AP Computer Science Objectives

Mr. Rogers AP Computer Science I - Fourth Quarter Objectives

Schedule 2010

Schedule 2012

AP Exam Free Response Preparation

Essential Question: How can you pass the AP Exam?

Relevance: Check out the cost of a college class. College credit for AP Computer Science is worth at least $1000.

Homefun (formative assessment): Read GridWorld Section 4 Interacting Objects, Exercises 1-6,
Programming Assignment (summative assessment): Complete your personal project

Free response Question Notebook (formative assessment):

Write answers for the questions in the free response questions (FRQs) in the 2004 to 2012 exams except for the Marine Biology Case Study questions. Minimum requirement = 2 per week.

Grade and score your answers to the above according to the AP answer guide. The solutions to previous AP Comp Sci FRQs can be found here. Do not look at the solutions until you have written the answers.

Maintain these in a loose-leaf notebook. This book will be checked once a week.

Return to FRQs and re-work the ones that originally gave you difficulty. Note that FRQs tend to follow patterns.

Problem sets can be found online at the AP Computer Science A section of the American College Board site or will be provided by Mr. Rogers.

AP Computer Science A Exam % Right on Exam
AP Score	1992	1999	2004
5	65.7	60	63
4	54.3	45	49
3	37.1	33	39

AP Exam Multiple Choice Preparation

In-Class Tests (summative assessment): A multiple choice AP type test will be given approximately once per week starting near the end of March (3 tests total). These will count 100 points each toward your grade. They will be curved to approximate an AP grading system. At worst 50% correct will be a "C". In addition, each student will receive an estimate from 1 to 5 of their future grade based on each test.

Take-Home Tests (formative assessment): A minimum of 1 multiple choice AP-type take-home tests will be given. These will count 50 points each and be curved but not as generously as the in-class tests. Your work is to be turned in on each question. You may collaborate with other students and may compare answers but only if each person has actually worked the problem and written down their work. Allowing a student to simply copy your answers is strictly forbidden and may result in a grade of zero for both of the students involved.

The Good News: The highest in-class test will be cloned to help compensate for having a bad day. Take-home tests will not be cloned.

AP Exam Self Study

As mentioned on the first page, you will not reach your potential on the AP test without a lot of self study.

Regularly take multiple choice practice tests in the study books. Start with only 10 multiple-choice questions in one of the tests. Study the questions you miss. Re-take the questions until its possible to state the question by seeing the answer. Next, add 10 more questions. Repeat this process until you have completed an entire test. Then, move on to the next test. Do this same process for at least 3 practice tests. In general, it's best to take the multiple choice sections separately from the free response.
Work at least 3 free response test sections from the study books.
Attend as many AP study sessions as you possibly can. Do not depend on in-class review sessions.
Avoid field trips during the 4th quarter. This is generally when AP knowledge comes together for most students. The 4th quarter is a very bad time to miss classes. .

Essential Question: Do computing professionals make life and death decisions?

The Social and Ethical Considerations in Computing

System reliability--the horror stories: radiation burned cancer patients, phone system crashes, etc.
The right to privacy--you would not walk into your neighbor's house merely because the door was open.
Legal issues

software piracy--When you pirate software you are stealing from every single user who has paid for the product. This eventually shows up as an added cost in a wide variety of products other than just software related ones.

intellectual property

copyright law--anything you write including code is automatically copyrighted as soon as it is written. Copyright law is very strong protection.

trademarks

patents

identity theft

e-mail scams--you've won a million dollars, yeah right.

vandalism

viruses--the price you pay for antivirus software is only part of the continuing cost you are forced to pay because of individuals who write viruses.

Social and ethical ramifications

spyware

SPAM

chain letters--when you politely complain to the sender use "reply". Never use "reply to all" it compounds the problem.

search engine issues--when information from one site is copied and posted on another, without giving a reference to the original source, it becomes impossible to find the original source and evaluate the reliability of the information.

Define responsible use of computers.

Assignment: Pick a topic from any of the above items and prepare a 5 minute PowerPoint presentation to be delivered in class after the AP exam.