AP COMPUTER SCIENCE IN DALLAS
The College Board has developed an Advanced Placement Computer Science course to be offered to high school juniors and seniors. This course in computer science introduces students to the important topics in the first course of computer science. The goal of this course is to develop or enhance the student’s ability in problem-solving with a computer and to create well-informed students in this scientific and technical age. This limited study concerns the group of students at a particular inner-city high school, W. W. Samuell, in Dallas, Texas, who enrolled in the AP Computer Science course and the strategies employed by the instructor of the course to improve the low passing percentage of the students on the AP Computer Science exam. The teacher’s goal is ultimately to improve the positive performance of the AP Computer Science exam by the students. The format of the AP Computer Science exam has changed significantly in the last couple of years.
These test changes have caused the passing percentage in the exams to decrease exponentially. With the current inner-city passing percentage of 11% requiring a rating of 3 or higher, the instructor realized that it was necessary to focus on the quality of preparation that the students receive to increase success on the AP Computer Science exam. The purpose of the course is to introduce and implement new, innovative, and creative ways to attract more women and minorities to computer science while increasing the number of students passing the exam with at least a rating of 3 or higher. During the first half of the computer science class, the AP Computer Science class is combined with the level II students of the course. This exposure allows the students to become acclimated and exposed to the field of computer science. It develops an interest in the students and instils a sense of confidence by collaborating and teaching material to level I students.
PREPARATION TECHNIQUES FOR THE AP COMPUTER SCIENCE EXAM AND HOW MASTERCLASS SPACE HELP IN IT?
Emphasis in the AP Computer Science exam is given to key areas such as boolean expressions, conditional statements, iteration, and arrays. Masterclass Space students engage in a lot of activities, including video lectures and coding challenges, among others, conducted as group projects.
Techniques to use while preparing
Practice coding Practice coding to become familiar with the Java programming language. Sites such as CodingBat offer live coding exercises for Java and Python.
Review concepts Develop a conceptual understanding of algorithms rather than memorizing specific code.
Review the AP curriculum Review the topics covered on the exam and identify your areas of weakness.
Take practice tests Use AP preparation materials to complete coding exercises. The College Board provides free access to past AP Computer Science Principles exams.
Read questions carefully Underline the tasks, variables, and methods needed to accomplish the tasks.
Time management: Keep track of the time and do not spend too much time on any one question.
Learning from other’s code Reading other people’s code can give insight into alternative solutions and methods.
Multiple choice strategies Answer every multiple-choice question, even if it is a guess. Read all answer choices and use the process of elimination.
Free-response questions Attempt every part of the free-response questions.
Masterclass Space also has instructors for each of the subjects, who guide the students through video lessons, coding exercises, and team projects. They assess student learning through assignments, activities, and tests. Their curriculum helps students learn and enhance their coding skills.
Masterclass Space – video lectures and discussion forums, among other learning activities, are in place within their AP Computer Science classes to make learning more individualized. The expert teachers guide students through hands-on coding, video lectures, and design projects. Professional development forums also assist instructors in teaching computer science.
MAIN TOPICS OF AP COMPUTER SCIENCE EXAM
The AP Computer Science A course includes topics such as:
Primitive Types
Using Objects Objects and classes, creation of objects, using class libraries such as Integer and Double, defining object behavior using methods, using String objects and methods.
Boolean Expressions and If Statements
Iteration
Writing Classes The composition of a class, setting attributes using constructors, using comments, defining object behaviours using non-void, void, and static methods, intellectual property, and ethical concerns in programming.
Arrays
ArrayList
2D Array
Inheritance Grouping objects into super classes; defining and overriding methods; creating references using inheritance hierarchies. Recursive Algorithms Executing recursive methods, binary search and merge sort algorithms. AP Computer Science Principles course covers topics in computing at a high level and teaches imperative programming.
COMMON PITFALL OF AP COMPUTER SCIENCE AND HOW TO AVOID THEM
AP Computer Science in San Francisco common errors and how not to make them:
Twelve Common Errors Be aware of common errors such as being off by one in loops, not initializing a variable, failure to return a required value, using the wrong identifier, not returning a statement in a non-void method, modifying a constant, using local variables but not declaring them, missing brackets or semicolons, including extraneous code that causes side effects, confusing assignment operators, confusing brackets and assigning values incorrectly.
Legibility and Style Strive for legibility in your programming responses by: using meaningful names for variables, writing neatly and indenting properly, placing curly braces clearly, keeping it neat, using white space liberally, and placing each statement on a separate line.
Avoid Details Do not hard-code numbers, strings, or dimensions of arrays in your code.
Try Every Question: Try every part of the question, as each part is marked as independent of the others.
Emphasis on Fundamentals Computer science curricula should concentrate on fundamentals and not on exciting innovations.
Broad Coverage Content development must involve portions that are dedicated to wide coverage of topics, and no curriculum should emphasize one aspect above all others
Update Frequently Any computer science curriculum developed today will require frequent revisions to accommodate innovations, problems, and approaches4.
Theory and Practice: A computer science curriculum should provide for different learning styles balancing theory with hands-on practical learning.
Common Errors: The most common errors in programs usually consist of not required output/input statements, i.e., extraneous code, confused scope or object/method relationships, misuse of private data, and destruction of data structures.
The Masterclass Space program for AP Computer Science A Online Coaching gives students a place to explore, try out, and generally get a feel for the language. Well-trained teachers are prepared to help by assisting students in finding and correcting errors and also to teach the skills necessary to read and analyze programs that consist of hundreds of classes in describing the process of design and development. In AP Computer Science A preparation, this curriculum focuses on the Java programming language to enable students to achieve and improve programming skills.
CONCLUSION
When you start preparing for AP Computer Science in Dallas, you have to choose the right strategies, dedication, and resources, such as Masterclass Space. It is a place where students get coding skills, extend their problem-solving abilities, and give them better chances of performing well on the AP exam.
