AP Computer Science Principles

For our current status / syllabus please head to our Google Classroom.

Computer Science is the fastest growing industry in the United States, and currently there are over 400,000 job openings in computer science. You can get in on this and SUCCEED, and to start out, sign up for AP Computer Science Principles, AP CSP. This is a two semester course, AP,

weighted, meets the LPS technology graduation requirement and is open to any 10th-12th grader.

 

 

 

 

AP CSP

Link to the full course description on the College Board Website.

This link is from Code.org which is the site we’ll use to deliver the course in LPS.  This is also the site we used to power our Hour of Code event.

Here’s a neat article that talks about jobs for computer science majors as well as skills that most of them possess.

Here’s what students are saying about AP CSP at East High School: [actual student responses, un-edited!!] 

What I like about AP CSP is…

  • I like that it is very hands-on and engaging. I’m not only learning about the concepts but I get to practice them in class.
  • I didn’t know a lot about computers or programming prbig-dataior to the class, and I think it is interesting to learn about it.
  • The chance to learn about computer science without feeling like I’m at a disadvantage because I don’t have a history with computer science or programming knowledge beforehand.
  • I like that the class is super interesting and we are learning new stuff.
  • learning about the big world through the lens of technology
  • I enjoy the ability to interact with the technology that surrounds our everyday lives. The computer science branch plays a huge part in our society, and being able to obtain the knowledge of the internet’s workings is a huge asset.
  • being able to explore our changing digital world and relevant societal changes.
  • I am able to meet people from different grades I normally would never interact with and I get to learn interesting facts I never would have known before this class.
  • AP CSP is an entry level AP class that equips you with the knowledge of a pivotal concept of today’s society: coding.  
  • I like the ability to explore things that I am most interested in through projects that are guided but still allow for independent study. I also like the projects that reinforce the written components of learning; I think this particular subject really necessitates that.
  • It was really interesting knowing how things work.
  • people are cooperative, and I can get inspired by my classmates on programming something incredible.
  • The opportunity to learn about developing technology and coding in a positive classroom environment.
  • Unlike any other class I’ve taken.  I’ve learned a lot of applicable skills I can use in my future career.
  • I like that previous experience isn’t necessary to succeed in the class.
  • the fantastic teacher student environment
  • Learning new things that I didn’t know about computer science and coding.
  • You get to be creative with certain things
  • The projects that you do in the class
  • What I like about CSP is, we go very in depth with everything and don’t leave questions hanging around on how to do things
  • It is an interesting class about how the internet works and also knowing how to code
  • you can go at your own pace for it
  • The chance to learn about use of computers and programming in the majority of daily life.
  • I like that I have potential to get college credit.
  • The course is flexible to how your experienced your class is and how fast all of you want to go, never goes to fast.
  • I get to learn more about computers and how things work with it.
  • It’s fun, and a bit more of a relaxed environment than I had thought (Which is a good thing)
  • The atmosphere
  • We talk about interesting topics and I can learn/do/make things that interest me
  • the explorative tasks in class.
  • I get credit for an AP class without the usual AP class workload.  There is rarely homework, and the class can be understood by people at any level of computer knowledge.
  • Your free to be creative and have a lot of freedom in  topics or things you want to pursue.
  • The ability to use my creativity to make anything I want with code.  There are little restrictions to what I can do.  
  • I like how loose the teaching is.  The teacher is also really funny and great.  
  • How it connects to our everyday lives.
  • Learning coding
  • Doing what I enjoy with like-minded people.
  • Learning new things about how our technology came about and what innovations may come in the future
  • Learning the means of communication between computers
  • Get to spend class time doing stuff that I like.
  • I have the ability to combine art and mathematics to solve problems with coding.
  • being able to have fun while simultaneously learning about things I’m interested in.
  • It’s interesting and fun and anyone can be successful in the class, regardless of background or knowledge of computers.
  • It is accessible to everyone who is interested and has huge application in the world
  • Gives a bigger view on Computer Sciences as a whole. Instead of just focusing on just one part like programming or security, instead it gives you a quick or maybe in depth view on what is Computer Science because I feel that there is  a preconceived notion that Computer Science is just manly coding and that you have to be a prodigy to be able to understand what it is. AP CSP erases these notions and gives the people who are in it a better understanding of what is Computer Science as a whole not just one part of it. For people who are thinking that going into Computer Science as a career it helps them come to find what they do like about computer science weather it is programming or it if is networking or some other part of Computer Science many people will find it a way to narrow down on what they would like and in the end it could help them find the career that they would like to do in their life.
  • It’s a very broad and comprehensive overview of computer science at large, without focusing necessarily on programming (which could intimidate/uninterest some) and instead works to teach something like “computer literacy” and other essential general knowledge for our technological society.
  • The teacher and the content of its character
  • The projects are fun and it isn’t just coding
  • It totally changes the way I think about the technologically-developed world around me.  The coursework adds to my understanding of the devices and systems I interact with on a daily basis.
  • the class is extremely useful for future events.
  • I learn about how the internet works which is something I otherwise take for granted.
  • I like the real-world application. We get to learn about the things we use everyday such as the Internet and Gaming.
  • It helps teach about a growing industry that isn’t really taught anywhere else
  • It’s easy
  • Technological discussions
  • It’s a fun class that is laid back and we still learn stuff.  The coding program we use is simple but puts us in the correct mindset to move to the next level of programming and research.
  • We do some fun activities.
  • It is a wonderful opportunity to present introductory computing concepts to all types of people.
  • The chance to explore computer programming in a formal classroom setting. As well as being better informed on servers and how data is transmitted.
  • The Simulations in the class can sometimes be fun.  In 1st semester when had the binary battleship, and the packets activity where we sent a message and some of the packets were dropped.
  • I like how a lot of what you’ll learn in the class is logic based. It’s not like your everyday math class where everything is yes or no, but it’s not like an English class where you sit around and question if the “yes” is real and if there really is ever an answer. It really is the type of class that’s hard to summarize, but maybe if you take it, you can find out what I mean.
  • I love the ingenuity of people

