CodeHS recently wrapped up an exciting week in Ohio, where each school visit was filled with energy, coding challenges, and unforgettable moments. From middle school coders to high school students diving deeper into computer science, the week was packed with hands-on learning and plenty of fun.

Stop 1: Columbus Gifted Academy (Columbus, OH)

The first stop was Columbus Gifted Academy where the students were eager to jump right into Python coding. Their teacher, Lori Rice, was thrilled to welcome CodeHS, and the 8th graders — who already had a solid background in Python — jumped right into the Turtle Graphics challenge, coding their versions of the pink van. During lunch, students even came outside to check out the real van. This visit was a fantastic start to the week, leaving everyone excited for the rest of the journey through Ohio!

Stop 2: The Learning Spectrum (Columbus, OH)

The next stop was at The Learning Spectrum, a school for students with learning disabilities. The small class of eight students, each with different learning styles, quickly embraced Python coding. It was inspiring to see how CodeHS could make coding accessible to everyone, regardless of learning differences. The students ability to quickly pick up the Turtle Graphics commands, small and engaging classroom, and the presence of two class bearded dragons made this a memorable and rewarding stop on the road trip.

Stop 3: Marburn Academy (New Albany, OH)

At Marburn Academy, CodeHS worked with both high school and middle school students. Their teacher, Adam, had an impressive tech setup, including an esports team and a robot fighting arena. During the visit, an AI workshop was held where students used Google’s Teachable Machine and built websites using HTML, CSS, and JavaScript. They brought their sketches to life with the help of ChatGPT, and the students were fully engaged, even asking for autographs — an unexpected first! The creative energy at Marburn left a lasting impression.

Stop 4: Watkins Memorial High School (Pataskala, OH)

Watkins Memorial High School was another highlight, where CodeHS teamed up with teacher Teresa Gordon, who transitioned from business to computer science teaching. Two classes worked on the Corgi course, while others built websites using AI tools. Teresa has been a CodeHS Pro user for eight years and swears by the tools to support her classroom saying,

“Some people say you don’t need the paid version of CodeHS, but trust me — you absolutely do! It’s so worth it.”

The students were captivated by the presentation on the coding journey, making this a fun and productive visit.

Stop 5: Stow-Monroe Falls High School (Stow, OH)

The visit to Stow-Monroe Falls High School was one of the most memorable. Teacher Teresa Whitmer’s classes were buzzing with energy, with students even skipping their break to continue coding. They tackled the pink van Turtle Graphics challenge, and CodeHS left with thoughtful gifts: pumpkin chocolate chip cookies, high school-themed stickers, and a pink rubber duck — a nod to the classroom’s tradition of using rubber ducks to help debug code. Teresa, who has been using CodeHS since 2016, was thrilled with the visit and shared her love for the platform. The students were slightly disappointed there wasn’t a real Karel the Dog present — maybe next time!

Stop 6: Walsh Jesuit High School (Cuyahoga Falls, OH)

The final school visit in Ohio was at Walsh Jesuit High School. CodeHS met with teacher Peter Hannan and his 14 students, discussing the journey into computer science and answering questions about the industry and road trip adventures. While there wasn’t enough time for an activity, the group still made time for a photo in front of the pink van. It was a great way to wrap up the Ohio leg of the trip, with Michigan up next on the horizon. Stay tuned!

Want CodeHS to visit your school?

We’re well into the road trip and excited to visit even more schools along the way! You can still request a visit for the CodeHS team to make a stop at your school on the road trip. In addition, members of the CodeHS team will be visiting schools during Computer Science Education Week from December 2–15th. If you’re interested, request a visit here codehs.com/roadtrip.

Follow us on TikTok and Instagram to follow along on this cross-country adventure throughout the school year!

On the Road with CodeHS: Ohio Edition was originally published in Read Write Code on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

We’ve now crossed the state line into Indiana, and the excitement for computer science education hasn’t slowed down. Each school visit has been packed with engaging lessons, hands-on coding challenges, and plenty of enthusiasm from students eager to dive into the world of coding.

