For the past several years, Washington proudly displays go green in two of the ten state policies to make CS foundational as tracked by the State of CS Education report:
Allow computer science to count as a core graduation requirement
Allow computer science to satisfy an admission requirement at higher education institutions
How can schools and students take advantage of these policies to take CS courses in a crowded high school schedule requiring 24 credits for graduation?
OSPI guidance provides considerable flexibility to count toward a core graduation requirement as a third-year math or science. RCW 28A.230.300 applies to all CS courses listed in Appendix V of OSPI's CEDARS database with "Computer Science" labeled "Yes". In other words, if OSPI recognizes the course as CS, then the course may count as a third-year math/science.
However, there is an important caveat toward using CS as a third-year math or science in RCW 28A.230.300: the student's parent or guardian must be given written notification of the consequences of using CS as a third-year math or science on postsecondary opportunities.
Washington's public four-year college and universities (University of Washington, Washington State, Western Washington, Central Washington, Eastern Washington, Evergreen State) do not recognize using computer science as a third-year math or science. These colleges use Washington Student Achievement Council's College Academic DistributionRequirements (CADRs) document when evaluating students' applications. The only exception provided by CADRs is that AP CS A - the AP STEM subject exam with the lowest participation rate - may be used as a senior-level (i.e., fourth-year) math course.
Despite the flexibility provided by OSPI, students who may want to apply to college must be wary of using CS as a third-year math or science. Because of the timing of the college application process, a student applying to a four-year Washington public college or university using CS as a third-year math or science may never know that it was a key reason they were not accepted or be able to correct the deficiency so they can matriculate.
Combined with the very limited recognition of computer science by as either math or science course, the current 24-Credit Career- and College-Ready Graduation Requirements makes it very difficult for students who are not already pre-disposed to take computer science. And the lack of student enrollment also makes it difficult for schools, especially smaller ones, to establish and grow computer science programs.
Why did the computer quit its job in the new year?
... Because it did not get arrays!
January 2025 Issue
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CSTA Washington Next Steps
Now that Washington has consolidated into our new statewide chapter, the interim board is hard at work forming the Chapter Development Committee.
This committee will be composed of a mix of interim board members and non-board CSTA Washington volunteer members, with an emphasis on finding participants to represent all major regions of the state, including those that were not formerly represented by a local chapter.
The purpose of forming a committee to advise the interim board is threefold: to actively solicit broad regional input, to provide transparency and openness to the entire community, and to reduce the workload of the interim board members during this transition period.
The specific tasks for the committee are still being determined but are likely to include:
making recommendations regarding a regional support structure
new chapter leadership structure
necessary changes to our bylaws and chapter operations manual
Volunteers are being contacted now, and the committee is expected to be announced sometime in January.
If you have already indicated your interested in serving on this board, we will be setting up an initial meeting soon - stay tuned!
If you indicated an interest in serving on this committee but have not yet received an email, please contact the interim board at washington@csteachers.org.
For updates on the committee progress, and interim committee reports, be sure to check out the Washington CSTA Virtual Community page in MemberNova.
What CS Ed PD do you want?
Save the Date. Saturday, April 26. The Bellevue College Computer Science program is partnering with CSTA Washington to provide professional development for K-12 CS Educators on its campus on April 26.
But what do K-12 CS Educators want to learn about? We're designing this professional development based on your feedback. Let us know your thoughts via this survey by Jan 22.
Physical Computing Workshop on Mar 15
This year's event is subtitled: Inventing with Code: Sparking Creativity Through Physical Computing.
Washington CSTA is partnering with Puget Sound Educational Service District (ESD 121) to present our 3rd annual Physical Computing Workshop on Mar 15 from 9:30 AM - 2:30 PM.
Similar to last year, we will have separate tracks for Elementary/Middle (micro:bit) and for Middle/High (Odyssey Board - Arduino compatible platform designed for K-12 education). Attendees will receive a kit, lunch, and four Washington state STEM clock hours.
CS Endorsement Exam Prep Course
Do you or someone you know want to get endorsed to teach CS in Washington?
Registration for the January 2025 cohort is now open. Teachers who complete the course will receive 40 clock hours. Scholarships covering $550 of the retail $650 cost are available to current public-school teachers and juniors/seniors in an undergraduate teacher prep program.
Washington CSTA at NCCE
Washington CSTA will be joining with other CSTA chapters (Oregon, Alaska, Idaho) of the Pacific Northwest at a booth at NCCE 2025 on February 26 -28 at the Seattle Convention Center.
If you are planning on attending NCCE 2025 (and especially if you can help with the booth for an hour), let us know on the (👥) CSTA at NCCE 2025 thread on the CSTA Washington virtual community. We look forward to seeing you there.
