New Hampshire K-12 Computer Science Standards

Codelicious Computer Science Curriculum is grade-level differentiated, aligns with New Hampshire state and national computer science standards, and is continually updated to reflect changes in computer science. Since computer science is more than just coding, Codelicious courses include coding, unplugged, digital citizenship, and STEM career lessons as well as hardware integrations.

New Hampshire Computer Science Standards

The NH College and Career Ready Standards (NH CCRS) are the learning goals and objectives for all K-12 subject areas, including computer science. The New Hampshire Department of Education (NH DOE) provides the state computer science standards in two documents, Part 1 and Part 2. Part 1 outlines the vision, background information, and implementation considerations for the standards. Part 2 breaks down the specific concepts and practices of the standards by grade band (K-2, 3-5, 6-8, 9-10, 11-12).

The NH state standards for computer science were adopted from the CSTA standards and the K-12 CS Framework. The concepts from the CSTA standards to be taught in each grade level are:

1. Computing Systems

2. Network and the Internet

3. Data and Analysis

4. Algorithms and Programming

5. Impacts of Computing

The practices from the K-12 Computer Science Framework to be taught in every grade level are:

1. Fostering an Inclusive Computing Culture

2. Collaborating Around Computing

3. Recognizing and Defining Computational Problems

4. Developing and Using Abstractions

5. Creating Computational Artifacts

6. Testing and Refining Computational Artifacts

7. Communicating About Computing

These standards were adopted in order to ensure that all New Hampshire students are engaged and productive members of today’s society. According to Part 1 of the standards, “It is imperative that students learn the fundamental skills and knowledge of computer science. Computer science and computing technologies affect us socially, politically, and economically.” For further support in implementing the CS New Hampshire curriculum frameworks, explore our free professional development webinars.

NH Common Core Standards

The Common Core Standards are a set of national expectations for what students should know in English language arts (ELA) and mathematics at each grade level. The purpose of these standards is to have consistency across state lines for math and ELA standards. New Hampshire has adopted this Common Core initiative. The Common Core math and ELA standards for NH can be found on the DOE website. The NH science standards were adopted from the Next Generation Science Standards since there are no Common Core science standards. Read more about the interdisciplinary connections between computer science and science on our blog.

Even though the Common Core does not provide K-12 computer science standards or NH state competencies for CS, it is still possible to integrate computer science into core subject areas, such as math, ELA, or even social studies.  For example, when teaching about the coordinate plane and the x and y axis during math class, you may be able to incorporate coding into your instruction. With this free coding lesson, students can practice the coordinate system by moving Scratchy across the axes. Likewise, when assigning a research project during ELA class, you may want to teach about internet safety before allowing students to explore their research topics on the web. Check out this free lesson about leaving a good digital footprint to incorporate computer science into your classroom. When looking at the NH social studies standards, one of the 10 themes revolves around how technology impacts society and culture. Explore the many ways technology has impacted careers by listening to our My STEM Career podcast with your students.

Computer Science Education Requirements

Now that you have explored the New Hampshire standards for computer science and understand the basics of computer science education, how can you get started? Perhaps you are new to teaching computer science and don’t know how to begin to focus your efforts. Perhaps you do have some experience and knowledge of the basics, but struggle with a curriculum progression that makes sense for your students. The pressure is on to deliver computer science knowledge to students that may know more than you! Luckily, there are a few baseline requirements that can help you create a computer science implementation plan.

The first part of your computer science implementation plan is your teachers. Finding passionate educators that will engage and learn alongside students is essential. Good news: your teachers do not have to have experience with computer science. Programming languages that come and go; there will always be something new on the horizon. One of the benefits of studying computer science is that having a strong foundation in certain concepts will be relevant for all languages and most applications going forward. Success in computer science is much more than just coding. It’s being a problem-solver, thinking critically, and having the ability to collaborate effectively with peers. Seeking growth in those essential skills is just as applicable for teachers as it is for students. There are many organizations that offer free educational events and communities for teachers interested in computer science. Furthermore, Codelicious offers free professional development webinars that dive into different computer science subject areas.

Next, choose a curriculum that aligns with your school’s unique instructional strategy for computer science. There are multiple things to consider here.

