Standards Reflection — Middle School

Connecting what you learned in FCCS to the 2026 Iowa PK–12 CS Standards

What This Activity Is For

You have spent seven weeks building a foundation in computer science. This activity asks you to look at the 2026 Iowa PK–12 Computer Science Standards for your grade band and consider two questions for each cluster of standards:

Did the FCCS course prepare you for this? If so, which competencies?
How ready do you feel to actually teach these standards to your students?

There are no wrong answers here. Some clusters will map clearly to FCCS content. Others will not — and that is important to notice. The standards you feel least prepared for are exactly what your CS Methods course (coming in about nine months) will help you address. This activity is a first look, not a final evaluation.

Expect this to take 15–25 minutes. Work through it on your own before your small group meeting. You will discuss your results briefly with your group.

Save this page or your responses. When you begin the CS Methods course, you will return to standards work in much greater depth. What you notice now — including the gaps — will give you a useful starting point for that course.

Your name (for your submission):

Quick reference — FCCS Competencies:
C1 Binary & Numerical Encodings • C2 Data Representation • C3 Logic Gates • C4 Hardware Components • C5 Memory & Storage • C6 Fetch-Decode-Execute Cycle • C7 OS Components • C8 OS Processes • C9 OS Security • C10 Network Communication • C11 Internet Transactions • C12 Cybersecurity • C13 Data & the PPDAC Cycle • C14 Databases & SQL • C15 Data Mining • C16 AI Agents & Search • C17 AI Techniques: Learning & Optimization • C18 Neural Networks & Deep Learning • C19 Large Language Models

The Standards Clusters

The standards below are organized into 11 clusters, following the subconcept structure of the 2026 Iowa CS Standards. Each cluster shows the standards for Middle School. Read each standard, then respond to the three questions.

Cluster 1 Systems & Security Hardware & Software

Identifier	Grade	Standard
`MS-SAS-30`	Grade MS	Examine differences between computing systems based on user needs, system requirements, and potential societal, environmental, and ethical impacts.
`MS-SAS-31`	Grade MS	Describe computing devices used in various industries, their basic functions, and how they are used to accomplish tasks or solve problems.

1. Coverage: Which FCCS competency or competencies prepared you for this cluster? Name them specifically (e.g., "C10 — Network Communication"). If none did, write "Not directly addressed in FCCS."

2. Readiness: How prepared do you feel to teach the standards in this cluster?

3. What's still missing: If you are not fully prepared, what would help? (One or two sentences. Skip if you selected "Prepared.")

Cluster 2 Systems & Security Security

Identifier	Grade	Standard
`MS-SAS-32`	Grade MS	Explain the effects of not using the CIA Triad when working with data.
`MS-SAS-33`	Grade MS	Evaluate common types of cyber attacks and preventions.

1. Coverage: Which FCCS competency or competencies prepared you for this cluster? Name them specifically (e.g., "C10 — Network Communication"). If none did, write "Not directly addressed in FCCS."

2. Readiness: How prepared do you feel to teach the standards in this cluster?

3. What's still missing: If you are not fully prepared, what would help? (One or two sentences. Skip if you selected "Prepared.")

Cluster 3 Systems & Security Networks

Identifier	Grade	Standard
`MS-SAS-34`	Grade MS	Model how information in a network is broken down into packets, transmitted between devices, and reassembled.
`MS-SAS-35`	Grade MS	Explain how the resilience of the Internet depends on interconnected devices and their roles and functions within the network.

1. Coverage: Which FCCS competency or competencies prepared you for this cluster? Name them specifically (e.g., "C10 — Network Communication"). If none did, write "Not directly addressed in FCCS."

2. Readiness: How prepared do you feel to teach the standards in this cluster?

3. What's still missing: If you are not fully prepared, what would help? (One or two sentences. Skip if you selected "Prepared.")

Cluster 4 Systems & Security Impacts of Computing Systems

Identifier	Grade	Standard
`MS-SAS-36`	Grade MS	Collaborate to improve the design of a computing system to meet the needs of diverse users.
`MS-SAS-37`	Grade MS	Examine how access to computing systems can vary based on personal and social factors, such as physical ability, geographic location, socioeconomic status, and age.

1. Coverage: Which FCCS competency or competencies prepared you for this cluster? Name them specifically (e.g., "C10 — Network Communication"). If none did, write "Not directly addressed in FCCS."

2. Readiness: How prepared do you feel to teach the standards in this cluster?

3. What's still missing: If you are not fully prepared, what would help? (One or two sentences. Skip if you selected "Prepared.")

Cluster 5 Data Analysis Data Collection and Processing

Identifier	Grade	Standard
`MS-DAA-21`	Grade MS	Evaluate how different levels of precision and granularity in data collection affect accuracy, storage, and analysis.
`MS-DAA-22`	Grade MS	Explain how data and its associated metadata can be used to answer questions.
`MS-DAA-23`	Grade MS	Use a digital tool to sort, filter, group, and summarize structured data.
`MS-DAA-24`	Grade MS	Analyze options to address data quality issues.

