The Arkansas Department of Education (ADE) is pleased to announce the creation of the Arkansas Computer Science Teacher Endorsement and Instruction Stipend Program.

ADE requests that superintendents and principals forward this information to all staff members within their districts and schools.

Under this program Arkansas educators may be eligible to receive up to $2,000.00 in stipends for gaining a 528 Computer Science Endorsement on their Arkansas Educator’s License and teaching a computer science course approved* by the ADE Office of Computer Science. The stipends amounts are listed as follows:

• $300.00 - Arkansas educator has the 528 Endorsement on their Arkansas Educator's License. Each Arkansas educator may only receive this stipend once and payments disbursements of this stipend will be processed by the 20th of the month following receipt of the application and approval.

• $850.00 - Arkansas educator, that holds the 528 Computer Science endorsement, is the teacher of record for an approved course that has at least ten students enrolled for a fall semester (to be confirmed by Cycle 2 reporting). Each Arkansas educator may only receive this stipend once. Payments for this stipend will be processed by January 20, 2018, for all approved applications received prior to December 15, 2017.

• $850.00 - Arkansas educator, that holds the 528 Computer Science endorsement, is the teacher of record for an approved course that has at least ten students enrolled for a spring semester (to be confirmed by Cycle 6 reporting). Each Arkansas educator may only receive this stipend once. Payments for this stipend will be processed by June 20, 2018, for all approved applications received prior to May 15, 2018.

Arkansas educators who added the 528 Computer Science endorsement to their Arkansas Educator’s License and/or have taught an approved course since July of 2015 may be eligible for this stipend.

Arkansas educators that have received or anticipate receiving a stipend as part of the eight “Computer Science Endorsement and High School Computer Science” programs under the 2016 Professional Development Grants  (https://dese.ade.arkansas.gov/Offices/ar-comp-sci-initiative/contest-and-grant-opportunities/2016-professional-development-grants), are not eligible for the Arkansas Computer Science Teacher Endorsement and Instruction Stipend Program.

Arkansas educators that have received or anticipate receiving a stipend for gaining the 528 Computer Science endorsement under any other state funded program or grant are not eligible for the Arkansas Computer Science Teacher Endorsement and Instruction Stipend Program.

Educators receiving any of these stipends are not disqualified from 5651 PRAXIS reimbursement as outlined here: https://adecm.ade.arkansas.gov/ViewApprovedMemo.aspx?Id=1920

The ADE Office of Computer Science, has established an anticipated allocation of $400,000.00. Stipend program funding is subject to the availability of funds. ADE reserves to right to reduce or void this stipend program upon appropriated funds becoming reduced or unavailable. In addition, this stipend may be terminated by ADE at any time for any reason upon notice via the ADE Commissioner’s Memo, or similar, communication system.  

The application for these stipends can be accessed at: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/2G5LDG2

Note: Educators seeking one or both of the $850.00 stipends must submit a completed “Computer Science Teacher Endorsement and Instruction Stipend Program Attestation” with their application. The attestation template is found at http://bit.ly/2ojPLYb.

A “Computer Science Teacher Endorsement and Instruction Stipend Program Attestation” is not required to receive the $300.00 endorsement stipend.

Approved Courses* are as follows:

• For school years 2015-16 and 2016-17:

  • ADE Computer Science and Mathematics

  • ADE Essentials of Computer Programming

  • College Board Advanced Placement (AP) Computer Science A

  • College Board Advanced Placement (AP) Computer Science Principles

  • International Baccalaureate (IB) Computer Science (HL or SL)

• For school years 2017-18 forward*:

  • Computer Science with Programming/ Coding Emphasis (any two consecutive levels)

  • Mobile Application Development (any two consecutive levels)

  • Advanced Programming (any two consecutive levels)

  • Advanced Programming: Game Design (any two consecutive levels)

  • Computer Science with  Networking/ Hardware Emphasis (any two consecutive levels)

  • Robotics (any two consecutive levels)

  • Advanced Networking (any two consecutive levels)

  • Computer Science with Information Security Emphasis (any two consecutive levels)

  • Advanced Information Security (any two consecutive levels)

  • College Board Advanced Placement (AP) Computer Science Principles (any two consecutive levels)

  • College Board Advanced Placement (AP) Computer Science A (any two consecutive levels)

  • International Baccalaureate (IB) Computer Science SL (any two consecutive levels)

  • International Baccalaureate (IB) Computer Science HL (any two consecutive levels)

* All computer science courses taught 2017-18 forward must be provided under the new courses and standards adopted by ADE and the Arkansas Department of Career Education; see Commissioner’s Memo COM-17-039 (https://adecm.ade.arkansas.gov/ViewApprovedMemo.aspx?Id=2157)  for additional information.