Computer Science Summer Work 2026 APCSA (Java) & APCSP (Principles)

Prepare For Ms. H. Miller's Advanced Placement Computer Science Courses

updated 5/20/2026

AP Computer Science and Web Development at Chamblee High School

Summer Work for Computer Science Courses APCSA & APCSP

Read this entire site.

The Computer Science and Web Development Pathways are supposed to be taken in order:

1st Intro to Software Technology (IST) then;

2nd APCSP (Principles); and finally

3rd/4th APCSA (Java); or 3rd/4th Web Development (WebDev)

If you take these 3 or 4 courses, and also pass the End of Pathway Assessment (EOPA) for APCSA and/or Web Dev, then you will earn 1 or 2 Pathway completion medallions in your 12th grade year. You will also get a Pathway Completion Seal (or 2) on your diploma, and a Medal (or 2) worn at Graduation. You should also strongly consider joining TSA, competing at TSA Events (another medal), and VEX Robotics or FRC Robotics. You should also consider joining the Computer Science Honor Society because active leaders in CHS CSHS qualify for a light blue honor cord worn at graduation.

Advanced Placement courses are college level courses. The main difference between college level and high school level courses is that you are expected to prepare BEFORE class. Our AP classes meet almost every day. Expect homework in both classes. This way, if you don't have homework, you'll have additional time for your other classes. If you are not spending ANY time on homework, you are making things harder for yourself than they need to be.

The Zero thing, "The two Computer Science AP Classes: APCSA (level 3) and APCSP (level 2)".

APCSA (Java)

You have several summer assignments for APCSA.

Directions: Open a Google Doc and Title it "Summer Assignment for APCSA" then respond to each prompt. If there are mentioned readings and you read them, include that reading as a citation and then your response. This document should use the tabs feature of the Google Docs.

Read this entire site and pick out the Both Todos and then the APCSA todos. Organize your Google Doc in a defensible manner and respond to each Todo.

Due Friday of the 2nd week of school.

APCSA (Java) is a college-level intro course for students who major or minor in computer science at university. This means the concepts taught are Java-language-specific. The course is written for "the computer science degree seeking student" who are studying computer science as their major in college. There is some theory and daily programming with weekly programming assessments. The general concepts .

It is a level 3 pathway course for the State of Georgia. APCSA (Java) is an Object Oriented Programming (OOP) programming course with entrepreneurial, business, and employability skills embedded throughout. As a Level 3 class, you should consider yourself an "employee of CHS Programming Company" and these additional skills make much more sense. APCSA is the harder of the two courses.

In this course, it is expected that you have some combination of the following:

(1) You have a very high interest in learning Java, a text-based object-oriented langauge, with little to no experience at all in programming If this is true, do the introduction assignment here--> Complete this CodeHS Tutorial for an intro to programming. When you're done, take a screenshot of your 100% or Green Circles page in CodeHS and add it to your Google Doc Notes Page.;
(2)You have a high interest in learning Java, and have done some coding, even with blocks;
(3)You already know Java and want to take the class for the grade bump and possibly the AP Credit.
(4) Can touch-type to at least 30 WPM without looking at the keys for the letters. The touch-typing practice of the top row numbers and all keyboard symbols is highly recommended. ALL Students should be able to touch type at least the letters and shift key. Practice touch-typing here, Practice touch-typing here, or Practice touch-typing here, if you need the review. Typing is not the point of this class, but if you can only "hunt-an-peck" (type less than 30 words per minute) you are going to struggle to finish your weekly programming assessments. Typing scores will be added to the gradebook in week 1 and as needed.
You have several things to do before class starts in person, in the fall. Read this website completely. If you only skimmed the red text or the bold text or the big text, you have already failed as assignment. Rethink how you think of this course and all learning. It's not a race to get done. It's a journey to learn as much as you can from the assignments and the experience of living through the lectures, videos, classwork, problem solving, and finally thinking through and programming programms that do what you intend them to do. Go back and read all of this site, and start yourself off on the right foot. Then, complete all required tasks on this website. Do the optional or extra credit as you see fit and turn in by the deadline. All summer assignments are DUE within 7 days of enrolling in this course, or Friday of the first week of the semester. No late assignments are accepted.