Stop 1: South Bend Career Academy (South Bend, IN)

The first stop in Indiana was South Bend Career Academy, where we visited two CS Principles classes. The students brought a lot of energy to the Python coding challenge, competing for CodeHS swag and embracing the chance to learn a new coding language. This school focuses on students needing extra behavioral support, so classroom management was a bit more of a challenge, but with the help of their teacher, Shari Bloom, we kept most students engaged. Shari mentioned that while she enjoys using the CodeHS platform, she wishes she had more time to be hands-on in teaching the topics herself. Overall, it was a rewarding visit with a great group of students.

Stop 2: Cardinal Ritter High School (Indianapolis, IN)

Next up was Cardinal Ritter High School, where we connected with Mitchell Neal and his class of nine students. The smaller class size allowed for more one-on-one interactions, and the students were able to dive deep into the coding challenges. Neal shared how much he appreciates the tools CodeHS provides to help guide lessons, and even noted that he’s learning alongside his students. The smaller setting made for a meaningful visit where we could really focus on each student’s progress.

Stop 3: Brebeuf Jesuit Preparatory School (Indianapolis, IN)

At Brebeuf Jesuit, we had the opportunity to meet with students at all different levels of coding experience. We started the day with 12 AP Computer Science Principles students, many of whom were interested in pursuing computer science in college. It was exciting to be a resource for them and help envision what they could achieve with a degree in CS. Later, we worked with a group of about 20 freshmen who were just starting their journey with Python. Their teacher, Susan Reagin, mentioned,

“Today was the most engaged I’ve seen them all year!”

It was a fun and energetic visit, especially with students so excited about earning some swag!

Stop 4: Danville High School (Danville, IN)

Our last Indiana stop was at Danville High School, where we met with two computer science classes led by Deborah Hunt. The students were eager to learn, and it was great to see them so engaged with the presentation. After class, many of them checked out the CodeHS van and took photos with it, marking a successful and fun visit!

Want CodeHS to visit your school?

We’re just kicking off the road trip and can’t wait to visit the next school on our journey! If we haven’t made it to your state yet, there’s still time for a visit. Learn more and request a visit at codehs.com/roadtrip.

Follow us on TikTok and Instagram to follow along on this cross-country adventure throughout the school year!

On the Road with CodeHS: Indiana Edition was originally published in Read Write Code on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

The first week of the CodeHS road trip started in the heart of the Midwest — Illinois! Each classroom visit was packed with hands-on learning, insightful questions from students, and fun coding challenges in Python. Here’s a look back on our first few stops in Illinois, the activities we hosted and incredible students and teachers we met along the way.

Stop 1: Stevenson High School (Lincolnshire, IL)

We kicked off the road trip at Stevenson High School in Kelly Smith’s computer science classes with an engaging AI lesson. The highlight of the visit was the student coding Python challenge with Tracy the Turtle. Students were tasked with creating a digital version of the iconic pink CodeHS van, and the classroom excitement was contagious as they competed for a chance to win an exclusive stuffed Super Karel! This was such a fun visit, and really set the tone for the visits to come later on.

Stop 2: Northside College Prep (Chicago, IL)

Our next stop was at Northside College Prep, where we joined Amy Wagner’s AP Computer Science Principles classes. The students, who were just getting started with their CodeHS accounts, eagerly dove into Python lessons. The CodeHS Team each shared their own journeys in computer science and answered questions about the field and their careers.

A particularly memorable moment was meeting students from Northside College Prep’s robotics team, who were already familiar with CodeHS and working on impressive projects. Students took the opportunity to ask the CodeHS CEO, Jeremy Keeshin, questions and sparked an insightful discussion about the entrepreneurial side of tech.

Stop 3: McHenry High School (McHenry, IL)

At McHenry High School, our team led an assembly-style presentation with over 70 students. We discussed careers in the computer science field, and many students were eager to ask questions related to college and career readiness. The students also broke into smaller groups to work on a coding graphics challenge with Tracy the Turtle. Our team was impressed with how respectful the students were, their curiosity, and their excitement to learn, making the visit even more worthwhile.

