Organization: University of New Mexico
Funding Agency: National Science Foundation
Program: ITEST
HRI Role: Evaluation
Project Description
Developing and Testing Bilingual Curricula that Infuse Authentic Computer Programming Experiences into Middle School Mathematics for Latinx Youth, known among the project team as ESTRELLA, is a project designed to broaden participation in computer programming and mathematics career pathways. ESTRELLA is iteratively developing and testing a bilingual computer programming curriculum in middle school mathematics classes attended primarily by multilingual Latinx students. The Spanish and English curriculum for ESTRELLA is adapted and expanded from a curriculum developed for out-of-school experiences in a previous project with the same leadership team. The ESTRELLA curriculum is aligned with computer science and mathematics standards and guides educators and students through authentic programming tasks.
The design of the project involves an iterative cycle of middle school mathematics teachers participating in project-led professional learning (PL), implementing the project’s curriculum materials, and then revising the materials in partnership with the project team over the course of six semesters. Within this cycle, undergraduate students studying computer science or a related field will assist the teachers, and middle school students from each participating class will serve as co-facilitators of the curriculum with their peers. The bilingual curriculum, which uses low-cost and widely accessible programming platforms, will be freely available through a project website.
Evaluation Services
HRI’s evaluation activities include reviewing and providing feedback on the ESTRELLA project’s design of professional development, materials, and support for teachers; and research designs, instruments, and plans for analysis. HRI will also review and documents the contributions to the field of the project’s development and research products.