1. Coverage: Which FCCS competency or competencies prepared you for this cluster? Name them specifically (e.g., "C10 — Network Communication"). If none did, write "Not directly addressed in FCCS."

2. Readiness: How prepared do you feel to teach the standards in this cluster?

3. What's still missing: If you are not fully prepared, what would help? (One or two sentences. Skip if you selected "Prepared.")

Cluster 6 Data Analysis Data Investigation

Identifier	Grade	Standard
`MS-DAA-25`	Grade MS	Use computational tools to identify relationships among variables in a dataset and make classifications or predictions.
`MS-DAA-26`	Grade MS	Create data visualizations to show how different design choices can impact the interpretation of the same data.
`MS-DAA-27`	Grade MS	Summarize a data investigation process, including potential biases, limitations, and supporting evidence.

1. Coverage: Which FCCS competency or competencies prepared you for this cluster? Name them specifically (e.g., "C10 — Network Communication"). If none did, write "Not directly addressed in FCCS."

2. Readiness: How prepared do you feel to teach the standards in this cluster?

3. What's still missing: If you are not fully prepared, what would help? (One or two sentences. Skip if you selected "Prepared.")

Cluster 7 Data Analysis Impacts of Data Science

Identifier	Grade	Standard
`MS-DAA-28`	Grade MS	Explain the benefits and risks of allowing personal data and metadata to be collected and used in datasets, including issues of data ownership, privacy, and sovereignty.
`MS-DAA-29`	Grade MS	Analyze how decisions made at different stages of working with data can lead to biased data, misleading conclusions, and compromised AI models.

1. Coverage: Which FCCS competency or competencies prepared you for this cluster? Name them specifically (e.g., "C10 — Network Communication"). If none did, write "Not directly addressed in FCCS."

2. Readiness: How prepared do you feel to teach the standards in this cluster?

3. What's still missing: If you are not fully prepared, what would help? (One or two sentences. Skip if you selected "Prepared.")

Cluster 8 Computing & Society History of Computing

Identifier	Grade	Standard
`MS-CAS-38`	Grade MS	Compare the roles of individuals, communities, organizations, and governments in shaping computing technologies across major eras in computing history.
`MS-CAS-39`	Grade MS	Analyze intended and unintended impacts of historical computing technologies on society and the environment.

1. Coverage: Which FCCS competency or competencies prepared you for this cluster? Name them specifically (e.g., "C10 — Network Communication"). If none did, write "Not directly addressed in FCCS."

2. Readiness: How prepared do you feel to teach the standards in this cluster?

3. What's still missing: If you are not fully prepared, what would help? (One or two sentences. Skip if you selected "Prepared.")

Cluster 9 Computing & Society Emerging Technologies

Identifier	Grade	Standard
`MS-CAS-40`	Grade MS	Evaluate when it is appropriate to use AI and other emerging technologies to solve a problem based on their capabilities, limitations, and environmental impacts.
`MS-CAS-41`	Grade MS	Evaluate how design decisions in emerging technologies influence user experiences differently across different communities.
`MS-CAS-42`	Grade MS	Debate ways an emerging technology impacts the social, cultural, and environmental issues in their communities.

1. Coverage: Which FCCS competency or competencies prepared you for this cluster? Name them specifically (e.g., "C10 — Network Communication"). If none did, write "Not directly addressed in FCCS."

2. Readiness: How prepared do you feel to teach the standards in this cluster?

3. What's still missing: If you are not fully prepared, what would help? (One or two sentences. Skip if you selected "Prepared.")

Cluster 10 Computing & Society Humans & Computing

Identifier	Grade	Standard
`MS-CAS-43`	Grade MS	Analyze how the decisions humans make when using computing technologies have ethical and social consequences.

1. Coverage: Which FCCS competency or competencies prepared you for this cluster? Name them specifically (e.g., "C10 — Network Communication"). If none did, write "Not directly addressed in FCCS."

2. Readiness: How prepared do you feel to teach the standards in this cluster?

3. What's still missing: If you are not fully prepared, what would help? (One or two sentences. Skip if you selected "Prepared.")

Cluster 11 Computing & Society Career Exploration

Identifier	Grade	Standard
`MS-CAS-44`	Grade MS	Analyze how workers in different careers use computational thinking to solve real-world problems.
`MS-CAS-45`	Grade MS	Evaluate how automation in technology can create or replace jobs and change how people work.

1. Coverage: Which FCCS competency or competencies prepared you for this cluster? Name them specifically (e.g., "C10 — Network Communication"). If none did, write "Not directly addressed in FCCS."

2. Readiness: How prepared do you feel to teach the standards in this cluster?

3. What's still missing: If you are not fully prepared, what would help? (One or two sentences. Skip if you selected "Prepared.")

For your small group discussion: Come prepared to share one cluster where you felt most prepared and one where you felt least prepared. Be specific about why. Notice where your group agrees and where they land differently — that variation is worth talking about.

Prepare Your Submission

When you have finished responding to all clusters, click the button below. Your responses will be compiled into a text block that you can copy and paste into a Word document or email to submit on Blackboard.

Copy the text above and paste it into a Word document. Save the document and upload it to Blackboard. Keep your own copy for reference in the CS Methods course.