Participation in Ap Computer Science Principles Grows Again
During the 2011-12 school year, a student at Sweetwater High School in National Metropolis, Calif., approached teacher Art Lopez and asked why their schoolhouse didn't offer any computer science courses.
Lopez said the student wanted to know why their school was left out when schools in more affluent areas had reckoner science.
"That really made me angry," said Lopez. "It'due south almost disinterestedness access and broadening participation. We want our kids to have the same chances as any other kid in the U.S. to be exposed to reckoner scientific discipline and think about that as a possible career choice."
More than 85 pct of the students at the majority Latino school authorize for complimentary or reduced dejeuner, and more than 50 per centum of the students there are classified every bit English-language learners.
Today Sweetwater High offers four Avant-garde Placement computer science classes, including 2 sections of the new AP Information science Principles course, which Lopez teaches in addition to serving as the Sweetwater Spousal relationship schoolhouse district's curriculum specialist for figurer science.
An Introductory CS Course
The College Board began offer AP Figurer Scientific discipline Principles, or CSP, this school year.
"It is designed to be a starting time course in that discipline, so it is open to all interested students," said Trevor Packer, the head of the AP program. "That's important to us because in many other computer science courses today there are very few female and minority students."
Prior to the College Board offer this new course, students' simply other option for an AP computer science class was AP Calculator Science A, an intensive Java-programming class that tends to attract students with prior knowledge of the subject. And, boys make upwardly more 75 percent of the students who have the course.
The College Board's expectation is that as more than students have CSP, more students will go on to have AP Figurer Science A, or CSA.
Lopez said that's something he'due south already seeing at this school. Sweetwater High participated in the CSP pilot programme prior to the nationwide rollout of the course, so his students began taking it in the 2013-14 school yr.
"Those numbers have increased dramatically since we started piloting this plan," said Lopez.
Other schools in the pilot program have seen similar trends. The Higher Board notes that these schools saw growth in both the number of teachers offering CSA and the number of CSA exams taken past students.
The class is also alluring more girls and underrepresented minorities.
Data nerveless by the College Lath during the 2015-16 pilot stage of CSP show:
- African-American participation was 16 percent in AP CSP compared to four percent in CSA
- Hispanic student participation was 18 percent in AP CSP compared to nine per centum in CSA
- Girls' participation was 28 percent in AP CSP compared to 22 per centum in CSA
A Pop Class
The College Board reports that Figurer Scientific discipline Principles is the largest debut of an AP grade in the 60-yr history of the AP program. In its beginning year, 2,600 teachers are authorized to teach it, while the prior largest new AP class, AP Globe History, had i,000 teachers. So far, 27,000 students are working on their digital portfolios for CSP.
The class consists of projects that students create throughout the yr and submit to receive an AP score for higher credit in addition to the stop-of-course exam.
"The class emphasizes teamwork, collaboration, inventiveness, and opportunities for students to follow their individual passions," said Packer. "They're able to create something that meets a need or a want or an interest that they have."
Lopez said he's been encouraged by the way his students accept embraced the form.
"Information science teaches kids how to call back," he said. "I've seen it time and time once more where my kids are improving their skills in math, their power to communicate, read, and write, and it's all because of information science because information technology teaches yous most logic and how to problem solve."
Photo: Students in Art Lopez's course working on an AP Informatics assignment. (Art Lopez)
Related stories:
- Eight States Take Fewer Than 10 Girls Take AP Informatics Exam
- Big Racial, Gender Gaps Seen in Computer science Education
- Report Outlines How to Bridge the 'Computer Science Education Gap'
A version of this news article first appeared in the Curriculum Matters weblog.
Source: https://www.edweek.org/teaching-learning/new-ap-computer-science-course-proves-popular-with-students-teachers/2017/02
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