Early Grades Coding Curriculum Pilot Study Launches Online

By Dr. Patricia Moore Shaffer

This month, SEG launches a pilot study with its partner DevTech Research Group at Tufts University in elementary schools in Arkansas and Minnesota. DevTech is leading development and implementation of Coding as Another Language, a comprehensive, high-quality integrated Computer Science curriculum for students K-2. The curriculum is based on the popular ScratchJr app, the first programming language explicitly designed for children 5-7 that utilizes block programming to allow children to create their own imaginative stories and games. SEG is monitoring fidelity of implementation and assessing students for improvements in computational thinking and coding skills, math, and language development. The full-scale study will be launched in 2022 as a randomized controlled trial study in Norfolk Public Schools and is designed to meet What Works Clearinghouse standards for educational research.

Black Lives Matter

We stand with our Black colleagues and friends against racism. The recent deaths of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery, and countless more victims are a consequence of the historic structural and systemic racism that is a foundational building block of the United States. Racism has been allowed to grow and flourish in this country dating back to Jamestown in 1619, when the first enslaved women and men were brought shackled to these shores. The COVID-19 pandemic continues to highlight the effects of systemic racism on the health and well-being of Black and Brown communities. Shaffer Evaluation Group follows the American Evaluation Association's guiding principles, which address systematic inquiry, competence, integrity, respect for people, and common good and equity. These principles include honoring the dignity, well-being, and self-worth of individuals and acknowledging the influence of culture within and across groups; and striving to contribute to the common good and advancement of an equitable and just society. Following these principles, we pledge to hold ourselves accountable for revealing systems and structures of bias and work toward a future where Black Lives Matter and our society truly celebrates, respects, and protects Black people, Indigenous people, and all people of color.

Welcome to our summer intern -- Arianna White-Levatich

We're pleased to welcome Arianna White-Levatich as our Program Evaluation Intern during the summer of 2020. Arianna will be working on several projects this summer, including analytical and reporting support for DoDEA project evaluations, a career and technical education regional study, and evaluation planning for an upcoming randomized control trial examining the impact of an integrated computer science curriculum on 2nd graders.

Arianna is a current Ph.D. student at Old Dominion University in the Educational Psychology and Program Evaluation program. Arianna also holds a Master of Science in Industrial/Organizational Psychology from Old Dominion and a Bachelor of Science from William Smith College. While pursuing her doctoral degree, Arianna has been fortunate to work on two large-scale federal grants (through the Institute of Educational Services and the National Institutes of Health) and one private grant via the Spencer Foundation, all of which focused on supporting students’ motivation and learning experiences. She has presented work at international conferences and has published in peer-reviewed journals. To learn more about Arianna, please visit our Team page.