Shoutout to Kelly, Amy, and Tim for inviting us to visit their computer science classes and being the first visit of our cross-country road trip!

Want CodeHS to visit your school?

We’re just getting started with the road trip and can’t wait for the next school on our list to visit! Learn more and request a visit at codehs.com/roadtrip.

Follow us on TikTok and Instagram to follow along on this cross-country adventure throughout the school year!

On the Road with CodeHS: Illinois Edition was originally published in Read Write Code on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

As part of our continuous effort to improve AP Computer Science instruction, we sent out a survey to AP teachers who use CodeHS, asking them to share student performance data on the 2024 AP exams. We asked teachers about pass rates, resource usage, and feedback on our AP courses. We had a total of 71 teachers respond to the survey, and have outlined the feedback from the survey below.

AP Computer Science A (CSA) Performance Overview

We had 31 AP CSA teachers respond to the survey. Of the teachers who responded, their students outperformed the national average by a significant margin. Here’s how the distribution of scores breaks down:

The overall national pass rate for AP CSA this year was 66%, with 46% of all students receiving a 4 or 5 on the exam. In comparison, the CodeHS teachers who responded to our survey reported a passing rate of 83%, with 64% of reported students receiving a 4 or 5 on the exam.

AP Computer Science Principles (CSP) Performance Overview

We had a total of 40 AP Computer Science Principles teachers respond to the survey. The results from AP CSP exams also reflect positive outcomes for the students using CodeHS.

The overall national pass rate for AP CSP this year was 65%, with 32% of all students receiving a 4 or 5 on the exam. CodeHS teachers who responded to our survey reported a passing rate of 77%, with 40% of reported students receiving a 4 or 5 on the exam.

We want to say thank you to all of the amazing AP teachers who chose CodeHS to prepare students for the AP exams! Your hard work and dedication are invaluable to your students. We also want to thank all of the teachers who took the time to send us this survey feedback. Your feedback is instrumental in helping us create the highest quality AP curriculum for your students.

You can explore our free AP courses here or find more resources to prepare students in the AP CSA and AP CSP Resource Hubs. If you have any questions about using CodeHS in your classroom, reach out to our team at hello@codehs.com.

CodeHS Success: AP Teachers Report Outstanding Performance on 2024 Exams was originally published in Read Write Code on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

1. Improved CodeHS Navigation

CodeHS has streamlined its platform navigation, improving the dashboard for easier access to assignments and resources. These navigation changes make it easier for teachers to find the tools they need to support student success. Read all about the improved CodeHS navigation at codehs.com/Navigation.

2. New and Updated CodeHS Courses for 2024–25

CodeHS has launched many new courses for the 2024–25 school year, including AI, Cybersecurity, Game Design, and Web Development courses. Many state courses have also been created or updated to align with state and national standards. Learn more about all CodeHS course updates at codehs.com/NewCourses2025SchoolYear.

3. AI Curriculum, PD, & Tools for K-12 Schools

CodeHS has developed AI Curriculum, PD, and tools that bring AI literacy to schools and districts. AI courses and projects are designed to introduce middle and high school students to Artificial Intelligence — what it is, how it works, and ways to ethically use it. This new curriculum can easily be plugged in to existing curriculum throughout the year. Additionally, we have developed AI PD that empowers educators with the knowledge to effectively use AI and leverage it in their classrooms.

CodeHS also offers AI tools like AI Hints, which generate hints for teachers to send students. AI Grading is also available, which can be used in combination with the CodeHS Fast Grade tool to quickly and efficiently grade student work. Both AI Hints and AI Grading are available on CodeHS Pro.

Learn more about bringing AI literacy to your school at codehs.com/AICurrciulumPD.

