Mississippi Seeks More Computer Science Teaching In Schools

JACKSON, Miss. (AP) – The state Department of Education and Mississippi State University are working together to add computer science education to elementary and high school across the state.

Dozens of schools have signed up to teach new courses, including an entry-level high school class that could serve as a gateway to more advanced classes.

The department also will train teachers to talk about computer science in grades K-5, aiming for those teachers to give roughly an hour of instruction per week.

The department will spend $200,000 this summer to train teachers, and plans to introduce middle school content and more high school courses in coming years.

Although most high schools teach a computing course, advanced instruction is rare.

Only five Mississippi students took the Advanced Placement exam in computer science in 2015.