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College Board

Proposed New Course and Exam—AP® Computer Science: Principles

Background and Rationale

At a 2008 National Science Foundation-supported conference with the theme of Computational Thinking and Fluency in the 21st Century, a group of the nation's leading computer scientists and educators agreed that students require increasing skills in computing across all STEM fields.

Advancing U.S. students' understanding of the principles and practices of computing is critical to developing a more competitive workforce for the 21st century. Yet, the number of students studying computing and computer science at both the high school and collegiate levels has been declining alarmingly—the number of students taking the AP Computer Science Exam fell 15 percent between 2001 and 2007, while the number of college freshmen intending to major in computer science plummeted more than 70 percent this decade. Conference scholars further noted that given the changing educational needs of students, computer science in the 21st century must build beyond the programming-centric orientation that was prevalent during the discipline's infancy.

To that end, the investigators proposed developing a curriculum for a new Advanced Placement Program® (AP®) course that would fill a critical gap as an adjunct to the existing AP Computer Science A course. In 2009, the College Board, in partnership with the National Science Foundation (NSF), received a grant to prototype the development of this new course, titled AP Computer Science: Principles. The new course will introduce students to programming, but will also give them an understanding of the fundamental concepts of computing, its breadth of application, and its potential for transforming the world we live in. It will be rigorous, engaging and accessible. To learn more, see www.csprinciples.org.

A commission of 10 secondary and higher education faculty and an advisory group of 19 higher education representatives was charged with developing a robust curriculum for the new course, which will focus on computational thinking and fluency and will equate to a parallel introductory college computer science course.

Five pilot sites were selected to teach the course during the next phase of the project, including:

  • Metropolitan State College of Denver (contact Jody Paul)
  • University of California at Berkeley (contact Dan Garcia)
  • University of California at San Diego (contact Beth Simon)
  • University of North Carolina, Charlotte (contact Tiffany Barnes)
  • University of Washington (contact Larry Snyder)

Instructors for the pilot sites are charged with developing and implementing a recruitment plan focusing on increasing minority and female student enrollment; planning and delivering the newly designed course; and participating in course evaluation activities, such as pre- and post- surveys (including surveys of students).

Impetus for Development of Framework and Course

The proposed AP Computer Science: Principles course is intended to foster a wider appeal for the computer science discipline and to better prepare a pipeline of STEM majors. The College Board's meticulous AP course development process, already proven and thoroughly vetted in the NSF-funded redesign of the other AP science courses, provides the framework in which the new course's curriculum has been designed. Specific deliverables of the NSF-sponsored AP Computer Science: Principles project will be:

  1. the AP Computer Science: Principles Curriculum Framework (detailed learning objectives, clearly articulated computational thinking skills, and expected student performance levels);
  2. the design and implementation of course pilots in both secondary and postsecondary settings;
  3. curriculum evaluations; and
  4. a suite of computer-based, prototype assessment items.

Acceptance of the New Course by Higher Education Institutions

The NSF has generously funded the development of the curriculum and the piloting of the proposed AP Computer Science: Principles course. The next step in moving forward would be to complete AP Exam development and create teacher professional development in support of the new course. The College Board is committed to providing experiences for students leading to placement in advanced college courses and to the awarding of college credit. AP students and teachers have clearly stated that a primary value of the AP Program is the course credit that colleges award for AP Exam scores of 3 or higher in a given subject.

It is therefore critical that the College Board receive validation in the form of attestations from computer science department chairs and/or other academic leadership that serve as evidence of the merit of the proposed program in terms of college-level credit and placement. See the sidebar to the right for a list of representatives from colleges who have provided attestations to the College Board in support of the development of the Computer Science: Principles course and exam.

Recommended Items to Review:

  • Computer Science: Principles Curriculum Framework
  • External statements from education and computer science organizations, and attestations from education and computer science professionals (see sidebar)
  • Data from students in your computer science program and information on the needs of your school's other academic programs requiring computing fluency
  • Project Timeline

AP Computer Science: Principles—Attestation of Intent Form

Please fill in the fields below to let us know whether your institution intends to grant credit and/or advanced placement for scores on the AP Computer Science: Principles Exam.

* REQUIRED INFORMATION

I am attesting to my college's intent for use of the proposed AP Computer Science Principles Exam by awarding college credit and/or placement within our program. Review the letter before signing.

I need more information before we are able to make a decision regarding credit or placement based on scores on the proposed AP Computer Science: Principles Exam. I would like a member of the AP Computer Science: Principles team to contact me.

I am not able to confirm our position with regard to the proposed AP Computer Science: Principles course and exam at this time.

Credit-granting and placement policies are approved/released by another group.

You are attesting to your college's intent to grant credit and/or advanced placement for qualifying scores on the proposed AP Computer Science: Principles Exam. We would very much appreciate more information about your college's perspective on this proposed new course, along with an attestation of support for the project, if you wish to supply one. Please select as many of the statement choices on the letter below as correctly describe your institution's view of the new course and exam, and click "Submit" to send the letter.

To: Ariel Foster
Senior Director, College and University Services
Advanced Placement Program (AP)
The College Board
45 Columbus Avenue
New York, NY 10023-6992

Dear Ms. Foster:

I are writing on behalf of    in support of the Advanced Placement Program's development of the proposed AP Computer Science: Principles course and examination. I have selected statements below which describe my college's perspective on this proposed new AP course:

   We regard the AP Computer Science: Principles curriculum as an introductory college-level experience, exceeding traditional high-school or developmental experiences, and as such, foundational to the computing major and to other disciplines that require a strong basis in computer fluency prior to progressing to advanced course work in the discipline.

