On December 16th, the Mississippi State Board of Education approved a 10 Year Strategic Plan for Computer Science Education. The plan can be accessed here: MS STATE PLAN
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Author: Shelly Hollis
The Center for Cyber Education at Mississippi State University hosted the C Spire Developer Dawgs Camp July 12-15, 2021.
The camp offered 31 students from across Mississippi the opportunity to work with industry professionals to acquire information and skills in software development. During the three-day residential program, students stayed on MSU’s campus and attended immersive educational sessions at the Mill Conference Center.
Industry professionals from C Spire, FedEx, US Army Corp of Engineers, CoreLogic, nSPARC and Basecamp Coding Academy helped students learn about the software development life cycle, guiding them through mock interviews and providing feedback on final presentations. Additionally, Mississippi State University’s Dr. Cindy Bethel and Dr. Tanmay Bhowmik shared information regarding their work and degree areas in computer science.
The Starkville Daily News wrote a great article on the camp: https://www.pressreader.com/usa/starkville-daily-news/20210720/281513639171774.
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Mississippi receives AP CS Diversity Award
NEWS RELEASE
For Immediate Release: January 28, 2021
Six Mississippi Schools Earn AP® Computer Science Female Diversity Award
Mississippi Congratulates Recipients for Closing the Gender Gap in Computer Science
JACKSON, Miss. – Six schools in Mississippi have earned the College Board AP® Computer Science Female Diversity Award for achieving high female representation in AP Computer Science A (CSA) and/or AP Computer Science Principles (CSP). Schools honored with the AP Computer Science Female Diversity Award have expanded girls’ access in AP computer science courses.
Out of 20,000 institutions that offer AP courses, these six schools are among 1,119 to achieve either 50% or higher female representation in one of the two AP computer science courses or a percentage of the female computer science examinees meeting or exceeding that of the school’s female population during the 2019-2020 school year:
Computer Science Principles Award:
- Columbia High School, Columbia School District
- Northwest Rankin High School, Rankin County School District
- Ocean Springs High School, Ocean Springs School District
- Ridgeland High School, Madison County School District
- William B. Murrah High School, Jackson Public Schools
Computer Science Principles Award and Computer Science A Award:
- Pass Christian High School, Pass Christian School District
“During an unprecedented year, Mississippi female students have demonstrated perseverance and dedication in their study of AP Computer Science,” said Dr. Carey Wright, state superintendent of education. “We could not be more proud of Mississippi’s female students for staking their claim as the next generation of STEM and computer science professionals. We can’t wait to see their passion for next generation technology lead to lifelong success.”
“Today’s students need the power to shape technology, not just cope with it,” says Stefanie Sanford, College Board chief of global policy and external relations. “Young women deserve an equal opportunity to become the next generation of entrepreneurs, engineers and tech leaders. Closing the gap in computer science education empowers young women to build the future they want.”
The first year of AP Computer Science Principles in 2016-17 attracted more students than any other AP course debut, and participation is on the rise. In 2020, more than 116,000 students took the AP CSP Exam—more than double the number of exam takers in the course’s first year, and a 21% increase over the previous year. In 2020, 39,570 women took the AP CSP exam, nearly three times the number who tested in 2017.
Providing female students with access to computer science courses is critical to ensuring gender parity in the industry’s high-paying jobs and to drive innovation, creativity, and representation. The median annual wage for computer and information technology occupations was $88,240 in May 2019. However, a code.org analysis of 2017 Bureau of Labor Statistics data finds women represent just 24% of the 5 million people in computing occupations.
That’s why new College Board research about AP CSP is so encouraging. According to the data, female students who take AP CSP in high school are more than 5 times as likely to major in computer science in college,compared to similar female students who did not take CSP. The study also finds AP CSP students are nearly twice as likely to enroll in AP CSA, and that for most students, AP CSP serves as a stepping-stone to other advanced AP STEM coursework.
These findings make it all the more imperative that schools nationwide achieve gender parity in AP Computer Science classrooms. The 1,119 schools that receive this year’s AP Computer Science Female Diversity Award should serve as inspirations and models for all American high schools, where overall, female students remain under-represented in computer science classes, comprising just 34% of AP Computer Science Principles participants. So there is a long way to go to achieve equal gender representation in the field of computer science. Currently, less than half of the nation’s high schools teach foundational computer science, a clear opportunity to be addressed by strong partnerships between policymakers, the tech industry, and educators.
Office of Communications and Government Relations
601-359-3515 | mdek12.org
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Proud partners!
