About This Webinar
Learn effective strategies to help your AP Computer Science Principles students prepare for the Create Performance Task. Join this interactive webinar to explore how to use the CodeHS curriculum to scaffold the task and support student success. Our team will also highlight how students can use the Practice Performance Task modules and the Project Catalog to strengthen their portfolio submissions.
Master the AP CSP Create Task with expert tips from experienced teacher and AP Reader Chauffe Jacobson. Learn about program requirements, citing AI, and preparing students for the written response. Use CodeHS review tools to ensure your students are ready for the April 30th deadline.
Full Transcript
Read the complete transcript of this webinar
Welcome to our second AP webinar of our spring webinar series. We're so happy to have you join us today. I wanted to make sure today that you all had a chance to get your questions answered about the AP Computer Science Principles Create Task. We want to ask you to go ahead and open up your Q&A; you should see that at the bottom of your Zoom screen. Any questions you might have coming into this webinar about the Create Task, go ahead and put them in the Q&A now so that we can make sure we get them answered before we leave today. We have a quick 45-minute webinar and we want to make sure that you get what you need to prepare your students for this exam.
I'm going to introduce you to Chauffe Jacobson, who is your presenter today. We are so lucky to have her with us because not only is she a very experienced APCSP teacher, but she's also a reader and has worked in the formation of this exam.
Hi everyone, my name is Chauffe Jacobson. I have been an AP Computer Science Principles teacher since the first year this course was launched, and I'm a reader and table leader for APCSP reading as well. I have tried so many things, so if you do have questions, I will try my very best to answer them.
Today we're going to cover the basics of the APCSP exam, what this test looks like, and what the Create Task looks like. Specifically, we will take a look at some CodeHS materials that can help you prepare your students. If you are new to CodeHS and have not been using the CSP curriculum throughout the school year, that is okay. We encourage you to sign up for an account today and check out the free curriculum and the free review course available to your students.
Let’s look at the Q&A. Someone asked about the maximum number of tasks a student can create in a 70-minute class. College Board only asks you to submit one Create Task. You can do multiple mock Create Tasks, but you only need to submit one by April 30th. Regarding time, it should be nine in-class hours. If you have 70-minute classes, you will need to do the math to ensure you provide those nine hours.
Another question asked about the use of AI in the Create Task. You can use AI much like you would collaborate with another student. However, every single line of code in the procedure calls and list management must be understood by the student. If they don't understand it, they will not be able to answer the four questions during the AP exam. I personally ask my students to try not to use AI to generate code and instead write it on their own.
For pre-work, I highly recommend doing mock Create Tasks. CodeHS provides unit six, "Tell a Story," which is a good start, but you should do a full mock version. Once students finish unit seven on basic data structures, they have the knowledge needed for a Create Task, such as linear search scenarios.
Regarding the AP website, students can resubmit until they click "final." As for instructor help, you can only discuss their initial ideas or help solve technical issues, like a video screenshot being off. You cannot provide feedback on their design, coding, or errors. Collaboration is allowed if students are designated partners, but their final video and individual components must be separate and independent. Any code, images, or audio not created by the student must be cited. If they use AI for help, they should cite it; otherwise, the application could be voided.
When recording the code for upload, they don't record the code itself; they record the program running to show functionality. For the Personal Project Reference (PPR), students must remove all citations and comments from the specific code segments. If there are comments in the PPR, the reader will not grade it.
The AP exam has two parts: 70 multiple-choice questions over two hours and the written response for the Create Task. I recommend students use white paper and a pen during the multiple-choice section to slow down. Big Idea 1 and Big Idea 5 are usually areas where students do well, but reading code can be a challenge. The Create Task accounts for 30 points of the total score. Ten points are earned from program requirements like the video and PPR before the exam. At the end of the AP exam, students have 60 minutes to complete two written response questions. Q1 focuses on purpose and functionality, while Q2 covers algorithm development, testing, and data abstraction.
For the video, the input and output should be clear. If using CodeHS, show the typing in the box and use input statements. The procedure should have at least one parameter. While the code can be created collaboratively, the video and written responses must be independent. For list management, I recommend using a pre-populated list rather than an empty one, but if a student uses an empty list, the PPR must show both the empty list and the code segment where data is appended to it.
In the PPR, ensure the procedure includes the name, at least one parameter, a loop, and a list. If a student forgets the procedure name in their snippet, they will lose points. Avoid any Personal Identifiable Information (PII) in the video, such as recording your own voice or including your name in the file.