Join Us in Renton on Feb 4
Join Washington CSTA and host foundry10 on Feb 4 (Tue) 6:30 - 8:30 pm at the Berliner Pub in Renton for an informal meetup to discuss Physical Computing, AI in education, and all things CS Education south of Seattle.
This meetup is free and open to all interested CS educators. Please register here to help us plan.
Check out the Washington CSTA Virtual Community
The Washington CSTA virtual community provides a gated forum for chapter members to interact with each other. Our chapter community is by far the most active CSTA local chapter community and one of the most active of all CSTA communities. See what it is all about by checking out one of the popular current threads:
You must login with your CSTA credentials to view this content.
Winter PD Opportunities
from CSTA Washington
Registration for the winter session of CSTA online, self-paced courses on Coursera is from Jan 6 to March 16. Participants can register anytime through the end of the session. CSTA Washington also provides free Washington clock hours to its members for all of these courses.
Participation in these CSTA Online courses is free to CSTA+ members.
Teacher Spotlight: Chad Magendanz
Chad Magendanz is a full-time computer science teacher at Sammamish High School (enrollment: 1350) in the Bellevue School District where he has taught since 2019. Before teaching Chad was in the Navy for 12 years and worked in the computer industry for 25 years including 10 years at Microsoft. Chad also served as School Board President of the Issaquah School District (enrollment: 18,000) from 2011-2012 and as State Representative for Washington’s 5th Legislative District from 2013-2017. Resume
Current courses
AP Computer Science A, CS Special Topics, Python 1, 2 & 3, Computer Graphics 1 & 2, Computer Animation, Mobile Game Development, and Business Law. Established the Computer Animation and Mobile Game Development courses and actively developing the curriculum.
Extra-curricular STEM activities supported
Faculty advisor for Sammamish HS FIRST Robotics team - the Robototes. The team has qualified for the FIRST world championships every year Chad has been faculty advisor.
How can CSTA better support CS teachers and CS Ed in Washington?
“CSTA should be actively recruiting certified math and science teachers to teach CS, actively hosting workshops and prep programs for the endorsement test. For those in the tech sector who have fallen victim to the 2023 and 2024 layoffs, we should be hosting recruiting events and encouraging them to join our ranks.”
Thoughts on future legislation and funding for CS education in Washington
“When Rep. Hansen and I were working on HB 1813 (2015) Expanding Computer Science Education, we intentionally created a low bar for the new CS endorsement so that certified math and science teachers could qualify through just a test. However, we didn’t realize that OSPI required CS teachers to have CTE endorsements to teach CTE courses – it is not technically required though a state RCW or WAC - and practically all districts were placing CS under the CTE department to qualify for the enhanced funding. The result is that these teachers - including me - are now being required to earn and maintain two distinct teacher certifications, and that’s creating a significant barrier to entry. Our advocacy efforts need to move legislation to fix this.”
Data Corner: CSTA Puget Sound (Washington) Membership
The above chart shows the growth of CSTA Puget Sound membership from Dec 2022 through Dec 2024 when it merged with the other three Washington CSTA chapters (CSTA Central Washington, CSTA Mid-Columbia, CSTA Spokane) to become CSTA Washington. The chart shows membership growth from the perspective of CSTA Puget Sound as historical information is not available for the other three Washington CSTA chapters.
When the merger was announced on Dec 2, 2024, CSTA Washington membership rose to 367 from 261 (+40%) in CSTA Puget Sound alone. Of these, active members rose from 182 to 227 (+25%), active CSTA+ members rose from 91 to 101 (+11%), and inactive members rose from 79 to 140 (+77%). Five members joined CSTA Washington the day of the announcement.
Prior to the statewide consolidation, CSTA Puget Sound membership had been growing at a steady pace since it began tracking in late 2022. In the two years from Dec 2022 to Nov 2024, both total membership (131 to 262) and active membership (95 to 182) almost doubled.
Rubber Duck Spotlight: CSTA Washington Logo Color
On December 4th, CSTA Washington members participated in a virtual open board meeting to discuss the future of our chapter. One of the key topics was choosing a new color for the new consolidated CSTA Washington. Interim President Bricker wishfully suggested using green to avoid logo colors associated the original four Washington CSTA chapters. And after all, Washington is the "Evergreen State."
Someone in CSTA HQ interpreted Interim President Bricker's wish as an Interim Board decision and now action/neon green is the CSTA Washington logo on our website.
However, it is not too late to change our official logo color. Please let us know your thoughts on Action Green as the new CSTA Washington color through the Google form below by Jan 13, 2025. Be assured that once we officially determine our logo colors, new rubber ducks will be ordered.
The CSTA Washington Connector is a monthly newsletter containing relevant information, upcoming events, learning, and connection opportunities for local CS Educators. Previous issues can be viewed by following the "News" tab on our homepage. If you have any comments about the current edition or ideas for future editions, please email csta.pugetsound@gmail.com.
