What is the Computer Science Promise?
Ohio House Bill 33 creates the Ohio Computer Science Promise (CS Promise) program.
ORC 3322.20 requires the Ohio Department of Education and Workforce to develop a list of approved CS Promise program eligible providers and courses that the Department publishes annually, which is the purpose of this Request for Information (RFI). The Department is providing information about the criteria and process for establishing a list of providers and quality Computer Science courses. Under the program, students in grades 7-12 can enroll, at no cost to the student, in one computer science course not offered by the student's secondary school per academic year and receive high school credit for the course.
Any student enrolled in a public secondary school may participate in the program if the student meets the applicable eligibility criteria. Any student enrolled in a nonpublic secondary school may participate in the program if the nonpublic school chooses to participate in the program. Students in grades seven and eight may participate in the program for high school credit if permissible under their district or school’s advance coursework policy.
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Are funds available for the Computer Science Promise program?
State funding has not been allocated for this program.
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How will payment be provided to those participating in one of the Computer Science Promise course offerings?
State funding has not been allocated for this program. Schools and districts will need to work with the approved providers for payment for participating students.
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What is the window for applying to be added to the CS Promise Providers List?
The window for applications is open from February 7, 2025 - March 28, 2025.
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Do existing providers need to complete the yearly application process?
Yes, existing providers will need to indicate on the application if they are an existing provider with no course changes or updates, with course changes or updates, with course additions, or with course deletions. In the space provided, they will indicate which changes they would like to make for the 2025-2026 school year.
All returning providers will complete the technical review section. If a provider is adding or changing a current course, they will fill out the quality review. If the provider is not adding or changing any current courses, they may skip the quality review.
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Are approved providers obligated to offer all approved courses each year/semester?
There are no specific requirements specifying which courses must be offered.
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Can the provider submit several courses under a one-course code?
Yes, a provider could offer more than one course under a single course code. For each course, include subject code, a description of delivery, and a pacing guide or similar documentation showing course content and alignment to Ohio’s High School Learning Standards for Computer Science. More information can be found on item 16 of the
Computer Science Promise Approved Provider Application.
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Do providers have to follow school calendars?
The requirements for course delivery can be found in the
Computer Science Promise Request for Information (RFI) and
CS Promise Provider Application. There are no specific requirements around adherence to school calendars.
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Do you expect providers to deliver courses in a certain format (e.g. self-paced, live led by provider instructors)?
The requirements for course delivery can be found in the
Computer Science Promise Request for Information (RFI) and
CS Promise Provider Application. Delivery Options listed on the RFI include On Campus Coursework, Virtual Coursework, Blended Model, and Other, with a chance describe the delivery mode for each course offering(s) selected.
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How would Advanced Placement (AP) Computer Science be delivered using the CS Promise?
There is no specific subject code for Advanced Placement (AP) Computer Science courses. Since AP Computer Science courses are programming courses, districts could use the following course subject code:
- 290200 Computer Programming
This course includes the study and use of programming languages (e.g., C++, C#, Java, Python).
Districts can use the curriculum Education Management Information System (EMIS) Curriculum Element Record Field Number (CN310) found in
EMIS Manual section 4.2 Course Master (CN) Record to record courses as AP.
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Who is eligible to apply to be a provider of the Computer Science Promise program?
Eligible providers include Ohio’s K-12 schools, Institutions of Higher Education, and for-profit and not-for-profit education providers with the necessary content and qualifications to provide courses.
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What is the submission process?
Applicants are required to submit an email including a completed application and supporting documents to
computerscience@education.ohio.gov, including answering all questions included in the RFI Application Template Form. Documents may be attached to the email. The Department has provided the
CS Promise Provider Application template to assist in the organization of the information required in the application.
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What are the application components?
There are two components of the application. Section A is the Technical Review which captures organizational information. Section A is for technical review only and will not be scored. Section B is the Quality Review which provides an opportunity to expand on provider experience and capacity. Section B is for quality review and will be evaluated. Eligible applicants must complete fully the technical and quality elements to be considered. All fields must be completed.
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My organization has more than one course to submit. Do I need to fill out multiple applications?
Each organization will submit one application. In an additional attachment, include a document with subject code, a description of delivery, and a pacing guide or similar documentation showing course content and alignment to
Ohio’s High School Learning Standards for Computer Science for each course a provider is applying to add to the list (See Appendix A). Make sure to show what college and career skills, including industry certification, students have an opportunity to earn as part of these courses.
This information should be attached to the email when the application is submitted in addition to attaching the RFI Application template.
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When submitting the application, do I submit one single document, or can I have multiple attachments?
Please submit the application in one email submission; however, multiple attachments are allowed. The maximum size for any single email message received by the Department, including attachments, is 25 MB. The mail client (ex. Outlook, Apple Mail, etc.) you use to send messages may also limit the size of any single attachment.
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How will the applications be reviewed?
The Department will establish an application review team. The review team will have knowledge of
Ohio’s High School Learning Standards for Computer Science, High Quality Instruction, and Ohio’s educational landscape. The review team members will be free of any conflicts of interest for all assigned applications. The application review team will conduct an evaluation of applications based on the specific criteria listed in this RFI using two separate reviews. Each submitted application will receive a technical review by a minimum of two reviewers. Only applications that pass the technical review will be included in the quality review. Each eligible application will be reviewed and scored by a minimum of three reviewers.
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When will the list be published?
The list of providers and courses students can use for the CS Promise will be published for the 2025-2026 school year.
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Will the list be updated each year?
Yes, the CS Promise list will be updated yearly. Each year the Department will open an application window.
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Does the course have to be a high school course?
Yes, the course must be for high school credit.
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How can I contact the Department of Education and Workforce for questions?
Please email questions to
computerscience @education.ohio.gov.
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Can a 7th or 8th grade student participate in the CS Promise?
Any student enrolled in a public secondary school may participate in the program if the student meets the applicable eligibility criteria. Any student enrolled in a nonpublic secondary school may participate in the program if the nonpublic school chooses to participate in the program.
Students in grades seven and eight may participate in the program for high school credit if permissible under their district or school’s advance coursework policy.
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Can a course completed under the CS Promise be used for Graduation Credit in Math, Science, or World Languages and Cultures?
Yes, all courses successfully completed under the CS Promise are for high school credit and can be used toward the graduation requirements and subject area requirements.
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Can I use a course that is not on the CS Promise list for this program?
Providers and courses must come from the
CS Promise Provider Course List.
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How can a school use Credit Flexibility to deliver CS Promise courses?
Credit flexibility is locally customizable allowing for a variety of approaches to implementation. Every school district has a policy on credit flexibility which should be consulted in making this determination.
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How many courses can a student take?
Students can take one course per academic year between 7th-12th grade.
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How will a student receive credit for the completion of a course?
Upon completion of the course, completion data will be sent from the provider to the secondary school and/or student. CS Promise courses can used as computer science credit as defined in
Ohio law.
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Which courses can a student choose to take?
The specific courses that are available for students are included on the CS
Promise Provider and Course List.
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Which students are eligible?
Beginning in the 2024-2025 school year, under the program, students in grades 7-12 can enroll at no cost to the student, in one computer science course not offered by the student's secondary school per academic year and receive high school credit for the course.
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