Assessing the Impact of Professional Development on K-12 CS Education: A One-Year Follow-Up Survey Analysis

The paper presents the findings from a one-year follow-up survey analyzing the impact of a targeted professional development (PD) program conducted by a state Computer Science (CS) hub on K-12 CS education. It scrutinizes the long-term effects of the PD initiative on educators' pedagogical strategies and students' readiness for college-level CS coursework. The study focuses on integrating the introductory course CS0, which shapes educational strategies and outcomes. Through the lens of three research questions, the analysis delves into the enhancements in educators' instructional approaches following PD, the ongoing influence of PD on the integration of interdisciplinary methods within CS curricula, and the correlation between PD and student engagement and achievement in CS disciplines. The survey of thirty educators reveals a sustained implementation of acquired pedagogical practices and a positive influence on student college readiness in CS. Moreover, the study underscores the pivotal role of PD in elevating educators' proficiency in delivering advanced CS concepts, ultimately benefiting student learning trajectories. The concluding remarks advocate including Large Language Models (LLMs) as a supplementary tool to enrich the CS educational paradigm. The recommendations provided serve as a strategic roadmap for stakeholders aiming to elevate the standard of CS education through PD and curricular development.