To AP or Not to AP?: A Guide to River Dell’s AP Courses, Vol. 1

Continued from page 5 chapter in July, August, and September. Finally, there is a project due by the first day of school, which is to prepare a brochure to persuade people to vote on a topic based on ecology.

Class Structure:

A typical class day for an AP Bio student starts with a “mini lecture/instruction.”

Ms. DeRosa Hill stressed that she encourages learning through hands-on activities, so she doesn’t spend too long lecturing. Then, students will break out into groups and either do a P.O.G.I.L. (Process-Oriented Guided Inquiry Learning) or a lab activity. Finally, the class will regroup and clarify and review the lesson.

AP Biology has eight units, which means there are two unit tests per quarter. Both Ms. DeRosa Hill and the AP Biology student we interviewed reported that the tests are difficult and require a thorough understanding of the content to succeed. However, for those who struggle with the tests, Ms. DeRosa Hill balances grades with lab and project grades. There are no retake or extra credit opportunities because the class is at a college level; however, Ms. DeRosa Hill is more than encourag- ing for students to seek extra help.

The AP Test:

Finally, Ms. DeRosa Hill provided encouraging data on success rates of previous students: In 2022, 66% of students got a 4 or 5 on the exam, while 95% received a passing grade of a 3, 4, or 5. This score exceeds the state average

Ms. DeRosa Hill noted that as long as the student is willing to put in the effort to learn, they will perform well.

AP Computer Science Principles

Overview:

AP Computer Science

Principles (AP CSP), taught by Dr. Chu, is an introductory computer science course that is comprised of “55% coding with JavaScript and pseudo code” and “45% noncoding focused issues associated with computing.” On a scale from 1 to 5, with 5 representing maximum course difficulty in RDHS, Dr. Chu gave this class a 3/5 score. When asked to rate the difficulty of this class, current AP CSP students have rated the class a 2/5 in difficulty as well.

Expectations: According to Dr. Chu, skills crucial for AP CSP include “reading comprehen- sion, writing, logical thinking, good problem-solving.”

In all AP-level classes, students are expected to “…be properly motivated and possess good study habits.” As one AP CSP student put it, “I think it is important for them [students] to consider it is an AP class, so it requires more effort than regular and honors classes.”

Despite this, the AP status of this class should not deter students from taking it. As another student says, “I also think that the ‘AP’ title steers people away by making them think it’s incredibly complex and a super high-level class, when I think it is more than realistic to do well in; you just have to work hard.”

As an AP class, AP CSP does have summer homework. Students are tasked to read a few chapters of an assigned book, complete a short coding course on the website code.org, and create accounts on several online sites.

After the school semester begins, students should also expect to receive 30 to 45 minutes of homework every night. According to student sources, however, the true amount of homework seems to vary more. “We don’t actually have homework very often,” one current student noted. “We used to have more worksheets at the beginning of the year […] When we do projects, we do have to finish them at home over the course of a few days.” Another student also suggests that the course assigns minimal homework. “Dr. Chu rarely gives homework, and, even when he does, it is very little. So, I spend around 20 minutes or less on his homework whenever it is given.”

Class Structure:

Dr. Chu states that the AP CSP class is “30% lecture, 60% hands on coding, 10% assessment.” Assessments consist of quizzes (20% of assessments), unit tests (40% of assessments), and projects and homework (40% of assessments).

In this class, students can expect to gain a basic understanding of the ways in which computing devices and the internet function. Fundamental programing constructs, including sequential, conditional, and iterative constructs, are also taught. The programming language used in AP CSP is JavaScript. After course completion, students will become proficient in JavaScript at a basic level. Other topics of note include the societal impacts of computing advancements, the top-down design process, and the problem-solving process.

If students find themselves struggling at any point, they can go to extra help hours after school on Mondays, Thursdays, and Fridays. Extra credit and retakes, however, are not offered for this course.

The AP Test:

Dr. Chu proclaims that RDHS AP CSP students “… generally perform much better than New Jersey state averages, which have been much better than the national averages.” The AP Exam solely consists of 70 multiple choice questions. Unlike many other AP exams, the AP CSP exam does not include a section with free response questions (FRQs), or open-ended questions. Instead, AP CSP students are given a final project worth 30% of the final AP Exam grade.

AP Computer Science A

Overview:

AP Computer Science A (AP CSA), also taught by Dr. Chu, is a fundamental Java programming course. On a scale from 1 to 5, with 5 representing maximum course difficulty in RDHS, Dr. Chu gives this class a 5/5 maximum difficulty score. Current students have subjec- tively rated it 4/5 and 3/5 in difficulty as well.

Expectations:

Similar to AP Computer Science Principles, AP CSA students are expected to possess a strong foundation in reading comprehension, writing, logical reasoning, and problem-solving. As the more rigorous computer science class in RDHS, higher expectations for time-management and study habits are placed upon students. A current AP CSA student says, “Daily study, including assignments and lectures, are not enforced. It is on the students themselves to pay attention, take notes, and complete optional homework in order to maximize their success in this class.”

For AP CSA, the summer homework includes reading a chapter of an assigned book, creating accounts on various coding websites, and reviewing basic coding skills. The summer work is mostly compromised of the assigned reading, which introduces basic information about the basis of the Java programming language.

While most students believe that they should only enroll in AP CSA upon completion of AP CSP, this is not necessary. Although coding concepts and skills learned in AP CSP may be useful, AP CSA’s prerequisites do not include any information taught in AP CSP. However, for those interested in taking AP CSA independently, a current student advises, “It would be best to have a little bit of prior coding experience in Java, Python, or other languages before taking this class. The problemsolving skills and concepts gained from previous coding experience will be incredibly invaluable in this class.”

Throughout the course, students should also expect

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