Quantum information science and technology high school outreach: Conceptual progression for introducing principles and programming skills

Editor's Note: This paper describes the curriculum for a QIST summer program for high school students. In a total of 25 h of instruction, students are introduced to essential classical physics concepts such as waves and polarization, and then to a carefully chosen series of quantum ideas leading through superposition, measurement, entanglement, and Bell's inequality. Quantum computation is introduced using IBM's Quantum Composer, and students learn the process of quantum key distribution. The provided course structure and materials could be used to replicate the instruction in a similar program for high school students, but it can also be used as the basis of more formal instruction at the high school or university level.