4. Updates to Elementary Curriculum

There have been many exciting updates to CodeHS Elementary including enhanced Ready-to-Go Lessons. These new lessons are fully prepared with lesson slides and videos, meaning teachers can prepare for these lessons in minutes. Teachers can also now direct all students to the needed lesson and activity with just one click of a button. Other elementary updates include updated pathways, AI lessons, and more. Learn more at codehs.com/ElementaryUpdates2024.

5. New Assignment Collaboration Tool

The new Assignment Collaboration Tool lets teachers collaborate with students and see them code in real-time within assignments. This fosters a supportive learning environment, allowing for immediate feedback and collaboration on challenging tasks. This new tool is available with CodeHS Pro. Explore ways teachers can use this tool to support students and enable student growth at codehs.com/TeacherCollaborationTool.

6. Improved Administrator Dashboards

We have made updates to our administrative reporting tools to make it easier for administrators to pull data and reports about schools and classrooms. You can learn more about administrator dashboards here.

Questions about CodeHS or any of the recent updates? Reach out to a member of our team at hello@codehs.com.

CodeHS Updates: New Courses, Tools, AI Curriculum, and More for 2024–25 was originally published in Read Write Code on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

It’s time to hit the road for another epic road trip, visiting K-12 computer science classrooms around the US.

For the 2024–2025 school year, CodeHS is hitting the road again to visit K-12 computer science classrooms across the United States. Whether you’re in a bustling city or a quiet rural town, we’re excited to make computer science accessible and fun for students, everywhere. You can now request a visit from CodeHS!

How It All Started

In 2013, CodeHS CEO Jeremy Keeshin embarked on the first road trip with the goal of visiting computer science classrooms. Two years later in 2015, the co-founders Jeremy Keeshin, Zach Galant, and the team hit the road again — this time in a bright pink van — visiting over 60 schools across the country.

Fast forward to today and CodeHS has been used by millions of students and over 50,000 K-12 classrooms each month. And now, we’re gearing up again for an even bigger and better road trip to visit classrooms nationwide!

What to Expect During a Road Trip Visit

CodeHS will be visiting classrooms to support your CodeHS lessons, talk about careers in computer science, share exclusive swag, and host fun student contests.

• Classroom Visit & Guest Speaker: Our CS Ambassador will support with a CodeHS lesson, and share real-world experiences and insights from his own computer science journey.
• Interactive Coding Workshop: Mix up your class period with a hands-on coding workshop or Hour of Code run by CodeHS.

Get Involved — Request a Visit Today!

Teachers and administrators, this is your chance to be part of the adventure! CodeHS is accepting requests for school visits — Fill out this quick form, and share more about the awesome things happening in your computer science classes.

Whether you’re hoping for a simple classroom visit, support with an engaging coding lesson or just some inspiration to get your students excited about computer science, CodeHS would love to stop by your school this year.

Meet the CodeHS CS Ambassador

Blake Schafer is a recent computer science graduate from Oregon State University. He discovered coding in his last semester of high school, and it completely changed his career path. Four years later, he earned a degree in computer science and is driving the pink CodeHS van to visit classrooms and share his love for coding with students in all corners of the US.

Follow the Adventure!

The CodeHS van is gassed up and ready to go. There are a few spots to follow along and track when the van is near you. Visit codehs.com/roadtrip and follow us on Instagram and TikTok today.

Questions? Email our team today at roadtrip@codehs.com.

Announcing the 24–25 CodeHS Road Trip: K-12 Coding Coast-to-Coast was originally published in Read Write Code on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

Fundamentals of Cybersecurity (New Version!)

• Level: High School
• Length: 125 Contact Hours
• Overview: In this course, students will be exposed to the inner workings of computer hardware and software, explore the intricacies of how networks connect, and dive into the world of encryption and cryptography. They will also learn the importance of safeguarding our increasingly digital world from unauthorized access, ensuring the privacy and integrity of data.

Game Development in Unity (New Version!)

• Level: High School
• Length: 140 Contact Hours
• Overview: In this course, students will embark on an exciting journey to master the fundamentals of game design and programming. Through hands-on projects and engaging challenges using the Unity game engine and CodeHS lessons, students will learn to create interactive and visually captivating 2D and 3D games. This course equips students with essential programming skills in C# and Unity’s scripting system while honing their problem-solving abilities and fostering creativity in game development.