Press Release From C Spire
C Spire, a proud partner in the Computer Science for Mississippi initiative, has announced that Chief Technology Officer Carla Lewis has been named one of Mississippi’s most influential African Americans by the Our Mississippi Honors organization.
Lewis, who has worked with the Mississippi Department of Education and the Mississippi State Research and Curriculum Unit on the CS4MS initiative since its inception, joined 24 other African American business, education, government and community leaders in receiving the honor last month.
Read more about the honor here: http://bit.ly/LewisHonor.
October 17, 2018
Contact: Carl Smith
By using successful non-profit model, high school students can launch computer science career one year after graduation
Mississippi State University President Mark Keenum speaks at C Spire event. (Screen capture, C Spire broadcast)
C Spire executives and state education officials unveiled a new pilot program Wednesday [Oct. 17, 2018] that uses customized curriculum developed from a successful non-profit coding academy in Water Valley to fast-track creation of hundreds of new student academic and computer science career opportunities.
The new program, called the C Spire Software Development Pathway, is a public-private partnership between C Spire, a Mississippi-based diversified telecommunications and technology services company, and the Mississippi State University (MSU) Research and Curriculum Unit’s (RCU’s) new Center for Cyber Education (CCE).
Mississippi has an aggressive goal as part of the 2015 Computer Science for Mississippi (CS4MS) initiative to create and deliver standardized computer science curriculum for nearly 500,000 students in grades K-12 and place qualified computer science teachers in all of the state’s 896 elementary, middle and high schools by 2023-2024.
“We need to accelerate our efforts to educate and equip more young people with the computer science skills they need that translate into jobs in the real world,” said Lt. Gov. Tate Reeves, who spoke at a press conference with C Spire and state education leaders announcing the new program. “Preparing young Mississippians for the good-paying jobs of a high-tech, global economy is critical to our state’s future economic success.”
Under the three-year pilot program, C Spire and state education officials are estimating the new program can deliver 93 percent more Mississippi graduates qualified for entry-level software development jobs than existing programs, which should help close the skills gap for this profession in Mississippi.
“We live in a software-defined world where code and the Internet influence every aspect of our lives,” said C Spire CEO Hu Meena. “Computer science, coding and software development drives innovation and creates jobs in our economy, but we need to do more now to encourage schools to offer courses, equip teachers and enable young people to develop these important skills and pursue IT careers.”
Meena said the main objective of the program is to close the skills gap for qualified software development programmers in the state.
“These students will have an opportunity to receive quality education and training in a short, accelerated time frame with the ability to enter a critical field that businesses of all types and sizes need within one year of graduation.”
The program, which will be fully funded in the first year and partially funded in the second and third years by C Spire, will train 30 teachers and give computer science job opportunities for 150 students from selected schools after two years of specialized course work in high school and one year in community college.
Curriculum for the pilot program was derived from Base Camp Coding Academy, a successful, non-profit coding academy that started a fast-paced,12-month specialized computer coding training regimen for select high school students in 2016.
Every graduate has received job offers from multiple employers.
“I’m thrilled about the partnership that Mississippi State University is joining today with our friends at C Spire,” said MSU President Mark E. Keenum. “The C Spire Software Development Pathway creates boundless opportunities for the state’s future and relies on the expertise of the MSU Research and Curriculum Unit’s Center for Cyber Education in an exciting new collaboration between educators and those on the cutting edge of world-class technologies.”
Recognizing the need for broader partnerships and innovative approaches to help the state reach its aggressive curriculum and teacher training goals, State Superintendent of Education Carey Wright said MSU’s RCU recently formed the CCE, which will focus on K-12 education needs statewide.
“Computer science has become an important part of the K-12 curriculum because students need to be prepared for 21st century careers,” Wright said. “CS4MS initiative will extend computer science education to all students.”
A key partner will be the Mississippi Community Colleges. Dr. Andrea Mayfield, executive director of the Mississippi Community College Board, said the CCE plans to train an instructor from each of the nine participating community colleges, along with a teacher from a partnering high school in the software development curriculum. Each high school teacher will recruit at least 10 students for the program.
“As our economy grows and evolves, career and technical education has experienced a renaissance driven by technologically focused careers with worker skills that businesses need to grow and prosper,” Mayfield said. “The Mississippi Community College Board looks forward to working with the community college presidents, C Spire and MSU’s CCE to further develop this program, which will ultimately create more job opportunities for our young people.”
Workers with a background in computer science are in high demand and short supply in Mississippi. Employers currently have over 1,342 unfilled job openings due to the serious shortage of trained, qualified IT workers. The average salary for qualified IT workers is over $69,000 a year, almost double the statewide average. Nationwide, new research indicates that there will be a shortage of over 1 million software developers in the U.S. by 2020.
