Only 4.3% of students are enrolled in a foundational computer science course.
Black/African American students are 1.3 times less likely than their white and Asian peers to attend a school that offers computer science.
Only 34% of students enrolled in computer science courses are female.
Only 41% of schools in rural areas and 45% of schools in urban areas offer computer science, compared to 69% in suburban areas.
Just 50% of New York high schools offer CS, the lowest percentage in our region.
Only 561 schools in NY (40% of NY schools with AP programs) offered an AP Computer Science course in 2019-2020
Download the 2021 New York State of Computer Science Education Brief
Computer science can be defined as “the study of computers and algorithmic processes, including their principles, their hardware and software design, their applications, and their impact on society.” In other words, computer science is the study of why and how computers work. Computer science emphasizes problem solving and pushes students to be active creators – rather than passive consumers – of computer technologies. Programming, or coding, is one aspect of the computer science field of study, but is not the sole focus.
Computer science is a rapidly growing field that develops essential knowledge and skills for today’s world. Whether a student goes into tech or healthcare, agriculture or the arts, nearly every industry relies on the foundational skills of computer science. Computation integration is increasing in the job market, in both STEM and non-STEM fields.
To achieve equity in computer science we need the participation of greater numbers of students who have traditionally been underrepresented in computer science--Black, Latinx, Native American, girls, rural students, and low-income students, in the field. The diversity in the state and the country’s population should be reflected those who participate in computer science education. To achieve equity, we must focus at multiple levels: access to CS courses, access to high-quality teaching, enrollment in CS courses, success in CS courses, and matriculation into post-secondary computing majors and careers at representative levels.
The New York State Board of Regents approved the K–12 Learning Standards for Computer Science and Digital Literacy in December 2020. The introduction to the standards describes how to address digital equity, English language learners, and students with disabilities, and standards within each grade band address concepts of equity, such as bias, accessible technology, and inclusivity.
A 9503/S 7503 (FY 2021), A 2003/S 1503 (FY 2020), and S 7504/A 9504 (FY 2019) allocated $6M annually (for an eventual total of $30M) to expand computer science education via the Smart Start program. The grantees should incorporate strategies for increasing participation in computer science by traditionally underrepresented groups, such as female students, students with differing abilities, English language learners/Multilingual learners, and/or Black/African American, Hispanic/Latino/Latina/Latinx, or Native American/Alaskan students.
In New York, teachers with or without existing licensure can obtain a 7–12 certification by completing one of the following: approved state teacher preparation program pathway, academic coursework, or industry experience and pedagogical coursework. Any licensed teacher who teaches computer science before September 2023 will be eligible to continue teaching computer science in the same district for ten years by applying for the Statement of Continued Eligibility (SoCE) through TEACH (check here for availability updates).
The New York State Education Department has approved teacher preparation programs leading to certification in computer science and lists these programs publicly.
New York passed a permissive and encouraging policy to allow computer science to count as either a mathematics or science credit for graduation, but it is a district decision.
New York State has made incremental progress on increasing access to computer science education over the past 5 years, but large access disparities and structural deficiencies remain that threaten to delay CS implementation without statewide coordination. The CSForNY State Summit in Fall 2022 will address these issues and provide time for community input and feedback on our proposed policy recommendations.
According to the Code.org Advocacy Coalition, "State policy should provide clarity, school and state capacity, leadership, sustainability of computer science initiatives, and promote access to and equity within rigorous and engaging computer science courses."
Keep checking back on this website for CSForNY policy recommendations for New York State, which will be released in 2022.
Until then, please refer to these resources for more detailed recommendations, guides, and examples:
CSForNY is a new advocacy group made of CS education leaders throughout the state. We'll post the names of our current members and ways for you to get involved shortly. Sign up for our CSForNY Newsletter to receive updates on CSForNY, NY State Computer Science education policy, standards, certification, and other NY CS education initiatives.
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