Washington’s community and technical colleges have been stepping up to meet the needs of an evolving CS industry through increased post-secondary options for students seeking baccalaureate degrees. These equity-centered efforts create bridge between our K-12 schools, our four-year universities, and our local Tech workforce.
SB 5401 (2021) expanded the opportunity for community and technical colleges in Washington to confer BS in CS degrees. An explicit goal of SB 5401 was to “expand access to the high-demand field of computer science, especially to students of color.” With SB 5401 as an additional tailwind, Washington CTC have increased their CS offerings. In addition to all of our community colleges offering coursework to support transfer to traditional four-year universities, seven Washington community and technical colleges now offer BS in computer science, nine offer BAS in applied computer science (software development), eight offer BAS in cybersecurity, and seven offer BAS in IS/IT (See List)
Community and technical colleges make post-secondary education available to a broader student population. Further, students are more likely to complete a bachelor’s degree – critical for many high-tech jobs - when they can do it all at one institution.
Beyond expanding their computer science offerings, Washington’s community and technical colleges are supporting CS education in our K-12 schools through programs such as Running Start, CTE Dual Enrollment and College in the High School.
For example, Skagit Valley College has worked with the Northwest ESD (ESD 189) on a framework and streamlined approval process to assist high schools completing the CTE Dual Credit application. SVC is also supporting K-12 CS teachers through workshops and one-on-one assistance to prepare class materials like syllabi and assessments, hosting high school students on campus for tours and workshops, and is continually seeking ways to be supportive partners to the high schools and CS teachers in their region.
For more information on computer science at Washington's community and technical colleges and the services they provide to Washington high schools, please contact Kendrick Hang of SBCTC (khang@sbctc.edu). Please also see the PSCSTA website for the list of Washington community and technical colleges with BS/BAS degrees in computer science and related majors and other useful resources.
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Check out the PSCSTA Virtual Community
The PSCSTA virtual community provides a gated forum for chapter members to interact with each other. Our chapter community is by far the most active CSTA local chapter community and one of the most active of all CSTA communities. See what it is all about by checking out one of the popular current threads:
You must login with your CSTA credentials to view this content.
November 2024 Issue
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Lunch & Learn: CSTA Northwest Regional Meetup
Did you want to network with CSTA members throughout the Pacific Northwest? Do you want to share or learn about all the new and interesting topics shared at CSTA 2024?
Bring your lunch and eat by the computer. Our speakers will share interesting things they learned at the conference, and we’ll have time to network and debrief!
CS Ed Week is
Dec 9 -15, 2024
Less than 40 days (and a national election) until the start of CSEd Week (Dec 9 -15) 2024!
Perhaps you haven't made your CSEd Week plans yet. Perhaps you want to celebrate CSEd Week earlier in December. Perhaps you have CSEd Week activities, ideas, or plans you'd like to share. Please visit the (👥) PSCSTA Virtual Community link to get ideas or share your own.
The Connector will also summarize this post in our December issue.
What is a computer's favorite part about Thanksgiving?
... The megabytes!
Washington CSTA Chapters Vote on Merger
On Oct 30, members of the four Washington CSTA chapters (CSTA Puget Sound, CSTA Central Washington, CSTA Mid-Columbia, and CSTA Spokane) started voting on whether to merge into a single chapter: CSTA Washington. If approved, all current members of these four chapters will automatically have membership in the new combined Washington state chapter. Voting concludes on Nov 13.
If you are a member of one of the four Washington CSTA chapters, you should have received an e-mail from CSTA West (Sean Glanz, CSTA West Region Chapter Support Coordinator) on Oct 30 with more details on the merger and a link to vote. We urge all members to vote!
New CSTA Vision
On Oct 29, CSTA's celebrated its 20th Anniversary!
It's 20th anniversary gave CSTA an opportunity to look forward to its next phase. At the 2024 CSTA Conference in July, CSTA revealed its new vision, mission, and organizational values.
Vision: Every student prepared for a world powered by computing.
Mission: CSTA unites, supports, and empowers educators to enhance the quality, accessibility, and inclusivity of computer science education.
Values:
Teachers first.
Equity in all we do.
Value growth and impact.
Every teacher belongs.
Serve with trust and integrity.
Student Teacher Internship with PSCSTA
If you know an undergraduate teaching candidate with an interest in computer science, please let them know of this incredible internship opportunity with the Puget Sound Computer Science Teachers Association (PSCSTA).
