Background. The Standards for Computer Science (CS) Teachers include indicators related to classroom practices. To assess teacher proficiency related to these indicators at scale, we created and pilot-tested a vignette-based measure of K-5 CS teacher proficiencies related to Standards 2, 4, and 5.

Professional learning programs for computer science (CS) teachers primarily rely on self-reported data from participants to understand the learning impact on teachers and improve teacher growth. We developed and piloted a set of standardized measures of teacher growth aligned with Standards 2-5 of the Computer Science Teachers Association (CSTA) Standards for CS Teachers. We created a rubric from the 29 indicators across the four standards by merging similar concepts. We reduced these 29 indicators into 18 rubric items placed in one of three groups: Planning (9 items), Assessing (3 items), and Professional Development (6 items). We also created scales for measuring progress on each item based on the criteria for each standard. After creating an entry form based on the rubric items, we conducted a two-cycle pilot process, with teachers (n=24) completing the entry form and providing feedback in the form and in focus groups. We then applied revisions to the process, and conducted a second pilot with a different set of teachers (n=29). Teachers reported multiple ways to improve the process, including understanding their own growth path as a CS teacher. In this experience report, we describe the process of creating the rubric, the two-phase pilot used to gather feedback from the teachers, and the changes that we made to the rubric based on teacher feedback. We also provide a high-level description of the 18 items in the rubric, lessons learned, and recommendations.

The Computer Science Teachers Association (CSTA) Professional Development (PD) committee is responsible for curating a list of PD opportunities for dissemination to CS teachers. The committee developed and revised a research-based rubric and has used it to accredit PD programs that meet a baseline of quality. This paper reports on the process of accreditation and trends in CS teacher PD, as well as recommendations to PD providers based on trends in the data collected by the committee. This paper is a story of the evolution of the accreditation process and the tool used to measure quality PD. PD providers are encouraged to adopt best practices in supporting teacher growth.

Complex systems are difficult for many students to understand. But new technologies are promising tools for helping students learn about systems thinking. In this paper, I present a case study of a middle school student creating stories in Scratch to learn about programming and complex systems. I discuss his learning in relation to the affordances of the Scratch activities and the student's abilities and goals. Results show that while the student did learn about programming, the linearity of stories in Scratch did not afford opportunities for learning about interconnections in complex systems.