CS4MS NIC: Growing Teacher Competency and Capacity

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Mississippi State University (MSU) proposes a research practitioner partnership structured as a network improvement community (NIC), called CS4MS NIC: Growing Teacher Competency and Capacity, which aims to build sustainable professional development (PD) to support the long-term success of secondary computer science education in Mississippi. The CS4MS NIC will identify, develop, and deliver additional PD for teachers who provide instruction in the Exploring Computer Science (ECS) course.Mississippi has a goal of placing qualified computer science teachers in all K-12 schools by 2023-2024. Based on a needs assessment gathered from the 67 teachers currently teaching ECS as part of a Computer Science for Mississippi State pilot program, the project team has identified the need for additional computer science content training to augment the normal ECS PD. This training will provide teachers with an increased level of self-efficacy, enabling them to more confidently and proficiently teach the ECS course. In addition, the NIC will work with MSU's College of Education, Department of Computer Science, and the Mississippi Department of Education (MDE) to develop a licensure for a secondary education degree with a concentration in computer science. These educators will also work to establish an endorsement pathway for in-service teachers and an alternate route for industry professionals with a desire to teach at the secondary level.