CS - Innovative Initiatives

As part of year two of the Learn with MOOSE initiative, a team of Maine Educators will collaborate to create a PK-12 learning progression of integrated modules, focusing on computer science.

This will result in an asynchronous, student-driven learning progression that will be available to all students and will serve as a model.

For more information, reach out to MOOSE Project Manager, Jenn Page, jennifer.page@maine.gov.

Maine's 130th legislature passed a bill to create a pilot program that provides grants that support computer science professional development in Maine school districts.

The bill passed and the application process will begin in the fall of 2021.

Check back for more information.

Click here to learn more about LD 127.

The Computer Science Leadership Team, led by the MDOE Computer Science Specialist are working on a landscape study of computer science education in Maine. This study will take place during SY2021-2022.

A report will be available once the study is complete.

For more information, reach out to Emma-Marie Banks, emma-marie.banks@maine.gov

During 2020, computer science leaders and Maine DOE participated in an exploration into computer science data in New England through the Expanding Computing Education Pathways (ECEP) Alliance. ECEP seeks to increase the number and diversity of students in the pipeline to computing and computing-intensive degrees by supporting state-level computing education reforms. Through interventions, pathways, partnerships and models that drive state-level computing education change, ECEP supports states as they work to align their state efforts with the national vision for computer science for all.

During this 18-month project (January 2019 – June 2020) from Maine Math and Science Alliance, participants explored where the potential entry points are for computer science that already exist in current learning standards and curricula, and what types of high-quality options are already available that could be integrated into existing curricula.  Participants piloted modified lessons, units, and tools from a wide variety of sources and added those experiences to the data collected from classroom observations, participants surveys and focus groups. The outcomes of this project led to recommendations for professional development support structures for computer science that will work for districts and others across the State of Maine.

CS for LPS is an ongoing initiative at Lewiston Public Schools that is committed to providing multiple learning pathways, both during and beyond the school day, engaging every student with computer science. These pathways are comprehensive and stretch across several disciplines, allowing for various points of entry. Lewiston Public Schools is also committed to providing the structure and support for any teacher to become a computer science champion in their classroom, regardless of grade or subject area taught.

In the fall of 2018, the RiSE Center was awarded $1.25 M to study how computer science can be successfully integrated into science instruction at the middle school level. This research study is a 3 year project during which 30 middle school science teachers will partner with researchers and staff at the RiSE Center to develop and implement science modules that include an integrated computer science component. Our hope is to gain an understanding of how computer science can be taught within a science program in a way that supports student learning in both the science discipline and computer science in addition to identifying what supports are needed to help teachers integrate computer science into their instruction successfully.

Click here to learn more about the STEM+C program.

The SCRIPT — the Strategic CSforALL Resource & Implementation Planning Tool — is a framework to guide teams of district administrators, school leaders, and educators through a series of collaborative visioning, self-assessment and goal-setting exercises to create or expand upon a computer science education implementation plan for their students. School districts and other local education organizations are the unit of change toward creating rigorous, inclusive and sustainable K-12 computer science education. The SCRIPT supports systems-level change by addressing five key areas: (1) Leadership, (2) Teacher Capacity and Development, (3) Curriculum and Materials Selection and Refinement, (4) Partners, and (5) Community. Interested in bringing a CSforALL SCRIPT workshop to your district? Reach out to Angela Oechslie at angela@educatemaine.org or 207-217-0096.

Click here to learn more about SCRIPT: Stratigic CSforALL.