MEDIA
CONTACT: Meghan
Frick, GaDOE Communications Office, 404-463-4246, mfrick@doe.k12.ga.us
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conversation: #CS4GA
June
27, 2018 – The
Georgia Department of Education will provide $500,000 to help 17 school
districts implement middle-school computer coding programs, State School
Superintendent Richard Woods announced today.
The
funds, approved by the State Board of Education based on Superintendent Woods’
recommendation, will specifically target middle schools in rural, underserved,
or high-poverty school clusters. Each grant includes funding for equipment,
training, curriculum, and teacher professional development.
“Georgia
students need to graduate ready for 21st-century careers – we can’t be
complacent and rely on the way we’ve always done things, and we can’t wait
until high school to start preparing our kids,” Superintendent Woods said.
“Coding and computer science is a piece of that puzzle. This funding and these
new courses for middle-school computer coding are part of the broader work
we’re doing at the Department to expand opportunities for students in Georgia’s
public schools.”
The
awarded districts are:
- Appling County
- Atlanta Public Schools
- Ben Hill County
- Savannah-Chatham County
- Dougherty County
- Gwinnett County
- Jackson County
- Jasper County
- Jefferson County
- Liberty County
- Muscogee County
- Griffin-Spalding County
- Taliaferro County
- Thomas County
- Warren County
- Wheeler County
- Whitfield County
The
grant is part of CS4GA, the Georgia Department
of Education’s initiative focused on making Georgia a national leader in the
computer science movement by developing and delivering high-quality courses,
resources and professional learning; increasing the number of CS endorsements
held by educators; and expanding the integration of CS throughout the K-12
curriculum.
Every
Georgia school district was eligible to apply for up to four school-based
grants. Funding recipients whose applications met the requirements were
selected through a competitive award process.
Superintendent
Woods also announced today that all Georgia schools will have access to three
new middle school computer science courses. Based on his recommendation, the
State Board of Education approved standards for Foundations of Secure
Information Systems, Foundations of Computer Programming, and Foundations of
Interactive Design.
The
course standards were developed based on public feedback, including
opportunities for public comment and participation from educators, business and
industry representatives, parents, and advocates.
Knowing
that computer science provides foundational knowledge and skills that benefit
every child, the Georgia Department of Education is working to expand CS
learning throughout the K-12 educational system.
More Information – Computer Science Grants:
District
Allocations
Board
Item
More Information – Computer Science Courses:
Board
Item
Standards
– Foundations of Computer Programming
Standards
– Foundations of Secure Information Systems
Standards
– Foundations of Interactive Design
