2026 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

This Work-In-Progress, Evidence-Based Practice paper addresses a statewide mandate requiring all K-12 students to receive one hour per week of computer science (CS) instruction, where teacher preparation requirements vary across grade levels. At the secondary level, only one endorsed teacher per middle or high school is required to teach CS, limiting scalability and access. At the elementary level, while one teacher per grade must be prepared to provide CS instruction, teachers are not required to hold a CS endorsement, leaving most classroom educators with limited formal preparation. These structural gaps in teacher training create inequalities in how students experience CS, particularly in the early grades, where integration into existing English Language Arts (ELA) instruction is most feasible.
The Write to Learn to Program (WTLTP) Academy addresses this challenge through an online, asynchronous professional development (PD) academy, equivalent to a two-day workshop, that provides foundational training in CS education for K-6 educators. The course equips classroom teachers, specialists, and librarians with strategies to embed CS concepts into ELA through a writing-focused approach. Building on prior WTLTP research with undergraduate engineering students, the Academy adapts writing-to-learn practices, such as journaling, writing problem-solving steps, and reflecting on logic, for elementary classrooms. This adaptation makes CS instruction more feasible for teachers while supporting the development of young learners’ metacognitive skills, which may benefit their long-term academic growth. Because elementary educators are not required to hold a CS endorsement, the Academy equips all educators with immediate, practical strategies, that are certification-free.
The Academy includes discussion, classroom materials (e.g., journal templates, lesson plans), and participation in a Community of Practice to sustain collaboration. To assess effectiveness, teachers will complete an end-of-course survey in the final module, and some will also participate in interviews. These responses will be quantitatively analyzed to capture teacher perspectives on the feasibility, clarity, and value of the WTLTP approach. Participants will also implement the innovations in their classrooms, and the research team will observe these implementations, collecting examples and teacher-created materials. These observations will provide evidence on implementation processes and success in authentic settings, contributing to both PD refinement and the broader WTLTP research project.
Preliminary findings are expected to show teachers find the WTLTP approach practical and low stress, increasing their confidence to teach CS. This sense of feasibility should reduce reliance on a single dedicated educator per grade level while encouraging wider teacher ownership of CS instruction. The accessible nature of WTLTP may also spark greater teacher interest in CS, particularly programming, motivating some to pursue endorsements and thereby expanding long-term student access to CS opportunities. This paper contributes (1) the design rationale and course architecture for a writing-centered K-6 CS PD, (2) templates for programming-focused writing as formative assessment, and (3) an evaluation plan that incorporates teacher feedback, classroom implementation, and research data. The long-term goal is to ensure every elementary educator, not just one per grade level, is equipped to integrate CS into literacy instruction, creating equitable and sustainable access to CS education in the early grades.