All scholarships for this course were filled as of 2/1/2023. If you are still interested in taking this course over the summer, CSTA Puget Sound (WA) is offering the same course for $600 at https://pugetsound.csteachers.org/events/online-cs-endorsement-exam-prep-course-for-washington. Any questions, e-mail csta.pugetsound@gmail.com.
CSTA+, WeTeach_CS, Shoreline Community College, and CSTA Puget Sound (PSCSTA) are pleased to announce a free, online, self-paced pilot course to help Washington teachers pass the WEST/NES Computer Science Endorsement Exam. The course is based on the WeTeach_CS Foundations of CS for Teachers: Praxis Prep course ($600 value) which has helped over 2000 teachers pass the endorsement exam in their states and adapted for the WEST/NES exam used for Washington. Course participants will also receive CSTA+ memberships ($50 value) to provide them with the resources, professional development, and professional learning community to support them throughout their careers. Interested applicants should apply at CSTA+ WeTeach_CS Washington State CS Endorsement Exam Prep Course Application.
Despite its status as a worldwide tech hub, Washington state trails in many aspects of K-12 CS education. There is a shortage of computer science teachers in Washington. According to the 2022 State of Computer Science report, only 47% of Washington state high schools offer a computer science course versus 53% nationwide. Washington state fell further behind the nation during the pandemic. Computer science education is a rapidly evolving field. So many current Washington CS teachers lack the content and pedagogical knowledge, resources, and professional learning network to sustain and grow their computer science programs.
Combining this exam prep course with CSTA+ membership provides a life-cycle approach to computer science teacher training in Washington. The exam prep course starts the journey. CSTA+ provides the resources and professional learning community to sustain teachers throughout the rest of their careers. In addition to the content of the self-paced online prep course, course participants can also get support on exam contents and any issue related to CS education in Washington state through the PSCSTA virtual community and in twice weekly virtual office hours sponsored by PSCSTA.
This initial pilot is free for 15 teachers and the first cohort will start on Jan 9, 2023. Applicants will continue to be admitted starting on later dates until our initial allotment of 15 free seats have been filled. Although all may apply, the applicant who will benefit most from this course is a public school in-service secondary school teacher with some (appx 20-40 hours) but not substantial programming experience who expects to teach computer science during the 2023-24 school year. Teachers with no programming experience may need some additional training beforehand. While some programming experience is highly recommended before starting the course, the actual course requires no programming. Teachers who complete the entire course will receive 35 Washington state clock hours.
Interested applicants should apply at CSTA+ WeTeach_CS Washington State CS Endorsement Exam Prep Course Application.
Any questions? Please contact csta.pugetsound@gmail.com