Important Requirement: Student devices must be able to download and install the Unity platform (not compatible with Chromebooks).

Web Design and Development

• Level: High School
• Length: 150 Contact Hours
• Overview: This course is intended to teach students the fundamentals of web development in a project-based learning environment. Students are taught the basic elements of web development, such as web hosting, creating HTML/CSS files, and incorporating Javascript into HTML files.

Introduction to AI for High School

• Level: High School
• Length: 20 Contact Hours
• Overview: In this course, students will have a chance to explore key aspects of Artificial Intelligence, including machine learning, large language models, bias in models, and the impacts they have on our society. Students will have a chance to engage with multiple AI tools throughout the course, such as ChatGPT, Gemini, and Teachable Machine.

Applications of AI and Machine Learning

• Level: High School
• Length: 20 Contact Hours
• Overview: In this course, students learn how data is used for machine learning to create models for Artificial Intelligence (AI). Students use TensorFlow and Python to get hands-on experience with multiple AI model types, and practice training and tweaking models to understand impacts on model output.

Introduction to AI for Middle School

• Level: Middle School
• Length: 10 Contact Hours
• Overview: In this mini course, students will explore the world of Artificial Intelligence by completing ten projects. Students will learn to use AI to generate content, to write effective prompts to generate desired results, and to build their own machine learning model using Teachable Machine. By the end of the course, students will have a more nuanced understanding of the benefits and challenges associated with AI.

Intro to Programming with Karel the Dog (Ace)

• Level: Middle School, High School
• Length: 30 Contact Hours

Overview: This course was updated to use JavaScript ES6. The CodeHS Introduction to Programming with Karel the Dog course teaches students the basics of programming in JavaScript. Students learn JavaScript commands, functions, and control structures by solving puzzles and writing creative programs for Karel to follow.

New Courses Aligned to State Standards

CodeHS offers the most comprehensive course pathways across grades 6–12 with courses aligned to many state standards frameworks. For a full list of state pathways and courses, see CodeHS States.

Georgia Courses

[Updated] Georgia Introduction to Software Technology

• Level: High School
• Length: 160 Contact Hours
• Learn More

Indiana Courses

We now offer K-12 computer science courses aligned to Indiana’s state standards. View the full K-12 pathway at codehs.com/curriculum/pathways/k-12/IN, and start exploring our newest middle and high school courses below.

New Indiana Introduction to Computer Science

• Level: High School
• Length: 150 Contact Hours
• Learn More

Indiana Topics in Computer Science

• Level: High School
• Length: 160 Contact Hours
• Learn More

Indiana Computer Science: 6th Grade

• Level: Middle School
• Length: 30 Contact Hours
• Learn More

Indiana Computer Science: 7th Grade

• Level: Middle School
• Length: 30 Contact Hours
• Learn More

Indiana Computer Science: 8th Grade

• Level: Middle School
• Length: 30 Contact Hours
• Learn More

Nebraska Courses

Nebraska Introduction to Computer Science and Technology

• Level: Middle School
• Length: 80 Contact Hours
• Learn More

Oklahoma Courses

We now offer K-12 computer science courses aligned to Oklahoma’s state standards. View the full K-12 pathway at codehs.com/curriculum/pathways/k-12/OK, and start exploring our newest middle and high school courses below.

