Helping teachers make equitable decisions: effects of the TEC Rubric on teachers’ evaluations of a computing curriculum

Abstract

ABSTRACT Background and Context Educators make consequential curricular decisions, often with little support, particularly as it relates to equity and how to support all students. Objective This paper investigates the use of a rubric to support educators evaluating computer science curricula, especially with regards to equity. Method Seventeen in-service elementary teachers evaluated a computer science curriculum with and without the Teacher Accessibility, Equity, and Content (TEC) Rubric. We examine teachers’ responses to prompts and completed TEC Rubrics to understand if and how the rubric supported their evaluations. Findings The TEC Rubric helped teachers attend not only to curricular factors related to instructional design but also to issues of equity and accessibility and to identify opportunities to draw on the cultural resources of students and their communities. Implications We contribute evidence supporting curricular evaluation instruments, specifically the TEC Rubric, and their use to direct teachers’ attention to attributes of equitable computing instruction.