Equipping young people with computer science skills is a key part of the C Spire Tech Movement initiative launched last fall to deliver on its promise to help create and retain a 21st century technology workforce in this region that will boost the state’s economy, promote business expansion and improve the overall quality of life.
Other elements of the initiative include massive deployment of broadband Internet for homes and businesses and other leadership initiatives designed to drive adoption and integration of the latest technological innovations, such as smart cities, businesses and homes, artificial intelligence, telemedicine, precision agriculture and the Internet of Things.
C Spire provides a full suite of world-class, customer-inspired dedicated Internet, IP Voice, data, managed services, cloud services, value added resale and mobile communications to businesses and wireless, 1 Gigabit consumer Internet access and related home services for consumers. For more information about C Spire, visit cspire.com or follow the company on Facebook at facebook.com/cspire or Twitter at twitter.com/cspire.
Founded in 1965, the RCU contributes to MSU’s mission as a land-grant institution to better the lives of Mississippians with a focus on improving education. In particular, the RCU benefits K-12 and higher education by developing curricula and assessments, providing training and learning opportunities for educators, researching and evaluating programs, supporting and promoting career and technical education, and leading education innovations. For more information about RCU, rcu.msstate.edu or follow the organization on Facebook at facebook.com/rcumsu or on Twitter at twitter.com/rcumsu.
October 18, 2018
Contact: Carl Smith
MSU President Mark E. Keenum spoke during an Oct. 17 news conference to announce the launch of the Software Development Pathway public-private partnership. (Photo by Logan Kirkland)
Mississippi State’s newest university-level center has launched its first official project to further enhance cyber education for the state’s K-12 schools.
The Center for Cyber Education’s advisory board held its first meeting on Wednesday afternoon [Oct. 17] a few hours after C Spire announced a $550,000 gift to MSU to support the center’s first official project.
The center will build upon the MSU Research and Curriculum Unit’s longstanding work in K-12 computer science education, teacher training and teacher recruitment. Its first project is the C Spire Software Development Pathway.
Under the three-year pilot program, C Spire and state education officials are estimating the new program can deliver 93 percent more Mississippi graduates qualified for entry-level software development jobs than existing programs, which should help close the skills gap for this profession in Mississippi.
“I’m thrilled about the partnership that Mississippi State University is joining today [Oct. 17] with our friends at C Spire,” said MSU President Mark E. Keenum. “The C Spire Software Development Pathway creates boundless opportunities for the state’s future and relies on the expertise of the MSU Research and Curriculum Unit’s Center for Cyber Education in an exciting new collaboration between educators and those on the cutting edge of world-class technologies.”
The program, which will be fully funded in the first year and partially funded in the second and third years by C Spire, will train 30 teachers and give computer science job opportunities for 150 students from selected schools after two years of specialized course work in high school and one year in community college.
“The RCU has an excellent track record of delivering innovative solutions that make a real difference in Mississippi’s schools,” said David Shaw, the university’s vice president for research and economic development. “Mississippi State is also a national leader in high performance computing and cybersecurity, and we believe our multi-disciplinary expertise will enhance the Center for Cyber Education’s long-term impact as technology continues to advance.”
Shaw noted that the center’s advisory board includes faculty representatives from each one of the university’s colleges.
“We are glad to support the Center for Cyber Education and its work in computer science,” said Betsey Smith, director of the RCU. “The growing need for computer science instruction across all grades and districts in the state has been and will stay connected to the RCU’s core work in career and technical education.”
In addition to C Spire’s support, grants from the Mississippi Department of Education and National Science Foundation, as well as a partnership with Code.org, have laid the foundation for the center, which has begun developing new funding streams for staff to be dedicated fully to addressing computer science needs in the state.
“Mississippi has an aggressive goal of creating a computer science curriculum framework in all grades, K-12, and placing qualified computer science teachers in all Mississippi schools by 2023-2024,” said Shelly Hollis, who will lead the center’s work. “The Center for Cyber Education will further this goal by developing and delivering focused computer science training for K-12 teachers and working with the College of Education, MDE and other partners to create pathways for licensure and endorsements.”
For more information about the Center for Cyber Education, contact Hollis at shelly.hollis@rcu.msstate.edu.
Founded in 1965, the RCU contributes to MSU’s mission as a land-grant institution to better the lives of Mississippians with a focus on improving education. In particular, the RCU benefits K-12 and higher education by developing curricula and assessments, providing training and learning opportunities for educators, researching and evaluating programs, supporting and promoting career and technical education, and leading education innovations. For more information about RCU, rcu.msstate.edu or follow the organization on Facebook at facebook.com/rcumsu or on Twitter at twitter.com/rcumsu.
