In the United States, Advanced Placement Computer Science (commonly shortened to AP Comp Sci) is a suite of Advanced Placement courses and examinations covering areas of

computer science Computer science is the study of computation, automation, and information. Computer science spans theoretical disciplines (such as algorithms, theory of computation, information theory, and automation) to Applied science, practical discipli ...

. They are offered by the College Board to

high school A secondary school describes an institution that provides secondary education and also usually includes the building where this takes place. Some secondary schools provide both '' lower secondary education'' (ages 11 to 14) and ''upper seconda ...

students as an opportunity to earn college credit for

college A college (Latin: ''collegium'') is an educational institution or a constituent part of one. A college may be a degree-awarding tertiary educational institution, a part of a collegiate or federal university, an institution offering ...

-level courses. The suite consists of two current classes and one discontinued class. AP Computer Science was taught in Pascal for the 1984–1998 exams, in

C++ C++ (pronounced "C plus plus") is a high-level general-purpose programming language created by Danish computer scientist Bjarne Stroustrup as an extension of the C programming language, or "C with Classes". The language has expanded significan ...

for 1999–2003, and in

Java Java (; id, Jawa, ; jv, ꦗꦮ; su, ) is one of the Greater Sunda Islands in Indonesia. It is bordered by the Indian Ocean to the south and the Java Sea to the north. With a population of 151.6 million people, Java is the world's mos ...

since 2004.

AP Computer Science A

AP Computer Science A is a programming class. The course emphasizes

object-oriented programming Object-oriented programming (OOP) is a programming paradigm based on the concept of "objects", which can contain data and code. The data is in the form of fields (often known as attributes or ''properties''), and the code is in the form of pr ...

methodology, especially problem solving and

algorithm In mathematics and computer science, an algorithm () is a finite sequence of rigorous instructions, typically used to solve a class of specific Computational problem, problems or to perform a computation. Algorithms are used as specificat ...

development, plus an overview of data structures and abstraction. The AP Computer Science A exam tests students on their knowledge of

. It is meant to be the equivalent of a first-semester college course in computer science. The

Microsoft Microsoft Corporation is an American multinational technology corporation producing computer software, consumer electronics, personal computers, and related services headquartered at the Microsoft Redmond campus located in Redmond, Washing ...

-sponsored program Technology Education and Literacy in Schools (TEALS) aims to increase the number of students taking AP Computer Science classes.

AP Computer Science AB (discontinued)

AP Computer Science AB included all the topics of AP Computer Science A, as well as a more formal and a more in-depth study of

algorithms In mathematics and computer science, an algorithm () is a finite sequence of rigorous instructions, typically used to solve a class of specific problems or to perform a computation. Algorithms are used as specifications for performing ...

data structures In computer science, a data structure is a data organization, management, and storage format that is usually chosen for efficient access to data. More precisely, a data structure is a collection of data values, the relationships among them, a ...

, and data abstraction. For example, binary trees were studied in AP Computer Science AB but not in AP Computer Science A. The use of

recursive Recursion (adjective: ''recursive'') occurs when a thing is defined in terms of itself or of its type. Recursion is used in a variety of disciplines ranging from linguistics to logic. The most common application of recursion is in mathematics ...

data structures and dynamically allocated structures were fundamental to AP Computer Science AB. AP Computer Science AB was equivalent to a full-year college course. Due to low numbers of students taking the exam, AP Computer Science AB was discontinued following the May 2009 exam administration.

AP Computer Science Principles

AP Computer Science Principles Advanced Placement (AP) Computer Science Principles (also known as APCSP) is an AP Computer Science course and examination offered by the College Board to high school students as an opportunity to earn college credit for a college-level computing ...

is an introductory course to computer science, "with a focus on how computing powers the world". It is designed as a parallel to AP Computer Science A, to emphasize

computational thinking Computational thinking (CT) is the mental skill to apply concepts, methods, problem solving techniques, and logic reasoning, derived from computing and computer science, to solve problems in all areas, including our daily lives. In education, CT ...

and fluency. It is meant to be the equivalent of a first-semester course in computing.

References

{{reflist Computer science education Computer engineering

AP Computer Science A

AP Computer Science AB (discontinued)

AP Computer Science Principles

See also

References