Learn to Teach Computer Science (6-12)


Elementary School Teachers | Middle School & High School Teachers | Not a School Teacher?

June 1 COVID-19 Update Full scholarships are still available for qualifying teachers to participate in a CS Discoveries or CS Principles 2020-2021 cohort. All Code.org summer workshops will take place online. Please visit this page again for updates.

Choose "CS Discoveries" for Classroom Teachers, Grades 6-10
July 20-24 (M-F) Virtual - Approved for HS credit (optional)
Flyer | Curriculum Guide | National Website | Apply (Pro Tips for Applying)

-or- "CS Principles" for Classroom Teachers, Grades 9-12
July 27-31 (M-F) Virtual - Approved for AP credit (optional)
(Please also reserve July 13-17 and July 20-24 as potential Virtual dates)
Flyer | Curriculum Guide | National Website | Apply (see Pro Tips for Applying)

  • No technical experience necessary!
  • Start with a 5-day virtual workshop during the summer
  • Attend 4-8 follow-up workshops (in-person Saturday or virtual, Sept. - May)
  • No cost for scholarship recipients -or- $1,500 per classroom teacher
  • Teachers must apply and be accepted into a cohort
  • Principals must commit to that teacher teaching in the 2020-2021 school year
  • Most schools require relevant teacher certification(s)
  • See Pro Tips for Applying below, and then Apply via Code.org!

Get Social! Nominate a teacher for a Code.org scholarship: code.org/nominate

Get Started Right Away / See More Resources
See 24/7 CSEd Resources for Anyone, Anywhere.

Program Overview | CS Discoveries Curriculum Guide | CS Principles Curriculum Guide | Past Events


Pro Tips for Applying

Is this program right for you? Maybe you've never really thought of yourself as a math person or a technical person, but someone said you should look into teaching "computer science," whatever that means. (Yikes! What if your students find out you're not an expert!) Or maybe you studied computer science in college or worked in a technical role in industry before deciding to teach in a middle school or high school. Either way, this program is perfect for you!

  1. Have you seen the Program Overview? The Curriculum Guide?
  2. Are you a qualifying teacher?
  3. Have you attended this program before?
  4. Are you looking for gap training on changes to the AP CSP curriculum?
  5. Do you have the certification(s) required by your school/district/state?
  6. Does your principal commit to ... the coming school year?
  7. Do you plan to request a scholarship or CTE funding?
  8. Is your school in one of the counties served by Rice?

1. Have you seen the Program Overview? The Curriculum Guide?

This complex program is difficult to capture in a sound bite. Before you apply, we suggest you that you read through the RUSMP Code.org Program Overview.

You may need the Curriculum Guide for CS Discoveries (typically for middle school) or the Curriculum Guide for CS Principles (typically for high school) to answer the question on the application about which units you plan to teach. Also consider the requirements outlined below.

2. Are you a qualifying teacher?

In general, only qualifying teachers may attend a Code.org PD workshop. While there are exceptions, Code.org generally defines a qualifying teacher as a classroom or technology teacher (or librarian) who directly instructs the students in Grades 6-10 for CS Discoveries or Grades 9-12 for CS Principles. The Code.org Application Rubric summarizes Guidelines for participation within the United States.

Who's not a qualifying teacher for in-person workshops? Per Code.org Guidelines, a school principal, an administrator, a community volunteer, a community entrepreneur, a non-teaching curriculum developer, or a college student working towards a degree in education may not attend a Code.org PD workshop. Instead we recommend 24/7 CSEd Resources for Anyone, Anywhere. Please contact RUSMP if you think you qualify but don't see your role here.

3. Have you attended this program before?

Per Code.org national guidelines, a teacher may only attend CS Discoveries PD (or CS Principles PD) once in his or her lifetime. However, that teacher may apply for CS Principles PD (or CS Discoveries PD). In both cases, the teacher must teach the curriculum covered during the summer workshop in the coming school year. If this disqualifies you from applying, please see 24/7 CSEd Resources for Anyone, Anywhere.

4. Are you looking for gap training on changes to the AP CSP curriculum?

Great! Please see AP CS Principles Resources [TBA]. The 5-day workshops listed above are not designed to support previously trained Code.org AP CS Principles teachers who just want "gap training" on the College Board's changes to the AP CSP curriculum.

5. Do you have the certification(s) required by your school/district/state?

Joining a CS Discoveries or CS Principles cohort requires a commitment that you yourself will teach the material in the coming 2020-2021 school year. If you know you won't have the necessary certifications in time to teach the material, please do not apply for a seat in this program. Instead, we invite you to visit 24/7 CSEd Resources for Anyone, Anywhere.

6. Does your principal commit to you teaching the material in the coming school year?

NOTE PRIORITY will be given to complete applications that include a completed Principal Approval Form.

By accepting a seat in the cohort, you and your principal commit to (a) having the Code.org curriculum on the master schedule for the coming 2020-2021 school year (just as you would Biology, for example) and (b) you yourself teaching the Code.org curriculum. It's fine if you call the class something other than CS Discoveries or CS Principles, as long as you and your students are using the curriculum provided through the code.org web interface.

For accountability to national donors, "implementation" is tracked through the email addresses you and your students use to log in to code.org. In the event that you change schools, we would sincerely hope that you teach the Code.org curriculum at your new school.

To prevent misunderstandings, what's not okay is for you to go through the professional development program this summer and then have you or your school decide that you're not going to teach/offer the curriculum during the 2020-2021 school year after all. That would count as not implementing, which adversely affects program funding.

7. Do you plan to request a scholarship or CTE funding?

The Code.org curriculum, online student learning platform, and access to support from the teacher and Code.org online community are available to all schools year round at no cost.

Costs Qualifying teachers who accept a nationally underwritten Code.org scholarship attend at no cost, and qualifying teachers who do not receive a scholarship pay $1,500 per person. All participants pay their own travel expenses.

Scholarship Requirements are based on school data, per Code.org Application Rubric > Requirements.

CTE Funding Now that CTE funding is available in Texas, Code.org may not offer nationally underwritten scholarships in the future. Instead, schools are being asked to use their CTE funding to pay for professional development. Since there is a lag time between when schools qualify for this funding and when they actually receive this funding, school administrators recommend planning earlier in the school year for the expense of sending teachers through this program in the summer.

8. Is your school in one of the counties served by Rice?

If you don't see your school's county listed below, you can still apply for a seat in the program. Just enter your school's zip code on the code.org/apply page, and the system will direct you to the regional partner for your area.

Effective September 1, 2019, RUSMP in partnership with Code.org serves K-12 schools in the following Texas counties: Austin, Brazoria, Brazos, Burleson, Calhoun, Chambers, Colorado, Fort Bend, Galveston, Grimes, Hardin, Harris, Jackson, Jasper, Jefferson, Leon, Liberty, Madison, Matagorda, Montgomery, Newton, Orange, Polk, Robertson, San Jacinto, Trinity, Tyler, Walker, Washington, and Wharton.

Questions? Contact Shaina Glass at glass@pd.code.org.

Get started with the curriculum or explore professional development:
Elementary School Teachers | Middle School & High School Teachers | Not a School Teacher?
About RUSMP Code.org | Past Events