Standards Review Committee - Computer Science

Academic Standards Revision Process Group 2 Computer Science Standards Review Committee

Latest News

Computer Science Review and Revisions Committee Reconvenes

On November 8, 2023, Bobbie Bastian, chair of the Colorado Computer Science Review and Revisions Committee, joined CDE's Dr. Joanna Bruno and Dr. Floyd Cobb in presenting the Colorado State Board of Education with the committee's draft of the computer science standards which can be found on this redlined version of the document. The Board asked clarifying questions and asked that the committee reconvene. A recording of the Board meeting can be found here and below is information regarding our first reconvened meeting.

Public Comment Now Open Through Early January

Public comment is now open for the proposed revisions to the Colorado Academic Standards for Computer Science. Proposed changes can be found on this redlined version of the document. Residents of Colorado are invited to provide feedback on the proposed revisions between now and January 5, 2024. Feedback will be collected through an online survey. If you have any questions about how to access the survey, please contact Samantha Messier, Director of Standards and Instructional Support, at messier_s@cde.state.co.us.

Legislation Informing this Revision

Based on State Board of Education guidance, CDE will be moving forward with minimal revision to the high school computer science standards. Application for those interested in participating on the Computer Science Standards Revision Committee closed August 31, 2023. The Colorado Academic Standards in the content areas of English language proficiency, physical education, and world languages will remain unchanged until the next revision cycle in six years.
House Bill 20-1032 (section 22-7-1005(6) C.R.S.) Concerning the Timing of Education Standards Review.
- Colorado amended the provision that required the regular review and revision of the Colorado Academic Standards. The statute previously required the revisions to occur within six years of the prior cycle which occurred in 2018. The changes now require the state board to review and revise approximately one-third of the standards beginning in 2022 and an additional one-third every two years thereafter. These review and revision cycles are not intended to re-write the standards, but to update them to be most current with national and international benchmarks.
It is understood that the 2020-21 school year was the first year of implementation of the standards that were revised in 2018. One-third of the standards that were adopted in 2018 began the review and revision cycle in the spring of 2021 and concluded in the fall of 2022. Frequently Asked Questions

Committee Members

Computer Science Committee Members Announced

In addition to our Youth Advisors, the following Coloradans were selected to serve on the Colorado Academic Standards Revision Committee.

Daniel Massey, U.S. Department of Defense
Bobbie Bastian, Adams 12 Five Star Schools
Vanessa Nieto Thrower, Software engineer
John Hamlin, District 27J
Chris GauthierDickey, University of Denver
Jody Paul, Association for Computing Machinery

Youth Advisors Selected and Appointed for the 2023-25 Colorado Academic Standards Committee

During the 2023 legislative session, the Colorado General Assembly passed Senate Bill 23-008, Colorado Youth Advisors to the Academic Standards Review and Regional Educator Meetings. This recently passed legislation creates several opportunities for youth to be involved in the review of the state’s education standards. The computer science standards are currently under review and revision.

The CDE Commissioner, Susana Córdova, has selected and appointed two youth advisors for the 2023-25 Colorado Academic Standards revision process:

Sophie Tipper, Cherry Creek High School
Coryn Cole, Clear Creek High School

The youth advisors will serve a two-year term and may be able to serve more than one term. Please see the Youth Involvement in Standards section below for more information.

Meeting Dates and Notes

The meetings will be livestreamed and viewable by members of the general public.

Reconvened Meeting: November 15, 2023, 4:30 - 5:30 PM Click here to view Zoom Recording
- Notes: The Committee reconvened and began drafting the K-8 Computer Science Standards by focusing on the current CSTA Standards and aligning them to our current Colorado Prepared Graduate Statements for Computer Science.
Reconvened Meeting: November 29, 2023 4:30-5;30 PM Click here to view Zoom Recording
- Notes: The Committee reconvened and continued drafting the K-8 Computer Science Standards by focusing on the current Cyber.org K-8 Standards and aligning them to our current Colorado Prepared Graduate Statements for Computer Science.
Next Meetings:
- December 14, 2023 4:30 - 6:30 PM Click here to join Zoom meeting
- December 20, 2023 4:30 - 6:30 PM Click here to join Zoom meeting

