Advanced placement computer science principles (APCSP): A report from teachers

The AP CS Principles (APCSP) course begins as an AP course in 2016, fully realized after eight years with several presentations as part of SIGCSE conferences[1-3]. APCSP was designed to broaden participation in computer science in high school and beyond, and to be accessible to teachers who might be new to computer science, in some cases with limited previous experience in teaching courses in the area. The APCSP project has been grounded in an inclusive, community-driven approach to building a new course that is nearly unprecedented. Initially funded by the College Board and NSF, as this community of educators nears the official launch of APCSP the project has become more of a public/private partnership, garnering significant interest in building programs with NSF, non-profit, and industry support. To understand how teachers new to computer science and/or new to APCSP might be able to launch a course that broadens participation at scale, to be part of what has been heralded as an effort to support 10,000 teachers in 10,000s schools, this special session is built on hearing directly from teachers who are in their first year of teaching APCSP, but who are teaching curricula developed by one of five projects that are part of a cohort working closely with the College Board in supporting APCSP. These projects have the potential to develop nationally, to support teachers with curricula and professional development, and to bring new teachers into the APCSP community, and by extension into the SIGCSE community. These five projects have been recognized by the College Board and the National Science Foundation as likely capable of such support. The projects are Project Lead the Way (PLTW)[4], Code.org[5], Beauty and Joy of Computing (BJC)[6], Mobile CSP[7], and Thriving in our Digital World[8].

Duke Scholars

Author Owen L. Astrachan Computer Science