Louisiana's CS Graduation Rule: Coding Foundations for Middle School
Louisiana's CS Graduation Rule: Coding Foundations for Middle School
Louisiana students entering ninth grade in 2026–27 fall under HB 264, the state's computer science graduation requirement, so middle school is where the groundwork happens. The Coding & Computer Basics Units Bundle ($69.99) gives Grades 6–9 teachers four units: algorithms and computational thinking, programming with Python, binary and digital images, and how the internet works. It prepares students for the high school course; it is not that course.
See the four coding unitsFor middle school teachers preparing students for Louisiana's computer science graduation requirement, the Coding & Computer Basics Units Bundle ($69.99) covers four starting topics: algorithms, Python, binary and how the internet works. Each unit has worksheets on four levels, a reading text, a hands-on task, slides and full answer keys with a marking guide. It is middle school groundwork, not the high school course, and not approved under HB 264.
The resources
Coding & Computer Basics Units Bundle, Grades 6–9
4 resources in one download: $69.99 instead of $99.96 bought separately.
Start with the first resource; the others are optional add-ons. Open any cover for the full contents and price.
Coding & Computer Basics Units Bundle | Algorithms, Python, Binary & How the Internet Works | 4 Units | Grades 6–9
AI & Cybersecurity Units Bundle | How AI Works, Prompting, Phishing, Encryption & Data Privacy | 6 Units | Grades 6–9
Computer Science Activities Bundle | Artificial Intelligence, Python Programming, Cybersecurity & Digital Literacy | Middle School Grades 7–10
Programming with Python – Computer Science Unit (Grades 6–9)
The real problem
What HB 264 means for a middle school teacher
Louisiana is one of the states that require a computer science course to graduate, and HB 264 applies to students entering ninth grade in 2026–27. The requirement sits in high school, but the preparation question lands in middle school. Students who reach ninth grade without ever writing a line of code or thinking about how data is stored start the required course behind. Middle school teachers have their own constraints. The class may be taught by a technology, math or science teacher who has never taught coding. Devices differ from school to school: some rooms have a laptop cart, others share a lab once a week. And since 2024–25, Louisiana's instructional-day phone ban means students cannot fall back on phones for a quick search or demo, so lessons need to run on school devices or on paper. What helps is a short set of units on the ideas every later course depends on: what an algorithm is, how a simple program runs, how computers represent information in binary, and how data moves across the internet. Students who meet those four ideas in Grades 6–8 let the high school course start further along.
Why it fits
Four units for the years before ninth grade
Each unit stands alone, so you can teach them as a short course or spread them across Grades 6–8.
- Algorithms and Computational Thinking teaches step-by-step problem solving, the base for every later unit.
- Programming with Python starts with print, variables and input, then if statements, loops and a mini-project.
- The Python unit is written for brand-new coders and confident ones in the same room.
- Data and Encoding covers binary and digital images, the basis of how computers store information.
- How the Internet Works explains what happens when data travels between devices.
- Worksheets on four levels, Basic to Project, let a mixed class work at the right depth.
Getting started
A suggested middle school pathway
One option for spreading the four units across middle school. A one-semester elective can teach them back to back instead.
- Grade 6: algorithms firstStart with Algorithms and Computational Thinking. Students learn to break problems into clear steps, which every later unit builds on, and it is a low-pressure start for students who doubt they are good with computers.
- Grade 7: data and binaryTeach Data and Encoding – Binary & Digital Images. Students see how numbers, text and pictures become ones and zeros, which makes later programming feel far less mysterious.
- Grade 7 or 8: how the internet worksAdd How the Internet Works. It connects the binary unit to everyday life, since messages, videos and websites all travel across networks as data between devices.
- Grade 8: first steps in PythonTeach Programming with Python on whatever Python setup your school already has. Students write print statements, store variables and take input, then use if statements and loops before a mini-project.
- Before ninth grade: review and hand offUse the Project-level worksheets as a capstone, then pass a short summary of what students covered to the high school computer science teacher, so the required course does not start from zero.
What to buy
The coding bundle or one of the alternatives
The Coding & Computer Basics Units Bundle at $69.99 is the right start for Louisiana middle schools focused on coding foundations; its four units cost $99.96 separately. If you want AI and online safety too, the AI & Cybersecurity Units Bundle ($89.99) adds six units on how AI works, prompting, filter bubbles, data protection, phishing and encryption. The Computer Science Activities Bundle ($119.99, Grades 7–10) puts ten topics, including Python, AI and cybersecurity, into 30 lessons. If you only need coding, the single Programming with Python unit costs $24.99.
Honest limits
Know these limits before you buy
The bundle is not written for Louisiana and has no Louisiana standards codes or state-specific content. It is not the high school course required under HB 264 and is not approved for it; check the content against Louisiana's standards and your district's plans. No software, coding platform, accounts or laptops are included. For the Python unit you use whatever devices and Python setup your school already has. One purchase covers your own teaching; a school team should message Teach Lessons before sharing. If it is not a fit, exchange it for store credit within 7 days.
Good to know
Frequently asked questions
Does this bundle count for Louisiana's computer science graduation requirement?
No. HB 264 concerns a high school course for students entering ninth grade in 2026–27, and this bundle is preparation material for Grades 6–9. It is not aligned to Louisiana's standards and not approved by the state or any district. Use it as groundwork, and check with your district which high school course counts toward the requirement.
I have never taught coding. Can I teach this?
That is one of the situations the bundle is meant for: teachers starting a computer science or technology class, including those who have never taught coding. Each unit has slides for the whole unit, a reading text and full answer keys with a marking guide. Work through the Python unit yourself before you teach it.
Do students need laptops?
For the Python unit, yes: students need devices with a Python setup to write code, and none is included. The algorithms, binary and internet units are built on worksheets, reading texts and slides; check each unit's hands-on task for device needs before you plan. Schedule Python for weeks when your class has the lab or a laptop cart.
How does the state phone ban affect these lessons?
Louisiana's instructional-day phone ban has been in effect since 2024–25, so students cannot use their phones during lessons. The units are built from reading texts, worksheets and slides, and any coding happens on school devices, so the ban does not get in the way of teaching them.
Can I mix students of different levels?
Yes. Every unit has worksheets on four levels: Basic, Standard, Plus and Project. A student who has coded before can work at Plus or Project while a beginner starts at Basic, on the same topic with the same slides. The Python unit description says it works for students brand new to coding and for confident ones.
Can our school's technology team share it?
A purchase covers your own teaching. If several teachers or a whole middle school want to use it, send Teach Lessons a short message first to arrange team use. The files must not be posted publicly, uploaded to sharing sites or resold. One teacher can try it first.
Start ninth-grade readiness in middle school
Open the bundle page to see the four units and what each worksheet level asks of students.
See the four coding units