A HIGH-SCHOOL PROGRAM IN COMPUTER-SCIENCE

The authors are part of a committee that has been designing a new high school curriculum in computer science and supervising the preparation of a comprehensive study program based on it. The new program emphasizes the foundations of algorithmic thinking and teaches programming as a way to get the computer to carry out an algorithm. The authors discuss the program and its initial implementation. They begin by discussing the key underlying principles that have guided their work. Then they describe the structure and content of the program, including a 3-unit version of 270 hours and a 5-unit version of 450. The curriculum is divided into five modules: Fundamentals 1 and 2, Software Design, Second Paradigm, Applications, and Theory. The authors describe each module in detail. Next, the authors explain the steps the committee has been taking to get the program underway. They reveal some challenges they have faced in developing the course material. For example, the Fundamentals 1 module had to provide a solid foundation for students who would not study computer science beyond the 10th grade as well as for those who would complete either the 3- or 5-unit program. This program is being tested in Israeli schools. One of the main challenges the committee has faced is a way to provide adequate teacher training.