The expansion of computer science education over the past two decades has increased access to high-quality CS learning opportunities for K-12 students and teachers through the adoption of K-12 CS Standards, CS teacher certification, and teacher preparation programs, and related efforts by countless organizations. We must now broaden this focus and leverage teacher preparation programs to build a sustainable pipeline of K-12 educators who can support rigorous and inclusive instruction across a variety of CS programs. Institutions of higher education are a critical component of meeting the need for qualified CS teachers in K-12 schools -- without their leadership and sustained collaboration, the CS teacher workforce will be difficult to scale and preparation for pre-service CS teachers will continue to lag behind other academic disciplines. We need CS preservice teachers to address the lack of CS teachers and the increase in K-12 CS offerings in schools. 

This appendix outlines a series of case studies, resources, and recommendations to provide guidance for Schools of Education to implement and align their teacher preparation programs and graduate supplemental programs to the CSTA Standards for CS Teachers. We recognize that Schools of Education are coming to this work from multiple situations. Some have long standing teacher preparation programs for CS secondary teachers. Others may be eager to develop programs to meet new state policy requirements for CS teacher certification, or integrate CS pedagogy into K-8 teacher preservice programs. We hope that the CSTA Standards for CS Teachers invite Schools of Education to evaluate what they are currently doing and look for opportunities to develop new collaborations, and guide faculty and administrators in Schools of Education as they develop new or refine existing teacher preparation programs.

The following action steps were designed to guide Schools of Education as they create and implement CS teacher education programs. 

Each college and university operates within state, regional, and local contexts that influence the design and approaches to computer science preservice programs. The following case studies were developed to highlight a variety of contexts across the country and to provide examples for colleges and universities as they develop and create their own programs. Each case is structured to include similar information about the CS program. The table below provides an overview of various features of each program.

Preservice teacher education programs provide practicum experiences for teacher candidates where they can observe and practice teaching before they graduate. Inservice programs may or may not have field experiences as program participants are often practicing teachers in the classroom already. The best opportunity for teacher candidates to practice is through sustained practicums, however, if this is not an option, then the other types of field experiences provide opportunities for teacher candidates to observe and practice as well. Field experiences vary by when they occur in programs, by their purpose and by their learning goals, resulting in differing expectations for what teacher candidates should know and be able to do. The overarching goal, however, of field experiences is to provide teacher candidates the opportunity to develop and teach a CS lesson with feedback from an experienced teacher. Because CS is a new discipline and the local context varies in terms of state requirements for field experiences and teacher licensure, education programs have found a number of creative ways to provide these experiences.

Teacher education programs employ a variety of strategies to equip teacher candidates with the knowledge and skills they will need in the computer science classroom. Many activities involve teacher candidates initially participating as learners or practicing their teaching followed by reflection on their practice. The activities shared in the table below demonstrate that there are a variety of ways to support teachers in their professional development journey as a CS teacher. Each activity includes the context, standards and indicators alignment, a description, and (when available) grading rubrics or supports.