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Computer Science Standards




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Showing 1 - 10 of 17 Standards

Standard Identifier: K-2.CS.2

Grade Range: K–2
Concept: Computing Systems
Subconcept: Hardware & Software
Practice(s): Communicating About Computing (7.2)

Standard:
Explain the functions of common hardware and software components of computing systems.

Descriptive Statement:
A computing system is composed of hardware and software. Hardware includes the physical components of a computer system. Software provides instructions for the system. These instructions are represented in a form that a computer can understand and are designed for specific purposes. Students identify and describe the function of hardware, such as desktop computers, laptop computers, tablet devices, monitors, keyboards, mice, trackpads, microphones, and printers. Students also identify and describe common software applications such as web browsers, games, and word processors. For example, students could create drawings of a computing system and label its major components with appropriate terminology. Students could then explain the function of each component. (VAPA Visual Arts 2 5.0) (CA CCSS for ELA/Literacy SL.K.5, SL.K.6, SL.1.5, SL.1.6, SL.2.5, SL.2.6) Alternatively, students could each be assigned a component of a computing system and arrange their bodies to represent the system. Students could then describe how their assigned component functions within the system. (P.E.K.1, 1.1)

Standard Identifier: K-2.DA.7

Grade Range: K–2
Concept: Data & Analysis
Subconcept: Storage
Practice(s): Developing and Using Abstractions (4.2)

Standard:
Store, copy, search, retrieve, modify, and delete information using a computing device, and define the information stored as data.

Descriptive Statement:
Information from the real world can be stored and processed by a computing device. When stored on a computing device, it is referred to as data. Data can include images, text documents, audio files, and video files. Students store, copy, search, retrieve, modify, and delete information using a computing device and define the information stored as data. For example, students could produce a story using a computing device, storing it locally or remotely (e.g., in the cloud). They could then make a copy of the story for peer revision and editing. When the final copy of the story is complete, students delete any unnecessary files. They search for and retrieve data from a local or remote source, depending on where it was stored. (CA CCSS for ELA/Literacy W.K.6, W.K.5, W1.6, W.1.5, W.2.6, W.2.5) Alternatively, students could record their voices singing an age-appropriate song. They could store the data on a computing device, search for peers' audio files, retrieve their own files, and delete unnecesary takes. (VAPA Music K.2.2, 1.2.2, 2.2.2)

Standard Identifier: K-2.NI.4

Grade Range: K–2
Concept: Networks & the Internet
Subconcept: Network Communication & Organization
Practice(s): Developing and Using Abstractions (4.4)

Standard:
Model and describe how people connect to other people, places, information and ideas through a network.

Descriptive Statement:
Information is passed between multiple points (nodes) on a network. The Internet is a network that enables people to connect with other people worldwide through many different points of connection. Students model ways that people communicate, find information, or acquire ideas through a network. Students use a network, such as the internet, to access information from multiple locations or devices. For example, students could utilize a cloud-based platform to access shared documents or note-taking applications for group research projects, and then create a model (e.g., flowchart) to illustrate how this network aids collaboration. (CA CCSS for ELA/Literacy W.K.7, W.1.7, W.2.7) Alternatively, students could design devices that use light or sound to aid communication across distances (e.g., light source to send signals, paper cup and string “telephones,” and a pattern of drum beats) and then describe how networks build connections. (CA NGSS: 1-PS4-4)

Standard Identifier: 3-5.CS.2

Grade Range: 3–5
Concept: Computing Systems
Subconcept: Hardware & Software
Practice(s): Developing and Using Abstractions (4.4)

Standard:
Demonstrate how computer hardware and software work together as a system to accomplish tasks.

Descriptive Statement:
Hardware and software are both needed to accomplish tasks with a computing device. Students create a model to illustrate ways in which hardware and software work as a system. Students could draw a model on paper or in a drawing program, program an animation to demonstrate it, or demonstrate it by acting this out in some way. At this level, a model should only include the basic elements of a computer system, such as input, output, processor, sensors, and storage. For example, students could create a diagram or flow chart to indicate how a keyboard, desktop computer, monitor, and word processing software interact with each other. The keyboard (hardware) detects a key press, which the operating system and word processing application (software) displays as a new character that has been inserted into the document and is visible through the monitor (hardware). Students could also create a model by acting out the interactions of these different hardware and software components. Alternatively, when describing that animals and people receive different types of information through their senses, process the information in their brain, and respond to the information in different ways, students could compare this to the interaction of how the information traveling through a computer from mouse to processor are similar to signals sent through the nervous system telling our brain about the world around us to prompt responses. (CA NGSS: 4-LS1-2)

Standard Identifier: 3-5.DA.7

Grade Range: 3–5
Concept: Data & Analysis
Subconcept: Storage
Practice(s): Developing and Using Abstractions (4.2)

Standard:
Explain that the amount of space required to store data differs based on the type of data and/or level of detail.

Descriptive Statement:
All saved data requires space to store it, whether locally or not (e.g., on the cloud). Music, images, video, and text require different amounts of storage. Video will often require more storage and different format than music or images alone because video combines both. The level of detail represented by that data also affects storage requirements. For instance, two pictures of the same object can require different amounts of storage based upon their resolution, and a high-resolution photo could require more storage than a low-resolution video. Students select appropriate storage for their data. For example, students could create an image using a standard drawing app. They could save the image in different formats (e.g., .png, .jpg, .pdf) and compare file sizes. They should also notice that different file sizes can result in differences in quality or resolution (e.g., some pictures could be more pixelated while some could be sharper). Alternatively, in an unplugged activity, students could represent images by coloring in squares within a large grid. They could model how a larger grid requires more storage but also represents a clearer image (i.e., higher resolution).

