Skip to main content
Add as a preferred source on Google


Iowa Adds Computer Science to K-12 Curriculum

  • By Dian Schaffhauser
  • 05/17/17

A new law passed in Iowa requires the state's Department of Education to establish standards in computer science for K-12 and a credential for teachers who teach CS. The hope is that by July 2019, every high school will offer "at least one high-quality" CS course, that each middle school will deliver instruction in exploratory CS and that each elementary school will cover the basics of CS.

The classroom standards won't be mandated; participation is voluntary. But they will come with "incentives" to increase the number of CS offerings at all grade levels in the form of a "professional development incentive fund," from which districts and teachers can receive reimbursement. Governor Terry Branstad recommended $500,000 in his 2019 general fund budget for the PD fund, making the fund available beginning in July 2018.

In the meantime, a work group is expected to hammer out recommendations for the CS guidelines and potential policies by Nov. 1, 2017.

"Ensuring all Iowa students develop foundational skills in computer science will prepare them for a changing world and position them to take advantage of opportunities in a growing professional sector," said Ryan Wise, director of the Department of Ed in a prepared statement.

About the Author

Dian Schaffhauser is a former senior contributing editor for 1105 Media's education publications THE Journal, Campus Technology and Spaces4Learning.

Featured

  • Blurred silhouettes of business people in a modern office with a glowing blue network overlay

    Open Secure AI Alliance Moving Under Linux Foundation

    Governance of the Open Secure AI Alliance has moved to the Linux Foundation, giving the initiative what the organizations describe as a neutral home for developing open source tools, shared standards and defensive practices. The Alliance was launched by NVIDIA in July to develop open security technologies for AI systems and agents.

  • circuit patterns

    Anthropic Intros Lower-Cost Claude Sonnet 5

    Anthropic has launched Claude Sonnet 5, positioning the model as its most autonomous mid-tier offering to date and a lower-cost alternative to its flagship Opus 4.8 system. The company said the model can plan multi-step tasks, operate tools such as browsers and terminals, and complete agentic work at a level that previously required larger and more expensive models.

  • Businessman using laptop analyzing data and growth graph chart

    Report: AI Budgets in Education Show No Sign of Decline

    The vast majority of education organizations (98%) expect their AI infrastructure budgets to either increase or hold steady over the next year, according to a report from cloud storage provider Wasabi.

  • Man types on laptop in data center

    Microsoft Announces General Availability of Point-in-Time Restore for Windows 11

    Microsoft has made point-in-time restore generally available for Windows 11, giving users and IT administrators a built-in way to roll back PCs after bad updates, driver problems, app corruption, or other problems.