The Indiana Department of Education (IDOE) is committed to expanding quality computer science education in Indiana. The Indiana General Assembly defined computer science education as a priority through the passage of Senate Enrolled Act (SEA) 172 (2018), requiring every school to incorporate computer science in its curriculum for students in grades K-12. Indiana currently has computer science standards in place for grades K-8, offers a variety of computer science courses for high schools, and has adopted computer science as a graduation requirement beginning in 2029. Every student in Indiana will have the opportunity to learn computer science, as this is an increasingly necessary step in preparing students to be productive citizens in an ever-changing, technology-driven world.
Computer Science is administered as a partnership between IDOE and the Commission for Higher Education (CHE)
The Teaching and Learning (T&L) team at IDOE is responsible for:
- K-8 Computer Science Standards
- Facilitating Professional Development opportunities in computer science.
- Supporting in-service teachers in best practices of computer science. Contact T&L to schedule a call or site visit to assist.
- Creating and facilitating a computer science community within the state.
CHE is responsible for:
- Developing the core competencies of Next Level Program of Studies (NLPS) Course 4565 - Computing Foundations for a Digital Age
- Specifying which courses meet the computer science graduation requirement for the class of 2029 and beyond
- Organizing computer science pathways and aligning them to post secondary readiness standards
- Why Computer Science?
The K-12 Computer Science Framework is foundational to Indiana’s Academic Standards for K-8 Computer Science and provides a vision for how students engage in critical thinking to be the next generation of creators of computer science knowledge and innovations. Applying computer science skills across disciplines prepares students to be active change agents in a world driven by technology.
- 4565 Foundations of Computing and High School Graduation Requirement
Graduation Requirement and 4565 Computing Foundations for a Digital Age
Pursuant to Indiana Code (IC) 20-32-4-18, (b) Beginning in 2029, an individual must successfully complete instruction on computer science as a separate subject to be eligible to graduate from high school. The computer science instruction must:
- to the extent feasible, be taught in person; and
- cover the following:
(A) Algorithms and programming.
(B) Computing systems
(C) Data and analysis.
(D) Impacts of computing.
(E) Networks and the Internet.
(c) Each school described in subsection (a) shall certify to the department that the individual has successfully completed instruction on computer science before the individual may graduate.
(d) The state board may allow a computer science course described in this section, including a computer science course taken in grade 8, to satisfy one (1) or more diploma course requirements.
The Course Eligibility document for the new Indiana High School diploma and the table shown below highlight courses that can fulfill this graduation requirement by meeting the five criteria above.
Computer Science: 1 Credit 4565 Computing Foundations for a Digital Age
4568 AP Computer Science Principles
4570 AP computer Science A
8116 Cambridge Advanced Computer Science (A Level)
8118 Cambridge Advanced Computer Science (AS Level)
4584 IB Computer Science Higher Level
4586 IB Computer Science Standard Level7183 Principles of Computing, and one of the following:
- 7351 Topics in Computer Science
- 7352 Computer Science
- 7178 Advanced Cybersecurity
- 7179 Cybersecurity Operations
- 7180 IT Fundamentals
- 7181 Networking and Cybersecurity Operations
- 7182 Networking Fundamentals
- 7184 Software Development
- 7185 Website and Database Development
NLPS Next Level Program of Studies (NLPS) Course 4565 - Computing Foundations for a Digital Age is a semester-long option to fulfill the requirement, and can be offered between 7th and 12th grade. The Core Competencies for the course and course frameworks, which provide guidance on the implementation of each competency, are provided below.
Title
2024 Core Competencies
2024 Course Frameworks
Computing Foundations for a Digital Age
Learning Lab
Please see IDOE’s High Quality Curricular Material (HQCM) Page for reviewed curricular options that align to the competencies and topics of the course.
- K-8 Standards and Academic Frameworks
The Indiana Academic Standards for K-8 Computer Science were adopted by the Indiana State Board of Education in June 2023 to be implemented beginning with the 2023-2024 school year. The Indiana Academic Standards for K-8 Computer Science are grade banded and assessed as part of the ILEARN science assessments for students enrolled in grades four and six.
It is important to note that the Indiana Academic Standards for K-8 Computer Science are intended to be taught in addition to the appropriate grade-level science standards. Educators are encouraged to utilize IDOE’s instructional frameworks to assist in the implementation of the 2023 Indiana Academic Standards for Computer Science.
- Legislative Requirement for High School Course
Pursuant to Indiana Code (IC) 20-30-5-23, each public high school, including each charter school, shall offer at least one (1) computer science course as a one (1) semester elective in the public high school’s curriculum at least once each school year for high school students. Additionally, each public school, including each charter school, shall include computer science in the public school’s curriculum for students in kindergarten through grade 12.
Following the passage of this requirement, the 2024 State of Computer Science Education report compiled by the Code.org Advocacy Coalition, Computer Science Teacher Association, and the Expanding Computing Education Pathways Alliance, ranks Indiana 7th in the nation for the number of high schools offering a foundational computer science course.
Visit IDOE’s Course Titles and Descriptions webpage for detailed course descriptions, including all computer science courses that align with the pathways of the NLPS.
- Classroom Resources
IDOE strives to connect corporations, schools, and teachers with a variety of resources to support the ongoing implementation of computer science. IDOE recommends that educators create an account in the Indiana Learning Lab to leverage classroom resources curated from a variety of sources in addition to those outlined here. The CS Educator Hub on the Indiana Learning Lab provides resources and a community forum for Computer Science teachers:
DOE Resources
- IDOE’s Course Titles and Descriptions Webpage
- ILEARN Science Test Blueprints
- ILEARN Item Specification Database
- ILEARN Indiana Assessment Portal | Released Items Repository
- Licensing Assignment Code
External Resources
- Legislated Reports