When am I done? When is it good enough?

Notice most things in this summer assignment are not assigned with a rubric, may or may not have steps, and are quite open-ended. This is a model for the rest of your life's learning. You get back what you put into your learning. Ms. mIller serves as a guide, stepping from teaching-step-by-step to teaching you how you can learn to ask your own questions, to what depth and breath. You will ultimately determine the point at which you are satisfied to assign your name to your work product. Focus on the learning and the grade will eventually come.

APCSP (Principles)

You have several summer assignments for APCSP.

Directions: Open a Google Doc and Title it "Summer Assignment for APCSA" then respond to each prompt. If there are mentioned readings and you read them, include that reading as a citation and then your response. This document should use the tabs feature of the Google Docs.

Read this entire site and pick out the Both Todos and then the APCSP todos.

Organize your Google Doc in a defensible manner and respond to each Todo.

Due Friday of the 2nd week of school.

APCSP (Principles) is a college-level intro to computer science for non-majors type of course. This means the concepts taught are more general and written for "the general educated public" who are not studying computer science as their major in college. There is some programming, but also a lot of general concepts. It is a level 2 pathway course for the State of Georgia. APCSP is designed with equity in mind. You will learn beginning problem-solving, flowcharting, pseudocode, and beginning programming syntax in blocks and/or Python. There are a lot of projects, some are programming-based, while others are topical or skills-based projects. If you have taken CSP (not AP) then you should not take APCSP as both are level 2 courses in the pathways. Consider taking APCSA or PGAS, Cybersecurity, Engineering, Food Science, Health Science, AV/TV-Film, Art, JROTC, or Entrepreneurship Courses.

In this course, it is expected that you have some combination of the following:

(1) You don't need any experience programming;
(2) You have any interest in learning the basics of learning Python (text-based language). We start with blocks;
(3) You already know Python and want to take the class for the grade bump and possibly the AP Credit;
(4) Can touch-type to at least 25 WPM without looking at the keys for the letters. The touch-typing practice of the top row numbers and all keyboard symbols is highly recommended. ALL Students should be able to touch type at least the letters and shift key. Practice touch-typing here, Practice touch-typing here, or Practice touch-typing here, if you need the review.
You have several things to do before class starts in person, in the fall. Read this website completely. If you only skimmed the red text or the bold text or the big text, you have already failed as assignment. Rethink how you think of this course and all learning. It's not a race to get done. It's a journey to learn as much as you can from the assignments and the experience of living through the lectures, videos, classwork, problem solving, and finally thinking through and programming programms that do what you intend them to do. Go back and read all of this site, and start yourself off on the right foot. Then, complete all required tasks on this website. Do the optional or extra credit as you see fit and turn in by the deadline. All summer assignments are DUE within 7 days of enrolling in this course, or Friday of the first week of the semester. No late assignments are accepted.

When am I done? When is it good enough?

The first thing, "Relax".

Both courses are doable if you work diligently during the school year and spend time on homework as needed.

Ms. Miller needs to do one thing first over the summer -- relax. You need a reset. This goes for both courses. Recharge your energy reserves BEFORE you start thinking about the summer work for this course. Go on the family vacation, read books for pleasure, watch a few movies, play some video games, or have a few all-nighters playing those RPGs. Whatever you find fun - truly fun - do that! For a bit. Those things you have to put off until you get a four-day weekend - early summer is your time.

The second thing, "Adjust Your Thinking."

Adjust your thinking. You are going to be in a completely different class than you are used to being in, even if these are not your first AP courses. Read this webpage in its entirety before doing anything. Understand both of these Advanced Placement Computer Science courses and why they exist. They are vastly different courses but both are college-level courses. Understand how you must switch your thinking from a high school student to a collegiate level student.

The third thing, understand "Imposter Syndrome."

