The process of increasing student exposure to computational thinking in K-12 is complex, requiring systemic change, teacher engagement, and development of signifi cant resources. Collaboration with the computer science education community is vital to this effort.

The recent focus on computational thinking as a key 21st century skill for all students has led to a number of curriculum initiatives to embed it in K-12 classrooms. In this paper, we discuss the key computational thinking constructs, including algorithms, abstraction, and automation. We further discuss how these ideas are related to current educational reforms, such as Common Core and Next Generation Science Standards and provide specific means that would allow teachers to embed these ideas in their K-12 classrooms, including recommendations for instructional technologists and professional development experts for infusing computational thinking into other subjects. In conclusion, we suggest that computational thinking ideas outlined in this paper are key to moving students from merely being technology-literate to using computational tools to solve problems.

key insights ˽ Few teacher-education programs focus on training pre-service teachers to incorporate computational thinking into K-12 classrooms. ˽ Redesign of courses on educational technology and methods is critical to developing pre-service teacher competencies in computational thinking. ˽ Education and computer science faculty should work collaboratively, using their complementary expertise in computing and teacher development. 56

In this paper, we report on the research and recommendations of the CSTA (Computer Science Teachers Association) Teacher Certification Task Force, addressing the crisis in computer science teacher preparation and certification. This paper will address the importance of computer science as a scientific discipline, and provide a brief discussion of the relevant research and current existing certification models Primarily, however, this paper focuses on the Task Force's recommended models for teacher preparation and certification in computer science.

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