Computer Science Teacher Resources and Praxis/GACE Prep

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Welcome!

This site was developed with content that has been modified and optimized over the past two decades. The questions, projects, tests, and content have been tested by thousands of high school students and used in actual classrooms and iterated over the years. The content can be used to supplement current courses or to learn the knowledge needed to be successful as a computer science teacher: from passing a certification exam to your first years in the classroom.

This course is self-paced and can be navigated to fit any schedule, but for those new to the field it is recommended to spend at least 5 hours a week for 8 weeks with the content. These 40 hours are a recommendation that our data suggests as an average. Not sure? Try it out for 24-hours and if you enjoy it, sign-up for a lifetime membership and gain access to over a dozen assessments and all future content. If you still have questions, drop us a line and we will get back to you ASAP. We hope you enjoy and happy computing!

The Need for This Course

Computer Science education is a rapidly growing field and there is a shortage of qualified teachers who are trained in the area. Computer science teaching programs are starting to be offered, but these do not come close to covering the need for more teachers who are certified in the content. There are two paths to becoming a computer science teacher: obtain a degree in computer science and then learn pedagogy needed to teach the content or find qualified teachers and teach them the content. The majority of computer science graduates do not choose to go into the K12 education field, so logically, to reach a larger number of potential CS teachers, it makes sense to train current non-CS teachers to teach CS. Although studies show that experts in a field are more effective teachers than quality teachers that do not know the material as well, the sheer numbers of computer science teachers needed now and moving forward is unobtainable finding subject experts.

There are two main areas that need to be addressed when training new computer science teachers, content and pedagogy. Most certification tests focus on content and even though pedagogy is just as important, the first step to certification is content. So, using a triage approach, the most critical information in getting the largest number of people prepared to teach CS is the content. Therefore, this site will focus on helping teachers learn a large amount about general computer science topics while also showing real example of projects and tests to help with pedagogy… at a fraction of the cost of comparable options.

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Target Audience

Those preparing to take a computer science teacher certification exam
Current computer science teachers looking for additional resources
Anyone interested in learning more about computer science
You!

Subscriber Content

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About the Certifications

Many states have different tests and pathways to be able to teach computer science ranging from no special certifications or having a certification in business to specific tests focusing on computer science. The general trend is moving towards CS specific tests with two examples being the Computer Science Praxis exam and the Georgia Assessments for the Certification of Educators (GACE) exam; both of these exams consist of 100 questions with a 3-hour time limit. This site will be looking at training teachers to help them pass one or both of these exams and give them some project and assessment idea for their first years teaching the subject.

Similar Offerings

Official 25-question practice test from ETS: $19
CompuScholar | Digital Savvy Course: $15/month or $120/year
WeTeach_CS | Foundations of CS for Teachers: Praxis Prep: $600

This course: $19.99 for life with updates, more questions, and new assessments added often.

About the Author

Kevin Hare teaches computer science and has more than 19-years experience teaching at the high school level and has offered such courses as AP Computer Science A, AP Computer Science Principles, Web Design, Mobile App Development, Video Design, and TV Broadcasting. He spent the bulk of his career at Gonzaga College High School in Washington, DC. In his free time, he co-founded the technology company BoxJump. He holds a bachelor’s degree in computer science, a master’s degree in secondary education, and a master’s degree in computer science from Georgia Tech where he was a research assistant in the Design and Intelligence Lab working with the Errol project. He lives in California with his wife and two children.

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