Computer Science
Course Descriptions

Honors Computer Science I

This course is a required prerequisite for AP Computer Science Principles and is offered during the 1st semester.

This course is an introductory course intended to familiarize students with the general concepts and thinking practices of computing, computer science, and information science. Students will learn computing concepts through authentic visual and interactive projects using visual programming languages. Students will focus on the "big CS ideas" in creative ways that emphasize conceptual knowledge and thinking practices rather than on programming alone. The big ideas in CSP include computing as a creative activity, abstraction, facilitating knowledge creation through computing, algorithms, problem-solving, the Internet, and the global impact of computing. Emphasis is placed on problem-solving, communication, creativity, and exploring the impacts of computing on how we think, communicate, work, and play. Art, English language arts, and mathematical concepts are reinforced.

 

AP Computer Science Principles

Prerequisite - Computer Science I (these two courses should be taken in the same year, this is a 2nd semester course)

This course is an introductory college-level computing course that introduces students to the breadth of the field of computer science. Students learn to design and evaluate solutions and to apply computer science to solve problems through the development of algorithms and programs. They incorporate abstraction into programs and use data to discover new knowledge. Students 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.