8th Grade

Develop and implement a process to evaluate existing computing devices and recommend improvements to the design based on how other users interact with the device.

Design and refine projects that combine hardware and software components to collect and exchange data.

Systematically identify, resolve, and document complex software and hardware problems with computing devices and their components.

Explain protocols and their importance to data transmission; model how packets are broken down into smaller pieces and how they are delivered.

Evaluate physical and digital procedures that could be implemented to protect electronic data/information; explain the impacts of cybersecurity threats and attacks.

Compare the advantages and disadvantages of methods of encryption to model the secure transmission of information.

Analyze multiple methods of representing the same data and justify the most appropriate method for representing data.

Develop, implement, and refine a process that utilizes computational tools to collect and transform data to make it more useful and reliable.

Refine computational models based on the data generated by the models.

Design algorithms in natural language, flow and control diagrams, comments within code, and/or pseudocode to solve complex problems.

Develop programs that utilize combinations of nested loops, compound conditionals, procedures without parameters, and the manipulation of variables representing different data types.

Decompose problems and subproblems into parts to facilitate the design, implementation, and review of complex programs.

Seek and incorporate feedback from team members and users to refine a solution to a problem that meets the needs of different users.

Incorporate existing code, media, and libraries into original programs of increasing complexity and give attribution.

Systematically test and refine programs using a range of student created inputs.

Model effective communication between participants and demonstrate successful collaboration when developing computational artifacts.

Document text-based programs of increasing complexity in order to make them easier to follow, test, and debug.

Explore careers related to the field of computer science, and explain how computing impacts innovation in various career fields.

Evaluate and improve the design of existing technologies to meet the needs of different users and increase accessibility and usability.

Describe and use safe, appropriate, and responsible practices (i.e., netiquette) when participating in online communities and understand the impact of not using safe, appropriate, and responsible practices.

Communicate and publish key ideas and details individually or collaboratively in a way that informs, persuades, and/or entertains using a variety of digital tools and media-rich resources.

Discuss the social impacts and ethical considerations associated with cybersecurity, including the positive and malicious purposes of hacking.