Exploring Computer Science Student Competency Profile
Student’s Name: ___________________________________________ School Year: _____________
This record is intended to serve as a method of noting student achievement of the competencies in each
unit. It can be duplicated for each student, and it can serve as a cumulative record of competencies
achieved in the course.
In the blank before each competency, place the date on which the student mastered the competency.
Unit 1: Orientation and Ongoing Skills
1. Identify school policies and safety procedures related to Exploring Computer
Science (ECS).
2. Investigate using an online learning management system.
3. Recognize opportunities to participate in student organizations related to
technology and computer science.
4. Demonstrate knowledge of 21st-century skills.
5. Demonstrate effective public speaking skills.
6. Explore career opportunities within computer science in programming,
cybersecurity, data science, robotics, artificial intelligence, human-computer
interaction, and Web development.
7. Create and maintain a personal portfolio website to showcase work and projects.
Unit 2: Human-Computer Interaction
1. Explain the difference between computers and computing.
2. Evaluate the results of web searches and the reliability of information found on
the internet.
3. Analyze the effects of computing on society within economic, social, and
cultural contexts.
4. Describe features of appropriate data sets for specific problems.
Unit 3: Problem Solving
1. Understand the problem-solving process.
2. Design and interpret algorithms.
3. Demonstrate an understanding of binary numbers.
4. Understand simple search algorithms.
5. Explain sorting algorithms.
6. Describe minimum spanning trees.
Unit 4: Introduction to Programming
1. Use appropriate algorithms to solve a problem.
2. Explain an event-driven program.
3. Locate and correct errors in a program.
4. Use appropriate programming structures and troubleshooting techniques.
5. Use abstraction to reduce complexity.
6. Learn the basics of HTML/CSS for web development.
Unit 5: Data Science and Computing
1. Understand data science fundamentals.
2. Perform data analysis and visualization.
3. Recognize and understand data bias and ethics.
4. Incorporate cloud computing concepts in data science projects.
5. Apply cloud computing in data science projects.
Unit 6: Artificial Intelligence (AI)
1. Summarize artificial intelligence (AI) terms and concepts.
2. Describe how AI is used and its impact.
3. Investigate an AI system.
4. Recognize and understand AI data and bias.
5. Develop skills in prompt engineering for AI applications.
Unit 7a: Physical Computing—Robotics
1. Identify the criteria that describe a robot and determine if something is a robot.
2. Build, code, and test a robot that solves a stated problem.
Unit 7b: Physical Computing—Microcontrollers
1. Identify common microcontroller terms.
2. Use programming to manipulate microcontroller inputs and outputs.
3. Use a microcontroller for a specific purpose.
4. Add microcontrollers and troubleshooting.
Unit 7c: Physical Computing— E-Textiles
1. Design, interpret, and evaluate simple circuit diagrams with key components.
2. Construct parallel circuits using conductive materials and switches while
applying an iterative design process.
3. Implement computational circuits with pre-programmed mini-computers and
understand common grounding.
Unit 7d: Physical Computing—Networking
1. Explore fundamental networking concepts.
Unit 7e: Physical Computing—VR Systems
1. Investigate the process of developing virtual environments.
Unit 8: Cybersecurity
1. Define cybersecurity and its importance.
2. Discuss confidentiality in cybersecurity.
3. Explain integrity and hashing.
4. Discuss availability considerations in cybersecurity.
5. Analyze adversary thinking and social engineering tactics.