PSCSTA is looking for an enthusiastic undergrad student in a School of Education to join them as a Student Media Manager from June 2025 to May 2026. Quick Highlights:
For more details about the internship, personal stories from current and past interns, and to apply, check out the full article on the PSCSTA website.
Fall PD Opportunities
from CSTA
PSCSTA provides free Washington clock hours to its members for all the self-paced, online courses on Coursera that CSTA offers. The fall session runs from Oct. 7 to Dec. 31, 2024. Registration is now open and will continue throughout this period.
Registration for the January 2025 cohort is now open. Teachers who complete the course will receive 40 clock hours. Scholarships covering $550 of the retail $650 cost are available to current public-school teachers and juniors/seniors in an undergraduate teacher prep program.
Teacher Spotlight: Adrienne Gifford
Adrienne Gifford teaches middle school computer science at Open Window School, a K-8 school in Bellevue, WA, where she has been involved in computer science education for 14 years as both a teacher and school innovation & technology leader. In spring of 2023, Adrienne participated in the UW STEP CS program, which was a transformative experience in exploring the intersections between CS and issues of diversity, equity, inclusion, and
justice. Adrienne’s students speak over 15 different languages at home, and she is always striving to make her CS courses more culturally relevant and language inclusive.
Course Schedule
Adrienne teaches a variety of Innovation & Technology courses to over 150 students in grades 5-8. Current courses include Problem Solving & Computing; Web Development; The Design Process; Interactive Animations & Games; Physical Computing; Data and Society; and AI & Machine Learning.
Adrienne also teaches computer science elective courses, which currently include Drone
Designers; E-Textiles & Computational Embroidery; Assistive Robotics; and Cybersecurity.
Open Window School has two Innovation and Technology Labs (which serve both
as makerspaces and CS classrooms) – one in the Lower School (grades K-4) and one in
the middle school (grades 5-8).
They have one Innovation & Technology Lead Teacher and one Associate Teacher in
each of the two divisions. While they are the smallest “department” in the middle school,
Adrienne feels lucky that there are four educators at her school focused on teaching CS and who can collaborate and support each other!
Extra-curricular activities
Adrienne currently facilitates the Girls Who Code Club at her school. Other extracurriculars offered include FIRST Lego League Robotics, Product Design & 3D Printing, Minecraft Club, Game Design, and Maker Club.
What are you the most proud of your CS program?
"I’m most proud of the way we center empathy, problem solving, ethics, and social impact
throughout our CS curriculum K-8.”
Impressions as PSCSTA vice-president? What would you like to accomplish as VP in the future?
"When I started teaching CS in 2011, there weren’t many avenues available for support and collaboration among CS teachers in my area, so I remember being so excited to discover the PSCSTA Google Group at around that time. After many years of benefiting from PSCSTA as a teacher, it’s been wonderful to get to know the great people running things “behind the scenes” and a privilege to lend my support through board service. Providing community for CS teachers and helping teachers provide equitable CS education are two parts of the PSCSTA mission that I’m most excited to contribute to, along with ensuring that new CS teachers in our area know we are here for them! It’s a happy moment in my day each time I get the email notification that another new member has joined PSCSTA."
Rubber Duck Spotlight: NCW CS Fair
PSCSTA met with eastern Washington high school students and educators at the NCW Computer Science and Tech Fair in Moses Lake, WA on Oct 17. Students were greeted with candy, stickers, and several tall tales about rubber ducks in computer science - before receiving an official Puget Sound rubber duck. Educators were also encouraged to sign up for PSCSTA (free!) to take advantage of the membership drive.
Data Corner: 2024 State of Computer Science Education
On Oct 22, CSTA, in collaboration with Code.org and ECEP Alliance, published the 2024 State of Computer Science Education report. This annual report on K-12 computer science in the United States provides an update on national and state-level computer science education policy, including policy trends, maps, state summaries, and implementation data.
In this year's report, 60% of US high schools provided a foundational computer science course up from 58% last year. In Washington, 50% of high schools provided a foundational computer science course up from 46% last year,
The Puget Sound Computer Science Teachers Association Connector is a monthly newsletter containing relevant information, upcoming events, learning, and connection opportunities for local CS Educators. Previous issues can be viewed by following the "News" tab on the PSCSTA homepage. If you have any comments about the current edition or ideas for future editions, please email csta.pugetsound@gmail.com. If you wish to not be receiving the monthly PSCSTA Connector unsubscribe from them HERE.
