Standards Alignment — Python STEM (CSTA, ceiling Level 2)

What is CSTA?

The standards US computer-science classrooms follow

The CSTA (Computer Science Teachers Association) K-12 Computer Science Standards describe what students should learn about computing at each grade band. Python STEM maps every one of its 84 chapters to one primary CSTA standard, drawn from three concepts — Algorithms & Programming, Data & Analysis and Impacts of Computing — with a ceiling at CSTA Level 2 (grades 6-8).

CSTA K-12 Computer Science Standards, Revised 2017 14 standards mapped Ceiling: Level 2

Level by level

Six levels, mapped to CSTA standards

Each row shows what a learner can do by the end of that level and which standards its chapters carry. The counts are chapter counts, generated from the curriculum source — not an estimate.

Level	Grades	CSTA band	What learners can do	Primary standards
Level 1 Rookie	6–7	1B · 2	Type and run real Python: print, variables, input, f-strings, and a turtle that draws.	2-AP-11 ×5 1B-AP-10 ×3 2-AP-13 ×3 2-AP-19 ×1 2-DA-07 ×1 2-AP-16 ×1
Level 2 Coder	6–7	1B · 2	Make a program decide and repeat — if/elif/else, for and while, and random.	2-AP-12 ×4 2-AP-13 ×4 2-AP-10 ×3 2-AP-11 ×1 2-AP-16 ×1 1B-AP-10 ×1
Level 3 Builder	7–8	1B · 2	Name and reuse behaviour — functions with parameters and return, plus key, click and timer events.	2-AP-13 ×4 2-AP-14 ×3 2-AP-16 ×2 2-AP-12 ×2 2-DA-07 ×1 1B-AP-10 ×1 2-AP-11 ×1
Level 4 Designer	7–8	2	Hold many values at once — lists, string methods and nested loops over data.	2-DA-08 ×4 2-AP-13 ×3 2-DA-07 ×2 2-AP-10 ×2 2-AP-11 ×1 2-AP-12 ×1 2-AP-17 ×1
Level 5 Engineer	8–9	1B · 2	Model state and space — dictionaries, grids, state machines and collision tests.	2-AP-12 ×4 2-AP-17 ×3 2-DA-07 ×2 2-AP-13 ×2 2-AP-14 ×1 1B-AP-10 ×1 2-AP-11 ×1
Level 6 Studio Lead	8–9	2	Run the development cycle — plan, prototype, playtest, debug, polish and release.	2-AP-19 ×2 2-AP-10 ×2 2-AP-13 ×2 2-AP-17 ×2 2-AP-16 ×1 2-AP-14 ×1 2-AP-12 ×1 2-IC-22 ×1 2-AP-15 ×1 2-IC-21 ×1

The standards themselves

Every standard this course claims, in full

Algorithms & Programming

1B-AP-10 — Create programs that include sequences, events, loops, and conditionals. (6 chapters)
2-AP-10 — Use flowcharts and/or pseudocode to address complex problems as algorithms. (7 chapters)
2-AP-11 — Create clearly named variables that represent different data types and perform operations on their values. (9 chapters)
2-AP-12 — Design and iteratively develop programs that combine control structures, including nested loops and compound conditionals. (12 chapters)
2-AP-13 — Decompose problems and subproblems into parts to facilitate the design, implementation, and review of programs. (18 chapters)
2-AP-14 — Create procedures with parameters to organize code and make it easier to reuse. (5 chapters)
2-AP-15 — Seek and incorporate feedback from team members and users to refine a solution that meets user needs. (1 chapters)
2-AP-16 — Incorporate existing code, media, and libraries into original programs, and give attribution. (5 chapters)
2-AP-17 — Systematically test and refine programs using a range of test cases. (6 chapters)
2-AP-19 — Document programs in order to make them easier to follow, test, and debug. (3 chapters)

Data & Analysis

2-DA-07 — Represent data using multiple encoding schemes. (6 chapters)
2-DA-08 — Collect data using computational tools and transform the data to make it more useful and reliable. (4 chapters)

Impacts of Computing

2-IC-21 — Discuss issues of bias and accessibility in the design of existing technologies. (1 chapters)
2-IC-22 — Collaborate with many contributors through strategies such as crowdsourcing or surveys when creating a computational artifact. (1 chapters)

Maths inside the coding

Every chapter also carries one Common Core Math problem

Each chapter ends with a Math Challenge: one problem built from the very code and numbers that chapter already put on screen, tagged to a Common Core Math standard. Students answer it as math — the editor is closed for that section on purpose. It is practice, not a test: nothing here is scored or reported.

Level	Grades	Maths it draws on	CCSS-Math standards mapped
Level 1 Rookie	6–7	Expressions · Geometry · Number system · Ratios · Statistics · Functions	6.EE.A.2 6.EE.A.3 6.EE.B.6 6.EE.C.9 6.G.A.1 6.NS.B.2 6.NS.C.6 6.RP.A.3 7.G.B.5 7.G.B.6 7.NS.A.1 7.SP.C.8 8.F.B.4 8.G.B.7
Level 2 Coder	6–7	Expressions · Statistics · Geometry · Number system · Functions	6.EE.A.2 6.EE.B.5 6.EE.B.8 6.SP.B.5 7.EE.B.3 7.EE.B.4 7.G.B.4 7.G.B.5 7.NS.A.3 7.SP.C.5 7.SP.C.7 7.SP.C.8 8.EE.A.1 8.F.B.4
Level 3 Builder	7–8	Number system · Statistics · Expressions · Geometry · Ratios · Functions	6.NS.C.6 6.NS.C.7 6.NS.C.8 6.SP.B.5 7.EE.B.4 7.G.A.1 7.G.B.6 7.NS.A.3 7.RP.A.2 7.SP.C.7 8.F.A.1 8.G.A.1 8.G.A.3 8.G.A.5
Level 4 Designer	7–8	Expressions · Statistics · Geometry · Number system · Ratios · Functions	6.EE.A.2 6.EE.B.7 6.SP.B.5 7.EE.B.3 7.EE.B.4 7.G.B.6 7.NS.A.3 7.RP.A.2 7.RP.A.3 7.SP.C.5 7.SP.C.6 7.SP.C.8 8.F.A.1 8.F.B.4
Level 5 Engineer	8–9	Geometry · Algebra · Functions · Coordinate geometry · Data	8.G.B.8 HSA-CED.A.1 HSA-CED.A.2 HSA-CED.A.3 HSA-REI.B.3 HSA-REI.C.6 HSF-BF.A.1 HSF-IF.A.1 HSF-IF.A.2 HSF-IF.B.6 HSF-LE.A.1 HSF-LE.A.2 HSG-GPE.A.1 HSS-ID.A.1
Level 6 Studio Lead	8–9	Ratios · Algebra · Functions · Coordinate geometry · Data	7.RP.A.3 HSA-CED.A.1 HSA-CED.A.2 HSA-CED.A.3 HSA-REI.B.3 HSA-SSE.A.1 HSF-BF.A.1 HSF-IF.B.6 HSF-LE.A.2 HSG-GPE.B.4 HSS-ID.A.1 HSS-ID.A.2 HSS-ID.A.3 HSS-ID.B.5

The claim

What this course claims

What we claim

Aligned to CSTA K-8 standards (ceiling Level 2, grades 6-8) across Algorithms & Programming, Data & Analysis, and Impacts of Computing, taught through text-based Python game projects.