Search the California Content Standards

Standard:
Explain the privacy concerns related to the collection and generation of data through automated processes.

Descriptive Statement:
Data can be collected and aggregated across millions of people, even when they are not actively engaging with or physically near the data collection devices. Students recognize automated and non-evident collection of information and the privacy concerns they raise for individuals. For example, students could explain the impact on an individual when a social media site's security settings allows for mining of account information even when the user is not online. Alternatively, students could discuss the impact on individuals of using surveillance video in a store to track customers. Additionally, students could discuss how road traffic can be monitored to change signals in real time to improve road efficiency without drivers being aware and discuss policies for retaining data that identifies drivers' cars and their behaviors.

Standard:
Evaluate the social and economic implications of privacy in the context of safety, law, or ethics.

Descriptive Statement:
Laws govern many aspects of computing, such as privacy, data, property, information, and identity. International differences in laws and ethics have implications for computing. Students make and justify claims about potential and/or actual privacy implications of policies, laws, or ethics and consider the associated tradeoffs, focusing on society and the economy. For example, students could explore the case of companies tracking online shopping behaviors in order to decide which products to target to consumers. Students could evaluate the ethical and legal dilemmas of collecting such data without consumer knowledge in order to profit companies. Alternatively, students could evaluate the implications of net neutrality laws on society's access to information and on the impacts to businesses of varying sizes.

Standard:
Describe the design characteristics of the Internet.

Descriptive Statement:
The Internet connects devices and networks all over the world. Large-scale coordination occurs among many different machines across multiple paths every time a web page is opened or an image is viewed online. Through the domain name system (DNS), devices on the Internet can look up Internet Protocol (IP) addresses, allowing end-to-end communication between devices. The design decisions that direct the coordination among systems composing the Internet also allow for scalability and reliability. Students factor historical, cultural, and economic decisions in their explanations of the Internet. For example, students could explain how hierarchy in the DNS supports scalability and reliability. Alternatively, students could describe how the redundancy of routing between two nodes on the Internet increases reliability and scales as the Internet grows.

Standard:
Compare and contrast security measures to address various security threats.

Descriptive Statement:
Network security depends on a combination of hardware, software, and practices that control access to data and systems. The needs of users and the sensitivity of data determine the level of security implemented. Potential security problems, such as denial-of-service attacks, ransomware, viruses, worms, spyware, and phishing, present threats to sensitive data. Students compare and contrast different types of security measures based on factors such as efficiency, feasibility, ethical impacts, usability, and security. At this level, students are not expected to develop or implement the security measures that they discuss. For example, students could review case studies or current events in which governments or organizations experienced data leaks or data loss as a result of these types of attacks. Students could provide an analysis of actual security measures taken comparing to other security measure which may have led to different outcomes. Alternatively, students might discuss computer security policies in place at the local level that present a tradeoff between usability and security, such as a web filter that prevents access to many educational sites but keeps the campus network safe.

Standard:
Illustrate ways computing systems implement logic through hardware components.

Descriptive Statement:
Computing systems use processors (e.g., a central processing unit or CPU) to execute program instructions. Processors are composed of components that implement the logical or computational operations required by the instructions. AND, OR, and NOT are examples of logic gates. Adders are examples of higher-leveled circuits built using low-level logic gates. Students illustrate how modern computing devices are made up of smaller and simpler components which implement the logic underlying the functionality of a computer processor. At this level, knowledge of how logic gates are constructed is not expected. For example, students could construct truth tables, draw logic circuit diagrams, or use an online logic circuit simulator. Students could explore the interaction of the CPU, RAM, and I/O by labeling a diagram of the von Neumann architecture. Alternatively, students could design higher-level circuits using low-level logic gates (e.g., adders).

Standard:
Categorize and describe the different functions of operating system software.

Descriptive Statement:
Operating systems (OS) software is the code that manages the computer’s basic functions. Students describe at a high level the different functions of different components of operating system software. Examples of functions could include memory management, data storage/retrieval, processes management, and access control. For example, students could use monitoring tools including within an OS to inspect the services and functions running on a system and create an artifact to describe the activity that they observed (e.g., when a browser is running with many tabs open, memory usage is increased). They could also inspect and describe changes in the activity monitor that occur as different applications are executing (e.g., processor utilization increases when a new application is launched).

Standard:
Evaluate how computational innovations that have revolutionized aspects of our culture might evolve.

Descriptive Statement:
It is important to be able to evaluate current technologies and innovations and their potential for future impact on society. Students describe how a given computational innovation might change in the future and impacts these evolutions could have on society, economy, or culture. For example, students could consider ways in which computers may support education (or healthcare) in the future, or how developments in virtual reality might impact arts and entertainment. Alternatively, students could consider how autonomous vehicles will affect individuals' car ownership and car use habits as well as industries that employ human drivers (e.g., trucking, taxi service).

Standard:
Debate laws and regulations that impact the development and use of software.

Descriptive Statement:
Laws and regulations influence what software gets developed and how society benefits or does not. For example, students could debate the pros and cons of changes to regulations around net neutrality: Many believe that mandating that Internet service providers (ISPs) maintain net neutrality facilitates competition between Internet-based content providers and supports consumer choice, but others believe such regulations represent government overreach. Alternatively, students could debate the impacts of different copyright rules in various countries and impacts on economy, society, and culture: Long-lasting copyrights in the United States enable creators to profit from their works but also prevent works from entering the public domain where they can be freely used and adapted to create new works.

Standard:
Explain how the characteristics of the Internet influence the systems developed on it.

Descriptive Statement:
The design of the Internet includes hierarchy and redundancy to help it scale reliably. An end-to-end architecture means that key functions are placed at endpoints in the network (i.e., an Internet user's computer and the server hosting a website) rather than in the middle of the network. Open standards for transmitting information across the Internet help fuel its growth. This design philosophy impacts systems and technologies that integrate with the Internet. Students explain how Internet-based systems depend on these characteristics. For example, students could explain how having common, standard protocols enable products and services from different developers to communicate. Alternatively, students could describe how the end-to-end architecture and redundancy in routing enables Internet users to access information and services even if part of the network is down; the information can still be routed from one end to another through a different path.