Research has shown that factors such as teaching confidence and a sense of belonging influence an educator's classroom practice and motivation to remain in the profession. Although professional learning programs focused on CS content and pedagogy abound, opportunities to develop these affective components are often scarce for K-12 teachers. This is particularly true for those who are the sole CS educators at their school or are thrust into CS teaching with minimal preparation. To address this gap in support, we developed a peer mentoring program for high school teachers, featuring one-on-one mentoring focused on goals aligned with the Computer Science Teachers Association (CSTA) Standards for CS Teachers, a monthly community of practice for mentors to enhance their mentoring skills to better support their mentees, and numerous opportunities for community building among all participants. Drawing on four years of experience partnering with three CS teacher communities and analyzing evidence of growth from survey and interview data, we illustrate how we designed a program that fosters the professional development of both mentors and mentees, while incorporating a focus on equitable CS teaching. As more stakeholders create programs to support in-service and pre-service teachers transitioning to CS education, the insights shared in this experience report can provide guidance on developing initiatives that holistically support educators and contribute to a more sustained and well-prepared K-12 CS teaching workforce.

While national initiatives such as CS10K have expanded efforts to prepare high school computer science (CS) teachers, many educators report limited opportunities to engage in sustained professional learning that emphasizes collaboration, mentoring, and instructional development. In response to this persistent gap, our team developed MENTORS in CS, an equity-focused peer mentoring program designed to support high school teachers within their first three years of teaching CS. Over five years, the program has reached more than 150 educators across the U.S., with participants reporting increased teaching confidence, commitment to CS education, and a stronger sense of professional belonging. This tutorial will introduce participants to the structure, practices, and materials that underpin MENTORS in CS, with the goal of supporting attendees in designing or enhancing their own mentoring initiatives. Participants will engage in structured activities to: (1) analyze sociocultural and educational data to inform program design for specific teacher communities; (2) explore mentoring-focused community of practice activities that promote equity and pedagogical growth; and (3) review and apply tools that support goal setting aligned with the CSTA Standards for CS Teachers. The session will also include brief framing presentations, opportunities for peer exchange, and access to an implementation guidebook. This tutorial is intended for teacher educators, university faculty, and leaders of K–12 CS professional learning communities. Attendees will leave with practical strategies, adaptable resources, and a clearer understanding of how peer mentoring can contribute to a more supported, confident, and sustained CS teaching workforce.

In the United States, state learning standards guide curriculum, assessment, teacher certification, and other key drivers of the student learning experience. Investigating standards allows us to answer a lot of big questions about the field of K-12 computer science (CS) education. Our team has created a dataset of state-level K-12 CS standards for all US states that currently have such standards (n = 42). This dataset was created by CS subject matter experts, who - for each of the approximately 10,000 state CS standards - manually tagged its assigned grade level/band, category/topic, and, if applicable, which CSTA standard it is identical or similar to. We also determined the standards' cognitive complexity using Bloom's Revised Taxonomy. Using the dataset, we were able to analyze each state's CS standards using a variety of metrics and approaches. To our knowledge, this is the first comprehensive, publicly available dataset of state CS standards that includes the factors mentioned previously. We believe that this dataset will be useful to other CS education researchers, including those who want to better understand the state and national landscape of K-12 CS education in the US, the characteristics of CS learning standards, the coverage of particular CS topics (e.g., cybersecurity, AI), and many other topics. In this lightning talk, we will introduce the dataset's features as well as some tools that we have developed (e.g., to determine a standard's Bloom's level) that may be useful to others who use the dataset.

In recent years, eight states have adopted a graduation requirement in computer science (CS), and other states are considering similar requirements. Due to the recency of these requirements, little is known about student and teacher perceptions of course(s) that fulfill the requirement and their content. This project seeks to answer the question, What are the perceptions of students who are studying CS beyond high school and CS teachers of a high school CS requirement and its content?

Traditionally, computer science (CS) in the United States has been an elective subject at the high school level. In recent years, however, some school systems have created a CS graduation requirement. Designing a required CS course that meets the needs of anticipated future advancements in the field necessitates exploring the research question, What computing content do high school teachers, college instructors, and computing industry professionals prioritize in a required computer science course for high school students? To better understand what these different groups perceive to be the essential content of a foundational high school CS course, we conducted a series of focus groups. These focus groups explored participants' (n = 21) thinking about what content would be most important to prioritize in a required high school CS course. Transcripts of the focus groups were abductively coded and then analyzed to determine what CS content priorities were identified and what disagreements about priorities exist.

