A new course offering is coming to Cassville High School in the fall, one that can offer college credit and a pathway to one of the fastest-growing careers in the country — computer science.
Jake Forste, who has moved from middle school computer science to the high school, will lead the four-course program, offering a semester-long intro for freshmen, a CS 1 class and two AP courses, CS A and CS P.
“Every high school in the state will have to offer at least one computer science class next school year, and this aligns with something I’ve wanted to do fulltime,” Forste said. “The semester class for freshmen fits because they have a semester health class, so this is another offering to fill that. The CS 1 class is a full year and can count for elective, math or science credit.
“I’m really excited we made the push for different options for a third science credit. We’re also now allowing a couple of the ag classes to count for that. Everything we look at comes from the lens of what is best for the kids, and this opens up some alternatives.”
The freshman course, Forste said, focuses heavily on potential career options and real word applications of computer science.
“Locally and regionally, we partner with colleges and industry professionals to help with a few guest opportunities,” Forste said. “That class will also build some basic apps and games just to get the kids interested.”
The CS 1 class will encompass computer science history and the basics of programming, aimed at setting students up to succeed in the AP (Advanced Placement) courses.
“AP CS A is 80 percent or more programming with Java,” Forste said. “It’s pretty project-intensive, but it’s designed for kids who haven’t done any coding before. It has baked in a steep learning curve. AP CS P, or principles, is more computational thinking, ethics and innovations. We will design apps and write code, but it’s more about asking how does it work, considering biases, looking at data and reviewing ethics.”
Forste said although the class does not teach to the test, there is a heavy focus on skills needed to pass the test, which is scored on a 1-5 scale and offers automatic college credit opportunities depending on the college and the score.
“Both AP tests have a performance element of the test, so the program is designed to create something that could be used as a preface to the performance part of the AP exam,” Forste said. “We’re not teaching to the test, but we are meeting checkpoints to prepare students to walk out with college credit as well as high school credit.”
That potential to get ahead in a college program and enter the workforce early with a degree is something in which Forste hopes students will see a benefit.
“Less than 2 percent of college graduates are graduating with a computer science degree, yet computer science can be found in five of the top 10 best careers in the state of Missouri,” Forste said. “It is a high quality of living career with great pay and opportunities to work remote or partially remote. There are 12,000 available computer science jobs in Missouri right now, and I want kids to understand these are just as available to them here as the ag and farming jobs they see regularly.
“Kids may think of computer science as a city job and that they would have to move away, and that definitely is not the case.”
Forste, who previously taught computer science at the middle school, said that program will continue and feed into the high school, and he’s excited to move students forward.
“I’m excited because this is something I have wanted to do for white a while, and it aligns with what the state is pushing,” he said. “The district is also being very forward-facing in allowing CS 1 to count as math or science, because that is definitely not the case at most districts. Because it’s a local decision, many are not allowing it, and us allowing it will be good for the kids and give them additional opportunities.”
