Resolution No. 155-26A2, In Support of Expanding Computer Science and Digital Learning to All Students at All Schools from Pre-K to 12th Grade.pdf (200 KB)
Adopted, as amended, by the Board of Education at its Reqular Meeting of June 9, 2015
Subject: Resolution No. 155-26A2
In Support of Expanding Computer Science and Digital Learning to All Students
at All Schools from Pre-K to 12" Grade”
– Commissioners Matt Haney, Hydra Mendoza-McDonnell, Emily M. Murase, Ph.D,
Sandra Lee Fewer, Rachel Norton, Shamann Walton, and Jill Wynns
WHEREAS: Through Vision 2025, SFUSD has redefined what it takes to thrive in San
Francisco in the 21st century. Our students must have a more balanced education, where they
learn not only content, but also critical thinking, real-world problem solving, leadership,
collaboration, and creativity; and
WHEREAS: A key piece of the new Graduate Profile included in SFUSD’s Vision 2025 is the
development of “Global, Local and Digital Identity”: the ability to navigate and engage in 21%
century global society that is more inclusive and interconnected, in which students are
“multilingual,” gaining exposure to or fluency in other languages that might range from Spanish
and Chinese to sign language and computer science; and
WHEREAS: SFUSD’s digital learning framework includes technology infusion in curricular
areas and student support programs, digital literacy, school site technology coordination, and
computer science curriculum and instruction. All of these strategies require adequate and
equitable access to education technology in classrooms, schools, and district-wide; and
WHEREAS: Digital literacy must be an essential part of any digital learning framework,
including familiarity with all general tools and skills, such as typing, that enable students and
educators to interact with computers; and
WHEREAS: Computer science education is a key pillar of SFUSD’s broader digital learning
framework; and
WHEREAS: Computer science teaches important, transferable skills, including innovative
thinking, creative problem solving, and cooperative learning. It is a driver of both innovation and
economic productivity; and
WHEREAS: Combining mathematics, logic, algorithms, and storytelling, coding teaches us how
to tackle large problems by breaking them down into smaller, more manageable problems.
These are valuable skills for all students, and essential for many professions; and
WHEREAS: In the coming years, there will be far more computing jobs than there are U.S.0
computer science graduates to fill those jobs. Nationally, according to the National Science
Foundation, there will be an estimated 1,000,000 unfilled computing jobs in 2020; and
WHEREAS: Information technology is the fastest growing job sector in San Francisco,
accounting for at least 30% of San Francisco's overall job growth since 2010. San Francisco’s
tech employment rose 51.8% between 2007 and 2012; and
Subject: Resolution No. 155-26A2
In Support of Expanding Computer Science and Digital Learning to All Students at All Schools from Pre-K to
12" Grade” – Commissioners Matt Haney, Hydra Mendoza-McDonnell, Emily M. Murase, Ph.D, Sandra Lee Fewer,
Rachel Norton, Shamann Waiton, and Jill Wynns
Page 2
WHEREAS: The tech industry in San Francisco does not reflect the broader racial, ethnic and
gender diversity of our city or school population. Tech employment in San Francisco is 76%
male and 26% female. It is 88% White and Asian American, 10% African American and Latino,
and 2% other. Nationally, African Americans and Latinos Cicomprised only 14% of all computer
programmers, 0 while women comprised only 23%; and
WHEREAS: in 2014, approximately 20,000 college educated individuals moved to San
Francisco to take high wage jobs, many in the technology sector, while local residents,
particularly African Americans and Latinos, often struggle to stay and thrive in a city where
technology job growth is booming; and
WHEREAS: Even though the Omajority of students today will not become programmers or
computer scientists, the knowledge and skills gained ind. computer science education are
nevertheless critical to Clunderstanding the science underlying the technologies that are
essential to today’s world; and
WHEREAS: The current state of computer science in SFUSD is fragmented and voluntary, with
a lack of equity and uneven quality; and
WHEREAS: There is little to no ongoing instruction in computer science in elementary schools.