1. Standards alignment: You want to align with the New Hampshire K-12 computer science standards, which includes determining which lessons cover the standards, when they will be taught, and generating the alignment documentation.

2. Pacing: You want to establish fidelity of instruction across class periods, classrooms, and grade levels. You want a consistent curriculum for your teachers and students that is tailored to your scheduling needs.

3. Assessment methods: Students learn and demonstrate knowledge differently, so you want multiple ways to gain insight into your classroom, including summative and formative assessments.

4. Lesson plans: You want to make sure that lessons within the curriculum are scaffolded and paced to deliver student outcomes, and empower teachers to create an engaging student experience.

Finally, reflect on the values of teaching computer science. Our students are the most important consideration in any new program. You want to engage them, surprise them, and teach them the skills they need for their future. It is powerful to give students the opportunity to see a project come to life before their eyes. Enjoy watching your future computer science experts discover their potential!

Underneath “Related Articles” on this page, you can find other teaching computer science articles to help you on your journey.

Computer Science Curriculum K-12

Codelicious provides full-year K-12 computer science curriculum that aligns with the New Hampshire K-12 computer science standards. The curriculum offers grade level differentiated learning pathways, aligns with all state and national computer science standards as well as NH DOE competencies, and is continually updated to reflect changes in computer science. Codelicious courses are customized to districts’ unique instructional strategy for computer science integration. This can mean incorporating computer science into an existing class period, adding to a specials rotation, or introducing a stand alone class. Courses are delivered with instructional resources teachers need to feel confident teaching NH school curriculum for computer science.

Our computer science curriculum for K-2 empowers you to engage your students with courses that fuel their interest. Coding lessons use ScratchJr, an introductory block coding language, perfect for emergent and early readers. In grades 3-5, inspire your students with courses that spark their creativity. Coding lessons use Scratch, a block based coding language, ideal for the transitional and fluent reader. Our Codelicious Computer Science Fundamentals courses are built for grades K-2.  Our Codelicious Computer Science Foundations courses are built for grades 3-5.  All of our courses can be found on our website.

Our computer science curriculum middle school (6-8) helps you motivate your students with courses that connect to their world. Coding lessons use line based languages JavaScript, HTML, CSS, and Java to explore programming options.

Our computer science high school curriculum (9-12) helps you empower your students with courses that expand their skills. Coding lessons use JavaScript, Java, Python, and Godot to develop websites, programs, and games.

Explore our full K-12 course offering on our courses page. If any of these course options interest you, schedule a 30 minute call with one of our curriculum experts. Find the curriculum that will support every teacher as they inspire every student through the NH curriculum standards.

Computer Science Degree

After being introduced to computer science curriculum in K-12, students may be inspired to continue their computer science education. On a professional level, companies are recruiting for computer science degree jobs in cloud computing, app development, and statistical analysis. On an individual level, computational thinking, problem solving, and relationship building are all deeply influenced by computer science. This understanding of computer science jobs leads to much broader applications. You don’t necessarily need a degree in computer science; anyone that uses technology to solve problems can be considered a computer scientist!

Introducing computer science in the K-12 experience opens doors for students to pursue a computer science degree in college. Some students may even choose to pursue the NH DOE competencies CTE in high school. The top computer science colleges in New Hampshire, including Dartmouth College, Southern New Hampshire University, and University of New Hampshire, offer concentrations in various areas of computer science, like computer information systems, information technology, computer software and applications, and computer systems networking. The reality is, though, students do not need to attend a top university to pursue these computer science majors. Even non-STEM majors, like business, biology, and English use computer science skills to communicate ideas.

Likewise, computer science skills taught in K-12 can be applied directly to any career students pursue after high school. Computational thinking, problem solving, and teamwork can be applied in trades (like electrician, plumber, and HVAC) and other positions (like retail, restaurants, and reception).

Codelicious spotlights the many forms of computer science careers in our My STEM Career podcast. In these interviews, hear from professionals, students, and teachers as they share how they built confidence in their computer science skills. Two particularly interesting interviews include Will Muto, a Product Technical Director at Industrial Light and Magic, who worked on Star Wars films, and Alia Enos, Software Developer II at 343 Industries, who works on the Halo video game series. In addition, Codelicious offers free STEM career lessons, including this one that aligns with NH high school CS standards.