2026 PK-12 CS Standards: Concepts, Practices, and Dispositions

ByLawrence Tanimoto

This is the third in a series of posts about the 2026 PK-12 CS standards. For the full list of articles in this series, see the list at the bottom of this post.

The 2026 PK-12 CS standards use three interacting components:

Concepts

What students know

Algorithms & Design, Programming, Data & Analysis, Systems & Security, and Computing & Society

Practices

What students do

Ethics & Social Responsibility, Inclusive Collaboration, Computational Thinking, and Human-Centered Design

Dispositions

How students approach their learning

curiosity, creativity, persistence, reflectiveness, resourcefulness, critical thinking, and a sense of belonging

The snapshot below is an example how concepts, practices, and dispositions are used to classify each standard.

Example of concepts, practices, and dispositions in a standard

The snapshot above shows a 5th-grade standard that covers

  • The concept “Algorithms & Design” and the sub-concept “Algorithmic Problem Solving” listed at the top
  • The practice “Computational Thinking” with sub-practices “Define computational programs” and “Develop and use abstractions” listed at bottom right
  • The dispositions “creativity” and “critical thinking” listed at the bottom left.

One can filter on any top-level concept, practice, or disposition with the online version of the PK-12 CS Standards.

This bears a family resemblance to NGSS, which integrates disciplinary core ideas, science and engineering practices, and crosscutting concepts within three-dimensional learning. The CSTA structure, however, gives student dispositions and belonging an explicit place in the standards architecture. NGSS’s third dimension is a set of ideas that cut across scientific disciplines; CSTA’s dispositions describe the habits and identities students should develop through participation in computer science. 

That distinction matters. “Sense of belonging” is not tucked into an introductory equity statement and then politely forgotten. It is treated as an outcome that should be intentionally developed and associated with individual standards. The following snapshot shows the four 2nd grade CS standards associated with “Sense of belonging”.

2nd grade standards with sense of belonging disposition

Explore the 2026 CSTA Standards

This article is part of CSTA Washington’s series examining the new CSTA PK-12 CS Standards and their impact on Washington state. Articles in this series:

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