This is our second big course announcement for the upcoming school year! Students and teachers can now look forward to our all-new Python Programming 2026 Edition. This blog post describes the high-level changes, and you can watch our matching webinar (linked below) for a video tour.
Big Picture & Release Schedule
The 2026 edition of Python Programming is completely rewritten to take advantage of our latest online features. The estimated release dates are:
- Summer 2026 - When "close" to release quality, we'll make the new course available for public/private school teacher review through your dashboard and our Get Started review request.
- Fall 2026 - The new course will be available for students starting with the Fall 2026 semester.
Stay tuned for more specific dates as we get closer to the final version.
Current Edition
Our current Python Programming course was the very first to feature our online coding environment. We have identified the following limitations that will be resolved in the new edition:
- 1-semester length - The course was originally intended as a short introduction to programming for a wide range of students, but teachers would like to use it for a full school year.
- No vocabulary tool-tips - The lesson text pages do not yet have vocabulary pop-ups as have become standard in our later courses.
- No homework exercises - The course does not yet have "homework" exercises for extra coding practice, as have become standard in our later courses.
- Incidental alignments - The course was written as an introductory experience with only incidental alignment to more advanced state standards and certification exams.
- Shared materials - Our newer Computer Science Foundations course began with some materials from Python Programming as a starting point, and the two courses still share some of those materials.
New 2026 Edition Features
The new 2026 edition of Python Programming resolves all of the previously identified issues!
- 2-semester length - The 2026 edition is extended to 2 full semesters with a similar scope and sequence to our C# Programming and Java Programming titles. The first semester remains middle-school friendly, with more advanced topics in the second semester for high school students.
- Added vocabulary tool-tips - The lesson text pages will have our familiar vocabulary pop-ups and summaries.
- Added homework exercises - Each chapter will have "homework" exercises for extra coding practice.
- Strong alignments - The course now formally aligns to many state standards (e.g. "Computer Science I") and also contains extra materials to support 100% of the PCEP certification exam.
- New materials - The lessons, exercises, projects, and assessments have been completely updated and no longer share materials with Computer Science Foundations. Students can now comfortably take both courses in sequence without any repetition.
For More Information
Check out our March 2026 Professional Development Webinar - "Announcing the Python Programming 2026 Edition" - for further discussion and a video sneak peek of the new course. As always, please Contact Us if you have questions!