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Back to Research Evaluating and Selecting CS Curricula: How to Make Informed, Equitable Decisions Cynthia L. Blitz, David J. Amiel, & Vivian Allen Computer science educators face an overwhelming abundance of curricular resources, leading to decision paralysis or arbitrary choices that may not effectively serve students. This presentation addresses the challenge of resource overload by providing practical guidance for evaluating curricula based on their alignment with teaching goals, ability to foster student engagement, suitability for target audiences, and compatibility with the broader school ecosystem. The framework focuses on a systematic evaluation process that examines content relevance factors such as difficulty and standards alignment, contextual relevance including instructional methods and activities, and feasibility considerations like device compatibility, lesson duration, and preparation time requirements. The presentation introduces the Middle School CS Curriculum Crosswalk, a free online tool that provides detailed comparative information on eight middle school computer science curricular options. By approaching curriculum selection with a holistic view of the school's CS ecosystem, educators can better meet student needs and administrative requirements while increasing access to high-quality computer science instruction. The session emphasizes that curriculum selection should be viewed as an ongoing process, encouraging educators to be selective, adapt resources to their specific contexts, and focus on making informed, evidence-based decisions that support equitable computer science education. July 2025 Computer Science Teachers Association (CSTA) Annual Conference Cleveland, Ohio, USA This presentation provides educators with a systematic framework for evaluating computer science curricula, addressing resource overload through practical guidance on content relevance, feasibility, and contextual fit. Citation Blitz, C. L., Amiel, D. J., & Allen, V. (2025, July 8). Evaluating and Selecting CS Curricula: How to Make Informed, Equitable Decisions [Conference presentation]. Computer Science Teachers Association (CSTA) 2025 Annual Conference, Cleveland, Ohio, USA. View Online Download PDF Facebook X (Twitter) WhatsApp LinkedIn Pinterest Copy link

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Back to News Rutgers CESP Showcases Innovative CS Education Tools at CSTA 2025 Conference Team presents Scratch Arcade project and curriculum selection strategies Rutgers CESP and a participant from the Rutgers EIR project shared two key resources at the premier CS education conference: an engaging Scratch programming project that has students create arcade-style games, and a tool that helps educators evaluate and select middle school computer science curricula. By Anna Lasek, Communications Assistant at Rutgers CESP Last week, CESP's David Amiel and two teachers from Roselle Park participating in the Extending the CS Pipeline project attended the 2025 Computer Science Teachers Association (CSTA) Annual Conference. This premier gathering brings together educators, researchers, and advocates to share innovative ideas for advancing computer science education. Rutgers CESP has been actively contributing to CS education for many years through projects like the NSF-funded CS-TLC RPP initiative and the ongoing USDOE EIR project. At this year's CSTA conference, CESP presented two sessions that highlighted their latest work: a poster presentation on the Scratch Arcade project and a session on curriculum selection strategies featuring the CS Curriculum Crosswalk tool. Cristen Sedelmaier, Kristen Hickman, and David Amiel take a selfie at the CSTA 2025 Annual Conference! 🎮 The Scratch Arcade: Engaging Middle School Students Through Game Design The Scratch Arcade—a collaborative project developed in partnership with teacher Kristen Hickman (and 2023 County Teacher of the Year) from the Roselle Park School District, is designed to introduce students to Scratch Programming through an interactive, multi-stage design project. In a few weeks, students develop essential programming skills, implement them in Scratch, develop their own arcade-style game, give and use constructive peer feedback, and host a class arcade day! Structured over 12 class sessions, the project emphasizes: Core CS concepts like loops, conditionals, variables, and debugging Engagement through peer feedback, collaborative programming, and a culminating game fair Cross-curricular connections to art, math, and ELA Flexible scaffolds to support different learning types CESP's poster to share The Scratch Arcade, entitled "The Scratch Arcade: Deeper Learning & Authentic Engagement through Sustained Design & Collaboration" Through this project, students learn not only the process of coding, but also explore "real-life" programming (sustained attention on the same project, peer feedback, etc.). The project opens the doors to many great class discussions, such as the impacts of gaming on society and our well-being, ethics and ownership of technology, and game design! The Scratch Arcade can be adapted broadly across grade levels and include many ways to scaffold and differentiate materials and requirements for a variety of learners. 