With cybersecurity becoming one of the world’s fastest growing STEM fields, Newport News Public Schools has been awarded a grant by DODEA to create a pathway for military-connected students into cybersecurity. Shaffer Evaluation Group will provide evaluation support across the term of the grant period.
Focusing on pre-K through 8th grade the school district will integrate computational thinking, problem solving, and digital literacy into curriculum, provide additional in-class technology and robots, and extracurricular opportunities for more in-depth cybersecurity curriculum. This project includes a preschool, 4 elementary schools, and 2 middle schools. Professional learning will increase teachers’ confidence integrating STEM curriculum and will reinforce math instruction and curriculum to promote computational thinking and problem solving skills required in cyber literacy. A successful program will show student growth in the Computation and Estimation strands of the Virginia Math Standards of Learning, and growth in the Expressions and Operations strands of the Virginia Algebra I Standards of Learning assessment.