During last year’s state legislative session, the Computer Science Education Advancement Program (Statute 120B.241 [2023]) was established. In accordance with this legislation, the Minnesota Department of Education (MDE) organized the Computer Science Education Working Group. This group was charged with developing a state strategic plan for long-term and sustained growth of computer science education in all kindergarten through grade 12 school districts and charter schools. 

The 22-person working group met between October 2023-March 2024 to develop this plan. Cassie Scharber represented the Minnesota Association of Colleges for Teacher Education (MACTE) on this working group. 

The final plan is now publicly available. It describes 10 recommendations for K-12 computer science education across Minnesota. For the past three years, Minnesota has ranked lowest in the nation in terms of access to foundational computer science courses at the high school level (Code.org, CSTA, & ECEP Alliance, 2023).

We will continue to share updates and ways you can get involved.