http://delivery.acm.org/10.1145/2840000/2835852/p60-desjardins.pdf
3.6.2016

Creating AP           ®
CS Principles:
Let Many Flowers
Bloom
         • Marie desJardins •


C       omputer Science Principles (CSP) is a new curricu-
        lum framework that was designed collaboratively by
Computer Science (CS) faculty, high school teachers, and
the College Board. CSP was initially designed with sup-
port and leadership from the National Science Foundation
(NSF), with the intent of creating rigorous, engaging, high-
quality CS courses that would be available to all high school
students in the United States. One of the primary goals of
CSP is to broaden participation in high school and college
computer science courses [4]. The curriculum is specifically
designed to appeal to a more diverse population of students
than are traditionally seen in CS courses, particularly fe-
male students and underrepresented minorities. Results
from the CSP pilot offerings showed that significantly
greater percentages of women and underrepresented mi-
norities were attracted to the courses than are seen in tradi-
tional CS courses [5], and anecdotally, the instructors of the
offerings described here are observing the same increased
diversity. The professional development courses that train
the teachers focus on active, inquiry-directed pedagogies,
and the course has few prerequisites, reducing the barriers
to entry compared to AP® CS A, and increasing the poten-
tial for attracting a diverse population of students.



           Computational Thinking Practices
P1: Connecting Computing. Students learn to understand
the effects of computing on people and on society.
P2: Creating Computational Artifacts. Students create
computational artifacts that represent creative solutions to
problems.
P3: Abstracting. Students use abstractions to develop and
analyze models and simulations.
P4: Analyzing Problems and Artifacts. Students evaluate,
improve, and analyze the correctness of proposed solutions
to problems.
P5: Communicating. Students describe, explain, and justify
computational artifacts, behaviors, and results.
P6: Collaborating. Students work together in diverse teams
to solve problems, produce


                 Big Ideas of Computing
BI1: Creativity. Students design creative solutions to
problems, and learn how computation can enable creative
expression of ideas.
BI2: Abstraction. Students learn how abstraction is used
to represent data, to organize knowledge, and to design
computational artifacts.
BI3: Data and Information. Students learn how data
and information are collected, processed, visualized, and
understood to solve problems and create knowledge.
BI4: Algorithms. Students study, design, analyze, and
evaluate algorithms.
BI5: Programming. Students write and test programs to
solve problems and express creative ideas.
BI6: The Internet. Students learn how the Internet works,
how it is used to support communication and collaboration,
and the importance of cybersecurity solutions for privacy and
security.
BI7: Global Impact. Students explore how computing
enables innovation, augments human interaction, and leads
to beneficial and harmful


References
	 [1]	Abelson, Hal, Ken Ledeen, and Harry Lewis, Blown to Bits: Your Life, Liberty, and Happiness
       After the Digital Explosion. Addison-Wesley Professional, 2008; http://www.bitsbook.com/
       wp-content/uploads/2008/12/B2B_3.pdf. Accessed 2015 August 15.
	 [2]	Astrachan, Owen, “The CS Principles Project.” ACM Inroads 3, 2 (2012).
	 [3]	College Board, AP Computer Science Principles Curriculum Framework 2016-2017; 
https://secure-media.collegeboard.org/digitalServices/pdf/ap/ap-computer-science-principles-curriculum-framework.pdf
Accessed 2015 August 15.
	 [4]	Cuny, Jan, “Transforming High School Computing: A Call to Action.” ACM Inroads 3, 2 (2012).
	 [5]	Snyder, Lawrence, et al. “The First Five Computer Science Principles Pilots: Summary and
       Comparisons.” ACM Inroads 3, 2 (2012).
MARIE DESJARDINS
Department of Computer Science and Electrical Engineering
University of Maryland, Baltimore County
1000 Hilltop Circle
Baltimore Maryland 21250 USA
  mariedj@cs.umbc.edu