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ALBANY, N.Y. (WTEN) The Board of Regents adoptedNew York States first-ever K-12Learning Standards for Computer Science and Digital Fluency.These standards willensure that every student knows how to live productively and safely in a technology-dominated world, including understanding the essential features of digital technologies, why and how they work, and how to communicate and create using those technologies.

The new standardsare the culmination ofa two-year, collaborative process that included New York State teachers and statewide experts on computer science and educational technology.

Technology is a large part of childrens lives, and the ability to understand and use technology safely and effectively to learn, communicate and create is critical for 21stcentury life, work and civic engagement, Board of Regents Vice Chancellor T. Andrew Brown said. The COVID-19 emergency has magnified the digital divide that separates so many of our most vulnerable students from their peers. As the Board of Regents and the Department work to ensure that all students have access to a high-quality education, its critical that comprehensive technology learning is available to our youngest students and continues throughout their scholastic career.

The New York State K-12 Computer Science and Digital Fluency Standards are organized into five concepts: Impacts of Computing, Computational Thinking, Networks and Systems Design, Cybersecurity, and Digital Literacy.

Each concept contains two or more sub-concepts and within the sub-concepts are a number of standards. The standards are grouped into grade-bands: K-1, 2-3, 4-6, 7-8, and 9-12. Students are expected to master the standards by the end of the last year of the grade band (ex: end of third grade for the 2-3 grade band). Visual representations of and graphics on reading the standards are available in thepresentation made today to the Board of Regents

To comply with a 2018 statute requiring the development of Computer Science Standards, and to ensure that students, teachers, and leaders will have clear standards for what students should know and be able to do with technology, the Department worked with over 120 stakeholders in seven workgroups to create new Computer Science and Digital Fluency Standards. The workgroups worked on different areas and phases of the standards and included:

The standards were approved by the Board of Regents P-12 Committee in January to allow the Department additional time to ensure the early grades standards are appropriate and to begin to develop resources and guidance to help implement the standards. For additional information on the new standards, please see the DepartmentsComputer Science and Digital Fluency website.

In January, NYSED sent requests for educators with expertise in early learning to assist with reviewing and revising the early grade band standards. The Early Learning Review Committee was formed and included New York State-certified teachers and experts in early learning from across the State, as well as representation from New York State United Teachers (NYSUT).

In early March, the Early Learning Committee reviewed the standards and submitted feedback. Work on the standards was paused due to the COVID-19 pandemic, as the majority of the early learning experts assisting with the revision work were New York State teachers. Because of these circumstances, an extension was given to deliver revised standards to the Board of Regents for final approval.

The Early Learning Committee met weekly in August and September to revise the Early Learning Standards. In October, additional revisions were made to ensure alignment with the upper grade bands. The Standards were presented to the Executive Standards Committee in November for final feedback.

The NYS K-12 Computer Science and Digital Fluency Standards were developed and revised in partnership with numerous stakeholders. Care was taken to ensure participation by representatives of all regions of New York State, as well as key stakeholder groups, including:

The Department will return to the Board of Regents in Fall 2021 with regulatory and policy recommendations related to embedding this new subject area into the K-12 program requirements. Department staff will engage with partners across the state to develop guidance materials and tools to aid schools in the implementation of the new standards.

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NYS Board of Regents adopts first-ever learning standards for computer science and digital fluency - RochesterFirst