AP CSP Professional Learning Community (PLC)

Welcome to our first professional learning community session of this school year. We are very excited to have everyone here to discuss all things AP CS Principles this evening. We are joined by Chaopen, who led this group last year as well, so we're very lucky to hear her insights. Chaopen did some AP grading over the summer, so she'll have some great insights into the data that came out of testing this year.

What we thought we would talk about today is pacing and planning. That's always the toughest part of teaching: how do you fit it all in? Then we'll dive into upcoming content and talk about what might trip students up in the next couple of weeks and how we can scaffold their learning when a difficult topic is coming up. Finally, some folks wanted to talk about the Create Task. It's never too early to start introducing your students to the Create Task, what they need to accomplish for that personal project, and the pieces that go with it.

This is our notes document. I will pop a link to this in the chat, and we will share ideas here to get everybody's voices into the conversation. Since time is limited, if I have to cut you off before you finish an idea or if you want to share a link to a resource you use in your classroom, this document is the place to do it. Chaopen and I have already added links to this shared document, and hopefully you will come back to refer to it throughout the year as you are teaching.

If you are new to this group, our goal is to foster a collaborative environment where AP CSP educators can share ideas, resources, test prep strategies, classroom best practices, and pacing tips to get through the material in time. We want to provide your students plenty of opportunities to practice for the exam and get ready for the May test date we all look forward to. This session is interactive and discussion-based. We want you to ask questions, answer questions, share resources, and join the conversation. Everyone already has cameras on and is participating in the survey, so thank you so much for that.

To get warmed up and sharing, we'll start with three easy questions: What's your name, how long have you been teaching overall and AP CSP specifically, and how long have you used CodeHS?

My name is Chaopen Jacobson. I'm very fortunate to have the opportunity to work with Stephanie for a couple of years. I have been teaching for about 15 years, and this is my 11th year teaching AP CS. I started teaching AP CSP in 2016 and have been using CodeHS since my first year teaching it. I love using CodeHS.

I popped the sharing order in the chat for this evening. James, welcome back.

My name is James. I've been teaching computer science for five or six years and CSP for two. This is my second year using CodeHS the whole time.

James was with us last year for the professional learning community, so it makes my heart sing that you're back for more. James created some amazing resources that he emailed to me, which I shared with PLC members last year. Everyone was building on each other's work, which was wonderful.

Antonio, welcome.

I am the neophyte in the group; I'm totally new. I'm excited about the field of computer science, though I haven't been teaching very long. I am a clinician who switched over from therapy to teaching. I don't have experience with AP CSP, so all of this is new and exciting. I'm just going to be a sponge and absorb all the resources and in-depth knowledge from you guys.

Welcome, Antonio. You've come to the right place.

Rebecca, how are you?

I'm good, thank you. This is my 23rd or 24th year teaching. I've been teaching AP CSP for four years and using CodeHS for the past three years.

That was a great introduction to our discussion. Before we get to our main topics, Chaopen, we have a question from our survey: Could you speak to how you align College Board resources as a supplement to the CodeHS curriculum?

CodeHS covers all the Big Ideas and course skills, but they are spread across different modules. When I teach Big Idea 1 (Creative Development), I align it with Karel the Dog in Unit 1. I let students warm up with block-based language and practice, because Karel the Dog has creative development embedded throughout.

When I get to Big Idea 2 (Digital Information), I align it with the digital information units. Big Idea 3 aligns with Unit 3 in CodeHS. When introducing Big Idea 1, I let kids jump into Unit 1 and discuss creative design, using unplugged activities like making a video about making a peanut butter sandwich.

When we really get into Big Idea 3, we align with CodeHS Unit 3 starting at 3.1 (Variables). You can open up the slides to show good examples of what a variable is and how to use an assignment operator to assign values. Then you introduce "Hello World," program user input, and math operations.

Moving into Unit 4, you cover Boolean expressions (3.5), logical operators, and comparison operators grouped together, followed by if and if-else conditional statements (3.6). After students complete the labs in 4.4 and 4.5 and understand the concept, you can jump to AP Classroom. You can assign AP Daily videos for 3.5 and 3.6 as warm-ups or pre-reading, and then assign AP topic questions so kids can align and complete the work.

There are so many resources between CodeHS and College Board that selecting what is best can feel overwhelming, but clarity comes with planning and experience.

Moving into our discussion on early instructional planning and pacing, CodeHS has a new pacing tool linked in our notes document. It allows you to select your course flavor, enter your start and end dates, specify your schedule structure (regular vs. block), and then it generates a calendar breaking down which CodeHS units or modules you should cover throughout the year.

Chaopen, how do you pace your year to get everything in before exam time?

My calendar runs starting with Big Idea 1 from the CED, then introduces number systems in Big Idea 2, and then jumps right into Big Idea 3. When I teach 3.1 (Variables) and 3.2 (Data Abstraction/Lists), I introduce case studies like "Mom's Fur Bag" or the CodeHS shopping cart case study. That is where I provide intensive instruction linking coding to written explanations.

If we expect students to understand every line of code in their Create Task, we must teach them why we use loops, if-else statements, and Booleans, and how to rewrite Boolean expressions. I step in and interact with the CodeHS labs and instructional materials, pull in AP Classroom practice exam questions, and connect them directly to CodeHS instruction. It is not just letting kids work through CodeHS independently; I actively teach them to understand each line of code, such as how to rewrite a Boolean expression so a conditional statement returns the same result.

Our curriculum is designed to be teacher-led with direct instruction, but we also support schools where teachers are learning alongside their students or teaching asynchronously in virtual settings. Educators can adapt the curriculum to fit their teaching routines, experience levels, and confidence. For new teachers, direct instruction can be as simple as clicking play on the lesson video and supporting students as they self-pace through activities.

