Our Mission
CSforMA is the Massachusetts Computer Science Education Hub for passionate stakeholders dedicated to ensuring that all K-12 students have access to, are able to take and be successful in high-quality computer science coursework. Our priority is to broaden the participation of females, students of color, rural students, and other underserved populations.
Our work consists of:
- Consulting with K-12 School Districts in the Implementation of Digital Literacy and Computer Science (DLCS)
- Developing coursework, academic pathways and work-based learning opportunities to allow students to achieve the DLCS standards and gain valuable college and career success
- Providing professional development experiences for educators to help them gain DLCS Licensure and remain current in the field
- Connecting stakeholders through a web presence, annual CSforMA Action Summits and CSforMA Celebrations of Achievement.
Our History
CSforMA has its roots in the non-profit BATEC: Broadening Advanced Technological Education Connections, which began in 2003. CSforMA gained non-profit status in 2020, to focus on K-12 computer science education in Massachusetts.
BATEC was a regional endeavor, operating in the Boston area. Its initial goal was to organize a collaborative community of educators, and a small team grew to include the University of Massachusetts Boston, eight independently managed community colleges and the Boston Public School system. In 2011 BATEC’s scope expanded to include the metro regions of San Francisco; Springfield, OH; and Chicago, working with those urban areas to build computing pathways from high school to college. In 2018, the organization realigned our focus to the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, bringing our learnings back in order to build a CSforMA initiative to support the state’s implementation of Digital Literacy and Computer Science standards and teacher licensure.