MSU is Mississippi’s leading university, available online at msstate.edu.
Congressman Gregg Harper today announced the winners of his 2017 Congressional App Challenge, a competition intended to highlight the value of computer science and STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) education and to encourage the next generation of Mississippians to engage in these fields.
The challenge ran from July 26 through November 1. Participants competed either as individuals or as teams of up to four. Each team created and submitted their own software application (“app”) for mobile, tablet or other computing devices on a platform of their choice.
The second place finisher was “Tech Team App” submitted by students at Florence Middle School. Third place was a tie between “Let’s Talk” and “States Quiz” by students at Florence Middle School and Brandon Middle School, respectively.
Congratulations to FMS tech team student 2nd place winners, Devin Conerly, Jana Len Jones, Joseph Ross, Brett Hutchinson and Sarah Edmonson, Brookly Sistrunk, and Anna Vaughn who tied for 3rd place with students from Brandon Middle School.
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CS4MS Representatives Attend Roundtable
On December 1, 2017, CS4MS representatives, educators, and researchers attended a roundtable discussion hosted by C Spire. Click here to view article.
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App Developers
Columbus, MS
Mrs. Sharon Weems’ after-school, “introduction to app development” students created three apps for the 2017 Congressional App Challenge Competition. The student teams designed and created these apps using Code Studio’s App Lab. The group consisted of three teams of students. Two teams created survey apps, and the other team created a game app. The developers plan to utilize their apps in upcoming school and community events. Mrs. Weems is a technologist at Stokes-Beard Technology and Communications Magnet School in Columbus, Mississippi.
Photos courtesy of Stokes-Beard Technology and Communications Magnet School
November 30, 2017
Contact: Carl Smith
From right to left, Research and Curriculum Unit project managers Lois Kappler and Anne Brinkmann participate in Shelly Hollis’ early preview of Hour of Code activities for students that will be delivered during Computer Science Education Week, which runs Dec. 4-10. The RCU is facilitating Hour of Code events for students, parents and administrators at the Calhoun County School District, McComb School District and Quitman School District this year. Governor Phil Bryant recently declared December as Computer Science Education Month in Mississippi, and his proclamation noted how Computer Science for Mississippi (CS4MS), the ongoing partnership between the Mississippi Department of Education and RCU, is preparing students and teachers for the 21stcentury.
Governor Phil Bryant signed a proclamation this month declaring December as Computer Science Education Month in Mississippi and noted the ongoing partnership between the Mississippi Department of Education (MDE) and Mississippi State University’s Research and Curriculum Unit (RCU) to better prepare students and teachers for the 21st century.
The MDE-RCU partnership, Computer Science for Mississippi (CS4MS), aims to have a continuous K-12 computer science pipeline in place for all Mississippi public schools by 2024. Computers and software impact every profession, including medicine, energy, entertainment and agriculture. With computer science knowledge, Mississippi’s students can compete for jobs alongside candidates from any other state or country.
MDE recognizes how critical computer science skills are to the future of students and appreciates the CS4MS partnership with the RCU, said Dr. Carey Wright, state superintendent of education.
“Every student should have the opportunity to learn vital skills for a productive career. Computer science is now a part of the necessary foundational knowledge for students, and we believe this effort will open doors to successful careers for students, which will improve the state’s economy,” Wright said.
MDE launched the CS4MS pilot program in 34 school districts during the 2016-2017 academic year. RCU staff researched how other states successfully implement computer science programs into public schools, set initial standards, structured the program and facilitated the creation of a steering committee comprised of K-12, higher education and industry representatives.
Fifty-two districts participated in the program’s second year, which allowed the initiative to reach more than 15,000 students.
A three-year, $700,000 National Science Foundation grant will help the RCU and MSU College of Education provide professional development and training to computer science educators.
Bryant’s proclamation also noted more than 126 Mississippi schools, districts and community centers have registered to participate in the Hour of Code, a collaborative event designed to boost students’ understanding of the coding process, during Computer Science Education Week, which runs Dec. 4-10.
The RCU will help facilitate Hour of Code events for three school districts – Calhoun County, McComb and Quitman – in which students will participate in hands-on activities during the school day, while community members learn more about computer science in the evening. School administrators and counselors will also learn how they can incorporate computer science into course offerings for the next school year.
Click here to download the governor’s proclamation.
Visit hourofcode.com/us for more information on the Hour of Code.