Computer Science Cohort

The Region VII CS Cohort is provided through the Region VII Computer Science STARS grant project funded by the Virginia Department of Education’s Advancing Computer Science Education Grants.   This cohort will be made up of 40 K12 educators in the nineteen school divisions that comprise VA Superintendent’s Region VII.  

The program will last two years with cohort members completing six online computer science courses. an OER digital artifacts portfolio, and targeted trainings for teachers in their school divisions.  The purpose of this cohort is to create a core cadre of computer science proficient teachers to foster a deeper understanding and engagement in computer science for all students in the region.

Frequently Asked Questions

Who should apply?

Any K12 educator who holds a current VA teaching license and is employed by one of the 19 school divisions on Region VII.

What are the application requirements?

You must be teaching in a Region VII school division, complete the application with two performance tasks that include a written response and a math assessment, and be selected by your school division.

How much does this program cost?

Participants in the cohort who meet all grant requirements will have tuition, books, and a small stipend covered by the grant.

Where are the courses offered?

All courses will be online through UVA Wise’s Moodle Learning Portal and taught in 12-week sessions to ensure that everyone is successful in completing the coursework.

Besides the coursework, what else is required?

Participants will receive training on adding learning activities to the #GOOPENVA platform and will add 30 learning activities to the portal to create their digital portfolio.

Will I have to do training in my division?

Each participant will be responsible for sharing their knowledge with teachers in their division at in-house trainings and/or regionally at the CS STARS Summit, COS Conference, or at TechSplash.

Does this cohort lead to CS teaching endorsement?

These courses can be used to apply for the CS teaching endorsement for those who hold a current teaching endorsement in another area.

Application Process:

1. Complete the application which includes: your resume, a 500 word written response, and the 35 question mathematics/problem-solving assessment by March 27, 2020.
2. The list of applicants from each division will be sent to the Key Instructional Leaders group by April 16, 2020.
3. The KIL group will send their top three recommendations by April 21, 2020.
4. Two participants per division and two at-large participants will be selected and notified by April 23, 2020.

Coursework

1. CSC L400 Foundation of Computer Science for Educators- Summer 2020 May 18-Aug 7, 2020
2. MTH L400 Discrete Mathematics-Fall 2020-Sept 14-Dec 4, 2020
3. CSC L401 Programming in Python-Spring 2021- TBD
4. CSC L402 Programming in Java-Summer 2021-TBD
5. CSC L403 Data Structures- Fall 2021- TBD
6. CSC L404 Algorithm Analysis-Spring 2022-TBD

Participant Requirements

• Completed Application (resume, performance tasks)
• Recommendation by School Division
• Completion of all coursework (six courses over two years)
• Completion of Digital OER Portfolio which includes 30 learning activities aligned to the VA CS SoLs.
• Completion of two targeted trainings in their division per grant year.
• Participation (presenting or volunteering) in at least one of three regional events: CS Superstars Summit, Celebration of Success Conference, or TechSplash.

Benefits of Participation

• 18 undergraduate credit hours of professional development in the foundations and applications of computer science.
• Development of skills to build and share open educational resources.
• Participation and networking with a core group of knowledgeable CS educators in the region.
• Addition of the CS endorsement to your existing teaching credentials.
• Small stipends provided for training materials for each year of the program.