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Computational Thinking Pathways

Product or Programme · All products and programmes
Evidence · 4 claims (3 for, 1 against) · 2 studies (2 design), q1 · 0 of 2 report an effect size · 4 claims rest on one study

Description

A Digital Promise framework of system-wide K–12 computational-thinking learning progressions designed to support equitable participation through consistent, cumulative, and competency-based learning across classrooms and years.

Components

  • Computing Pathways Research Practice Partnership of districts designing K-12 CS/CT pathways: The Computing Pathways Research Practice Partnership is a collaboration in which districts design and articulate system-wide K-12 learning pathways in computational thinking and computer science. The poster profiles three core districts, including one of 14,000 students described as Becoming Urban with an equity focus on greater inclusion of growing number of Black, Latinx and ELL students, and a rural district of 7,500 students focused on engaging students from low socio-economic households and female students. (Quinn Burke et al. (2021))
  • Computing Pathways Research Practice Partnership with three districts: A research-practice partnership, supported by NSF Grant No. 1837386, in which Digital Promise works with three districts to develop inclusive K-12 computing pathways. The paper prints a table of the districts: one of 14,000 students described as becoming urban (37% low income, 12% Latinx, 19% Black) focused on greater inclusion of growing numbers of Black, Latinx and ELL students; one suburban district of 28,000 (17% low income) focused on Title I schools with large achievement gaps; and one rural district of 7,500 (71% low income, 33% Black) focused on engaging students from low socio-economic households and female students. Pathway documents focus on algorithms, data, and systems and compu (Pati Ruiz et al. (2021))
  • CT Pathways Toolkit for district design of K-12 CS/CT pathways: The CT Pathways Toolkit is a resource for school districts to guide them in the design and articulation of their own system-wide K-12 learning pathway in computational thinking (CT) and computer science (CS). Its stated purpose is to involve all students in a district in learning critical CT and CS skills throughout their K-12 education. The toolkit is organized into three steps: articulating the Why (vision, foundations, strategic alignment), defining and communicating the What (lead, identify, define competencies), and establishing the How (district leaders, grade-band progression, measurement of success). (Quinn Burke et al. (2021))
  • Expanding rural computing education partnership across Eastern KY districts, industry, and national organizations: The project is described as "an ever-expanding partnership" organized by Floyd County Schools (about 5,500 students, 8 K-8 schools), Pikeville Independent School District (approximately 1,200 students), Eastern KY software development start-up Bit Source, Throughlines Edu in Pittsburgh, PA, and Digital Promise. Funded by the National Science Foundation, it pairs a first three-year project, "Tough as Nails, Nimble Fingers: Developing a K-8 Coding Pathway for Kentucky Appalachia", with the current "Drawing on Kinship" project. (Drawing on Kinship: Rurally Sustaining Computational Thinking Pathways (2022))
  • ICCSD Inclusive CT Pathways competency map with five key competencies: A district competency map identifying five key CT competencies: Algorithms, Computational Models, Systems, Data, and the Impact of Computing. It was developed by a District Development Team of four teachers, one part-time instructional design specialist, and a district instructional design coach, and aligned to the Iowa Computer Science Standards, CSTA Standards, and Iowa CORE Standards. Teachers reviewing it in Spring 2020 reacted positively to the map as a "single blueprint" pointing to grade-level integration points. (Digital Promise (2021))
  • Inclusive CT Pathways toolkit for districts developing computing pathways: The brief points readers to a publicly available toolkit for districts interested in developing an Inclusive Computing Pathway, hosted at "https://bit.ly/CTPathwaysToolkit", with a contact for further engagement. It packages the project's district-facing guidance, including this IPSD case, for other districts. (Digital Promise (2021))
  • IPSD Inclusive CT Pathway competency map of six computational thinking competencies: The IPSD Inclusive CT Pathway centers on a competency map identifying six CT competencies: "Decomposition, Pattern Recognition, Abstraction, Algorithms, Working with Data, and Creating Computational Artifacts." The district curriculum team aligned these competencies to the K-12 CS Framework, drafted the map, gathered teacher feedback in a focus group, and piloted it during 2019-2020 with school-level, after-school, and summer professional development. (Digital Promise (2021))
  • Two NSF CSforAll research-practice partnerships designing a K-8 Computational Thinking pathway in Kentucky Appalachia: The presentation describes two NSF-funded CSforAll Research Practice Partnerships in Eastern Kentucky, in which district leaders invited Digital Promise researchers to co-design a K-8 Computational Thinking pathway grounded in the region's culture. The organizers state: "Education leaders invited Digital Promise researchers to help design a K-8 Computational Thinking pathway" through "Two NSF CSforAll Research Practice Partnerships (RPPs)", situating computing education in a coal-transitioning Appalachian context. (Emi Iwatani (2023))
  • Talladega Inclusive CT Pathways document and competency map: A K-12 pathway document developed by Talladega County Schools to expand computer science and computational thinking access, built on the Rigorous Curriculum Design template because it "was very similar to Talladega's content pacing guides used at all grade levels." The accompanying competency map aligns grade-level content to five CT competencies, maps to Alabama DLCS standards, and was refined through teacher focus-group feedback, classroom piloting, and professional development sessions. (Digital Promise (2021))
  • Five CT competencies organising K-12 content: abstraction, data collection and analysis, algorithmic thinking, building models and simulations, and decomposition

