomplish four priorities.
Provide every middle school student with an equal, sequential exposure to computer science over each of two to three years,
Provide the highest quality, standards based, computer science curriculum to build student knowledge/experience and interest,
Create an educational success experience that would motivate district to provide an array of options for all students to continue their computer science education in high school, and
Create a district Computer Science Stakeholder Council, composed of district and school leaders/staff to participate in monthly meetings supporting the development of a sustainable and equitable middle school to high school computer science pathway.
Systemic Change to Improve Equity in Computer Science Student Achievement addresses four systemic problems challenging the growth and equity of CS in K-12 education:
PROBLEM #1
Unavailable/episodic student engagement in computer science education.
Generally, only a small number of students had access to new CS courses, and often no more than 2-3 courses are offered by a school. While providing access to an increased number of students is a very important first step, the lack of a strategy to provide access to all students and to provide sustainable pathways to deeper knowledge and skills is troubling.
PROBLEM #2
Limited availability and varying quality of CS curriculum and PD.
During the 2012-2020 period, there was phenomenal growth in interest in K-12 CS education which, in turn, led to a sizable proliferation in the development of CS Curriculum. However, there was a wide discrepancy in both the quality of the curricula and the availability and quality of related professional development programs. Many districts were frustrated by the difficulty navigating the plethora of curricula options and by the challenge of mapping curricula to state standards.
PROBLEM #3
Lack of support for equitable engagement in CS.
While there has been an increase in the number of both female and underrepresented students enrolling in AP courses, the performance of underrepresented minority students continues to lag white and Asian students. While many teachers are doing their best to address equity issues, their task can be overwhelming without strong district leadership and engagement.
PROBLEM #4
Lack of sustained district stakeholder leadership for equitable, standards-based K-12 CS education.
Tasking teachers with the dual responsibility of learning new computer science content and teaching strategies and asking them to lead efforts to effectively address equity through their courses can be an overwhelming challenge. Implementing sustainable and scalable computer science pathways for college and careers requires highly visible district commitment to equitable, universal access and support at all grade levels.
Features of the Programming the Acceleration of Computing and Equity (PACE) Model that address these four problems are as follows:
Education Development Center, Inc.
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