CS for EL - Increasing Participation and Achievement in AP Computer Science Principles 

A University of California at San Diego (UCSD)/Computer Science Teachers or America (CSTA) Partnership Funded by the US Department of Education  

Project Overview                                                                                                                                                      

CSforEL brings together a team of computer science and English language development experts who work with principals, counselors, and teachers via partnerships with districts and CSTA chapters in San Diego, Arizona, and New Mexico to (1) shift CS teachers' focus from a simplified view of language development within CS coursework to embedded use of language scaffolds to make accessible computational discourse; (2) increase awareness of CS courses, engagement in CS coursework, and belief in one's own ability to succeed in CS courses among secondary EL students; (3) create a peer-led support structure for CS teachers with EL students; (4) shift administrator and counselor mindsets around potential EL access/success in CS; and (5) develop local expertise and facilitation ability in support of EL students in CS classrooms.

Project Goals

The goal of this research project is to examine whether and how a professional development (PD) initiative focused on fostering access and opportunity for English learners (ELs) in Computer Science (CS) high school coursework leads to: (1) increased CS enrollment for students ever identified as ELs; (2) increased percentage of qualifying scores on AP CS exams for ELs; (3) increased grades in CS courses for ELs; and (4) gains in ELs’ scores on standardized English Language Arts (ELA) assessments. In addition to examining these outcomes, the research project will assess whether and how various PD components deepened teachers’, counselors’, and administrators’ understandings about ELs’ engagement in CS courses, challenged their beliefs about EL participation in CS courses, and increased their skills and confidence in addressing any barriers to placing ELs in CS courses and in designing linguistically responsive and academically rigorous classroom environments. The research project also aims to capture ELs’ perspectives related to their experiences in CS courses, and the factors that enable or constrain their enrollment and participation in CS course

Project Leadership

This project is a university-district partnership project that brings together staff from UCSD and Computer Science Teachers of America (CSTA). The Principal Investigator (PI) of the project is Julian Betts, Professor, Department of Economics at UCSD, Dina Polichar (Research Data Analyst, SanDERA), and Andrew Zau (Senior Statistician, SanDERA). 

Project Timeline

January 1, 2020 through December 31, 2024

Contact Information

For additional information, please contact Julian Betts, Department of Economics, UC San Diego (jbetts@ucsd.edu)