First committee meeting: September 13, 2023, 4:15 - 6:15 PM Click here to view Zoom Recording
- Meeting Summary
  - Committee Chair: Bobbie Bastian, CDE Content Specialist: Pam Lewis, Committee Members present: Coryn Cole (Youth Advisor), William Hunt, Vanessa Nieto Thrower, John Hamlin, Jody Paul, Dan Massey, Chris GauthierDickey Absent: Sophie Tipper (Youth Advisor)
    - Focus: The computer science committee met for an overall orientation and introduction to the revision process. The committee:
      - Reviewed the benchmarking report conducted by McREL
      - Grounded themselves in the purpose and scope of the committee
      - Viewed a presentation by Director of Standards and Instructional Support on the revision process in Colorado.
      - Introduced themselves
    - September 20 Meeting Next Steps
      - For the next meeting of the computer science committee on September 20, committee members will:
        
        Review the gaps identified in the CAS for computer science in the benchmarking reports and indicate in the spreadsheet whether they might fit best under AI or cyber security.
Second committee meeting: September 20, 2023, 4:15 - 6:15 PM Click here to view Zoom Recording
- Meeting Summary
  - Committee Chair: Bobbie Bastian, CDE Content Specialist: Pam Lewis, Committee Members present: Coryn Cole (Youth Advisor), Sophie Tipper (Youth Advisor), Vanessa Nieto Thrower, John Hamlin, Jody Paul, Dan Massey, Chris GauthierDickey, Absent: William Hunt
    - Focus: The computer science committee met for an overall orientation and introduction to the revision process. The committee:
      - Analyzed gaps identified in the benchmarking reports
      - Discussed and researched how best to define “artificial intelligence” and “cyber-security”
      - Discussed overall how broad the scope should be for standards regarding AI and cyber-security
    - September 20 Meeting Next Steps
      - For the next meeting of the computer science committee on September 27, committee members will:
        
        Determine about how to draft the actual standards language for each of these areas.
Third committee meeting: September 27, 2023, 4:15 - 6:15 PM Click here to view Zoom Recording Click here to view Zoom Breakout Room #1 Recording Click here to view Zoom Breakout Room #2 Recording
- Meeting Summary
  - Committee Chair: Bobbie Bastian, CDE Content Specialist: Pam Lewis, Committee Members present: Coryn Cole (Youth Advisor), Sophie Tipper (Youth Advisor), Vanessa Nieto Thrower, John Hamlin, Jody Paul, Dan Massey, Chris GauthierDickey, Absent: William Hunt
    - Focus: The computer science committee met for an overall orientation and introduction to the revision process. The committee:
      - Analyzed common threads around ideas to include in the AI and Cybersecurity standards.
      - Began to draft the actual standards to match the CAS formatting addressing prepared graduates' requirements, grade level expectations, evidence outcomes and connecting each to computer science practices as well as the Colorado Essential Skills.
    - For the next meeting of the computer science committee on September 27, committee members will:
      - Draft the actual standards language for each of these areas
Fourth committee meeting: October 4, 2023, 4:15 - 6:15 PM Click here to view Zoom Recording
- Meeting Summary
  - Committee Chair: Bobbie Bastian, CDE Content Specialist: Pam Lewis, Committee Members present: Coryn Cole (Youth Advisor), , Vanessa Nieto Thrower, John Hamlin, Jody Paul, Dan Massey, Chris GauthierDickey, Absent: William Hunt, Sophie Tipper (Youth Advisor)
    - Focus: The computer science committee met to draft a new standard for AI and Cybersecurity.
      - Continued to draft the actual standards to match the CAS formatting addressing prepared graduates' requirements, grade level expectations, evidence outcomes and connecting each to computer science practices as well as the Colorado Essential Skills.
      - Committee reviewed the Cybersecurity standards drafts and provided feedback.
      - Committee chair Bobbie Bastian led a group discussion focusing on the initial committee feedback for the proposed Cybersecurity standards drafts.
    - For the next meeting of the computer science committee on October 11, committee members will:
      - Finalize the draft the actual standards language for each of these areas
Fifth committee meeting: October 11, 2023, 4:15 - 7:15 pm - Click here to view the Zoom recording.
Meeting Summary
- Committee Chair: Bobbie Bastian, CDE Content Specialist: Pam Lewis, Committee Members present: Coryn Cole (Youth Advisor), Sophie Tipper (Youth Advisor), Vanessa Nieto Thrower, John Hamlin, Jody Paul, Dan Massey, Chris GauthierDickey, Absent: William Hunt
- Focus: The computer science committee met to complete the drafting of the new standards for AI and Cybersecurity.
  - The committee drafted two new standards for AI and Cybersecurity with multiple Grade Level Expectations for each standard.
  - This was the final committee meeting before the standards are reviewed by the Colorado State Board of Education in November 2023.