Landscape of Computer Science Teacher Qualification Pathway

Abstract

Despite the growing demand for computer science (CS) education for K-12 students, one of the most significant barriers to schools offering CS courses is the lack of certified teachers [1]. According to a report by Code.org [2], only a few states have initial CS certification teacher pathways resulting in differences among the types of qualification pathways. The lack of consistent and clear information is confusing for teachers, school districts, and advocacy groups. One of the challenges of creating a clear understanding of computer science teacher certification in the United States is that certificates can have many meanings, and definitions differ from state to state [3]. This study gathers nationwide data of all the pathways to teach computer science to create definitions for the multitude of CS credential pathways and demonstrates the spectrum of credential pathways. The first round of data collection focused on identifying the requirements for obtaining a CS credential from the state s board of education website and other CS advocacy websites. The second round of data collection included email correspondence with certification or CS education professionals for the states where information was not easily accessible or clear. After the data was organized into the three defined CS qualified teaching pathways, the computer science certification professionals in all 50 states were emailed to member-check the categories and pathways for their respective state. The research team identified the following three qualification categories and defined the term as seen below. Initial Licensure: Pre-service teachers can teach CS by getting initial certification from a university/college or other institution (Required BA or BS, Passing test, or others). Add-on Licensure: Through a test (e.g., Praxis, Pearson, or state test), PD, or other requirements, Preservice or in-service teachers who already have certification/licensure can teach CS by adding CS licensure. Authorization: Legally allowed to teach CS, the educator does not need to prove CS knowledge. Another subject teacher and subject matter expert (not certified teacher) can be authorized. We found 19 states have an initial licensure pathway, 44 have add-on licensure, 22 have an authorization pathway, and 3 states did not have any computer science credential policy. There were also different levels of complexity in each category, making it much easier to receive a credential in some states than others. This study gathered nationwide data on all the pathways to teach CS. It highlights the discrepancies in terminology, making cohesion, and gathering information difficult for teachers wishing to teach computer science. Several states are doing exemplary creating policies for in-service teachers to easily access CS teaching qualifications. These types of add-on or authorization policies can serve as examples for states who do not have initial certification programs yet want to provide computer science education to students.