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Committee backs new middle‑school course “Computer Science for Innovators and Makers”
Summary
The committee recommended adding a new middle-school course using Project Lead The Way curriculum to support pre‑engineering and programming skills; staff said the course is intended to align with robotics and CNC offerings and to connect with the Make48 pathway.
The board’s Teaching, Learning, Equity and Pupil Services Committee on April 15 recommended adding a new middle-school course, “Computer Science for Innovators and Makers,” that uses Project Lead The Way curriculum to introduce students to programming, problem solving and pre‑engineering design.
Staff said the class was developed after conversations with middle‑school Tech Ed and Project Lead The Way teachers and is designed to feed into high‑school robotics, CNC and engineering pathways. The course emphasizes problem solving, design thinking and a final product pitch; staff described it as exposure and preparation for later high‑school credit-bearing PLTW courses rather than direct college-credit work at the middle-school level.
Committee members asked about articulation to high-school pathways and about possible industry credentialing; staff said PLTW high‑school courses can lead to certifications and college‑credit opportunities at the high-school level, whereas the middle-school offering is an exposure course intended to spark interest.
A motion to recommend adding “Computer Science for Innovators and Makers” to the curriculum beginning fall 2025 passed unanimously at the meeting.