Oklahoma Computer Science I

• Level: High School
• Length: 125 Contact Hours
• Learn More

Oklahoma Computer Science II

• Level: High School
• Length: 110 Contact Hours
• Learn More

Oklahoma Advanced Programming

• Level: High School
• Length: 165 Contact Hours
• Learn More

Oklahoma Cybersecurity

• Level: High School
• Length: 125 Contact Hours
• Learn More

Oklahoma Web Design

• Level: High School
• Length: 140 Contact Hours
• Learn More

Oklahoma Computer Science 6–7

• Level: Middle School
• Length: 100 Contact Hours
• Learn More

Oklahoma Computer Science for 8th Grade

• Level: Middle School
• Length: 100 Contact Hours
• Learn More

Rhode Island Courses

Rhode Island Computer Science Principles in Python

• Level: Middle School
• Length: 140 Contact Hours
• Learn More

Rhode Island Tech Apps and Coding

• Level: Middle School
• Length: 140 Contact Hours
• Learn More

South Carolina Courses

South Carolina Computer Programming 1 with Python / South Carolina Introduction to Computer Programming

• Level: High School
• Length: 120 Contact Hours
• Learn More

South Carolina Computer Programming 2 with Python / South Carolina Intermediate Computer Programming

• Level: High School
• Length: 120 Contact Hours
• Learn More

Utah Courses

Utah Exploring Computer Science

• Level: Middle School, High School
• Length: 75 Contact Hours
• Learn More

You can explore the full CodeHs Course Catalog here.

Questions about finding the right course for your classroom? You can reach out to the CodeHS team at hello@codehs.com.

New CodeHS Courses for the 2024–25 School Year was originally published in Read Write Code on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

CodeHS launches new computer science courses, K-12 pathways fully aligned to Oklahoma standards, and Spanish translations to support ELLs

Senate Bill 252 was introduced in 2021 and requires all Oklahoma schools to offer computer science by the 2024–2025 school year. With this requirement upcoming, CodeHS is excited to offer fully aligned K-12 computer science pathways for the state of Oklahoma.

The following CodeHS courses are designed for Oklahoma and are available in Spanish.

• Oklahoma Computer Science K-5
• Oklahoma Computer Science 6th and 7th Grade
• Oklahoma Exploring Computer Science for 8th Grade
• Oklahoma Computer Science I
• Oklahoma Computer Science II
• Oklahoma Advanced Programming
• AP Computer Science A
• AP Computer Science Principles
• IB Computer Education
• Oklahoma Cybersecurity
• Oklahoma Web Design

These updated courses ensure Spanish-speaking English Language Learners can successfully learn within the context of a blended classroom. Need help setting up your classroom? Learn how to change default language preferences here.

These expansive Oklahoma K-12 pathways include a variety of new computer science courses available on CodeHS.

For Elementary School

While working closely with various districts in Oklahoma, CodeHS has developed an elementary computer science pathway that is fully aligned with Oklahoma standards.

The pathway includes introductory programming lessons, leading to a menu of integrated coding lessons that can be used to teach and reinforce core subject topics.

For Middle School

CodeHS offers fully aligned pathways for Oklahoma Middle School Computer Science.

Mix and Match Middle School Course — 100 hours

• The Mix and Match Middle School Course is an easily customizable option for our middle school content. Each module contains 10 hours of content and introduces students a specific computer science topic. You can choose which modules to teach and the order you teach them in!

Oklahoma Computer Science 6–7–100 hours

• In this course, students will be introduced to the exciting world of computers and technology! They will gain foundational skills in programming, explore the vast potential of the internet, and understand how to be a responsible digital citizen. Through engaging activities and projects, students will learn how technology can be used to solve problems, analyze data, and navigate the digital world effectively.

Oklahoma Exploring Computer Science for 8th Grade — 100 hours

• In this course, students will be introduced to the exciting world of computers and technology! They will gain foundational skills in programming, explore the vast potential of the internet, and understand how to be a responsible digital citizen. Through engaging activities and projects, students will learn how technology can be used to solve problems, analyze data, and navigate the digital world effectively.

For High School

CodeHS offers fully aligned pathways for Oklahoma High School Computer Science. This pathway includes optional AP courses to cover 9–12th grade.

Oklahoma Computer Science I — 125 hours / 1 year

• In this course, students will gain a comprehensive understanding of the digital world they navigate every day. They’ll be exposed to the inner workings of computer hardware and software, explore the intricacies of how networks connect, and dive into the world of encryption and cryptography.

