Quorum Programming Language
An evidence-oriented programming language for all with a fully accessible Advanced Placement Computer Science Principles curriculum
About Quorum
The Quorum Programming Language is an evidence-based language that started out as a project to simplify syntax and provide accessibility for blind or visually-impaired students. As Quorum gained popularity the project has expanded to improve programming language design for everyone. It now supports a wide variety of applications, like creating games, audio processing, and many other applications. Quorum can be used in the classroom or for commercial purposes at no charge.
Computer Science for All
A major goal of AP Computer Science Principles is broadening participation, which means the inclusion of all students regardless of gender, race, ethnicity, socioeconomic, or disability status. This goal cannot be achieved without attention to the accessibility of the curricula.
In order for an online curriculum to be accessible to people with disabilities, it must be compatible with modern screen readers such as JAWS, NVDA on PCs, and VoiceOver on Mac. It must also be compatible with the magnification tools built into PCs and Macs and add-on tools such as ZoomText. Quorum’s online environment provides accessible formats using the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG 2.1) and Accessible Rich Internet Applications (ARIA) as an initial guide.
Quorum Accessible CS Principles
Quorum has developed an accessible adaptation of the Code.org Computer Science Principles curriculum. It follows the same lesson plan sequence and covers the same big ideas and computational thinking practices found in the College Board AP CS Principles Framework. The individual lessons have been modified using alternative interactive tools and “unplugged” activities to provide support for people with various disabilities. The Quorum AP Computer Science Principles can be used by anyone, including those with disabilities.
Quorum Accessible Tools
The Quorum team has written several accessible versions of the tools made by Code.org. Our replacements work by creating a similar tool in the Quorum web-based programming environment that is already WCAG 2.1 compliant.
View Computer Science Principles Curriculum Online
Connect with Quorum
Website
Mailing List
Leaders
University of Nevada, Las Vegas
Andreas Stefik, Computer Science
University of Washington
Richard Ladner, Computer Science and Engineering
Funding
Quorum is funded largely by the National Science Foundation under grants #1644491, #1640131, #1738259 and #1738252. It is available to the public at no charge.