CS Instructional Practice Evidence Guide

This look-for tool is designed for observing and reflecting upon the quality of computer science (CS) instructional practice, as aligned to the Standards for CS Teachers. Teachers, coaches, and instructional leaders may use this tool to support the ongoing development of CS teachers through evidence-based, standards-aligned conversations about CS instruction. 

The following teacher and student actions delineate effective teaching and learning of K-12 computer science. However, one should not expect to see all, or even the majority of, these actions at any given time. Rather, they can be used collectively as a framework to define indicators of quality teaching and learning. They can also be used modularly to isolate specific areas of focus, based on teachers’ individualized development goals.

There are two versions of the evidence guide — one organized by teacher standard and another organized by theme. Both are available as Google Docs and PDFs.

Organized by Standard

There are five teacher standards: CS Knowledge & Skills, Equity & Inclusion, Professional Growth & Identity, Instructional Design, and Classroom Practice. Here is one example:

example - organized by standard

Organized by Theme

There are five themes: Content, Culture of Equity, Collaboration & Communication, Application & Innovation, and Problem Solving. Here is one example:

example - organized by theme 

License & Attribution

Authors: Bryan Twarek, Janice Mak, and Cindi Chang

Suggested Citation: Twarek, B., Mak, J., and Chang, C. (2021). CS Instructional Practice Evidence Guide. CSTA Standards for CS Teachers. Retrieved from https://csteachers.org/lookfor.

CC license

License: This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License (CC BY-NC-SA 4.0).