👉 Explore the free Scratch Arcade lesson materials here: go.rutgers.edu/scratcharcade Curriculum Considerations: Making Informed, Equitable Decisions In CESP's presentation at CSTA, David Amiel aimed to help educators explore computer science curricular resources and methods. Our presentation offered a three-phase process for the use of curricular resources: locating, evaluating, and adapting. Although this process is obvious, breaking down this commonplace task systematically gives us a framework to discuss and optimize each of the pieces (hey, we're using our computational thinking!). This encourages educators to make equitable and purposeful decisions about the topics they teach, and the ways they approach it. This presentation focused on the evaluating phase and invited educators to consider resources' content, context, and logistics. View from the hotel and convention center at CSTA 2025 in Cleveland The presentation also discussed the Middle School CS Curriculum Crosswalk, a free online tool that compares eight popular middle school CS programs across content, context, and various dimensions of execution. Whether you’re looking to replace an entire course, add a project, or supplement a lesson, this resource helps you choose the right fit for your students and setting. In addition to compiling logistic information about curricula in one place, the Crosswalk also includes contextual and informed guidance, such as spotlights, expert takes, and implementation considerations. When considering a lesson: Start with a specific instructional need. Approach topics and lessons with purpose so that students walk away with concrete knowledge and understanding of various topics. Use relevance and feasibility factors (e.g., standards, materials needed, lesson duration) to guide your review Adapt—don’t adopt—resources; make them your own and do your best to reach multiple learning types. 👉 Access the CS Crosswalk here: go.rutgers.edu/CSCrosswalk Many ribbons to choose from at CSTA! Which are you grabbing? From tools that empower curricular choices to projects that center student creativity, connecting with other educators, learning from their expertise, and sharing our own at CSTA 2025 reaffirmed CESP’s commitment to engaging computer science education. We’re grateful for the conversations, connections, and shared vision of what CS education can be, and a special shout-out to our co-presenter Kristen Hickman from Roselle Park! Facebook X (Twitter) WhatsApp LinkedIn Pinterest Copy link

Back to Research Information Overload: Navigating Computer Science Resources without Reinventing the Wheel Cynthia L. Blitz Rutgers Center for Effective School Practices research professor Cynthia L. Blitz presented 'Information Overload: Navigating Existing CS Resources Without Reinventing the Wheel' at the Conference for Research on Equitable and Sustained Participation in Engineering, Computing, and Technology (RESPECT) in 2019. Grounded in the work of the center's National Science Foundation-funded Computer Science Teaching and Learning Collaboratory (CS-TLC), the presentation reviewed how to overcome the well-documented challenges of information overload within the realm of navigating the plethora of existing computer science education resources and opportunities. Presentation topics included: How users use technology is a factor in determining its usefulness. Engaging users themselves in a systematic process co-designing the knowledge management and collaboration systems they will ultimately use. The iterative five-step process of co-designing, which includes vision articulation at the onset. February 2019 2019 Research on Equity and Sustained Participation in Engineering, Computing, and Technology (RESPECT) Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA DOI: 10.1109/RESPECT46404.2019.8985683 Strategies for efficiently accessing relevant computer science education resources are presented with guidance for engaging users to design knowledge management and collaboration platforms. Citation Blitz, C. L. (2019, February 27). Information Overload: Navigating Existing CS Resources Without Reinventing the Wheel [Poster presentation]. 2019 Research on Equity and Sustained Participation in Engineering, Computing, and Technology (RESPECT), Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA. https://doi.org/10.1109/RESPECT46404.2019.8985683 View Online Download PDF Facebook X (Twitter) WhatsApp LinkedIn Pinterest Copy link