Claims

Key Sources

  • Finding kinship in a far away land: The relevance of Japanese cultural perspectives to education research in Eastern Kentucky. (2022). https://bit.ly/TANrefs
  • Quinn Burke, Jeremy Roschelle, Pati Ruiz, & Josh Weisgrau. (2021). Understanding and Supporting District Systems Change Around Computer Science Education. AERA Annual Conference, Division L Structured Poster Session. https://bit.ly/36szXLy
  • Pati Ruiz, Kelly Mills, Quinn Burke, and Merijke Coenraad. (2021). Student Empathy Interviews: An Instrument For Considering More Inclusive K-12 Computing Pathways. Digital Promise White Paper. https://bit.ly/36szXLy
  • Drawing on Kinship: Rurally Sustaining Computational Thinking Pathways. (2022). Presentation, Learning Design Wiki extraction. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
  • Digital Promise. (2021). The “Science” of Computing: Inclusive Computing Pathways in Iowa City Community School District. Digital Promise. https://doi.org/10.51388/20.500.12265/133
  • Digital Promise. (2021). Defining computational thinking for a district: Inclusive computing pathways in Indian Prairie School District. Digital Promise. https://doi.org/10.51388/20.500.12265/131
  • Emi Iwatani. (2023). Tough as Nails & Drawing on Kinship: Rigorous and inclusive educational research in Kentucky Appalachia [Invited speaker session]. American Educational Research Association Annual Meeting, Chicago, IL. https://bit.ly/TANrefs
  • Digital Promise. (2021). Nurturing an Innovative District: Inclusive Computing Pathways in Talladega County Schools. Digital Promise. https://doi.org/10.51388/20.500.12265/132
Page metadata
Field Value
type product
id computational-thinking-pathways
title Computational Thinking Pathways
description A Digital Promise framework of system-wide K–12 computational-thinking learning progressions designed to support equitable participation through consistent, cumulative, and competency-based learning across classrooms and years.
status review
moved_from element/computing-pathways-rpp-districts, element/computing-pathways-rpp-three-districts, element/ct-pathways-toolkit, element/eky-rural-ct-partnership, element/iccsd-inclusive-ct-pathways-competency-map, element/inclusive-ct-pathways-toolkit, element/ipsd-inclusive-ct-competency-map, element/kentucky-appalachia-ct-pathway-rpp, element/talladega-inclusive-ct-pathways-document
product_kind framework
generated by process:settle-candidates on 2026-10-09
trust unverified — no one has confirmed this page's content
sources 5 — quinn-burke-2021, pati-ruiz-2021, drawing-on-kinship-rurally-sustaining-computational-thinking-pathways-2022, digital-promise-2021, emi-iwatani-2023

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