Why a Framework?

Over the past decade, education leaders across Canada have been making strides towards including Computer Science education in curricula. Yet, the Computer Science education landscape remains uneven. 

In some provinces and territories all students are required to learn Computer Science, whereas in others, these classes are electives. For some, Computer Science education is integrated throughout a variety of subjects while for others it is an extracurricular activity. And in some cases, there is little or no opportunity for students to learn it.

We want students who can be both users and makers of digital technologies and who, because of their abilities, can enjoy and harness the power of these new tools.

The result is inequitable access to high quality Computer Science education across Canada.

One way to address this unevenness is to create alignment in Computer Science education outcomes for provinces and territories across Canada. 

We intend for a Pan-Canadian K-12 Computer Science Education Framework to do just this. In particular, it would present a vision for Computer Science education in Canada and provide a set of guidelines for what every Canadian student must know in order to navigate an increasingly digital world. 

In addition to addressing the unevenness in access to Computer Science education, greater alignment will also: 

• Extend the benefits of a high quality computer science education to all Canadian students
• Integrate computer science learning opportunities throughout courses
• Broaden access to the field of Computer Science, notably for groups that have been traditionally underrepresented in the industry 
• Close the growing gap between those who use digital technologies and those who make them
• Ensure that Canadian students remain globally competitive