CS Helpdesk
CCBE is proud to support county boards of California with their CS implementation questions.
Email: mark.lantsberger@sdcoe.net
FAQ
What kind of funding is available to help us start a CS program?
Perkins funding for CTE is available for grades 5-12.
Extended learning funds can be used to create CS learning opportunities out of school time.
Teachers will recieve stipends to compete their Supplementary Authorization in CS starting in 2022.
What's the best way to start growing our CS program equitably?
Middle school is a great place to start, since it has both after-school clubs and electives. Start with getting teacher buy-in and pedagogical content knowledge. Recruit students strategically. Then spread to K-5, creating more demand through engaging activities, and 9-12, meeting the increasing demand from rising freshmen.
How do we navigate course codes in CALPADS? Dual enrollment? CTE credentialled teachers?
see CALPADS guide
How can we get started with AI?
K-2: physical computing and robotics allow for discussions around sensors and actuators, sources of error, and what AI is and is not.
3-5: Machine Learning for Kids builds on Scratch.
6-8: code.org's CS Discoveries AI unit, MIT's AI+Ethics, and Teachable Machine with p5.js.
9-12: integrate discussions about AI ethics into Social Studies and Civics classes. Offer a Statistics course. Teach Python with Jupyter Notebooks. Advanced students can use TensorFlow.