Computer Science Education Philosophies, Mission, and Vision
The 7 Keys to a Successful Computer Science Education
Frequently Asked Questions
How Does Maine Define Computer Science?
Computer Science is defined by the US Department of Education Office of Innovation and Improvement as contexts and spaces “where students are able to engage in hands-on, real-world interaction with key math, science, and engineering principles. In addition to coding, it gives students opportunities to be producers in the digital economy, not just consumers of technology around them. Computer science also can help foster ‘computational thinking’ skills and practices that are relevant to problem-solving across many disciplines and careers, skills such as breaking a large problem into a number of smaller ones, recognizing how problems relate to ones that have already been solved, setting aside details of a problem that are less important, and identifying and refining the steps needed to reach a solution” (US Department of Education).
Does Maine Require Computer Science Teacher Certification?
The State of Maine does not have a specific endorsement for computer science teachers. Therefore, in order to teach computer science you need a Maine State teacher certificate corresponding to the age level to whom you will be teaching computer science. The Computer Technology (680) endorsement is not necessary to teach Computer Science in Maine.
Does Maine Require Computer Science Courses for Graduation?
High school level computer science courses may count toward a local graduation requirement that is above and beyond the state mandated graduation requirements; districts will determine both local graduation requirement substitution as well as the criteria for these computer science courses.
Has the Department of Education adopted Computer Science Standards?
The Department is committed to ensuring that Maine educators have clear and consistent district-wide guidance on desired learning outcomes through district selected computer science standards.