Standard Identifier: 3-5.NI.4

Grade Range: 3–5
Concept: Networks & the Internet
Subconcept: Network Communication & Organization
Practice(s): Developing and Using Abstractions (4.4)

Standard:
Model how information is broken down into smaller pieces, transmitted as packets through multiple devices over networks and the Internet, and reassembled at the destination.

Descriptive Statement:
Information is sent and received over physical or wireless paths. It is broken down into smaller pieces called packets, which are sent independently and reassembled at the destination. Students demonstrate their understanding of this flow of information by, for instance, drawing a model of the way packets are transmitted, programming an animation to show how packets are transmitted, or demonstrating this through an unplugged activity in which they physically act this out. For example, students could design a structure using building blocks or other materials with the intention of re-engineering it in another location, just as early Americans did after the intercontinental railroad was constructed in the 1850s (HSS.4.4.1, 4.4.2). Students could deconstruct the designed structure, place materials into specific containers (or plastic bags/brown paper bags/etc.), and develop instructions on how to recreate the structure once each container arrives at its intended destination. (CA NGSS: 3-5-ETS1) For example, students could cut up a map of the United States by state lines. Students could then place the states in envelopes and transmit the "packets" through a physical network, represented by multiple students spreading out in arms reach of at least two others. At the destination, the student who receives the packets resassembles the individual states back into a map of the United States. (HSS 5.9) Alternatively, students could perform a similar activity with a diatonic scale, cutting the scale into individual notes. Each note, in order, should be placed into a numbered envelope based on its location on the scale. These envelopes can be transmitted across the network of students and reassembled at the destination. (VAPA Music 4.1.2)

Standard Identifier: 6-8.CS.2

Grade Range: 6–8
Concept: Computing Systems
Subconcept: Hardware & Software
Practice(s): Creating Computational Artifacts (5.1)

Standard:
Design a project that combines hardware and software components to collect and exchange data.

Descriptive Statement:
Collecting and exchanging data involves input, output, storage, and processing. When possible, students select the components for their project designs by considering tradeoffs between factors such as functionality, cost, size, speed, accessibility, and aesthetics. Students do not need to implement their project design in order to meet this standard. For example, students could design a mobile tour app that displays information relevant to specific locations when the device is nearby or when the user selects a virtual stop on the tour. They select appropriate components, such as GPS or cellular-based geolocation tools, textual input, and speech recognition, to use in their project design. Alternatively, students could design a project that uses a sensor to collect the salinity, moisture, and temperature of soil. They may select a sensor that connects wirelessly through a Bluetooth connection because it supports greater mobility, or they could instead select a physical USB connection that does not require a separate power source. (CA NGSS: MS-ETS1-1, MS-ETS1-2)

Standard Identifier: 6-8.DA.7

Grade Range: 6–8
Concept: Data & Analysis
Subconcept: Storage
Practice(s): Developing and Using Abstractions (4.4)

Standard:
Represent data in multiple ways.

Descriptive Statement:
Computers store data as sequences of 0s and 1s (bits). Software translates to and from this low-level representation to higher levels that are understandable by people. Furthermore, higher level data can be represented in multiple ways, such as the digital display of a color and its corresponding numeric RGB value, or a bar graph, a pie chart, and table representation of the same data in a spreadsheet. For example, students could use a color picker to explore the correspondence between the digital display or name of a color (high-level representations) and its RGB value or hex code (low-level representation). Alternatively, students could translate a word (high-level representation) into Morse code or its corresponding sequence of ASCII codes (low-level representation).

Standard Identifier: 6-8.NI.4

Grade Range: 6–8
Concept: Networks & the Internet
Subconcept: Network Communication & Organization
Practice(s): Developing and Using Abstractions (4.4)

Standard:
Model the role of protocols in transmitting data across networks and the Internet.

Descriptive Statement:
Protocols are rules that define how messages between computers are sent. They determine how quickly and securely information is transmitted across networks, as well as how to handle errors in transmission. Students model how data is sent using protocols to choose the fastest path and to deal with missing information. Knowledge of the details of how specific protocols work is not expected. The priority at this grade level is understanding the purpose of protocols and how they enable efficient and errorless communication. For example, students could devise a plan for sending data representing a textual message and devise a plan for resending lost information. Alternatively, students could devise a plan for sending data to represent a picture, and devise a plan for interpreting the image when pieces of the data are missing. Additionally, students could model the speed of sending messages by Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, or cellular networks and describe ways errors in data transmission can be detected and dealt with.

Standard Identifier: 9-12.CS.2

Grade Range: 9–12
Concept: Computing Systems
Subconcept: Hardware & Software
Practice(s): Developing and Using Abstractions (4.1)

Standard:
Compare levels of abstraction and interactions between application software, system software, and hardware.

Descriptive Statement:
At its most basic level, a computer is composed of physical hardware on which software runs. Multiple layers of software are built upon various layers of hardware. Layers manage interactions and complexity in the computing system. System software manages a computing device's resources so that software can interact with hardware. Application software communicates with the user and the system software to accomplish its purpose. Students compare and describe how application software, system software, and hardware interact. For example, students could compare how various levels of hardware and software interact when a picture is to be taken on a smartphone. Systems software provides low-level commands to operate the camera hardware, but the application software interacts with system software at a higher level by requesting a common image file format (e.g., .png) that the system software provides.

Showing 1 - 10 of 17 Standards


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