November 2025 Newsletter

It’s hard to believe we’re already nearing the end of the fall semester. This month’s CSinPA newsletter is full of timely opportunities, resources, and news to support your work. Take a look, and don’t forget to join our Community of Practice!

CANCELLED: CS + AI Summit

We regret to inform you that, due to the current state budget impasse, the decision has been made to cancel the 2025 Pennsylvania Collaborative Futures: Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Summit, originally scheduled for November 17–18, 2025.

The Pennsylvania Department of Education (PDE) will continue to collaborate with PaTTAN and the statewide facilitators to determine how best to support Local Education Agencies (LEAs) for their implementation of Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Programs.

We understand the disappointment this may cause and appreciate your understanding and continued commitment to advancing effective and equitable systems of support for students across the Commonwealth.

New Kensington-Arnold 3-12 teachers all-staff PD

This October, grade 3-12 teachers in the New Kensington - Arnold School District worked with members of the CSinPA Team to explore all the ways CS can enhance student learning in their school.

Hands-on activities included integrating CS into content area classes like music, teaching physical computing with micro:bit, and diving into the rich world of CS books available for both teachers and students.

It was great working with you all, and we hope you are able to use some of those activities to build engagement and excite students in your classrooms!

7-12 Praxis Prep Pathway

Registration is open for the Winter and Spring Cohorts for the 7-12 Praxis Prep Pathway. This pathway engages 7-12 educators in activities to develop Computer Science (CS) content area knowledge and skills. As a result of the pathway, LEAs will have an educator ready to take and pass the 7-12 CS certification exam and to offer a standards-aligned middle or high school CS course.

Check out the SMORE for more information about the Winter and all upcoming 2025-26 cohorts. Registration is now open for all cohorts.

CyberBytes: November Webinar Session

Join us for the next episode of our CyberBytes webinar series! On November 13 at 3:30 PM we will focus on picking a Cybersecurity Curriculum: Finding What is best for your students.

We’ll be joined by Ashley Myles Curriculum Development Specialist from Cyber.org to explore the curriculum resources they provide for your classrooms.

For more information and to RSVP for this event and see future CyberBytes topics just click on this link

K-8 CS Foundational Professional Learning Pathway

Registration is now open for Cohort #2 of the K-8 Computer Science Professional Learning Pathway.The Pathway is 100% Virtual and will run December 2025 - May 2026.

The Pathway is provided at no cost, and Act 48 credit is available. Participants are also eligible to receive a $350 stipend if they successfully complete and submit all program expectations and deliverables. Click here to learn more about the pathway and register!

This pathway is open to all K–8 educators interested in integrating computer science into their curriculum. Participants will explore effective teaching strategies while delving into the fundamentals of computer science concepts and practices. Throughout the program, they will set goals to expand access to computer science education for their students and implement a small-scale pilot project.

Micro-Credential Program

Registration is now open for the first cohort of the 2025 - 2026 School year in our Micro-credential Program.

The following courses are available:

AI in the Classroom: Introduction (2-hour)
AI in the Classroom: Integrating AI to Support Student Learning (4- hour)
Cybersecurity in the K-8 classroom: Introduction (2-hour)
Using Music to Engage Students in CS Learning (4-hour)
Empowering all students in CS Learning through a Behavioral approach (4-hour)
Data Science in K–8 Classrooms: Connecting Concepts Through Computer Science

Additionally, Introduction to CS Education (3 hours) is available on the SAS website. This is our previous foundational CSinPA: Why, What, and How, which can be accessed through the PD Center on the Standards Aligned System (SAS) website. Click the link and follow the instructions to enroll

AI Workshop Series

The CSinPA team is currently hosting a series of webinars covering all the different ways AI is impacting education. You can find the schedule of upcoming topics, along with recordings of past webinars, in this section of our Community of Practice.

Upcoming Topics

11/21 2:00 pm - 3:00 pm – AI and Academic Integrity

12/3 4:00 pm - 5:00 pm – Creative AI in the Classroom

12/11 6:00 pm - 7:00 pm – AI as Your Teaching Assistant

12/16 3:30 pm - 4:30 pm – AI Tools for Middle & High School Students

Visit the AI in Education Webinar Series flyer for more information.

Cohort 2: FAA Part 107 Professional Learning Pathway

Registration is now open until January 6th! Cohort 2 of CSinPA’s FAA Part 107 Professional Learning Pathway will run from January 1, 2026 - June 30, 2026, equipping 9-12 educators with the knowledge and skills to bring drone technology into their classrooms. Through a mix of self-paced modules, live check-ins, and hands-on activities, participants will engage with TKU’s FAA Curriculum and design a unit plan aligned to CSTA, STEELS, and/or CTE standards.

Check out the SMORE flyer for more details and registration. Contact us at csforall@pattan.net if you have any questions!

CSEdWeek and Hour of AI

This December 8-12 will mark CSEdWeek 2025! And, along with it, the introduction of Hour of AI. We are excited to hear about what you are doing in your schools to celebrate.

Share your ideas, opportunities, and resources in our Community of Practice as you prepare for CSEdWeek! And watch for more information next month in our December newsletter.

Student Focus Groups

The Pennsylvania Department of Education (PDE) and the American Institutes for Research (AIR) are conducting focus groups with middle and high school students (grades 7–12) who are enrolled in computer science (CS) courses or CS-related career and technical education (CTE) programs.

Participation will help PDE better understand how to strengthen CS and CTE learning experiences for all learners.

Please share this opportunity with students and families!

Details at a glance:

Who: Students in grades 7–12 enrolled in CS or CS-related CTE courses
What: 60-minute virtual focus group facilitated by AIR
When: Sessions scheduled this fall (families select times through the sign-up link)
Incentive: Each participating student will receive a $40 Amazon e-gift card as a thank-you

Families can learn more and sign up online.

Downloadable PDF flyer to share widely

Hour of AI

The future won’t wait, neither should our classrooms. The Hour of AI makes it possible for any teacher, in any subject, to bring AI literacy into their lessons. One hour can inspire students to think bigger, ask bolder questions, and imagine what’s next.

The Hour of AI is a new global moment built by the creators of the Hour of Code. It’s a free, easy, and exciting first step for students and educators to explore how to shape AI—and how to create with it.

Hour of AI aims to drive student and teacher engagement in AI by demystifying the black box. This year’s theme is “Lead with Empowerment.” Find out more about the engaging, hands-on activities on this site.

Penn DOT Innovations Challenge

The Pennsylvania Department of Education is pleased to announce that the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) is launching its ninth annual Innovations Challenge, which encourages students to use their problem-solving, creative and strategic-thinking abilities to solve real-world transportation challenges in a competition among their peers. The Innovations Challenge is open to all students in grades 9-12, regardless of their school’s learning model.

For this year’s challenge, students are asked to develop a concept for the use of artificial intelligence (AI) in work zones to dramatically improve safety for work crews and road users. The concept must outline how PennDOT can use smarter systems to prevent crashes and protect those who are working to build a better Pennsylvania. The concept should also take into consideration cost-benefit information, statewide deployment implications, as well as public outreach.

For complete Innovations Challenge details, visit www.penndot.pa.gov/innovation and click on the PennDOT Innovations Challenge link. The submission deadline is January 30, 2026.

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