Get solutions to enhance your computer science program at CSK5 summit

Association of California School Administrators

Elementary principals and other leaders invited to free, two-hour online event

March 20, 2023

Elementary principals and other leaders invited to free, two-hour online event California elementary principals and administrators are invited to attend CSK5, a two-hour online summit March 30 for K-5 computer science education. Supported by Infosys Foundation USA, this national event features breakout sessions for 46 states, including a special California session providing state educators with a 30-minute roadmap for enhancing their computer science programs.

A second track of CSK5 breakouts will be a “Solutions Showcase,” giving educators a unique one-stop shop where they can quickly browse and learn about the leading K-5 computer science teaching resource providers, most of which are free. Educators can connect with the biggest names in tech and education, including Google, Amazon, Microsoft, Scratch, ScratchJr and many others.

The Summit’s Plenary Session features presentations from showcase districts whose leaders describe how they teach computer science to every K-5 student. Districts range from California’s one-school Le Grand Union Elementary School District to larger districts nationwide. The Plenary Session’s Lightning Round features winners of the new CS100 Awards, showing the variety of ways these schools teach CS to all K-5 students.

“It’s truly an unprecedented event,” explains summit organizer and CSisElementary Executive Director John Pearce. “There is a growing understanding that it’s a digital future, and that all children require tech literacy for whatever they pursue. But with less than 5 percent of U.S. high school students taking even one computer science course, it’s now clear: like any literacy, we must teach CS to all elementary-age children. Supporting this mission is the purpose of CSK5.”

The CSK5 California State Breakout Session will be led by CDE Computer Science Coordinator Katherine Goyette, and will include:

Available statewide grant-funded opportunities that provide stipends for teachers receiving quality professional learning for CS education.
Stanislaus COE STEM & CS Coordinator Rudy Escobar’s assessment of inequitable representation within CS courses.
K-5 CS success stories from Orange County DOE Curriculum Specialist for STEM-CS/CTE Omar Shepherd; and a K-5 CS in action segment with San Bernardino County Superintendent of Schools Digital Learning and CS Education Project Specialist Sharisa Chan.
Why California’s state standards and implementation plan emphasize CS access for all CA K-5 students.

Learn more and register for CSK5 at bit.ly/CSK5Summit. The program is free, and all registrants will receive a special guide to Summit sessions and solutions.