Why doesn't AP CS meet the tech requirement?

[Anonymous]

DC's teacher just mentioned this and I don't get it. If you take a lower level CS class it counts.

[Anonymous]

My DS is AP Comp Sci now as fresheman and it counts toward tech credit (he has 50% of credit from completing 1st semester). Or does AP CS refer to something else?

[Anonymous]

AP Computer Science Principles counts but not AP Computer Science A. I think it is because the requirement is more about tech literacy than programming.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My DS is AP Comp Sci now as fresheman and it counts toward tech credit (he has 50% of credit from completing 1st semester). Or does AP CS refer to something else?

AP Computer Science Principles is the one that counts toward the tech credit.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My DS is AP Comp Sci now as fresheman and it counts toward tech credit (he has 50% of credit from completing 1st semester). Or does AP CS refer to something else?

AP Computer Science Principles is the one that counts toward the tech credit.

This is correct. My kid took it last year, and has fulfilled their tech credit.

They don’t learn a lot of specific programming language, more like how computers and their programmers approach problem-solving.

[Anonymous]

Meant AP CS with java. Why does child have to take a lower class to fulfill requirement?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Meant AP CS with java. Why does child have to take a lower class to fulfill requirement?

This does not make sense. MCPS (or MSDE) should allow it.

[Anonymous]

My kid goes to Einstein, college bound, and he's signed up for the basic tech class next year. Is the AP something he should be considering/doing instead? No one has mentioned this to him. Is the AP rigorous?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Meant AP CS with java. Why does child have to take a lower class to fulfill requirement?

This does not make sense. MCPS (or MSDE) should allow it.

This is how COMAR describes the requirement:
"Computer science, engineering, or technology education — one credit that includes the study of computers and algorithmic processes or the application of knowledge, tools, and skills to solve practical problems and extend human capabilities"

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My kid goes to Einstein, college bound, and he's signed up for the basic tech class next year. Is the AP something he should be considering/doing instead? No one has mentioned this to him. Is the AP rigorous?

AP CS Principles is not that rigorous. Many freshmen take it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Meant AP CS with java. Why does child have to take a lower class to fulfill requirement?

This does not make sense. MCPS (or MSDE) should allow it.

This is how COMAR describes the requirement:
"Computer science, engineering, or technology education — one credit that includes the study of computers and algorithmic processes or the application of knowledge, tools, and skills to solve practical problems and extend human capabilities"

"Or," there, right? Though the lack of comma placement makes it ambiguous as to whether it is

computers AND (algorithmic processes OR application of knowledge...)

or

(computers AND algorithmic processes) OR application of knowledge...

Either way, I have a hard time believing that AP CS with Java doesn't touch enough on "computers." Definitely would cover algorithms and would involve application to solve practical problems.

It's as if they don't like higher-end thought, success with which relies, to a great degree, on an understanding of more basic ideas. If someone completes AP CS with Java successfully, it would be the reasonable presumption that they understood underlying principles well enough to ensure any state-mandated items were satisfied. The purpose of that has to be ensurance of understanding/capability, right?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My DS is AP Comp Sci now as fresheman and it counts toward tech credit (he has 50% of credit from completing 1st semester). Or does AP CS refer to something else?

AP Computer Science Principles is the one that counts toward the tech credit.

This is correct. My kid took it last year, and has fulfilled their tech credit.

They don’t learn a lot of specific programming language, more like how computers and their programmers approach problem-solving.

Can you say more about what they learn in th Reg class? My kid isn’t interested in computer programming but definitely has an interest in approaches to problem-solving. She was planning on taking the intro engineering class, but thinking AP CS principles might also be appropriate based on your description.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My kid goes to Einstein, college bound, and he's signed up for the basic tech class next year. Is the AP something he should be considering/doing instead? No one has mentioned this to him. Is the AP rigorous?

AP CS Principles is not that rigorous. Many freshmen take it.

Mine took it at Einstein as a sophomore, and found they liked it in spite of not really being a “computer person” at all, just a bit of Scratch work at summer camp in elementary school. They liked that it leaned heavily on logic and structure. The teacher was clear and straightforward, and there wasn’t a lot of homework.

The exam is done partly in class, partly on the official AP exam date in May. Toward the end of March, I think, they work in class to design a simple program that performs certain tasks using a preexisting dataset, although I don’t think they actually have to learn any complex code. It’s more to show they understand the logic of computing, how it uses subroutines and algorithms and such.

That’s submitted to the AP through the instructor, before the usual AP exam season. Then in May they take a relatively short multiple-choice exam.

It’s known for being a fairly easy AP, without a lot of cramming required. On the flip side, it rarely earns college credit for a computer science course. Maybe a general elective, at best. But it gets you an AP class on your transcript and is more interesting than the basic tech class, so possibly still worth it. And MCPS is now paying for students’ AP exams, so you’ve got nothing to lose, right?

[Anonymous]

It's just because the people who made the rule didn't pay attention, and now no one is motivated to bother fixing it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It's just because the people who made the rule didn't pay attention, and now no one is motivated to bother fixing it.

I think this is right. It is super stupid. I have two kids who took Comp Sci Principals AP and agree it is an idiotic class in which you learn almost nothing. It is very easy and the kids refer to it as a study hall. The AP Java class is also not great but is at least somewhat useful and actually teaches something.

It’s not as dumb as the full year health requirement but it’s close. So basically two whole credits if HS (out of 28) wasted on idiocy. They should let kids test out of health and let them at least count AP Java towards the tech credit.