Results

Student Results & Testimonials

One goal of the ECS curriculum is to “increase high-quality, college preparatory computer science classes, especially in high schools with high numbers of African-American and Latino students.”

So far, the ECS curriculum has been successful in reaching its population, with over 4,000 students served and over 75% identifying as Latino or African-American.

In the following video former ECS student Y’shua Ortiz talks about the impact ECS has had on him personally.

Exploring Computer Science Course Enrollment 2011-­2012:
Los Angeles Unified School District

Ethnicity Female Male Total
Latino/a 734 915 1,649
African American 92 108 200
Asian 46 81 127
White 25 57 82
Filipino 21 47 68
Native American
 4 5 9
Pacific Islander 1 0 1
Total 923 1,213 2,136

 

Exploring Computer Science Course Enrollment in LAUSD: 2008-­2012

Year 2008-2009 2009-2010 2010-2011 2011-2012
Total Course Enrollment for ECS 306 921 1,377 2,136
Increase from Previous Year N/A +615 +456 +759

 

Comparing California and National APCS and LAUSD ECS Participation Rates (2011-12)

Groups AP Computer Science Test Takers (California) AP Computer Science Test Takers (National) Exploring Computer Science Students (Los Angeles)
African American 45 out of 3,920
1% of the total		 1,266 out of 24,782
5% of the total		 200 out of 2,136
9% of the total
Latino 314 out of 3,920
8% of the total		 2,350 out of 24,782
9% of the total		 1,649 out of 2,136
77% of the total
Female 833 out of 3,920
21% of the total		 4,635 out of 24,782
19% of the total		 923 out of 2,136
43% of the total

 

The ECS team is currently collaborating with SRI to develop and pilot assessment measures for ECS student learning.

Student Testimonials

Students showed great interest in the topics covered in the curriculum; over 70% of students reported “liking” or “loving” various aspects of the curriculum, including robotics, programming, and website design.

Students learned how to perform various computer-related tasks. Students reported increases in knowledge in all topics assigned.

It showed me all the great reasons why computer science is a great subject and career to get into.

Students reported high self-confidence to complete computer-related tasks, including computer programming, website design, and robotics.

I could be an engineer in the future, and taking this class, has helped me a lot.

Students demonstrated greater persistence in solving computer science problems at the end of the curriculum.

[ECS] teaches me new way to solve problems.
Now I have an opportunity to enroll into a more advanced Exploring Computer Science class in college

Many students learned applications of computer science that apply to other fields and learned how important these skills are for their future.

I plan to pursue a career in either Pediatrics or Biomedical Engineering and the problem solving techniques as well as the programming tips are definitely useful for my future career plans.

Teacher Responses & Testimonials

Teachers implementing the ECS curriculum have a strong social network to support their teaching. Parts of this collaboration are workshop sessions aimed to help teachers share successful ideas and troubleshoot problems. Overall teachers almost unanimously thought these workshops were helpful and informative.

Teachers were also impressed with the positive impact on their students.

I am so grateful to be a part of the ECS program! My students were tremendously blessed to learn more about CS and I know that they feel more empowered!
I have seen many students discover that there are parts of computer science that they enjoy.
I Loved it – both me and my students.  I have had students say that they finally like computers.
I am privileged to be part of a group of educators who have a clear vision, wish to do well for public school students, follow through with their promises, and are making an impact throughout LAUSD.