Computer Science Principles is designed to be equivalent to a first-semester introductory college computing course. In this course, students will develop computational thinking skills vital for success across all disciplines, such as using computational tools to analyze and study data and working with large data sets to analyze, visualize, and draw conclusions from trends. The course engages students in the creative aspects of the field by allowing them to develop computational artifacts based on their interests. Students will also develop effective communication and collaboration skills by working individually and collaboratively to solve problems, and will discuss and write about the impacts these solutions could have on their community, society, and the world.
Assessment in Computer Science Principles consists of two parts: - completion of a through-course assessments
- end-of-course exam.
The through-course assessments consists of quizzes and projects. The performance tasks require students to upload digital artifacts and written responses via a web-based digital portal. The end-of-course exam consists of 74 multiple-choice questions.
- Open doors in any career with computer science!
- Students create apps for mobile devices, automate tasks in a variety of languages, find patterns in data, and interpret simulations. Students collaborate to create and present solutions that can improve people’s lives.
- To answer the question: How will computing and connectivity transform your world?
- Will colleges and universities award AP credit for the course? What is the equivalent college-level course?
- Over 350 colleges and universities have already stated their intent to award credit for satisfactory exam scores, and new policies continue to be submitted. AP Computer Science Principles is designed to be equivalent to a first-semester introductory college computing course. Colleges and universities make individual decisions on their credit and placement policies which vary from institution to institution. Students should contact the college that they are interested in for details.
What is Computer Science Principles (CSP)?
- Students work in teams to develop computational thinking and problem solving skills.
- The course covers the College Board’s new CS Principles framework.
- The course does not aim to teach mastery of a single programming language but aims instead to develop computational thinking, to generate excitement about the field of computing, and to introduce computational tools that foster creativity.
- The course also aims to build students’ awareness of the tremendous demand for computer specialists and for professionals in all fields who have computational skills.
- Each unit focuses on one or more computationally intensive career paths.
- The course also aims to engage students to consider issues raised by the present and future societal impact of computing.
- Students practice problem solving with structured activities and progress to open-ended projects and problems that require them to develop planning, documentation, communication, and other professional skills.
- Problems aim for ground-level entry with no ceiling so that all students can successfully engage the problems. Students with greater motivation, ability, or background knowledge will be challenged to work further.
What is being covered in the class?
- The course is designed to cover all learning objectives in the College Board’s 2013 draft CS Principles framework.
- In specific CSP projects and problems, students create artifacts and associated writing for CS Principles performance assessment tasks.
- Alignment with CS Principles Learning Objectives and with CSTA Level 3B Objectives is indicated in the PLTW CSP Curriculum Framework at the activity level.
- Alignment with NGSS, Common Core, and other standards will be available through the PLTW Alignment web-based tool.
- Building enthusiasm for rigorous computer science among students is a primary goal of the course.
Unit Breakdown
- Unit 1 Algorithms, Graphics, and Graphical User Interfaces (48%)
- Unit 2 The Internet (18%)
- Unit 3 Raining Reigning Data (17%)
- Unit 4 Intelligent Behavior (17%)
End of Course Assessment
Project Lead the Way (PLTW) trained me to teach this course. Their assessment experts apply industry best practices and methods to design, test, and implement End of Course (EoC) assessments. They report valid and reliable scores on overall student performance within the course. The EoC assessment gives students an objective evaluation of their achievement, and stakeholders obtain data to make informed decisions.
Here is a breakdown of what percent each section represents on the EoC assessment.
|
Lesson
|
Approximate Percent
|
|
1.1
|
5%
|
|
1.2
|
9%
|
|
1.3
|
30%
|
|
1.4
|
9%
|
|
2.1
|
20%
|
|
2.2
|
3%
|
|
2.3
|
7%
|
|
3.1
|
5%
|
|
3.2
|
4%
|
|
4.1
|
4%
|
|
4.2
|
4%
|
Here is how the scoring works for the End of Course Assessment as it relates to the grade in the course.
|
Score
|
Highest Possible Grade
|
|
9
|
A
|
|
8
|
A
|
|
7
|
B
|
|
6
|
B
|
|
5
|
C
|
|
4
|
C
|
|
3
|
D
|
|
2
|
D
|
|
1
|
F
|
|
0
|
F
|
| |
|
