State Superintendent Randy Dorn formally adopted Washington state’s first set of computer science standards Thursday at a signing at Tumwater High School, with Gov. Jay Inslee and State Superintendent-elect Chris Reykdal also in attendance.
“It’s crucial that today’s and tomorrow’s students are not only consumers of computer science, but also makers,” Dorn said. “What that means is that they will not only be able to use the latest and greatest mobile app, they will be able to create the latest and greatest mobile app.”
Dorn added that because many jobs in the future will require computer science knowledge, our students will fail to get those jobs without a solid education.
Gov. Inslee also noted the economic importance of computer science education. “We can have a state where every student has access to the education and skills that set them up for the best-paying jobs in the country, jobs our tech companies can’t hire fast enough for,” he said. “I’m excited to work with OSPI to make that happen.”
The adoption process for the standards followed that of other learning standards. After a panel of statewide experts created a draft – using national computer science standards as a guide – the public was invited to comment period. Finally, a bias and sensitivity review ensured that the standards are culturally sensitive and relevant.
The standards build from grade to grade, which means that fourth-grade standards can’t be mastered until after third-grade standards. As a few examples, the standards expect that students understand the difference between a tablet and desktop computer by second grade, how different file formats represent tradeoffs on quality vs. file size by grade eight, and issues that affect the speed of computer networks by grade 12.
Dorn said that another important aspect of the standards is their approach to computational thinking. In essence, computational thinking involves creating a solution to a problem. The process of creating solutions has applications to all subjects, he said.
“One key term in computer science is algorithms,” he said. “Algorithms are simply a set of instructions. To be efficient, a chef who has to make 50 salads in a night must have a process for making them all. That process is an algorithm.”
Andy Shouse, Chief Program Officer of Washington STEM, said that the standards will help students from every part of the state. “With the computer science standards as a guide, we can ensure students and teachers focus on the skills needed to be prepared for careers and life,” he said. “We’re ready to work throughout the state to ensure students from Spokane to Selah to Seattle benefit from a high quality computer science education.”
The standards adoption is part of a 4-5-year implementation process. During the next 6-9 months, OSPI will work with partners to identify short- and long-term needs of districts and to bring together best practices in integrating computer science into the classroom.