Back to News Celebrating Progress: Annual Reflections on the EDGE Program Year-two evaluation highlights growth, engagement, and student outcomes An external evaluation of the EDGE program shows continued progress in supporting blind and visually impaired students as they prepare for college, careers, and independent living. Year-two findings highlight strong self-efficacy, record-breaking participation, high event satisfaction, and increased employment-related activity. The Rutgers Center for Effective School Practices (CESP) is proud to share highlights from the external program evaluation of EDGE. The Employment, Development, Guidance, and Engagement (EDGE) Program Evaluation is a partnership between The Arc, Ocean County Chapter, and the New Jersey Commission for the Blind and Visually Impaired (CBVI). The EDGE initiative aims to empower 120 blind and visually impaired students by facilitating their transition into independent living and career development. The EDGE program is structured in two: EDGE 1.0, which is geared towards high school students and includes a series of Saturday workshops focusing on interpersonal development, college preparation, financial literacy, and more; and EDGE 2.0, designed for college students, offering online classes and dedicated college advisors to help students assimilate into college life in a career-focused manner. We are proud to share some major highlights from year 2 of the evaluation. From Self-efficacy to record breaking attendance, EDGE’s growth and commitment to its students and their development. Improved Self-Efficacy : At the end of year 2, 100% of EDGE students agreed they can achieve outcomes important to them. Self-efficacy—a student’s belief in their ability to succeed—started and remained high throughout the year. Tackling Academic & Social Challenges : Students reported significant growth in knowing what to do and who to go to when academic or social issues arise in college. These gains highlight the effectiveness of EDGE’s preparation for real-world college experiences. Record-Breaking Attendance : EDGE saw its highest participation yet: average quarterly attendance jumped from 11 to 17 students, with workshop turnout now consistently reaching or exceeding 30 participants per session. Consistently High Event Satisfaction : Students love EDGE events, and the data shows it. Workshops averaged 4.4 out of 5 in satisfaction and showed an average +0.7 point increase in self-reported skills. Tech Talks went even higher, with greater perceived skill gains and equally strong ratings. Increased Employment Activity : The EDGE program continues to demonstrate meaningful, measurable progress in helping students prepare for college, careers, and independent living. With a thriving community and data-driven approach, EDGE is building a foundation for lasting success—and CESP is proud to continue supporting its growth into the future. Whether it be thinking about differentiating activities, incorporating review games, sharing the latest assistive technologies, or brainstorming ways to provide students with “learning that lasts,” working with the EDGE program has been a pleasure. CESP is looking forward to seeing its growth over the next year! Facebook X (Twitter) WhatsApp LinkedIn Pinterest Copy link

Back to Research New Online Course for New and Young Workers on Occupational Safety, Health, Wage and Hour Laws, and Soft Skills Lauren Gonzalez, Maryanne Fakeh, Cynthia L. Blitz, & Derek Shendell New Jersey Safe Schools Program (NJSS) is dedicated to assisting secondary schools in reducing occupational safety and health hazards (S&H) in classrooms and at work-sites. In 2018, NJSS modified an existing training for teachers on federal wage and labor laws to develop a new training course for student and young worker populations. The need for this student-oriented course on the introduction of occupational wage, labor and S&H was expressed by teachers (previously and currently enrolled) in our Structure Learning Experience certification training. The course was beta-tested and piloted summer 2018 and launched September 2018. The goal was to expand knowledge and awareness of specific S&H issues and to provide relevant resources and information on securing work opportunities. Course topics include wage and labor laws, workplace hazards, soft skills, and handling harassment and discrimination in the work place. The course enhances preparation of students and their ability to self-advocate upon entering community workplaces by broadening professional knowledge of S&H hazards and six soft skills. Data analysis was conducted on post-module assessments to gauge understanding of material, and effectiveness of the implementation of module