SPS Puts Student Voice at the Center of CS Education

Students and staff from Somerville Public Schools recently had the opportunity to present at the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) Digital Literacy and Computer Science Summit. The title of the presentation was Building a District-Wide DLCS Ecosystem that Centers Student Voice, Engagement, and Access. The presentation included a brief discussion of Digital Literacy and Computer Science education in Somerville Public Schools, and culminated in a showcase of student-led computer science projects, robotics projects, and programming in the district.

For over 10 years, Somerville Public Schools has been incorporating Digital Literacy and Computer Science (DLCS) into school-day and out-of-school time activities. DLCS education at SPS includes summer and after school programming for 5th-8th grade students—designed entirely by students on the Somerville High School Robotics Team, collaborations with Tufts, MIT, and Lesley University that focus on student self-expression and agency in computer science activities, the creation of an annual Family Creative Computing and Robotics Night, and curriculum development that focuses on engaging students from all backgrounds in Somerville.

At the DLCS Summit, students and alumni from the SHS Robotics Team demonstrated an “ocean cleanup” LEGO® Robotics activity that was designed for the elementary Summer Program for English Language Learners (SPELL) as well as the student-designed Somerville Robotics League game. Students also demonstrated projects made in OctoStudio, a free creative computing app, that high school students shared with 4th graders in SPS as part of an Hour of Code activity in 2025.

From 2023 through 2026, Somerville Public Schools participated in the CS Engage Grant program, which provides funding for DLCS planning and implementation, specifically through strategic planning activities and teacher professional development. Thanks to this grant, a strategic planning committee for DLCS in SPS identified two priorities that will ensure equitable access to DLCS content: 

• (1) Engage young students in DLCS and creative computing in school, not just in elective classes or out-of-school time

• (2) Teach creative computing in a way that engages students from all backgrounds, including multilingual learners and students with IEPs.

In the 2026-2027 school year, all students in grades 6, 7, and 8 in Somerville Public Schools will participate in a DLCS course at least once per week. The curricula is based on High Quality Instructional Materials identified by DESE, with adaptations made to increase student agency and engagement. These courses will be taught by two new Digital Literacy and Computer Science teachers, as well as two SPS Library Media Specialists.  In addition to prioritizing student agency, voice, and engagement in the strategic planning, students in the pilot program were also surveyed about their experiences, and changes to the curriculum were made based on these survey results. We can't wait to see how ALL our students engage with these exciting project and dig into computer science!

The DLCS in SPS strategic planning committee included Assistant Superintendent of Academics Jessica Boston Davis, K-12 Library and Media Services Supervisor Tania Connor, Coordinator of K-8 Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) Paula O’Sullivan, Principal of Arthur D. Healey School Sarah Wahl, Assistant Principal of John F. Kennedy School Samantha Patton, Somerville High School Computer Science and Robotics Teacher Laura Peters, John F. Kennedy School Librarian Scott Oskin, and Arthur D. Healey School Librarian Emily Rocha.

Students and staff who presented at the DESE DLCS Summit include: CS and Robotics Teacher Laura Peters, Innovation Specialist Jason Behrens, K-12 Library and Media Services Supervisor Tania Connor; alumni Bhavroop Kaur, Gerran Hullah, and Miles Eisenbraun; and current students Simon, Maru, Cormac, Sebastian, and Sushant.