P’ville, Chappaqua Schools Help Develop New Tech Education Plan

By Anna Young

The Pleasantville and Chappaqua school districts are among three Westchester school systems collaborating with a local nonprofit organization on a cutting-edge technology education plan for students in the lower Hudson Valley.

Both districts along with the Bronxville School District have teamed up with the Lower Hudson Regional Information Center (LHRIC) in Harrison to implement President Barack Obama’s “Computer Science for All” initiative.

In his weekly radio address on Jan. 30, 2016, President Obama raised the concern of the growing gap between the number of well-paying technology jobs that require computer science knowledge or coding skills and the lack of qualified applicants to fill those positions.

With roughly 26 million jobs requiring extensive computer skills and that number projected to double within the next four years, computer science education continues to be woefully inadequate for students in grades K-12.

Pleasantville and Chappaqua, with support from the LHRIC, a nonprofit organization that provides educational and administrative technology services, will launch computer science and coding programs that will eventually reach all students in the 62 public school districts in Westchester, Putnam and Rockland counties.

The LHRIC’s Model Schools, a service that provides instructional technology for professional development, announced the partnership with the three school districts on Dec. 5, the start of the national Computer Science Education Week. It is currently working directly with faculty and administrators within the three districts to identify the specific needs for each school to develop, coordinate and support various K-12 computer science education programs.

Despite incorporating computer science and AP electives within the Pleasantville School District the last few years, the LHRIC is working with Superintendent of Schools Mary Fox-Alter to develop a customized computer science and coding curriculum.

“Technology is a 21^st century skill,” Fox-Alter said. “It’s so important to support technology for students.”

With programs introduced in the third grade at Bedford Road School, the curriculum will be expanded throughout the school year to include students in grades K-7. Students in all grades will be included in the computer science education plan for 2017-18.

“The school district deserves to have the educational foundation that will provide a robust curriculum essential to creating multiple pathways for students,” Fox-Alter said. “The years students spend in school sets the stage for their future.”

Dr. Cameron Fadjo, a member of the Tech Planning and Coordination Division at LHRIC, said by using the organization’s cooperative services to develop computer science programs, it would allow districts to save money.

Districts interested in creating new computer science and STEAM education programs has led to multiple programs being developed that share existing resources and meets each district’s needs while reducing costs.

The result is a program that uses research-based practices in teaching all students how to code and brings together key community stakeholders.

“This allows the Model Schools team to build and deploy shared expertise in computer science and STEAM education to school districts throughout the region,” Fadjo said. “It ensures, most importantly, that teachers are receiving the training and support they need as classroom leaders to develop the most cutting-edge educational experience for their schools and districts.”

In Chappaqua, the LHRIC has been working with the district since September to design and establish computer science curriculum for third-graders. The district has had access to professional development coaches to provide guidance for teachers to help them determine what essential concepts need to be taught and how to accomplish that task.

Using the Model Schools innovative instructional support model, Chappaqua will launch a 10-lesson unit of study for all third-graders next month.

“This (three month) project is an early step in putting a strong emphasis on computer science,” said Eric Byrne, assistant superintendent for curriculum and instruction.

Darleen Nicolosi, Chappaqua’s director of instructional technology, said teachers will instruct students on different aspects of computer science, including coding and algorithms using the SCRATCH program. The SCRATCH program helps youngsters learn and think creatively, reason systematically and work together to equip them with essential 21^st century technology skills, she said.

Nicolosi and Fox-Alter agreed that coding is a critically important skill students will need, and by introducing it to them at younger ages, students will be better prepared for the future.

The LHRIC won’t use the same strategies for every school district, but the goal is to engage teachers and staff in each district to tailor computer science education to fit their needs, Fadjo said.

“We’re not taking what worked in Chappaqua or Pleasantville and just inserting it into another district of a different size and student population,” he said. “I believe the most important message to other districts is that we have a streamlined approach that is used to help each district customize their own solution.”