Just two middie schools have computer science electives, reaching just 0.5% of all 6-8 students;
and
WHEREAS: Currently, only 5% of SFUSD high school students are enrolled in a computer
science course, and only half of SFUSD high schools offer at least one course. Advanced
Placement (AP) computer science courses exist at five schools, but participation is extremely
limited: of the nearly 10,000 high school students who took AP exams in 2014, only 2.2% (209
total) took the AP Computer Science A exam; and
WHEREAS: Of the 209 SFUSD students who took the AP Computer Science exam last spring,
only 22% were female and only 3% were African American, Latino, or Native American; and
WHEREAS: A number of afterschool and summer programs are offered for students in San
Francisco to learn skills in coding and computer science, including FIRST Robotics League,
Girls Who Code, Mission Bit, Square Code Camp, Black Girls Code, and Technovation; and
WHEREAS: In partnership with Mayor Lee and the Salesforce.com Foundation, SFUSD has
set ambitious goals for the Mayor's Middle Grades Initiative: By 2016-2017, 100% of middle
grades students will demonstrate mastery in the new Common Core State Standards for
mathematics, integrated with digital content with 40 hours of computer science instruction; and
WHEREAS: The American Federation of Teachers and the United Educators of San Francisco
seek to create innovative pathways for current teachers to develop skills in computer science
and obtain authorization to teach computer science; and
Subject: Resolution No. 155-26A2
In Support of Expanding Computer Science and Digital Learning to All Students at All Schools from Pre-K to
412'" Grade” – Commissioners Matt Haney, Hydra Mendoza-McDonnell, Emily M. Murase, Ph.D, Sandra Lee Fewer,
Rachel Norton, Shamann Walton, and Jill Wynns
Page 3
WHEREAS: SFUSD partners with external organizations that similarly seek to extend students’
facility with computer science, including the Salesforce.com Foundation, Technology and
Education Literacy in School (TEALS), Black Girls Code, Mission Bit, Code.org, Stanford
University, and others; and
WHEREAS: Only about 10% of schools nationwide offer computer science; and
WHEREAS: Few large, urban school districts provide comprehensive computer science
education to their students from pre-K to 12. Of those few, most districts have committed to
providing computer science courses at all schools, but not to all students in all grades; and
WHEREAS: SFUSD is setting a bold, new precedent for large, urban school districts: to
expand computer science education to not only all schools, but to all students; and
WHEREAS: Currently, no national, state, or local standards exist for computer science. Few
school systems have begun teaching computer science from pre-K to 12th grade, and the
academic research in computer science education is quite limited. As such, a cohesive
progression of computer science knowledge and skills does not yet exist; and
WHEREAS: Through extensive academic research, observation of K-12 computer science
classrooms and SFUSD teacher interviews, adaptation of Computer Science Teachers
Association (CSTA) K-12 standards, and thorough analysis of many computer science curricula
from diverse sources, SFUSD has developed our own comprehensive and coherent scope and
sequence to articulate the full trajectory, from pre-kindergarten to twelfth grade, that will prepare
our students for college and career and to guide the selection and development of our
curriculum; and
THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED: SFUSD commits to expand computer science education to
all schools and ail students, beginning in pre-kindergarten and extending through 12th grade;
and
FURTHER BE IT RESOLVED: The commitment to expand computer science education is
grounded in the following principles:
e Understanding how computers work and how to creatively use this knowledge to solve
problems will be Clincreasingly important for all students, as they prepare for college and
their future careers.
¢ Computer science involves more than just programming. Students must also learn about
computers and algorithmic processes, hardware and software designs, their
applications, their impacts on society, among many other important habits of mind.
Subject: Resolution No. 155-26A2
in Support of Expanding Computer Science and Digital Learning to All Students at All Schools from Pre-K to
412!" Grade” – Commissioners Matt Haney, Hydra Mendoza-McDonnell, Emily M. Murase, Ph.D, Sandra Lee Fewer,
Rachel Norton, Shamann Walton, and Jill Wynns
Page 4
e All students are capable of making sense of computer science in ways that are creative,
interactive, and Grelevant.
e All students, from pre-K to 12, deserve access to rigorous and culturally meaningful
computer science Ceducation and should be held to high expectations for interacting
with the curriculum.
e Students’ access to and achievement in computer science must not be predictable on
the basis of race, Diethnicity, gender, socioeconomic status, language, religion, sexual
orientation, cultural affiliation, or special Oneeds. im
e The integration of different interpretations, strategies, and solutions that are
computationally sound enhance classroom discussions and deepen understandings.
¢ The field of computer science will continue to rapidly evolve in sometimes unpredictable
ways, and as such, Cour plan for teaching computer science will also need the flexibility
to continuously adapt; and 0
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED: SFUSD adopts the following goals:
e in grades PK-5:
o To provide engaging, relevant, creative and collaborative computer science
instruction to all students
o Generate excitement about computing.
o Develop problem solving and critical thinking skills.
o Foster creativity and collaboration.
e in grades 6-8:
o To provide engaging, relevant, creative and collaborative computer science
instruction to all students.
o Develop strong foundational knowledge and skills.
o Explore issues raised by present and future societal impacts of computing.
e in grades 9-72:
o Offer introductory and AP courses to ail students at all schools.
o Double AP participation.
o Broaden participation to represent student population as a whole.
© Strengthen and apply knowledge and skills, in order to engineer solutions to real
world problems;
© €xplore collaborations with local colleges to offer dual enrollment options; and
Subject: Resolution No. 155-26A2
In Support of Expanding Computer Science and Digital Learning to All Students at All Schools from Pre-K to
12 Grade” – Commissioners Matt Haney, Hydra Mendoza-McDonnell, Emily M. Murase, Ph.D, Sandra Lee Fewer,
Rachel Norton, Shamann Walton, and Jill Wynns
Page 5
FURTHER BE IT RESOLVED: SFUSD's computer science education goals will begin to be
phased in during the 2015-2016 school year; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED: Decisions related to the computer science education, including
pilots and roll-out, will be guided by SFUSD’s commitment to equity, social justice, and closing
the racial achievement and opportunity gaps; and
FURTHER BE IT RESOLVED: SFUSD will work closely with the City and County of San
Francisco, community based organizations, technology companies, and other private industry,
foundations, and the broader community of San Francisco in implementing the computer
science education plan; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED: The implementation of SFUSD’s computer science standards
will be in close partnership with SFUSD teachers and educators, and will include significant
investments in professional development to ensure that current SFUSD teachers have the
expertise, support and credentialing to teach computer science.
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