Formative classroom assessments are those formal and informal moves teachers make in order to make inferences about what their students know and can do, and are meant to benefit the learning process through feedback and adjustments to classroom teaching. The ability to recognize and address errors in students' thinking through the use of formative assessment makes formative classroom assessment literacy extremely important. Studies have identified huge gaps in formative assessment literacy for K-12 CS teachers. This paper describes the design of a 4-session K-12 CS teacher PD module 'Formative Classroom Assessment for Teachers' (FCAT) focusing on developing teachers' formative assessment literacy. The sessions cover the need for formative assessment, elements of good formative assessment, and how to design them based on K-12 CS learning goals and known student difficulties and misconceptions along with examples.We piloted FCAT and also conducted sessions on specific modules at CSTA reaching ~500 participants. In addition to rationale and design of FCAT, this poster will share teacher feedback on the FCAT module which was overwhelmingly positive and also helped us identify future improvements to FCAT.

As the number of secondary CS teachers increases to meet the burgeoning course offerings in the U.S., teachers new to the discipline need additional supports beyond one-time workshops focused on particular curricula. To address this need, we implemented a year-long, equity-focused peer mentoring program with twenty-six teachers across one state. Participants met twice monthly to identify and work towards three goals related to the CSTA Standards for CS Teachers. Pilot data suggest that mentees increased in their teaching confidence but needed additional support to apply their learnings in their classrooms. We also identified several ways that our application process hampered our broadening participation goals by making it difficult for teachers working with rural, minoritized or low-income students to participate. In this poster, we will share lessons learned from our pilot and emerging findings from our second year of implementation.

There is a burgeoning population of new CS teachers who are looking for additional support in their first few years of teaching, particularly around equitable and inclusive pedagogy. At the same time, there are a sizable number of teachers with multiple years of CS teaching experience who are looking for growth opportunities without taking on new courses. To address these needs, we are designing an innovative, equity-focused peer mentorship program for high school CS teachers. Mentors and mentees work together to support the mentee in identifying and achieving goals aligned to three of the CSTA Standards for CS Teachers: equity and inclusion, instructional design, and classroom practice. Mentors are provided with training and participate in a monthly community of practice focused on effective mentoring. The poster will share findings from our first year of implementation as well as examples of the materials we developed to support mentors and mentees.

The technology sector remains one of the fastest growing industries across the nation and continues to rapidly permeate all facets of society. The next generation of the computing workforce must be equipped with the skills to examine how existing systems exacerbate inequities, while developing the competencies to build new, more equitable innovations. To enable this shift, computer science (CS) instruction needs to develop not only students' computing identities and computational thinking, but also critical thinking and ethical reasoning. Educators are key to this transformation, yet little is known about the landscape of K-12 CS educators and how equipped they are to provide equitable CS instruction. To understand the challenges that CS educators face and identify the supports and resources to more effectively equip them to serve a diverse student body, these panelists launched a national landscape survey. This panel of experts from the Kapor Center and the Computer Science Teachers Association will reflect on the survey findings and lead a discussion with the audience about the implications of the data on the future of educational policy, practice, and research to better support CS educators to build more equitable classroom spaces.

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.

In K-12 education, nearly all efforts focused on expanding computer science education center on the induction of new computer science teachers, with very little attention given to support the ongoing needs of experienced computer science teachers. More seasoned teachers benefit from deepening their content knowledge, pedagogical practices, and knowledge and capacity to provide equitable and inclusive learning experiences that results in students feeling a sense of belonging in computer science. This panel will discuss the needs of experienced CS teachers from a variety of perspectives, including teacher education researchers, professional development leaders, and high school practitioners and teacher facilitators. The panel will collectively outline a research and practice agenda that focuses on supporting, retaining, and further developing experienced teachers through expanded professional development, leadership opportunities, and community for CS teachers.

Coaching is a critical mechanism for providing guidance and support to educators on improving their teaching practice and thereby improving student learning. Coaching is a process where an experienced educator (coach) supports a teacher in developing and refining their teaching practice. Coaching is in widespread use in K-12 schools for many subject areas and is growing for computer science. Coaching has the potential to be a key lever in meeting the CS education community's equity goal of CS for all students. This session will be led by CS coaches from a variety of contexts including elementary, secondary, and higher education. Goals for the session include increasing the understanding of what coaching is and how it is applied in various contexts, resources available to support coaching, how equity is addressed in coaching, and impacts on teachers and students.

Have you ever frozen-not knowing what to say-when you heard a biased comment from a student or colleague? It is challenging to interrupt microaggressions and respond to biased beliefs in the moment, but practice helps people become more comfortable and confident. In this special session, teams from the CSTA Equity Fellowship and CSTeachingTips.org will demonstrate an activity that invites participants to discuss how they would respond to different tricky situations related to bias. Participants will directly engage in the activity and learn how they can use it in ongoing professional development for K-12 computer science teachers.