Students should submit before spring break but avoid finalizing it immediately so they can improve if needed. Once they click final, they cannot easily pull it back without a legitimate reason and potential comparison of the two versions by the College Board.
To prepare for the multiple-choice section, use the three sets of practice exams in the AP classroom or the CodeHS test bank. Note that hexadecimal was removed from the exam requirements a couple of years ago, so you no longer need to teach it.
We have an additional CSP webinar on April 2nd focused more generally on the exam, and our virtual teacher conference is on April 11th. Thank you everyone for joining us today.
I'm going to introduce you to Chauffe Jacobson, who is your presenter today. We are so lucky to have her with us because not only is she a very experienced APCSP teacher, but she's also a reader and has worked in the formation of this exam.
Hi everyone, my name is Chauffe Jacobson. I have been an AP Computer Science Principles teacher since the first year this course was launched, and I'm a reader and table leader for APCSP reading as well. I have tried so many things, so if you do have questions, I will try my very best to answer them.
Today we're going to cover the basics of the APCSP exam, what this test looks like, and what the Create Task looks like. Specifically, we will take a look at some CodeHS materials that can help you prepare your students. If you are new to CodeHS and have not been using the CSP curriculum throughout the school year, that is okay. We encourage you to sign up for an account today and check out the free curriculum and the free review course available to your students.
Let’s look at the Q&A. Someone asked about the maximum number of tasks a student can create in a 70-minute class. College Board only asks you to submit one Create Task. You can do multiple mock Create Tasks, but you only need to submit one by April 30th. Regarding time, it should be nine in-class hours. If you have 70-minute classes, you will need to do the math to ensure you provide those nine hours.
Another question asked about the use of AI in the Create Task. You can use AI much like you would collaborate with another student. However, every single line of code in the procedure calls and list management must be understood by the student. If they don't understand it, they will not be able to answer the four questions during the AP exam. I personally ask my students to try not to use AI to generate code and instead write it on their own.
For pre-work, I highly recommend doing mock Create Tasks. CodeHS provides unit six, "Tell a Story," which is a good start, but you should do a full mock version. Once students finish unit seven on basic data structures, they have the knowledge needed for a Create Task, such as linear search scenarios.
Regarding the AP website, students can resubmit until they click "final." As for instructor help, you can only discuss their initial ideas or help solve technical issues, like a video screenshot being off. You cannot provide feedback on their design, coding, or errors. Collaboration is allowed if students are designated partners, but their final video and individual components must be separate and independent. Any code, images, or audio not created by the student must be cited. If they use AI for help, they should cite it; otherwise, the application could be voided.
When recording the code for upload, they don't record the code itself; they record the program running to show functionality. For the Personal Project Reference (PPR), students must remove all citations and comments from the specific code segments. If there are comments in the PPR, the reader will not grade it.
The AP exam has two parts: 70 multiple-choice questions over two hours and the written response for the Create Task. I recommend students use white paper and a pen during the multiple-choice section to slow down. Big Idea 1 and Big Idea 5 are usually areas where students do well, but reading code can be a challenge. The Create Task accounts for 30 points of the total score. Ten points are earned from program requirements like the video and PPR before the exam. At the end of the AP exam, students have 60 minutes to complete two written response questions. Q1 focuses on purpose and functionality, while Q2 covers algorithm development, testing, and data abstraction.
For the video, the input and output should be clear. If using CodeHS, show the typing in the box and use input statements. The procedure should have at least one parameter. While the code can be created collaboratively, the video and written responses must be independent. For list management, I recommend using a pre-populated list rather than an empty one, but if a student uses an empty list, the PPR must show both the empty list and the code segment where data is appended to it.
In the PPR, ensure the procedure includes the name, at least one parameter, a loop, and a list. If a student forgets the procedure name in their snippet, they will lose points. Avoid any Personal Identifiable Information (PII) in the video, such as recording your own voice or including your name in the file.
Students should submit before spring break but avoid finalizing it immediately so they can improve if needed. Once they click final, they cannot easily pull it back without a legitimate reason and potential comparison of the two versions by the College Board.
To prepare for the multiple-choice section, use the three sets of practice exams in the AP classroom or the CodeHS test bank. Note that hexadecimal was removed from the exam requirements a couple of years ago, so you no longer need to teach it.
We have an additional CSP webinar on April 2nd focused more generally on the exam, and our virtual teacher conference is on April 11th. Thank you everyone for joining us today.
