2026 PK-12 CS Standards: Washington CS Standards Revision Process

ByLawrence Tanimoto

Correction: OSPI is scheduled to adopt new Washington computer science standards in the second half of 2028.   This adoption date of the second half of 2028 is different from the “end of the 2026-27 academic year” timeline written in the Aug 2026 newsletter.  

The official release of the 2026 CSTA PK-12 Computer Science standards in July was an unofficial kickoff for the Washington Computer Science Standards revision.

According to the timeline document on OSPI’s Washington State Learning Standards Review page, the timeline for revising Washington’s Computer Science Standards (initially adopted in 2018) is as follows:

  • Aug – Dec 2026:  Standards Under Review
  • Jan – Dec 2027: Engagement and Revision
  • Jan – Jul 2028: Initial Adoption and Implementation
  • Aug – Dec 2028: Final State Adoption

Final state adoption in the second half of 2028 will be followed by a year for transition and professional learning, and another year for full implementation in schools.  

According to its August newsletter, OSPI Computer Science is still reviewing the new CSTA standards and how they may inform this revision to Washington’s computer science standards.   Washington’s current computer science standards (2018) closely mirror the 2017 CSTA Standards.

The August newsletter did not provide any more details about the process or timeline.  However, OSPI emphasized that educator feedback and input are essential and urged educators to stay tuned to its newsletter for updates.

The Washington Computer Science standards revision is not occurring in a vacuum.  OSPI is updating  its subject matter standards on a rolling basis over the next few years.   Some notable points for computer science educators:

  • Educational Technology (EdTech) standards will be revised using the same timeline as computer science.
  • New mathematics standards were officially adopted in June 2026.   These new standards “teach data science in all grades” by centralizing the data science inquiry cycle. The data science inquiry process includes understanding principles of data collection, maintenance, analysis, visualizations and representations of data, inference, and interpretation and communication of results from a data set.   
  • New ELA standards were officially adopted in early August 2026.   These new standards “elevate media literacy by creating a dedicated Research and Media Literacy domain”, “add digital forum formats as authentic communication environments”, and place a greater emphasis on digital citizenship.

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