James, how do you handle pacing?

I have a small group of six students, so I address them individually. Right now, some are working on Unit 4 (Python Control Structures). However, I have one student who is brand new to computer science and programming who isn't ready for that yet. I will assign that unit to him next quarter while letting others move ahead. He might get slightly less time on the Create Task later, but I can't move him forward before he is ready. Having a small group allows for those individual adjustments.

Antonio, how are things going with your planning and classroom setup?

In my district, I am currently being moved around while schedule adjustments are being made, so I don't have consistency with my classes yet. I am taking this opportunity to gain information so I am prepared if I am placed in an AP CSP classroom. I have taught two years of Exploring Computer Science (ECS) covering fundamentals, but no AP CSP yet.

Rebecca, what is your approach to pacing?

I usually cover one lesson level a day. Right now I am in the Karel section, so it moves quickly. I keep a plan on my calendar for what to hit, but I shift things around as needed. My classes are 48 minutes long, which gives us time to review what we are learning and then log into CodeHS to code. If I gauge the room and see they aren't grasping a concept, I add extra exercises for the next day.

Gauging student understanding in real time and adjusting instruction accordingly is a great practice.

Since everyone is currently teaching coding, what are some of the complex topics coming up in the next four to six weeks, and what scaffolds do you plan to use?

From an AP CSP perspective, the Personal Project Reference (PPR) creation for the Create Task is the big hurdle. In about three weeks, my students will work on a practice Create Performance Task. The piece that hits them hard is procedural abstraction—developing a procedure with parameters that meets the Create Task requirements and supports the written response questions regarding error testing, data abstraction, and procedural abstraction.

Students need to understand why a parameter is used and ensure it has an actual impact on the output of the procedure, rather than just adding an unused parameter. Second, they need to use lists meaningfully inside the procedure alongside loops and selection statements to produce meaningful output.

A common misconception is that a more complex procedure will yield a higher AP score. Simple is better; a overly complicated procedure is not required to earn points. Showing students examples of high-performing PPRs and referencing the Chief Reader Report provides great insight into what makes a good procedure. When teaching variables, Booleans, conditionals, loops, lists, and procedures, we have students do quick writes to connect these concepts early on.

Parameters versus arguments is also a huge area of confusion for students.

James, what challenges are your students facing?

Right now we are working on loops using a number-guessing game exercise: generate a random number, start a loop, ask for a guess, and evaluate if it is high, low, or correct. This is difficult for students to write in order because a random number makes it hard to test, and an unrefined loop can become infinite.

I teach them to use abstraction and decomposition: focus on one level at a time. I tell them to ignore the loop and random number initially and just write the inner logic to compare a guess against a fixed number. Once that is tested and working, wrap a loop around it, and then add the random number generation at the top. Kids often think abstraction means making something bigger, but it's really about isolating one component and letting the rest handle itself.

Using filler code is very helpful in Python. You can use `pass` or `...` (the Ellipsis object) as placeholders, such as `if guess > number: ...`, to isolate parts of the code without getting distracted before filling in the logic later.

Antonio, how do you handle complex topics with your students?

We discuss decomposition and block coding, and I try to make it accessible and fun so students don't build up walls thinking it's too hard. My classes are bilingual, so I translate instructions between English and Spanish. It moves a bit slower, but keeping it interactive and tangible allows them to experience success.

The AP CSP course was intentionally designed by the College Board to make AP-level computer science inclusive and accessible to a broader, more diverse student population compared to AP CS A. While Big Ideas 1, 2, 4, and 5 are very accessible, the Create Task and programming concepts in Big Idea 3 often serve as the differentiator for exam scores.

Antonio asked how to enable Spanish language support on CodeHS. To change a student's platform language, go to your section roster, click the gear icon next to the student's name, and select Spanish or English. Note that while slide decks and platform text can be updated to Spanish, video audio remains in English, so students need to be literate in Spanish text to use those translated materials.

Rebecca, what challenges do your students run into?

Putting everything together is the hardest part. Students learn loops, functions, and parameters separately, but combining them into a full program can be challenging.

To address this, I use AI tools like Gemini to generate extra practice problems. I prompt Gemini with what we just learned and ask it to add a teen-relevant twist or topic, like sports, to generate additional practice exercises that mirror our current lesson.

Let's discuss early preparation for the Create Task and the Personal Project Reference (PPR).

When teaching Unit 3, I start using unplugged case study activities like "Mom's Fur Bag," where students line up holding items to illustrate searching through a list. This instills the concept that the Create Task relies on a basic search algorithm applied to a list data structure.

As we progress through the coding units, students build a small-scale Create Task. We review pages 207 and 208 of the Course and Exam Description (CED), which outline the four code components students must submit to the College Board digital portfolio for their PPR. We map their code directly to the required boxes for procedures and lists so they learn the College Board terminology early.

After completing their first practice Create Task, I assign a second real-world scenario, such as surveying cafeteria lunch choices and automating a search algorithm based on that data. If students need additional practice, I assign a third project. CodeHS provides a built-in Practice PT called "Shopping List" in Unit 9, which serves as a great case study for teaching these requirements alongside Big Idea 3.

It is important to connect daily learning to the Create Task. As you teach Booleans, conditionals, lists, and procedures, embed quick writes and practice exam prompts regularly rather than waiting until April or May.

Our next meeting will be in November, and we will send out a survey beforehand to gather topics and questions. You can download a certificate of completion as we log attendance. Additionally, CodeHS offers recorded webinar deep dives in our video library if you'd like to review AP CSP strategies further. Thank you all for attending and sharing your resources. Have a great night!