K-12 computer science (CS) teachers are often the only teachers of the subject at their school. Many school-based administrators and personnel lack the content knowledge to support their ongoing professional growth. How then can an ecosystem of support be developed to support K-12 CS teachers? We have created several tools aligned to the CSTA Standards for CS Teachers that support administrators, instructional specialists, and teacher leaders to provide evidence-based feedback and promote the ongoing development of CS teachers at their schools. These tools, including a CS coaching toolkit and instructional practice evidence guide, have the potential to drive impactful, job-embedded development.

Broadening participation in computing (BPC) has long been a major emphasis in computer science education. The efforts to bring about greater equity in participation often address issues related to curriculum, educator preparation and professional development, and to a lesser extent, school systems and structures. Furthermore, issues related to broadening participation such as what populations we consider, how disenfranchised populations fare, and their rates of retention and achievement within CS education programs are central to equitable computing and the aspirational goals of CSforAll. While the goals of broadening participation are admirable, the 2020 State of CS Education (Code.org, CSTA, & ECEP Alliance, 2020) report makes it clear that equitable CS education is a distant shore. The purpose of this BoF session is to create a space: (a) to explore current research and policy efforts towards equitable CS education and their efficacy, and (b) to interrogate the tensions that underlie these efforts and the practical implications of the current research agenda for K-12 teachers and students.

What teacher knowledge and skills are necessary for effective instruction of K-12 computer science? In recent years, standards and a national framework have delineated universal learning student outcomes in K-12 computer science (CS) education, but there has been less focus and coherence on what is required of teachers to prepare their students to equitably meet these learning outcomes. The 2020 CSTA Standards for CS Teachers were designed to meet this need. In this BoF session, we will provide a platform to discuss the evidence base aligned to each of the five teacher standards: (1) CS Content Knowledge and Skills, (2) Equity and Inclusion, (3) Professional Growth and Identity, (4) Instructional Design, and (5) Classroom Practice. Participants will share their knowledge and experience in a facilitated conversation organized around focal questions for each standard.

As computer science is moving into K-12 education, most efforts have focused on getting new teachers into computer science or integrating computing within STEM topics. But one aspect that has received less attention, if any, is the continued professional development of experienced CS teachers. We know little about the particular learning needs of experienced CS teachers, knowledge that will be critical as the CS teaching force expands significantly in coming years. In this panel, we address this knowledge gap from the perspective of teacher education research and professional development-what we need to know about deepening teachers' pedagogical practices and content knowledge-an understanding that will be instrumental for retaining and enriching teachers in CS education.

As many school districts nationwide continue to incorporate Computer Science (CS) and Computational Thinking (CT) instruction at the K-8 level, it is crucial that we understand the factors and skills, such as reading and math proficiency, that contribute to the success of younger learners in a computing curriculum and are typically developed at this age. Yet, little is known about the relationship between reading and math proficiency, and the learning of key CS concepts at the elementary level. This study focused on 4th-grade students (ages 9-10) who were taught events, sequence, and repetition through an adaptation of the Creative Computing Curriculum. While all students benefited from access to such a curriculum, there were statistically-significant differences in learning outcomes, especially between students whose reading and math proficiency are below grade-level, and students whose proficiency are at or above grade-level. This performance gap suggests the need for curricular improvement and learning strategies that are CS specific for students who struggle with reading and math.

SIGCSE is packed with teaching insights and inspiration. However, we get these insights and inspiration from hearing our colleagues talk about their teaching. Why not just watch them teach? This session does exactly that. Six exceptional educators will present their favorite piece of innovative lecture content just as they would their students. The moderator, Colleen Lewis, will describe the central pedagogical move within the innovation and how this connects to education research. The goal of the session is to inspire SIGCSE attendees by highlighting innovative instruction by exceptional educators. The specific content of the innovative instruction may be applicable for some attendees, and the discussion of the underlying pedagogical move within each innovation can be applied across the attendees' teaching.

In 2015-16, San Francisco Unified School District (SFUSD) piloted MyCS, a Middle-years CS curriculum, in half of its middle schools. This unexpected launch led naturally to diverging curricular branches: one that evolved within the district, another used by schools with the program already in place. The summer after the pilot, SFUSD's and MyCS's stewards convened for a week of feedback, PD, and planning. This poster highlights the curricular refinements, preliminary assessment results, and institutional changes that came from this curricular divergence and subsequent reconciliation. The data analyzed include teacher- and district-feedback, along with an analysis of student responses from SF's pilot implementation. Though accidental, this experiment suggests that substantial benefit can come from independently co-evolving (branching) and then reconciling (merging) curricula. When merged, those otherwise independent branches create a community both stronger and more invested for all of its stakeholders.

Our community has been seeing explosive interest and growth in K-12 computer science education. With this, a common question from states and school districts arises: What should students learn in a K-12 computer science pathway? We in the community are routinely asked to provide input on what is critical for students to learn at various grade levels.