Pathway Project

Lincoln Elementary- Bedford Indiana

North Lawrence Community School

Background
 290 students
o -258 students or 89% of students are White
o -20 students or 6.9% of students are Multiracial
o -7 students or 2.4% are Hispanic
 -159 students or 54.8% of students get free meals
 -109 students or 37.6% of students have paid meals
 -22 students or 7.6% of students get reduced price meals
 Standardized Testing
o IREAD: Indiana Reading Evaluation and Determination
 Tested at the Third-grade level to assess reading skills
 43 students or 89.6% of students passed
 5 students or 10.4% of students did not pass

 ISTEP: Indiana Statewide Testing for Educational Progress-Plus

o ISTEP: Indiana Statewide Testing for Educational Progress-Plus
 Tests the 3-8 grade levels in mathematics, English/language, science, and
social studies
 84 students or 55.6% of students passed
 67 students or 44.4% of students did not pass
 School Accountability
o Received a letter grade of A from the State of Indiana for performance

 Teacher Profiles
o 24 teachers
o All of White ethnicity
o 47% of teachers have 20+ years of experience
o 25% of teachers have 0-5 years of experience
o 20% of teachers have 16-20 years of experience
o 8% of teachers have 6-10 years of experience
  Computer Science in the School
o Currently there is no CS program in the school
o Not 1:1 with technology
 Students share laptop carts per grade level
o There are no teachers trained in CS and it has never been discussed about
integrating CS courses, but teachers do have interest in doing so
o Some challenges include not having time to teach CS, funding, training teachers
to be qualified, teachers not being well versed in other types of technology, and
availability in the school day to make time to teach CS
o The school is primarily focused on math, reading, and writing due to wanting to
meet state testing expectations