summaries prior to the assessment to determine impacts on information retention and comprehension. Analysis of post-training evaluation data on student and teacher perceptions of the course, and occupational S&H information presented, were also conducted. Course perceptions highlighted effective use of videos, easy to follow material, accessibility to students with special health care needs, and user-friendly modular format. More details on course content and results to date will be presented. November 2019 Annual Meeting of American Public Health Association Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA This poster discussed a new online course for young workers covering occupational safety, health, wage laws, and soft skills, developed by the New Jersey Safe Schools Program. Citation Gonzalez, L., Fakeh, M., Blitz, C. L., & Shendell, D. (2019, November 3). New Online Course for New and Young Workers on Occupational Safety, Health, Wage and Hour Laws, and Soft Skills [Poster presentation]. 2019 American Public Health Association Annual Meeting and Expo, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA. https://apha.confex.com/apha/2019/meetingapp.cgi/Paper/429285 View Online Download PDF Facebook X (Twitter) WhatsApp LinkedIn Pinterest Copy link

Back to News A New Way to Look at Online Math Platforms: Our Reference Sheets! Taking the Guesswork out of Choosing the Right Platform for your Classroom The new "Math Platforms at a Glance" Reference Sheets give teachers a clear look at major digital math platforms like Khan Academy, IXL, and DreamBox. This free resource offers practical comparisons, classroom insights, and tips to find the best fit for every teaching style and purpose. By Anna Lasek, Communications Assistant at Rutgers CESP There are numerous math platforms and educational tools available to help students succeed both in and out of the classroom. You may have heard of ALEKS, Beast Academy, DreamBox, IXL, and Khan Academy - each providing various features, levels of adaptivity, and ways of tracking student progress. But which resource works best for you and your teaching goals? Rutgers CESP has created free, concise reference sheets for educators that allow teachers to learn more about each major platform, see how they’re structured, and receive tips for using them in practice. Our math resources are designed to give teachers essential information about each platform. Each resource includes: Quick Comparisons : At-a-glance information showing grade levels, standards alignment, and access options (desktop, mobile, app). Classroom Applications: How each tool can be used as a full curriculum, for homework, extra practice, and more! Student Experience : What the platform looks and feels like for students, such as game-like adventures, clean workbooks, or somewhere in between. Teacher Insights: Real considerations such as how long diagnostics take, whether dashboards are easy to use, what keeps students motivated, or what features might end up being a distraction. How We Built This Resource Utilizing a two-step process, we explored each platform while considering the perspectives of students and teachers. Experienced math educators reviewed each platform while considering how to use them in class, how they fit into lessons or achieve particular learning goals, and how they ultimately serve students. This feedback helped to highlight the “need-to-know” details and flag potential challenges. Using structured graphic organizers, we logged details such as scope and sequence, pricing, assessments, and available teacher supports. By combining systematic research with real educator input, we created resources that are practical, honest, and of course, free! Why It Matters No digital math tool is perfect, and none of them are one-size-fits-all. These reference sheets are here to help you figure out which platform is best for your students, your teaching style, and your needs. Ready to dive in? Explore the reference sheets in the CESP Resource Library here to see which tools might be the best fit for your classroom. Facebook X (Twitter) WhatsApp LinkedIn Pinterest Copy link

