Technology

PROGRAMMING COURSES

ADVANCED PLACEMENT COMPUTER SCIENCE PRINCIPLES

Grade Level: 9-12 Course Credit: 1 credit, 5 periods/week, full year

Description: AP Computer Science Principles introduces students to the breadth of the field of computer science. In this course, students will learn to design and evaluate solutions and to apply computer science to solve problems through the development of algorithms and programs. They will incorporate abstraction into programs and use data to discover new knowledge. Students will also explain how computing innovations and computing systems, including the internet, work, explore their potential impacts, and contribute to a computing culture that is collaborative and ethical. AP Computer Science Principles is equivalent to a first-semester, college-level breadth course in computer science. However, this is a highly accessible course. Prior computer science is not required to take this course.

The AP Computer Science Principles Exam assesses student understanding of the computational thinking practices and learning objectives outlined in the course framework. The exam consists of the Create performance task and an end-of-course AP Exam. The Create performance task requires at least 12 hours of dedicated class time for students to complete. The end-of-course exam is 2 hours long and includes 70 multiple-choice questions.

Prerequisites: Algebra I Fees: $97 for the Advanced Placement Computer Science Principles Exam

ADVANCED PLACEMENT COMPUTER SCIENCE A

Grade Level: 10, 11, 12 Course Credit: 1 credit, 5 periods/week, full year

Description: AP Computer Science A is an introductory college-level computer science course. Students cultivate their understanding of coding through analyzing, writing, and testing code as they explore concepts like modularity, variables, and control structures. AP Computer Science A introduces students to computer science through programming. Fundamental topics in this course include the design of solutions to problems, the use of data structures to organize large sets of data, the development and implementation of algorithms to process data and discover new information, the analysis of potential solutions, and the ethical and social implications of computing systems. The course emphasizes object-oriented programming and design using the Java programming language.

The course requires that solutions of problems be written in the Java programming language. Because the Java programming language is extensive, the AP Computer Science A Exam covers a subset of Java. The AP Computer Science A Exam assesses student understanding of the computational thinking practices and learning objectives outlined in the course framework. The exam is 3 hours long and includes 40 multiplechoice questions and 4 free-response questions. As part of the exam, students will be given the Java Quick Reference, which lists accessible methods from the Java library that may be included on the exam.

Prerequisites: AP Computer Science Principles or teacher recommendation. Fees: $97.00 for the Advanced Placement Computer Science exam.

HONORS PYTHON PROGRAMMING 1

Grade Level: 11,12 Course Credit: 1 credit, 5 periods/week, full year

Description: Computer Science and computational problem solving are fundamental skills for engaging the 21st century marketplace of ideas and economies, and all students should have the opportunity to learn these skills as they will use them in whatever career they are likely to enter.

This Python course is inspired by a highly successful Intro Computing course (15-112, Fundamentals of Programming and Computer Science) that has been taught at Carnegie Mellon University for the past 10+ years. It is predicated on the notion that learning about programming and computer science should be fun and engaging. This requires interesting problems to solve, as computational problem-solving is at the core of computer science. It is why we choose to first expose students to graphical problems in Python: they are visually engaging, allow for multiple correct solutions, and provide visual cues when a solution goes awry.

Prerequisite: AP Computer Science Principles Fees: None

HONORS PYTHON PROGRAMMING 2

Grade Level: 11,12 Course Credit: 1 credit, 5 periods/week, full year

Description: A full-year honors-level course in programming and computer science, Honors Python Programming 2 prepares students for college studies in computer science and related disciplines. This course re-examines earlier topics from AP CSA (functions, conditionals, loops, strings, lists and more) but in Python and in greater detail and increased rigor. The course also covers intermediate data structures (sets, dictionaries), recursion, object-oriented programming, exceptions, monte carlo methods, cloud computing, efficiency, limits of computation, style, and top-down design, among other topics. The course culminates in a significant creative project.

Prerequisite: AP Computer Science A or Honors Python Programming 1 Fees: None

CYBERSECURITY

Grade Level: 9-12 Course Credit: 1 credit, 5 periods/week, full year

Description: Cybersecurity lays a foundation for understanding cyber law and policy, Linux, networking, technology basics, risk assessment, cryptography, and a variety of cyber security tools. Cybersecurity introduces all the concepts and skills needed to prepare for the (Optional) CompTIA Security+ certification exam. At the end of this course, you will (1) Understand the concepts behind cybersecurity, (2) practice a variety of cybersecurity skills in a safe lab setting, and (3) through case studies have a greater understanding of the history and the need for cybersecurity.

Prerequisites: Algebra I Fees: $25 lab fee

INTRODUCTION TO ENGINEERING AND DESIGN

Grade Level: 9,10,11,12 Course Credit: 1 credit, 5 periods/week, full year

Description: IED is the first course in a sequence of four courses which follows the national Project Lead the Way curriculum. Students use a problem-solving model to improve existing products and invent new ones. They learn how to apply this model to solve problems in and out of the classroom. Using sophisticated threedimensional modeling software, students communicate the details of the products. Emphasis is placed on analyzing potential solutions and communicating ideas to others.

Prerequisite: None Fees: None

PRINCIPLES OF ENGINEERING

Grade Level: 10,11,12 Course Credit: 1 credit, 5 periods/week, full year

Description: This survey course of engineering exposes students to major concepts they will encounter in a postsecondary engineering course of study. Students employ engineering and scientific concepts in the solutions of engineering design problems. They develop problem-solving skills and apply their knowledge of research and design to create solutions to various challenges, documenting their work and communicating solutions to peers and members of the professional community.

Prerequisite: Introduction to Engineering and Design Fees: None NOTE: Principles of Engineering and Introduction to Engineering and Design may be taken concurrently.

DIGITAL ELECTRONICS

Grade Level: 10,11,12 Course Credit: 1 credit, 5 periods/week, full year

Description: From smartphones to appliances, digital circuits are all around us. This course provides a foundation for students who are interested in electrical engineering, electronics, or circuit design. Students study topics such as combinational and sequential logic and are exposed to circuit design tools used in industry, including logic gates, integrated circuits, and programmable logic devices.

Prerequisite: Introduction to Engineering and Design and Principles of Engineering Fees: None