Pathway Diagram
 Year One 2019-2020
o Step 1: Core Training
 PTLW offers core training for teachers who are participating in the
training program. At the end of each school year during the summer there
are training sessions offered in major cities of states across the nation. The
training session best fit for the teachers is mentioned below.
o Step 2: Getting Started
 The next step to getting started is to use the investment calculator to plan
out how much the total cost for supplies, equipment, and training will cost.
This is shown down below. While it can be a scary number to look at,
there are multiple ways for the school to raise funds needed to start the
launch.
 With a concern from the school itself being funding, this is an important
topic to think about. The state funding that the school receives would be a
good asset to use when buying the supplies and equipment needed. Other
ways for the school to fundraise money could be gaining sponsors, host
theme nights, have a color run, bake sale, etc.
 Year Two: 2020-2021
o Step 3: Integration into the 4th Grade
 One of the most important steps of integrating this program into the
school, is training the teachers to do so, which has been previously stated.
There are 3 teachers per grade level, so it is proposed that all three of the
Fourth-grade teachers get trained and certified so that they can be role
models and advocates for the program when it gets integrated to other
grade levels. The teachers who are a part of the program are a critical part
of making it work and should be excited to transform their classroom. The
roles of the teachers are very important, but so is the roles of the school’s
administration. The different roles of PLTW are provided below.
o Step 4: Enrolling Students
 Integrating technology into the classroom can be a scary thing for some
teachers. Thankfully the teachers here are ready to take this leap. It is
recommended that the Fourth-grade classroom be the trail run for this
program. They can evaluate how the program runs for the semester or for
the entire year. At first it made be hard for some teachers to think about
how they can integrate technology and CS learning into their everyday
school schedules since they are already so busy. Thankfully PLTW gives
each grade level standards that coincide with the core subjects, ELA,
Science, and Math.
 Standards
o CS Standards
  3-5.DI.1 Understand and use the basic steps in algorithmic problem
solving (e.g., problem statement and exploration, examination of sample
instances, design, implementation, and testing).
 3-5.DI.4 Describe how a simulation can be used to solve a problem.
 3-5.CD.2 Understand the pervasiveness of computers and computing in
daily life (e.g., voicemail, downloading videos and audio files, microwave
ovens, thermostats, wireless Internet, mobile computing devices, GPS
systems).
 3-5. PA.1 Use technology resources (e.g., calculators, data collection
probes, mobile devices, videos, educational software, and web tools) for
problem-solving and self-directed learning, and general-purpose
productivity tools and peripherals to support personal productivity,
remediate skill deficits, facilitate learning, and individual/collaborative
writing, communication, and publishing activities.
 3-5.IC.2 Identify the impact of technology (e.g., social networking, cyber
bullying, mobile computing and communication, web technologies, cyber
security, and virtualization) on personal life and society
o Science Standards
 3-5-ETS1-1. Define a simple design problem reflecting a need or a want
that includes specified criteria for success and constraints on materials,
time, or cost.
 Science and Engineering Practices – Analyzing and Interpreting Data –
Builds on K-2 experiences and progresses to introducing quantitative
approaches to collecting data and conducting multiple trials of qualitative
observations. When possible and feasible, digital tools should be used.
 Crosscutting Concept – Influence of Science, Engineering, and
Technology on Society and the Natural World - People’s needs and wants
change over time, as do their demands for new and improved
technologies.
 4-PS3-2. Make observations to provide evidence that energy can be
transferred from place to place by sound, light, heat, and electric currents.
 4-LS1-2 Use a model to describe that animals receive different types of
information through their senses, process the information in their brain,
and respond to the information in different ways.
 LS1.A Structure and Function – Plants and animals have both internal and
external structures that serve various functions in growth, survival,
behavior, and reproduction.
o ELA Standards
 RI.4.3 Explain events, procedures, ideas, or concepts in a historical,
scientific, or technical text, including what happened and why, based on
specific information in the text.
 W.4.8 Recall relevant information from experiences or gather relevant
information from print and digital sources; take notes and categorize
information and provide a list of sources.
 CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.L.3.1 Demonstrate command of the conventions
of standard English grammar and usage when writing or speaking.
  RI.4.7 Interpret information presented visually, orally, or quantitatively
(e.g., in charts, graphs, diagrams, time lines, animations, or interactive
elements on Web pages) and explain how the information contributes to
an understanding of the text in which it appears.
o Math Standards
 4.OA.A.3 Solve multistep word problems posed with whole numbers and
having whole-number answers using the four operations, including
problems in which remainders must be interpreted. Represent these
problems using equations with a letter standing for the unknown quantity.
Assess the reasonableness of answers using mental computation and
estimation strategies including rounding.
 MP.5 Use appropriate tools strategically.
 4.MD.A.1 Know relative sizes of measurement units within one system of
units including km, m, cm; kg, g; lb, oz.; l, ml; hr, min, sec. Within a
single system of measurement, express measurements in a larger unit in
terms of a smaller unit.
 4.MD.A.2 Use the four operations to solve word problems involving
distances, intervals of time, liquid volumes, masses of objects, and money,
including problems involving simple fractions or decimals, and problems
that require expressing measurements given in a larger unit in terms of a
smaller unit.
 Year Three: 2021-2022
o Step 4: Integration into Other Grade Levels
 After the first year or semester, it is up to the school to evaluate student
learning based off of the PLTW material and how effectively and
efficiently it was used over the time trialed. If the trial went really well,
then it is up to the PLTW coordinators for the school to discuss what grade
levels will participate next and so on. Basically, the will need to repeat the
first three steps by having more teachers go through core training, buy
new supplies and equipment for the other grade levels, and get the
students enrolled
 Building a Community
o It is important to let the community know that your school is participating and
incorporating a CS program into your curriculum. It appeals to a lot of parents
knowing that their kids will gain these skills so early on. Below are some ways to
spread awareness of the CS program at your school.
 1. Have local business involvement (mainly for grades 9-12)
 2. Promote the program through social media and other promotional
efforts
 3. STEM premier which allows students to showcase their work and skills
online
 4. Student organizations allow students to incorporate their skills and
further them
 5. Have a technology night for parents and students
 Other Variables
o 5 Strands of Computer Science
  1. Computational Thinking- a skill used to solve problems, design
systems, and gain more knowledge. This skill can be used in CS and other
core subjects.
 2. Collaboration- It is important to have this skill of working with other
people since that is what life is about. A lot of CS and other core subject
projects involve collaboration between group members and classmates.
 3. Computing Practice and Programming- The ability to create and
organize web pages and explore programming in solving problems is an
important skill to learn early on. As students learn more about CS through
their education, they will learn more about this skill which are valuable in
the real world.
 4. Computer and Communication Devices- Students should understand
computer elements and technological devices that they use at home and in
the classroom. They will learn more and more about technology as they
get older.
 5. Community, Global, and Ethical Impacts- The ethics of computers and
networks is important to learn about when working with the internet,
especially social media. This goes along with the aspects of digital
citizenship and being safe when using the internet.
 Computer Science Level: Level 1- Computer Science and Me
o Elementary school students are introduced to the basic concepts in computer
science. They integrate basic skills in technology with basic skills of
computational thinking. The skills being learned should focus on active learning
and creativity and should be embedded within other curricular areas such as social
science, language arts, mathematics, and science.
 Differentiation
o Questions to Consider
 Q1: · Given the School profile on the DOE Compass—what group of
students would be at a disadvantage when learning CS? How will your
pathway address these needs?
 A1: With students coming from different sociocultural backgrounds, some
of the students may have more difficulties than others. While the students
have the proper resources at school, not all students may have access to
the internet at home. This can be difficult when the teachers assign out of
class practice or work for the students. In this case, it is proposed that the
computer lab be opened for students before or after school who encounter
this problem.
 Q2: What does parent participation look like for your CS pathway?
 A2: Parent participation is very important for the success of the CS
program. If parents know that this is a valuable skill their students are
learning, then they may be more willing to give donations or to spread the
word about the program integration. They also play a key role in their
students’ success to make sure they are getting the practice they need
outside of school.
 Q3: How do you measure and differentiate 4-year success?
  A3: Student success would be measured by the teachers the students have.
Since there are no core classes the students are taking since they are still in
elementary school, it is the teacher’s responsibility to make sure that she is
integrating the standards given by PLTW into his or her classroom. Being
able to understand CS in and out of the classroom is very important for
students to fully understand CS principles. While students are not required
to work on PLTW at home, they are encouraged to if they have the
resources at home to do so.
 Q4: How are you addressing dropout from pathway?
 A4: While drop out is not anticipated, if a student moves schools, then
there is no harm to the pathway program. Essentially, there would be more
materials to use during the current school year or future years.
 Q5: What if teachers do not want to participate?
 A5: I think there is a high interest of participation from the teachers at
Lincoln after speaking with a 4th grade teacher there. While they place a
huge emphasis on meeting the state standardized test results, they are also
looking at placing an emphasis on computer science. There are at least 3-5
aids in the classrooms during the day, so they would be a huge help for the
teachers, so they are not on their own.

Piktochart version: https://create.piktochart.com/output/34831624-w210-cs-integration-final