Back to Research Virtual Leadership Summit Design and Impact: Advancing K-12 Computer Science Education Cynthia L. Blitz & David J. Amiel Presented at the 17th Annual International Conference of Education, Research, and Innovation by Rutgers Center for Effective School Practices researchers Cynthia L. Blitz and David Amiel, this paper provides an in-depth analysis of the center's virtual Computer Science District Leadership Summit. The analysis focuses on the summit's design, implementation, and efficacy. The central objective of the summit was to engage school and district leaders in the advancement of K-12 computer science education (CSE), with a specific emphasis on promoting inclusive CSE practices and developing strategies to navigate educational disruptions through targeted leadership engagement and collaborative learning best practices. To optimize virtual participation, the summit leveraged Zoom for interactive sessions and strategically organized breakout rooms tailored to district size and CSE development stage. It featured keynote presentations, exemplar district case studies, and structured networking opportunities. The summit's overarching goals were to: furnish leaders with current information on CSE policies; facilitate engagement and reflection on CSE efforts during a period of disruption; share actionable resources; and leverage learning standards. Structured networking sessions were designed to catalyze collaboration among leaders from diverse educational settings, fostering organic discussions to enhance shared learning and community building. Post-event assessments, derived from participant surveys and follow-up interviews, underscored the value of peer-to-peer learning and model practices shared by districts. Drawing from these insights, this conference paper explores implications for future CSE leadership summits and similar supports, accentuating participant agency, hybrid event models, collaborative learning, and practical implementation strategies as pivotal components for driving enduring educational change. By leveraging collaborative learning and associated platforms, such endeavors can effectively support educational leaders amidst shifting educational priorities, ensuring a more inclusive and resilient approach to CSE and its ongoing enhancement. November 2024 17th Annual International Conference of Education, Research and Innovation (ICERI) Seville, Spain DOI: 10.21125/iceri.2024.0794 This in-depth analysis reviews a virtual summit to engage school and district leaders for advancing K-12 computer science education, with emphasis on promoting inclusive practices and strategies to navigate educational disruptions. Citation Blitz, C. L., & Amiel, D. J. (2024). Virtual Leadership Summit Design and Impact: Advancing K-12 Computer Science Education. Proceedings of the 17th Annual International Conference of Education, Research and Innovation , 3052–3056. https://doi.org/10.21125/iceri.2024.0794 View Online Download PDF Facebook X (Twitter) WhatsApp LinkedIn Pinterest Copy link

Back to Research Availability of Behavioral Health Treatment for Women in Prison Cynthia L. Blitz, Nancy Wolff & Kris Paap This study examined whether women with behavioral health needs receive better treatment access in prison compared to community settings. Researchers surveyed 908 female inmates at New Jersey's only state correctional facility for women in August 2004, comparing their treatment experiences before and during incarceration. Over half (56%) of the women reported needing behavioral health treatment before incarceration, but only 62% of this group actually received such treatment in the community. The findings reveal significant differences in treatment access rates between community and prison settings. In the community, treatment rates varied by type: 58% of women needing mental health treatment received it, 52% needing substance abuse treatment received it, and only 44% needing both types of treatment received comprehensive care. In contrast, prison showed higher treatment rates across all categories: 78% for mental health treatment, 57% for substance abuse treatment, and 65% for combined treatment. Health insurance coverage was the strongest predictor of receiving treatment in the community, with insured women being 2-4 times more likely to receive needed care. The study suggests that while prison improves access to behavioral health treatment for women, this finding raises concerning questions about community-based care systems. The research indicates that some women might have avoided incarceration if adequate treatment had been available in the community, particularly for substance abuse problems. Since roughly half of incarcerated women were under the influence of drugs or alcohol when they committed their offenses, the limited access to substance abuse treatment in both settings represents a missed opportunity for intervention and crime prevention. March 2006 Psychiatric Services | Volume 57, Issue 3 DOI: 10.1176/appi.ps.57.3.356 This study compares behavioral health treatment access for incarcerated women in prison versus community settings, revealing significant disparities in care availability. Citation Blitz, C. L., Wolff, N., & Paap, K. (2006). Availability of Behavioral Health Treatment for Women in Prison. Psychiatric Services , 57 (3), 356–360. https://doi.org/10.1176/appi.ps.57.3.356 View Online Download PDF Facebook X (Twitter) WhatsApp LinkedIn Pinterest Copy link

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