K-12 Cybersecurity Learning Standards for Schools
The K-12 Cybersecurity Learning Standards have been designed with usability in mind. CYBER.ORG has designed the standards to be comprehensive, easy to use, and easy to find. States, districts, and all educators will be able to use the standards. They are available for wholesale adoption and are available for districts and educators to incorporate into existing curricula opportunities or course standards.
Current voices from K-12, higher education, government, and industry were at the table as standards were developed.
Regular updates were provided during development. Additionally, all citizens had the opportunity to review and comment prior to publication.
Standards are comprehensive and easy to find. States or districts may adopt in full or embed into existing content standards.
The Facts
Questions about the standards and the vision behind them? We've created a fact sheet to address common questions about the project, as well as to give some background and guidance for adoption.
Background
State standards are the learning goals for what students should know and be able to do at each grade level. Until now, there were only a few models of state-developed cybersecurity standards and no national standards specific to cybersecurity.
This was an impediment to both curriculum developers and teachers on the ground - with students ultimately losing out on the opportunities presented by a robust cyber education.
CYBER.ORG staff members have served on multiple standards development committees and have gained extensive insight from writing cyber curricula, leading professional development, and supporting educators across the country. Over the past year, CYBER.ORG facilitated collaboration among experts from K-12, higher ed, government, and industry, collectively developing the first national set of K-12 cybersecurity learning standards.
September 2020
Project Kickoff & Committee Selection
October 2020
First standards development committee working session
December 2020
Second standards development committee working session
February 2021
Standards review committee meeting
April 2021
Third standards development committee working session
May 2021
Complete second draft of standards
June 2021
Public comment period open
August 2021
Standards are published
Meet the key stakeholders from education, industry, and government sectors who helped bring these standards to life.
More than 60 Starter Pack Lessons are aligned to CYBER.ORG K-12 Cybersecurity Learning Standards - integrating cybersecurity, digital literacy, and responsible technology use across multiple grade bands.
Eight hands-on lessons using Ozobot's award-winning Evo coding robot introduce cybersecurity concepts to students in grades K–5. Aligned to CYBER.ORG's K–12 Cybersecurity Learning Standards, these lessons are designed to make cybersecurity instruction accessible, engaging, and age-appropriate. Educators can access the lessons for free on both the CYBER.ORG learning platform and Ozobot Classroom, Ozobot's free online lesson library.
Have questions or want to be become involved? Get in touch here.