New computer science initiative announced
Source: Ariana Fine
On October 17, The Virtual High School (VHS, Inc.), joined the national computer science (CS) education stakeholder community at Washington University in St. Louis (MO) to mark progress on the CSforALL movement and contribute the following new commitment to help bring CS education to every student:
Develop and launch new online Introduction to Computer Science Principles and Java Programming courses to provide AP Computer Science Principles preparation to more than 600 school districts, and offer online AP Computer Science Principles for at least 10 rural school districts in the 2018-2019 academic year.
The 2017 CSforALL Fact Sheet further outlines more than 170 announcements of new CS education commitments from organizations across every sector.
The Virtual High School is currently piloting Introduction to Computer Science Principles, a new semester-long course which provides students with an overview of the world of computer science and its technologies. This course also features an introduction to computer programming using Scratch and presents students with a variety of challenges to use technology to solve problems. The organization is also developing a new Java Programming course this year, as part of their newest CSforALL commitment.
Offering AP courses online can help to solve challenges rural schools encounter when looking to expand AP offerings. As part of its new commitment, The Virtual High School will leverage its online platform to bring AP Computer Science Principles to at least 10 rural school districts in the 2018-2019 academic year. AP Computer Science Principles fosters logical thinking, problem-solving skills and creativity in students with a variety of different interests and CS skill levels. Students explore the big ideas of computer science and practice programming skills in Scratch and Pencil Code development platforms.
“VHS is very pleased to expand on last year’s commitment to CSforALL, which featured the launch of our AP Computer Science Principles and computing certificate program,” said Carol Ribeiro, President & CEO of VHS. “We’re incredibly pleased that VHS students taking the AP exam for our AP Computer Science Principles course in the 2016-2017 academic year received a pass rate of 94 percent. Through the CSforALL Consortium, we are privileged to work with a dedicated group of more than 170 organizations working together to help ensure all students regardless of their geography, gender or economic circumstance have access to computer science education.”
About The Virtual High School
The Virtual High School (VHS Inc.) is an online learning pioneer. Since 1996, the nonprofit organization has set the standard for quality online education. VHS provides courses taught in global online classrooms for secondary school students and online professional development for educators. The organization also meets the unique educational needs of schools through custom course development and individualized course offerings. VHS design and delivery standards are the model used by the National Education Association in their recommended standards for online learning. The organization has won numerous awards, including the Stockholm Challenge Award for Global Excellence in Information Technology, and is a three-time winner of the United States Distance Learning Association’s (USDLA) award for Excellence in Programming and Excellence in Best Practices. For more information, visit www.vhslearning.org or call (978) 897-1900.
About The Virtual High School
The Virtual High School (VHS Inc.) is an online learning pioneer. Since 1996, the nonprofit organization has set the standard for quality online education. VHS provides courses taught in global online classrooms for secondary school students and online professional development for educators. The organization also meets the unique educational needs of schools through custom course development and individualized course offerings. VHS design and delivery standards are the model used by the National Education Association in their recommended standards for online learning. The organization has won numerous awards, including the Stockholm Challenge Award for Global Excellence in Information Technology, and is a three-time winner of the United States Distance Learning Association’s (USDLA) award for Excellence in Programming and Excellence in Best Practices. For more information, visit www.vhslearning.org or call (978) 897-1900.
| }
|