(INDIANAPOLIS) – The Indiana Department of Education (IDOE) today shared a 2020 report highlighting Indiana as a national leader in computer science education, for the second consecutive year. Created by Code.Org, the Computer Science Teachers Association, and the Expanding Computing Education Pathways Alliance, the 2020 State of Computer Science Education praises Indiana for still being one of only five states in the nation to implement all nine policies of Code.org’s Advocacy Coalition, and one of only two to require all elementary education preservice teachers to have an understanding of fundamental concepts and processes in computer science.
“Year after year, Indiana continues to prioritize educational opportunities for students in the areas of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics,” said State Superintendent Dr. Jennifer McCormick. “The 2020 State of Computer Science Education report praises the well-rounded and robust instruction our students continue to receive, and I am grateful for the commitment to academic excellence from our students, school administrators, and classroom educators.”
Highlighting Indiana’s move from policy adoption to implementation, the 2020 report reiterates Indiana’s commitment to computer science education. This includes the overall development of a comprehensive plan, the changes in teacher certifications, the alignment of existing K–8 computer science standards to high school standards, and allocated funding specifically for computer science professional development. In addition, IDOE has funded the training of over 2,300 K-12 educators in computer science since 2018, while continuing to expand professional development opportunities.
Along with robust updates to computer science education policy and standards, the report calls out Indiana’s accomplishments over the last year. Seventy-two percent of Indiana high schools taught at least one computer science course, which is up from 62 percent and the eighth highest percentage across all states. In addition, the number of traditionally underrepresented students taking computer science courses continues to increase.
For a copy of the 2020 report, please visit: https://advocacy.code.org/2020_state_of_cs.pdf. To learn more about IDOE’s commitment to computer science, including resources for schools, please visit: www.doe.in.gov/wf-stem/computer-science. For more information on Code.org’s nine policies, please visit: https://code.org/files/Making_CS_Fundamental.pdf.
