CHARLESTON, W.Va. – The West Virginia Department of Education (WVDE) will host students from across the state for “Country Roads Codes Day at the Capitol” on Dec. 11, 2023, at 11 a.m. Held in partnership with CodeWV, students will demonstrate their computer coding skills to legislators during the December interim meetings, and walk them through coding/robotics activities.
Since the signing of the Computer Science Bill (SB267) in February 2019 by Gov. Jim Justice, developmentally appropriate computer science instruction has been integrated into schools at all programmatic levels across the state. As a result, 78% of public high schools in West Virginia offered a computer science course during the 2022-23 school year compared to 46% in 2019-20.
The following schools and robotics teams attending are:
- Andrews Heights Elementary, Kanawha County
- Cross Lanes Elementary, Kanawha County
- Hacker Valley Elementary, Webster County
- Lincoln County Robotics, Lincoln County
- Mylan Park Elementary, Monongalia County
- Ripley High School Robotics, Jackson County
- Riverside High School Robotics, Kanawha County
- Shady Spring Elementary, Raleigh County
Coding tables will be outside the Senate Chamber and the robotics fields in the rotunda.
Scheduled speakers include State Superintendent of Schools Michele L. Blatt, West Virginia Senate President Craig Blair and West Virginia House Speaker Roger Hanshaw.
“Computer science exposes students to a wider range of career technical education and STEM opportunities, leading to future scientists, inventors, engineers and programmers,” said Superintendent Blatt. “Students in computer science classrooms utilize deeper critical thinking and analytical skills, making them well-rounded learners and eventual adults who can contribute to the future of the Mountain State.”
The state has made significant progress advancing computer science in schools and classrooms including increased computer science enrollment, statewide support for k-12 computer science education and a growing number of out-of-school programs for computer science students.
To learn more about computer science instruction, visit the WVDE Computer Science and Technology page.
To learn more about CodeWV, visit West Virginia University’s website.
For media inquiries, contact Christy Day, West Virginia Department of Education Office of Communications, at 304-558-2699 or Christy.Day@k12.wv.us.