Oklahoma Computer Science II — 110 hours / 1 year

• In this course, students will learn the foundations of computer science and basic programming, with an emphasis on helping students develop logical thinking and problem-solving skills. Once students complete this course, they will have learned material equivalent to a semester college introductory course in computer science and be able to program in JavaScript.

Oklahoma Advanced Programming — 165 hours / 1 year

• The Oklahoma Advanced Programming course introduces students to computer science concepts such as internet technology, data science, artificial intelligence, and programming in Python. With a unique focus on creative problem-solving and real-world applications, students are challenged to explore how computing and technology can impact the world.

AP Computer Science A — 130 hours / 1 year

• This course is fully aligned with the College Board AP CS A course standards. Learn the basics of object-oriented programming with a focus on problem-solving and algorithm development. Take this course and prepare to ace the AP Java test.

Learn More

For districts in Oklahoma looking to build a vertically aligned K-12 computer science pathway or expand an existing program, CodeHS is here to help. Visit codehs.com/oklahoma to explore more of the courses available or contact our team directly at hello@codehs.com.

Now Available: Oklahoma K-12 Computer Science Pathways on CodeHS was originally published in Read Write Code on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

We are thrilled to share some fantastic updates to our CodeHS K-6 Computer Science curriculum that will make your teaching journey even more effective and enjoyable. Let’s dive into what’s new and improved!

1. Enhanced Ready-to-Go Format

Our Ready-to-Go format now has improved functionality for easier navigation. Here are the highlights:

• Easier Navigation: More places to click to advance or go back through slides, along with slide titles and numbers for quickly jumping to specific sections.
• Interactive Activities: These open within the slides for whole-class completion and can be pushed to students’ devices with a single click.
• Starter Code & Sample Code: Both open within the slides for teachers to demo and can be pushed to students with one click, whether using Scratch or ScratchJr.

Take a look at this video to see the new Ready-to-Go format in action: Update Overview

2. Updated K-6 Computer Science Pathway

We’ve completely revamped our K-6 Computer Science Pathway to ensure a smoother and more effective sequence of concepts for each grade level. Using pedagogical best practices, our course visualizations, featuring Scout the Squirrel (our adorable elementary mascot), take students on an exciting journey starting in a city in kindergarten and ending in outer space by 5th grade. 🏙️🚀

These visualizations can be printed as posters to track progress throughout each course, making it fun and engaging for students. Here’s a sneak peek at the journey:

3. Simplified, Shortened, and New Lessons

Simplified and Shortened Lessons: To better fit into your busy schedules, we’ve simplified and shortened the lessons in the kindergarten course to 30 minutes. Each lesson also comes with an optional 45-minute extension to match the length of other courses if needed. Similarly, the first 5 lessons in 1st and 2nd grade are designed to be 30 minutes long with an optional 15-minute extension. This adjustment helps ease students into the school year and build basic coding skills at a comfortable pace.

New Lessons: We’ve added over 90 new K-6 computer science lessons! These include fun, story-based lessons with Scout the Squirrel to introduce students to ScratchJr and Scratch, interactive Digital Citizenship lessons, and exciting projects that build on each other to help review multiple CS concepts in engaging ways. Here are a few examples of the new lessons you can look forward to:

Below are some examples of new lessons this year! If you teach with CodeHS, login to explore these lessons today.

Scout’s Scratch Expedition: This lesson is part of a sequential story-driven unit. Students will use basic Scratch commands to program a sprite to move and talk.

Get Organized with Files: Students will be able to use a mock desktop environment to modify files, demonstrate appropriate file-naming conventions, and organize files into folders.

Transportation Speeds and Sounds: Students will be able to use “say” or “sound” blocks and speed blocks to program modes of transportation.

