Trustees Approve Updated Computer Science Course

Huntington School Board members have unanimously approved an updated Computer Science 7 course for students at J. Taylor Finley Middle School. The new class will be implemented during the 2023/24 school year.

“This course is designed for seventh graders to learn content and build skills in alignment with the New York State Computer Science and Digital Literacy Standards, including impacts of computing, digital literacy/digital citizenship and cybersecurity,” states the course description. “The course will provide a foundation of understanding for the Computer Science Essentials class that all students will complete at the high school level.”

The Subject Matter Council approved the new course on December 13 and the Educational Development Committee gave its approval on January 12.

“Due to a change in course sequence and content in prior years, this course is being taught in the seventh grade rather than in the eighth grade,” states the rationale for the change given to trustees. “This course was previously titled, ‘Info Tech,’ which causes confusion with the Technology 7 and Technology 8 classes. Renaming the course Computer Science 7 will help clarify the differences among courses and, again, address the new state computer science standards.

Annual enrollment is estimated at 350 students. The course will run for 10 week blocks.