Equipping for Praxis: Advancing Computer Science Teachers Through Endorsement

弗吉尼亚州超过一半的学区通过职业和技术教育（CTE）提供计算机科学途径；然而，许多CTE教师缺乏内容领域的专业知识来教授更高水平的技术课程。此外，弗吉尼亚州要求有执照的教师通过计算机科学实践考试或在地区认可的学院或大学完成几个小时的计算机专业课程来获得计算机科学（CS）的认可。CodeVA、詹姆斯·麦迪逊大学（James Madison University）和全州三所公立学区之间的研究-实践伙伴关系解决了这一需求，即有效地为职业和技术教育教师准备实践考试。该项目将重点关注那些在有大量缺课学生（低收入、农村和有色人种学生）的学校教授初级计算机科学的CTE教师，这些教师需要计算机科学的认可才能教授更严格、更高级的计算机科学课程。通过定义个人学习目标，每位教师将接受与他们的学生、学校和社区产生共鸣的培训。随着教师获得教学技能，考虑到包容和文化反应能力，他们的高中学生群体的具体需求将得到进一步解决。该项目将缓解目前服务水平低下的学区师资短缺的问题，从而增加参加高质量计算机科学课程的学生人数。在这个项目中开发的专业发展资源将在整个州和全国范围内共享，特别是在那些也通过CS实践考试授予计算机科学认可的22个州。该研究-实践者伙伴关系（RPP）的目标是设计和实施新的专业发展，证明专业发展满足了教师的个人需求，证明教师在向服务不足的学生教授CS内容时获得了自我效能感和认同感，并证明专业发展的可扩展性。这将导致CTE教师能够通过CS实践考试并获得CS认可，他们有信心在课堂上提供CS内容，并获得计划长期教学的CS教师的身份。专业发展计划有两个创新元素：(1)个性化学习路径，定义为由RPP和教师参与者共同构建的课程序列，这些课程序列与参与者独特的先前知识、背景和需求相一致，为他们通过实践做好准备；(2)超越实践知识和技能的专业发展内容，以支持在学生多样性高的学校中对中级和高级学生进行严格的CS教学。该项目将提供证据，支持个性化的专业发展方法，培训教师不仅教授高级计算机科学内容，而且对自己开发课程的能力充满信心，并确定自己是一名高级计算机科学教师。CS教师自我效能感，特别是教师对准备和准备的感知，是教师有效实施课程所必需的，CS教师身份为持续的动机、工作满意度和承诺提供了基础。该奖项反映了美国国家科学基金会的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

Over half of the school districts in Virginia provide computer science pathways through Career and Technical Education (CTE); however, many CTE teachers lack the content area expertise to teach higher-level technical courses. In addition, Virginia requires that licensed teachers attain a computer science (CS) endorsement by passing the CS Praxis exam or by completing several hours of computing-specific coursework from a regionally accredited college or university. This research-practitioner partnership between CodeVA, James Madison University, and three public school districts across the state addresses this need to effectively prepare Career and Technical Education teachers for the Praxis exam. The project will focus on CTE teachers who teach introductory-level CS in schools with large populations of underserved students (low income, rural, and students of color) and who need CS endorsement to be able to teach more rigorous and advanced CS courses. By defining personal learning goals, each teacher will receive training that resonates with the individual teacher’s students, schools, and communities. The specific needs of their high school student populations will be further addressed as the teachers gain pedagogical skills that account for inclusion and cultural responsiveness. The project will relieve current teacher shortages in underserved school districts, thereby increasing the number of students engaging in high-quality CS coursework. The professional development resources developed in this project will be shared throughout the state and nationally, especially in those 22 states that also confer computer science endorsement through the CS Praxis exam.The objectives of this research-practitioner partnership (RPP) are to design and implement new professional development, demonstrate that the professional development addresses the individual needs of teachers, show that teachers gain self-efficacy and identity related to teaching CS content to underserved students, and demonstrate professional development scalability. This will result in CTE teachers who are able to pass the CS Praxis exam and gain CS endorsement, who gain confidence in offering CS content in their classes, and who gain identity as CS teachers who plan to teach over the long term. The professional development program has two innovative elements: (1) personalized learning trails, defined as curricular sequences co-constructed by the RPP and teacher participants that align with participants’ unique prior knowledge, background, and needs, preparing them to pass the Praxis; and (2) professional development content that extends beyond Praxis knowledge and skills to support rigorous CS teaching for intermediate and advanced student learning in schools with high student diversity. This project will contribute evidence in support of a personalized professional development approach to train teachers to not just teach advanced CS content but have confidence in their ability to develop lessons and identify as an advanced CS teacher. CS teacher self-efficacy, specifically teacher perceptions of preparation and readiness, is required for teachers to effectively implement the curriculum, and CS teacher identity provides the foundation for sustained motivation, job satisfaction, and commitment.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.