Abstract

The Computer Science For All initiative intends to teach computational thinking and programming skills to all levels of students with varying background and experience in computer science. This includes English Learner (EL) students. There should be a concentrated effort to narrow the achievement gap among EL students and non-EL students especially in computer science courses that can lead to economic prosperity and social mobility in the digital society. With the growing number of EL students joining the student population in public schools across the United States, it is critical that these students are provided with equitable access to computer science education through effective instructional strategies and meaningful resources. This research study intends to develop EL accessible curriculum and resources for an introductory computer science high school course and use research-based designs and strategies to evaluate the quality of the developed EL accessible materials, instructions, and assessments in computer science learning and achievement among EL students. As a result of this study, all of the developed EL accessible instructions, materials, and assessments are deemed satisfactory; however, there remain necessary revisions of these materials to be implemented in order to fully address the needs and concerns of EL students in computer science learning and achievement.

Highlights

  • 1.1 Background Information As our society continues to advance technologically, it is becoming increasingly apparent that computer science will be an essential skill for all citizens who desire social and economic growth

  • The second expert is Alison Murray who is an instructor at Central Falls High School (CFHS) with extensive background and experience in developing curriculum for English Learner (EL) students in science courses offered at CFHS

  • Questions: The following can be used as potential discussion questions during your wrap-up with students:

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Summary

Introduction

1.1 Background Information As our society continues to advance technologically, it is becoming increasingly apparent that computer science will be an essential skill for all citizens who desire social and economic growth. According to Smith, more than six hundred thousand high-income technical jobs in the United States were vacant in 2015 [1, 2]. It is increasingly apparent that there is a significant demand to develop a technologically educated and inventive labor force within the United States to fill these vacant positions and lead the world in innovation. The establishment of this technical labor force begins with educating the students within the United States public education system. Without the opportunity for exposure to computer science, students fail to even have a chance to learn and foster the fundamental skills in computer science such as computational and algorithmic thinking, aptitude in solving complex and challenging problems, and utilization of creativity and innovation

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