RIDE and College Board Announce "Two Codes" Partnership

PROVIDENCE, R.I. – The Rhode Island Department of Education (RIDE) and the College Board are launching a partnership to advance two key educational goals: understanding how the U.S. Constitution works and how technology can power solutions to problems facing our world. Two Codes is the College Board’s effort to help students build the knowledge, skills, and agency required to make a difference in the world, specifically by expanding access to Advanced Placement (AP) U.S. Government and Politics and AP Computer Science Principles.

“As we have seen in recent weeks, our young people are hungry and ready to exercise their First Amendment rights to extend the promise of liberty and justice for all,” said Angélica Infante-Green, Rhode Island’s Education Commissioner. “As educators, we want to enhance students’ ability to understand the underlying framework of our democracy – and few things can do that better than something they use every day, computer technology. This program will strengthen our students' ability to understand and contribute to decisions made by their government.”

“It’s not enough to be users of technology; this generation of students needs to guide it and make it work for democracy,” said Stefanie Sanford, College Board’s Chief of Global Policy and External Relations. “Our Two Codes work is designed to equip more students with the knowledge, skills, and agency to shape the future.”

RIDE will partner with high schools and districts to expand student-level access to courses focusing on American government and politics and computer science and train educators to integrate tools and resources from the College Board and national and local civics- and computer science-oriented organizations. RIDE’s objectives are to:

1. Ensure AP Computer Science Principles and AP U.S. Government and Politics courses are offered at all high schools in the state by academic year 2024-25.
2. Incentivize and increase student participation and success in these courses statewide.
3. Integrate AP courses as key components of pathway endorsements and career education programs.

Starting in the fall of 2020, RIDE will work with high schools in three ways, based on each school’s current AP offerings and capacity to expand:

• Innovators: College Board will work with schools already offering AP U.S. Government and Politics and AP Computer Science Principles to promote cross-curricular trainings and other innovations.
• Capacity Builders: College Board and RIDE will establish local partnerships to build readiness and interest in schools where these courses are being considered.
• Expanders: For those schools without plans to implement either course, College Board will work with RIDE to expand the number of schools offering the Two Codes courses.

Each school will identify two teacher leads, a Computer Science teacher and a Government and Politics teacher, who will coordinate their school’s participation in the program. The leads will receive a stipend of $1,500 per year, and the College Board will provide a broad range of support for the training of teachers and implementation of the effort.

To learn more about how RIDE will be working with districts to implement the Two Codes initiative, contact Steve Osborn at Stephen.Osborn@ride.ri.gov.