One thing that I didn’t expect about AP CSP is…

  • I did not expect the emphasis on the culture of technology. I thought it would be more code/programming heavy.
  • the math at the beginning but it was fine and not too difficult
  • It wasn’t as difficult as I thought
  • That basic programming would be so easy to learn
  • How fun and engaging the activities and class environment is.
  • I didn’t expect the class to go so into depth about the internet and everything else about it.
  • The create task and the level of thinking I’m going to have to do for the AP exam
  • I did not expect the fun computer science would entail. I honestly only chose this class for the AP credits, and have found myself thoroughly interested in the internet and have started to realize the large potential of careers in this field.
  • It wasn’t as challenging as I thought it would be.
  • I didn’t expect to meet so many cool people and have interesting conversations about topics that affect anyone who uses the internet.
  • I really enjoy the structure of the class. It’s laid back, yet structured and I still am able to learn.
  • It’s a little simpler than I thought – in that there is limited coding and more theory than expected.
  • How chill it was!
  • By not knowing practically anything, I was able to keep up with the curriculum and learn a lot from it.
  • The simplicity of it when you break it down at the pace we go.  It’s a lot easier than you’d expect, but still helps you learn fundamental computer science.
  • it was more than just coding
  • How much I could do without a whole lot of prior experience.
  • The curriculum was well paced, and easy to keep up with even with such little experience prior to this class.
  • Even without having previous experience, I was able to keep up with the curriculum.
  • the ease
  • How much concept stuff we’d do instead of just learning programming
  • That we would do other things beside just coding.
  • how many debates and conversations we have
  • Hex decimals and decimals
  • The amount of fun I would have programming and also meeting people I never knew
  • Learning about the birth of the internet.
  • That is more than just computer programming
  • The emphasis on the problem solving portion.
  • Not much homework
  • How much easier it was to learn the material than I thought it would be.
  • it would change my mind to study computer science in college.
  • It’s more of a loose environment
  • How fun it can be to make certain things.
  • The focus on data/information and not just programming
  • the various things you learn.
  • It wasn’t as difficult as I thought it would be.
  • The research you have to do.
  • That I’d learn so much about the impact of coding on the world and how prominent  it is.
  • There was a lot more information and not just coding.  
  • The complexity of how computer science works.
  • Learning the use of Big data
  • How easy it would be
  • How often we talk about real-world events and connections to what we are doing
  • The structure is much more loose than I expected, it is perfect for this type of class.
  • The class was a lot less stressful that I expected.
  • Mr. Ahlschwede would be so cool.
  • you don’t need any knowledge on programming and/or computer to succeed in this class. Just work hard and be attentive.
  • There are activities that you can do to learn without your computer or the internet.
  • That the code has absolutely no limitations
  • I thought CSP was going to be mainly programming based, but after being in the class for about almost a semester in a half I have found out that maybe there is more to computer science than I realised and it over all has helped me narrow down the career path that I am going to go to.
  • I was pleasantly surprised by the amount we learned/are learning about social/political issues in computer science today such as data privacy, storage, and security.
  • The level of experience I would be experiencing
  • It was this chill
  • So much turtle programming
  • It’s easier than one might expect
  • A full-on, College Board sanctioned curriculum designed by code.org.
  • the type of languages that we learn.
  • I thought the class was gonna be more oriented around coding.
  • I didn’t to learn AP CSP without a textbook.
  • I honestly expected AP CSP to be more complicated than it is
  • I expected all of it
  • How easy it is
  • The level of coding and programs we use
  • It is fun-ish.
  • The wide array of material that is covered. I thought it would just be a programming curriculum.
  • I didn’t expect to watch movies and it to be so casual.
  • Code.org coding, I thought it would have been computer language coding
  • The knowledge gained from class can be applied a lot more frequently than I thought. Even if I decide to not take the computer science route in college, I feel I can still apply what I learn in this class.
  • How great the atmosphere is

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Here is the official LPS course description that will appear in all LPS registration materials:

Courses 8387 and 8388 (each semester)  AP Computer Science Principles offers a multidisciplinary approach to teaching the underlying principles of computation. The course will introduce students to the creative aspects of programming, abstractions, algorithms, large data sets, the Internet, cybersecurity concerns, and computing impacts. AP Computer Science Principles will give students the opportunity to use technology to address real-world problems and build relevant solutions.