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Research and Evaluation

PACS is a research-based  “innovation” that will establish Computer Science pathways in Alabama schools, leading to career development, for rural  high school students. Our research team will study the impact of this, so that other schools and states can benefit what we learn. 
We invite you to join and support our research efforts this year! 

Commitment Forms are due February 8, 2021

Benefits

High schools that participate in the PACS research program will benefit from each of the following:

• In each high school, a team of teachers and counselors will participate in PACS during 3 years of the project;
• Teachers and counselors draw resources and support from PD providers, coaches, teacher-leaders, and colleagues;
• Schools will be able to build their own Community of Practice that establishes a Computer Science pathway;
• Lodging, meals, travel reimbursement, and generous stipends of $125 per day for educators who participate in Alabama’s CSPDWeek;
• All participants will help inform policy and practice by participating in the PACS research program and sharing their perspectives on the supports they receive.

Eligibility

Selection into the PACS research program requires the following criteria to be in place in participating schools:

• Rural or town high schools;
• No Computer Science courses prior to fall 2020;
• A maximum of one teacher trained for AP CS Principles by A+ College Ready in summer 2020
• A regular public high school, not a career tech center.

Commitment

Teachers and counselors in participating schools will:

• ​Participate in summer workshops through Alabama’s CSPD week;
• Participate in individualized and group coaching activities - a combination of preparation and feedback -  for ECS, Bootstrap Algebra, AP CS Principles, and C4C throughout the academic year;
• Participate in regular School-level Community of Practice meetings to plan and build school-level Computer Science Pathways;P
• Participate in data collection, including online surveys and observations​.

Project Background

The U.S. Department of Education selected Alabama State Department of Education for an Education Innovation Research grant of over $2 million to bring Computer Science education to rural communities. The grant is called Pathways for Alabama Computer Science (PACS) and will assist in expanding computer science for high school students by establishing a statewide high school pathway of courses - two rigorous CS courses, Exploring Computer Science (520043) and AP CS Principles (520018), and Bootstrap for Algebra I. This training represents the state of the art in STEM instruction that gives Alabama high schools the opportunity to be at the forefront of preparing the next generation STEM workforce.