4. Introducing Karel Adventures

We’re excited to introduce Karel Adventures as an option in our elementary curriculum, recommended for 6th or advanced 5th graders. This engaging course allows teachers to introduce students to JavaScript, starting with block coding and transitioning to text-based coding. It’s a fun, story-driven way for students to dive into JavaScript. If you want to learn more about using Karel Adventures with your elementary students, check out this Overview Video. 🐕💻

Other Notable Updates

• Differentiation Tool: Each coding lesson now includes Printable Code Instructions. These are code block-specific slides that can be printed for students needing extra support or for those working with additional teachers/paraprofessionals.
• AI Lessons: We’ve added one AI lesson per grade level, teaching about AI at developmentally appropriate levels.
• Interdisciplinary CS Pathway: Our K-6 Interdisciplinary CS Pathway courses now have a new suggested sequence for each subject area, arranged by CS difficulty. This provides a clearer progression for each module.

New CodeHS Elementary Facebook Group

We have created a CodeHS Facebook group for Elementary CodeHS teachers! You can use this Facebook group as an opportunity to meet other CS educators, ask questions, and collaborate with them on teaching strategies in your classroom. Click here to join!

We hope these updates will make your teaching experience smoother and more enjoyable, and most importantly, inspire your students to love computer science! If you have any questions or need further assistance, please reach out at hello@codehs.com.

Happy coding! 🌟

To learn more about CodeHS Elementary, visit codehs.com/elementary or contact us here.

Exciting Updates to CodeHS K-6 Computer Science Curriculum! was originally published in Read Write Code on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

As your class progresses through assignments, it can often be difficult for teachers to gauge individual student understanding and work through assignments with specific students who need support. With the new CodeHS Collaborate tool, you can watch student progress as they work, debug code with students, and demonstrate coding concepts within student assignments. The Collaborate tool allows you to accomplish all of this in one spot from your computer!

You can watch a full demo of the Collaborate tool here or read about how to use it here.

Ways to use this new tool to monitor & support students as they work:

NEW! Watch Mode:

• Monitoring Progress with Watch Mode: Turn your Collaborate tool to Watch Mode to monitor students during independent practice. After you have taught your lesson and students are working independently, you can watch students work on the assignment in real-time on your computer. When you see a student that needs help, you can switch to Collaborate Mode to help them through the assignment.
• Scaffold with Watch Mode: As you monitor student work, you can also determine if there is a small group of students that need help. You can then pull them for small group instruction. Alternatively, you can determine if some students need more of a challenge and prepare supplemental activities for them to complete after they finish the lesson.
• Pair Watch Mode with Real-Time Dashboards: The CodeHS Real-Time Dashboards allow teachers to view student progress in real-time on quiz score pages, assessment pages, and on the Activity Dashboard page. This instant student progress data paired with Watch Mode gives you an in-depth understanding of which students need more guidance and which students need more of a challenge.

NEW! Collaborate Mode:

• Code alongside your students with Collaborate Mode: When you see that a student is struggling with a lesson, you can help them complete some of their code to guide them in the right direction. As you help them complete the code, you can ask students the following questions: Why do you think I wrote that line of code? How did what I wrote change how your program operates? Do you see any errors in the code I wrote? If so, what are the errors?
• Use Collaborate Mode For Full Class Guided Practice: Before students work independently, you may want to work through an example together as a class. Once you have let students familiarize themselves with a problem, you can ask for a student volunteer who wants to demonstrate for the class. You can project their code on your board so the whole class can see while in Collaborate Mode and you and the volunteer can work through the problem with input from the rest of the class.

Classic Mode

• Grade Student Work with Classic Mode: Classic mode is exactly what teachers have previously seen on the CodeHS platform. It is static and does not update in real-time as students work. Classic Mode is best utilized for grading student work when it is complete.

The new Collaborate tool is meant to help teachers work through assignments alongside their students. If you would like your students to collaborate with each other, they should use the CodeHS Sandbox.

The Collaborate tool is available with CodeHS Pro. Upgrade to Pro today here or learn more at codehs.com/pro.

Questions about how to use this new tool in your classroom to improve learning outcomes? Reach out to a member of our team at hello@codehs.com.

Work Through Assignments Alongside Students With the New Collaborate Tool was originally published in Read Write Code on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.