We understand that there are many options when it comes to integrating computer science into the classroom. While we can certainly discuss the ways our curriculum empowers teachers and drives student outcomes, you don’t have to just take our word for it. The most impactful testimonials come from our stakeholders and teachers who are using Codelicious Curriculum every day. We want to share their feedback with you as you evaluate computer science curriculum options for your school.
Codelicious partnered with STEM Innovations, LTD to conduct a third-party analysis of our computer science curriculum. The goals of this study were to provide an overview of features and benefits, discuss alignment with national standards, gather teacher feedback from current users, summarize curriculum strengths, and provide recommendations for future improvement.
Two Codelicious courses were involved in this analysis: Computer Science Fundamentals (formerly Programming 101) and Computer Science Applications (formerly Programming 105).
If you missed the announcement, click here to learn more about our course name changes!
We are proud of the positive feedback we received from Dr. Johnson of STEM Innovations and the educators who are active users of our curriculum. Read on for a summary of the findings, an excerpt from the analysis, and an opportunity to download the full report.
The full report includes a detailed discussion of standards alignment with Computer Science Teachers Association (CSTA) and Common Core State Standards (CCSS) in Reading and Math. STEM Innovations concludes that both Codelicious courses are closely aligned with CSTA standards and CCSS in Mathematics. Furthermore, Codelicious courses provide opportunities to reinforce CCSS in Reading through vocabulary.
Next, STEM Innovations conducted a qualitative study with four educators using Codelicious curriculum in their classrooms. The full analysis includes the descriptions of the teachers who gave feedback, including a section on how they use the curriculum. Implementations range from a dedicated computer science course to a 9-week rotation in science class to a CTE special. It is clear that educators are leveraging the flexibility of Codelicious curriculum to fit their unique needs.
There are three main takeaways from their feedback:
We are thrilled with this positive feedback from both STEM Innovations, LTD and current educators. As a team, Codelicious is galvanized in our efforts to support every teacher as they inspire every student.
Codelicious contracted with STEM Innovations, LTD to conduct a third-party curriculum analysis of selected curriculum within their program in January 2021. This analysis was conducted with the intent to provide an overview of the teacher-led curriculum, discuss alignment with respective national standards, gather and report stakeholder feedback from current users of the curriculum, summarize curriculum strengths, and provide recommendations for future directions.
Codelicious has a holistic approach to integrating computer science (CS) into the classroom and is designed around four pillars: coding, unplugged, digital citizenship, and hardware. Codelicious is distinctively different from other options in the CS K-12 curriculum space, as it has differentiation at the heart of the design of the curricula, coupled with the flexibility to be offered as a stand-alone course or integrated into existing content classes. Codelicious is a vibrant and expansive series of curricula spanning K-12 with focus on programming, graphic design, and engineering that is designed to meet the learner where they are and move them forward in powerful ways. Individual Codelicious courses (with respective curriculum organized in modules) can be customized for the respective school or district to fit the needs of scheduling and content with flexibility to be offered as a full-year course, or shorter durations.
Each course includes the syllabus, lesson plans, standards map, and content housed within a learning management system (LMS). The lessons are designed to be delivered as collaborative project work for students with the intent of engaging every student in the classroom. Codelicious coursework has been designed so that it may be delivered in face-to-face and online K-12 education instructional settings.
This third-party curriculum analysis included two courses from the Codelicious catalog of curriculum: Programming 101: Introduction to Computational Thinking with Scratch, and Programming 105: Introduction to Web Development with JavaScript. All course materials within the learning management system (LMS) were reviewed. Within the LMS there were tabs for assignments, syllabus, quizzes, modules, chat, and support.
Each Module is comprised of a Lesson Plan for each day of instruction. Within the lesson plans, detailed outlines for each Activity were provided which include: 1) allotted time for the activity, 2) description of activity, 3) learning objectives, 4) materials and resources, 5) vocabulary, 6) instructional procedures, and 7) challenge activity. There are numerous hyperlinked documents, resources, and handouts for student use. The instructional model provides within the procedures for each lesson step-by-step directions for students to enter code and examine the results. The Challenge Activity within each lesson is where there are opportunities for students to apply and extend their learning.
Course Description: Students understand foundational computer science principles such as loops, debugging, and conditional statements in this project-based course. Using Scratch, an open-source block coding language, students build games and solve puzzles to develop computational thinking and analytical skills. Educators introduce students to safe Internet behaviors, a variety of STEM careers, and real-world computer science vocabulary through participation in group discussion activities. After completion of this course, students will gain the basic skills needed to take higher level coding classes.
The version of Programming 101 that was reviewed for this curriculum analysis was comprised of 28 modules which are designed to be used as one module per class meeting day (modules are numbered day 1-28). The syllabus listed the modules along with the activities and assessments by name for each module. The instructional sequence includes lab time where reteaching is included as needed, as well as optional activities. Standards maps are included with the Programming 101, which is mapped with CSTA standards, as well as Common Core State Standards for Reading and Mathematics.
Course Description: In this introductory course, educators teach students to build and design websites using JavaScript, HTML, and CSS. Students gain familiarity with web-page structure and front-end web design best practices through a variety of project-based lessons. In addition, students are introduced to STEM careers in group discussions. Student choice activities allow educators to encourage individual interests and students to motivate one another, all while developing critical thinking and problem-solving skills. After this course, students will be prepared for Programming 205: Advanced Web Development with JavaScript.
The version of Programming 105 that was reviewed for this curriculum analysis was comprised of 28 modules which are designed to be used as one module per class meeting day (modules are numbered day 1-28). The syllabus listed the modules along with the activities and assessments by name for each module. The instructional sequence includes lab time where reteaching is included as needed, as well as optional activities. Standards maps are included with the Programming 105, which is mapped with CSTA standards, as well as Common Core State Standards for Reading and Mathematics.
The curriculum analysis was completed on two provided courses from Codelicious: Programming 101: Introduction to Computational Thinking and Programming 105: Introduction to Web Development using JavaScript. In this analysis the curriculum was examined to determine alignment with intended goals and objectives, and relevant national standards including the Computer Science Teachers Association (CSTA) Standards and other national standards.
The Codelicious curriculum that was examined for this curriculum analysis included Programming 101 and Programming 105. The overall syllabus did not include goals and objectives. However, each module is comprised of daily lesson plans which include activities and within each activity there were one or more learning objectives that were stated. The instructional sequence within each activity appeared to provide both an introduction to concepts with opportunity to apply content and practice skills throughout the tasks to be completed. Assessment is frequent and embedded in both formative and summative formats – allowing for teachers to gain important real-time feedback on student mastery of concepts and providing opportunities for adjusting instruction accordingly if necessary.
Codelicious curriculum provided clear mapping of course content with Computer Science Teachers Association (CSTA) and Common Core State Standards (CCSS) in Reading and Mathematics.
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