CyberStart America in Georgia

Benefits to Teachers & Advisors

• Easily incorporate cybersecurity into your classroom using the Matrix of Standards, which provides a detailed look at how the CyberStart learning platform connects to the Georgia Standards of Excellence for classroom use.
• No prior knowledge of cybersecurity or computer science is required. 
• Cash prizes for teachers, schools and districts exclusively in Georgia.
• Access to webinars and resources to help you introduce the program to students.
• See your students’ progress by creating a CyberStart Group.
• Program is flexible and can be implemented in numerous ways: after school or lunchtime clubs; pathway programs; in-class or homework assignment; extra credit; curriculum for introductory cyber class; in-class anchor activity for “fast finishers.”
• Download the Teacher Flyer (PDF) for more information.

Visit CyberStart America for additional information and resources for teacher and advisors.

Benefits to Students

• Provides a new path for diverse and underrepresented students to enter the cybersecurity field.
• Develops interest in and access to high-demand careers in a fast-growing job market.
• Students earn digital achievement badges for points earned as they progress through the game.
• Students compete for cash prizes exclusively for eligible students competing in Georgia schools.
• Top-scoring eligible players will be invited to apply for cyber training scholarships worth $3,000 from the National Cyber Scholarship Foundation.
• Download the Student Poster (PDF).
• If you want to further your cybersecurity education, check out these additional resources (PDF).

Prizes for the 2023-2024 game cycle have not been announced. Please check back for more information

Incorporating within Districts

CyberStart America is a highly flexible program for schools. The game can be incorporated into a class, be a stand-alone club, be used in an “Extensions” period, or be completed individually by students, and is a great way to help students prepare for S.B. 108.

As a reminder, schools should do their own FERPA compliance check before implementing new programs.

Classroom-Incorporation Option:

As a district partner, CyberStart America in Georgia requests:

• Encourage CS, CTAE, Career, Study Hall (etc.) teachers or counselors to incorporate CyberStart into their curriculum plans. This Matrix of Standards will demonstrate how many required standards the CyberStart game addresses in a fun and easy-to-use way.
• Consider incorporating CyberStart into an extension, enrichment, or problem-solving course.
• Find ways to recruit and encourage students. For example, hold a cyber pep rally prior to the game launch or encourage a friendly competition between high schools in your district.
• Plan ways to encourage continued engagement in the game. For example, will you announce the bronze, silver, and gold award winners at your school on the morning announcements or school website?

Club Option:

Find 1-3 teachers willing to hold a club before school, after school, and/or during lunch. We recommend that club leadership replace duty during club time to provide teachers an incentive. Here are a few important reminders:

• Any teacher/staff member can be a club leader because the game is the one that does the teaching.
• Club Leaders will only need to:
  • Make sure students stay on the correct webpage
  • Monitor the classroom
  • Help recruit students for the club
• Consider the best time and location to host clubs. If possible, lunch-and-learn clubs are encouraged for working students and those caring for younger siblings before/after school.

Individual Option:

• Students can play the game on their own to potentially earn scholarships and prizes.
• Counselors, CTAE teachers, and principals should encourage all students to try the game.
• Consider incentives to try the first level: homework pass, free admission to school event, etc.

Frequently Asked Questions:

What is the time commitment for the teacher? What does this look like in the classroom?

• Teachers can be as hands-on or off as they want. Some use it as a daily warm up in a computer science class, others use it for one week in class and have the students continue on their own. Many teachers are able to weave it in throughout the year in various capacities. Some schools were able to form it into a club
  or as part of a school-wide initiative, and students that want to continue could do so as an anchor activity for the "fast finishers" in a lesson.

If the students play independently, how often should they be accessing it?

• If students want to get to the scholarship level, they should keep playing as often as possible throughout the game cycle. However, for students that are just trying to get a feel for whether or not they want to get into cyber, it is probably best not to force it on them and just give an incentive to try it (a pizza lunch and learn, for example) and then tell them about the prizes.

What is the range of time students have to complete the game?

• October 4th 2022 to April 4th 2023. They will have six months to explore as much of the game as they can. With over 200 challenges that increase in difficulty, students are not expected to finish the game. CyberStart America closes before the end of the school year so the national scholarship recipients can receive their training over the summer.

My students are stuck on challenges that require a virtual machine. How can they access one?

• If your students are on challenges that require a virtual machine and they are not able to download the CyberStart America VM, cyber.org has a free range for students and teachers. Visit cyber.org Range to access the tools needed to complete most of the VM levels.

Can this be used in classes outside of CTAE and Computer Science?

• Absolutely! Because it has such a strong problem solving and critical thinking aspect to it, the game can be used in almost any class during independent/free time.

Can teachers keep track of students' progress?

• CyberStart Groups is a great way for teachers to monitor student participation, and can be used to encourage healthy competition in classrooms. Follow the instructions to set up a classroom group and see how having a group can benefit both teachers and students.

Can this be used in middle school classes, or just high school?

• To be eligible to register for CyberStart America, a student must be at least 13 years old and enrolled in 9th, 10th, 11th, or 12th grade (in a public, private, or homeschool). Students in 8th grade or other middle grades are not able to participate in CyberStart America or be eligible for the state prizes. However, if you are a Computer Science/Cyber middle school teacher who would like to introduce your students to cybersecurity, you are welcome to sign up for access to the CyberStart Intern base at cyberstart.com, which includes 12 challenges of varying difficulty levels.

Why are there different Georgia prize categories?

• Our goal with prizes is to incentivize students to try CyberStart America, and for teachers/schools to encourage the game within their student population. We also wanted to make sure that our prizes would be attainable for both large and small districts, which is why some of our prizes are based on total numbers and others are based on percentages. If you have any feedback on the structure of our prizes, please let us know at cyberstartgeorgia@ung.edu.

Important Information

If students register using their school email address, please have your IT staff whitelist the following domains:

• @cyberstartamerica.org
• @cyberstart.com
• @nationalcyberscholarship.org

These domains need to be approved so students will receive emails for registration information and support throughout the game. Emails will also come from these domains if a student is eligible for prizes at the end of the game, so it is very important that they can receive these emails

Contact us at at CyberStartGeorgia@ung.edu

Visit CyberStart America for additional information and resources for teacher and advisors.