On February 22, 2017, the Arkansas Department of Education (ADE) released a joint statement with the Arkansas Department of Career Education (ARCareerEd) reminding district and school leaders about the changes to the Computer Science (CS) implementation beginning in the 2017-18 school year. This joint statement was released as part of Commissioner’s Memo COM-17-039 which is accessible at https://adecm.ade.arkansas.gov/ViewApprovedMemo.aspx?Id=2157.

This current Commissioner’s Memo is intended to provide additional information and guidance for district and school leaders.

Licensure Update

Since the release of COM-17-039, ADE and ARCareerEd have agreed to provide existing computer science tech permit holders with a temporary approval code if the candidate meets certain criteria found at https://goo.gl/zDjRjB

 Course Code and Curriculum

Since the release of COM-17-039, ADE and ARCareerEd have added three middle school computer science activity codes and clarified how meeting the Coding Block requirement should be recorded.

• For the Coding Block for Grades 7 or 8:

  • If taught as a standalone (wheel) course, the school should use Coding Block for 7th & 8th Grade (378650)

  • If taught as part of another existing course, the school should use that course’s code and flag the course as meeting the Coding Block in eSchool’s SIS data field; this includes when using the ARCareerEd approved Keycode Course (399320)

• For all other computer science local electives or courses (non high-school credit) taught at the middle school, the school should use:

  • Computer Science Activity - Grade 6 (366650)

  • Computer Science Activity - Grade 7 (377650)

  • Computer Science Activity - Grade 8 (388650)

All other previously provided middle school course codes for CS courses or activities are invalid and should not be used.

• For all high-school Computer Science courses in which the student will receive high-school credit, the school:

  • should use the high-school course code listed for that course on its standards document and/or in the CCMS

  • must apply for and receive prior approval from ADE to teach a high-school course at the middle-school level; additional information can be accessed at: https://dese.ade.arkansas.gov/Offices/learning-services/curriculum-support/course-approvals

High School Course and Curriculum

Under CS (both for ADE and ARCareerEd) specific curriculum vendors/products are NOT recognized as courses. Schools should be aligning delivered content to the courses (and using the course codes) found at: https://goo.gl/DthbSG

This includes schools using the College Board Advanced Placement (AP) Computer Science Principles Endorsed Provider curriculum; regardless of what curriculum product schools elect to use, each semester should be coded as 565010 and 565020 respectively. As a reminder, students must complete both semesters of an AP course to have the state pay for the associated AP exam.

High School ARCareerEd Program of Study

ARCareerEd has worked with the ADE Office of Computer Science to develop three approved CS POSs

• A Computer Science Program of Study (POS) may be completed by earning any three credits across the CS course grid found at https://goo.gl/nThVZv. The three units must be from different columns in the grid; no level repeats will be allowed.

• The STEM/CS POS may be completed by earning any two CS credits(across the grid) and an ARCareerEd approved STEM credit.

• In addition, ARCareerEd has agreed to allow any one completed computer science credit to serve as one of the three required credits in certain ARCareerEd STEM Pathways; schools may refer to the 2017 ARCareerEd Operational Guide for a list of eligible pathways.

Within CS, ARCareerED will no longer recognize vendor specific POSs; however, any such previously released or approved POSs should now fit within one of the three POSs listed above.

ARCareerEd is aware that there was some errant information released within the 2017 ARCareerEd Operational Guide, this information is being corrected to reflect the statements above.

Arkansas Technology Student Association

 ARCareerEd policies state a Career and Technical Student Organization (CTSO) is to be offered to students as part of any POS. The Arkansas Technology Student Association (ARTSA) has been deemed by ARCareerEd to be the most appropriate student association for a CS POS; however, making Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA) or other CTSOs available to students may meet this requirement based on the activities that the CTSO provides. There is no requirement that a student must join a CTSO to be a completer in any of the aforementioned POSs. Information on the ARTSA can be found at https://www.arkansastsa.org/

For more information on the CTSO requirement, please see the ARCareerEd Policies and Procedures Manual available at https://goo.gl/tzSkLH.

Please email both Tim Johnston at tim.johnston@arkansas.gov and Anthony Owen at anthony.owen@arkansas.gov with additional questions about the information found within this Commissioner's Memo.