CSinPA Micro-Credential Program

The micro-credential program contains a collection of independent, self-paced courses designed for educators seeking to dig deeper into specific CS professional learning topics.

The program supports educators interested in exploring resources and opportunities to expand CS education, whether as stand-alone classes or by integrating CS concepts and practices into other content-area instruction. In each course, participants will explore relevant CS resources and develop a standards-aligned lesson activity and/or action plan to expand CS learning opportunities for their students.

2026- 2027 School Year Course Enrollment

Participants may enroll in multiple courses based on their interests and availability. They are NOT expected to register for all courses or complete them in sequential order. Registration is ongoing with three cohort terms during the 2026 - 2027 school year:

• Cohort 1: November 1- February 28, 2027.
• Cohort 2: March 1- June 30, 2027.

Act 48 Credit Hours

This experience is 100% virtual and asynchronous. Participants will receive Act 48 credit hours for each course in which they complete all course activities. Credit will be awarded within 30 days of the end date of each cohort term.

The 2026 CSTA Standards are here—what changed, and how can educators begin using them?

A new asynchronous professional learning course, K–12 Computer Science Education in PA: Standards, Landscape, and Opportunities, will launch on November 1, 2026.

This introductory course will help educators explore and begin unpacking the new standards, understand key shifts and expectations for student learning, and examine the current landscape of computer science education in Pennsylvania. Participants will also discover resources and professional learning opportunities to continue building their CS knowledge and capacity.

Registration will open in mid-October. Stay tuned for more information!

The course is designed to provide an overview of what AI is, how it can be used to support the work of teachers, and how teachers can utilize AI as a tool to streamline common tasks such as planning and communication. This course is the first in a series focused on exploring how new developments in Artificial Intelligence are impacting the landscape of teaching and learning in Pennsylvania.

• Target Audience: K-12 educators
• Act 48 Clock Hours: 2 hours

• Target Audience: K-12 educators

• Act 48 Clock Hours: 4 hours

• This course has a prerequisite: Artificial Intelligence in the Classroom: Introduction

The course is designed to support educators in utilizing music as a tool to engage students in computer science (CS) learning. Participants will discover opportunities for using CS to reinforce core concepts in music education and for using music to reinforce key CS concepts.
Participants will explore resources and strategies for integrating cross-content connections in music and computer science instruction. Educators will set a goal and share artifacts to demonstrate their progress in developing and implementing a lesson activity.

• Target Audience: K-8 educators

• Act 48 Clock Hours: 4 hours

• NOTE: This course includes a pre-course module for participants who are new to computer science (CS) education and have not taken any previous foundational CS courses.

• Target Audience: K-8 educators
• Act 48 Clock Hours: 2 hours

The course emphasizes practical application, enabling participants to understand not only what these frameworks are, but how to effectively teach them in ways that prepare students for industry certifications and cybersecurity careers. Educators will engage with real-world scenarios, develop curriculum alignment strategies using backward design principles, and create actionable implementation plans. By the end of this micro-credential, participants will have the confidence and resources needed to bridge the gap between academic cybersecurity education and industry expectations, ensuring their students are well-prepared for the evolving cybersecurity workforce

• Target Audience: 7-12 educators
• Act 48 Clock Hours: 4 hours

The course is designed to provide educators with a foundational inclusive behavioral mindset when planning Computer Science (CS) learning experiences for all learners. Participants in the course will self assess and honestly reflect on implicit biases and behavior assumptions towards people with disabilities and concerning behavior. The course will introduce applied behavior analysis and discuss how foundational behavior principles can be utilized to create clearly defined expectations, rules, and routines within the CS classrooms. Educators will have opportunities to explore evidence based practices and strategies to support engagement in CS learning.

• Target Audience: K-12 educators
• Act 48 Clock Hours: 4 hours

This course blends empathy-building experiences with system-level strategies to help educators create computer science (CS) learning environments that work for all students — including those with low vision or blindness. Participants will explore common barriers in CS instruction and apply accessible educational materials (AEM), ADA Title II guidance, and Universal Design for Learning (UDL) principles to reimagine lessons, policies, and systems.

• Target Audience: K-12 educators
• Act 48 Clock Hours: 2 hours

This course examines the role of executive functioning (EF) skills including organization, planning, working memory, emotional regulation, and cognitive flexibility in supporting student success in computer science. Educators will explore how EF skills affect student engagement, problem-solving, debugging, and algorithmic thinking in CS classrooms. Participants will leave with practical strategies and classroom routines they can immediately apply to strengthen EF skills and promote effective CS instruction.

• Target Audience: K-12 educators
• Act 48 Clock Hours: 2 hours

• Target Audience: K-8 educators

• Act 48 Clock Hours: 4 hours

Additional courses are currently in development and will be announced as they become available.

If you have any questions, please reach out at csforall@pattan.net