   We intend to offer credit for students who earn qualifying scores on the AP Exam in Computer Science: Principles.

  We intend to offer a course comparable in content/purpose to the AP Computer Science: Principles course.

  We will place students earning a successful score on the AP Computer Science: Principles Exam into a sequent computing course.

  [Optional:]  We are willing to be listed on the College Board's website and in presentations as supporting college credit and placement for the AP Computer Science: Principles Exam.

We encourage the College Board to continue further development of the AP Computer Science: Principles course and exam in collaboration with the National Science Foundation. We regard the inclusion of this new opportunity as adding value to the Advanced Placement Program and our institution's use of AP in our academic practices.

Sincerely,

AP CS: Principles Curriculum Framework

Read more about the Curriculum Framework

Course Annotations (.pdf/483K)
Computational Thinking Practices and Big Ideas, Key Concepts, Supporting Concepts (.pdf/599K)
Learning Objectives and Evidence Statements (.pdf/700K)

Computational Thinking Practices

  1. Connecting Computing
  2. Developing computational artifacts
  3. Abstracting
  4. Analyzing problems and artifacts
  5. Communicating
  6. Working effectively in teams

Big Ideas

  1. Creativity: Computing is a creative activity.
  2. Abstraction: Abstraction reduces information and detail to facilitate focus on relevant concepts.
  3. Data: Data and information facilitate the creation of knowledge.
  4. Algorithms: Algorithms are used to develop and express solutions to computational problems.
  5. Programming: Programming enables problem solving, human expression, and creation of knowledge.
  6. Internet: The Internet pervades modern computing.
  7. Impact: Computing has global impacts.

Computer Science Commission Members

  • Don Allen, Troy High School, CA
  • Christine Alvarado, Harvey Mudd College, CA
  • Stacey Armstrong, Cypress Woods High School, TX
  • Owen Astrachan, Duke University, NC
  • Charmaine Bentley, Franklin D. Roosevelt High School, TX
  • Amy Briggs, Middlebury College, VT
  • Rich Kick, Newbury Park High School, CA
  • Mark Guzdial, Georgia Institute of Technology, GA
  • Jody Paul, Metropolitan State College of Denver, CO
  • Chris Stephenson, Executive Director, Computer Science Teachers' Association

Computer Science Advisory Group Members

  • Duane Bailey, Williams College, MA
  • Tiffany Barnes, University of North Carolina, Charlotte, NC
  • Gail Chapman, Director, Leadership and Professional Development, Computer Science Teachers' Association
  • Tom Cortina, Carnegie Mellon University, PA
  • Stephen Edwards, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, VA
  • Dan Garcia, University of California, Berkeley, CA
  • Joanna Goode, University of Oregon, OR
  • Susanne Hambrusch, Purdue University, IN
  • Michelle Hutton, President, Computer Science Teachers' Association
  • Deepak Kumar, Bryn Mawr College, PA
  • Jim Kurose, University of Massachusetts-Amherst, MA
  • Andrea Lawrence, Spelman College, GA
  • Richard Pattis, University of California, Irvine, CA
  • Eric Roberts, Stanford University, CA
  • Katie Siek, University of Colorado at Boulder, CO
  • Beth Simon, University of California, San Diego, CA
  • Larry Snyder, University of Washington, WA
  • Lynn Andrea Stein, Franklin W. Olin College of Engineering, MA
  • Fran Trees, Drew University, NJ
Planned Project Activities
Pilot I
 Fall 2010 - Spring 2011
The current participating college professors are members of the AP CS: Principles Commission or Advisory Group and are very familiar with the proposed Curriculum Framework. They have also generated a recruitment plan for enrolling an increased number of women and underrepresented minority students in their pilot course.
College Curriculum Study
 January - March 2011
A College Curriculum Study will be implemented for computer science faculty to provide feedback on the importance of the proposed content and computational thinking practices within the AP CS: Principles Curriculum Framework. Participants' responses will be used to make recommended adjustments to the proposed Curriculum Framework.
Pilot II (10 Colleges and 10 High Schools)
 Fall 2011 - Spring 2012
Pilot II will be conducted in both secondary and post-secondary settings, with evaluative measures that will include pre- and post-pilot surveys, assessments of the curriculum and its effect on the piloting faculty and student participants. Participating schools should also have the potential for enrolling large numbers of women and underrepresented minority students in the pilot course. More information will be provided at a later time regarding the full set of selection criteria for Pilot II schools.
Item Development
 Fall 2010 - Summer 2011
The development of computer-based prototype assessment items will be conducted with a lens to measure the content and computational thinking practices identified in the AP CS: Principles Curriculum Framework.
Item Tryouts
 Fall 2011 and Spring 2012
The prototype test items will be administered to students via a computer-based platform at Pilot II schools. The item tryouts in these piloted courses will provide proof of concept for future test items to be developed.

Statements of Support


Institutions that have Attested

  • University of California Irvine
  • University of Maryland Baltimore County
  • University of Washington
  • Stanford University
  • Harvey Mudd College
  • Click here to see the full list of institutions that have attested.

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