There is a huge risk of imposter syndrome (Wikipedia link) that impacts some computer science students, especially if they have little programming experience and/or are unfamiliar with problem-solving. Top scoring students are most at rist for imposter syndrome because it can feel like in class that you are "not smart enough" because others have more experience than you do. You can learn programming for the first time, if you work diligently, consistently, and attend tutoring as needed. APCSA spends the first semester learning some basic algorithms, data types, print statements, user input, then jumps right into working with classes. The remainder of the course we consider flowcharts, loops, decisions, lists, and building stronger classes and constructors. The first semester is fast-paced - you are in the deep end by the second month. You should expect 1 hour of homework a night the first few months, if you are not comfortable at all with programming, or typing. Please keep the APCSA workload in mind as you add on additional AP courses. Students who had no programming experience, and 4 or more AP Courses, or 2 DE courses almost always find time management difficult. Read this article How to overcome impostor phenomenon.

On a related note to imposter syndrome is a feeling that you don't belong in this class. New programmers, women, and minorities often feel they are "not a part of" the computer world, or that it is not built for them. "Here's how you can create a diverse and inclusive programming team" LinkedIn Article. While it is true that anyone can learn a computer language, does everyone feel like they belong in that world and on that team? There is an overlap and a gap in STEM in general, between girls and minorities participation long-term. It starts in education. AP CS Principles is designed as an entry-course. APCSP is designed to show everyone that there are many layers to programming, and that there are benefits to everyone in having as many different types of people as possible included at all stages of development of computer systems. To learn why it is important for big and small companies to be as inclusive as possible, listen to this short 4-min article by Laura Sydell, "Can Computer Programs Be Racist And Sexist?" NPR. March 15, 20167:01 AM ET.

The fourth thing, "Touch-Typing."

Third, Touch-type, with all 10 fingers and not looking at the letters, at a minimum of 35 words per minute with 90% accuracy. If you don't already know - by touch (not looking at the keys) - the QWERTY keyboard letters using all 10 of your fingers, you must teach yourself this skill before taking APCSA or APCSP.

Ms. Miller has seen some kids using 2 or 3 fingers on each hand and they do type relatively fast. I wonder how fast they'd type if they learned to touch-type? Ms. Miller expects that you have this minimum skill of typing faster than "hunt-n-peck" or "thumbs-only." If you only know the keyboard "hunt-n-peck" or with thumbs, you will need to teach yourself how to type on a laptop or desktop keyboard. Use a free program, online program, a typewriter with a book, and teach yourself the 26 letters and their matching finger. An example - your left-hand pointer finger handles r t f g v b keys in touch-typing and the right pointer finger handles y u h j n m. If you are using thumbs only or four fingers, then you will struggle to keep up and finish programming in the given time. Focus on using the Shift-key and the opposite hand. If you have time this summer, focus on the top-row and right pinky special keys.

The fifth thing, understand AP CSP and APCSA "Extra Credit" and Grades

APCSP and APCSA are similar to other Advanced Placement Courses. There is an AP Exam for each course.

You are rewarded for...
- ... thinking of yourself as a collegiate-level student in your collegiality and attitude towards the class and classmates
- ... joining the CTSO - Technology Student Association (TSA). This one is a huge differentiator for GaTech, MIT, and UGA admissions. Nearly every student applying for these two schools has a >4.0 GPA and a >1500 on the SAT, 100+ hours community service, etc. What is your extra? How will you stand out?
- ...competing in the CTSO competitions
- ...competing in and leading VEX Robotics or FRC Robotics
- ... completing competition projects (live and prepared), offered throughout the year.
- ... keeping a notebook as defined in the first few weeks of class.
- Creating and maintaining a blog, portfolio, or media presence. This includes Instagram/Reels/YouTube/Shorts, GitHub, LinkedIn, or other online professional presence. The key is PROFESSIONAL.
Extra Credit - It is offered occasionally and must be completed when offered. It is never offered in the last week of the grading term.
Optional/Extra Credit is NOT offered at the end of each semester. Extra Credit projects and competitions are offered over the summer and during the school year. You won't know you need it when it is offered.
These are front-loaded courses. After Spring Break, much of both courses moves to AP Classroom and review. There is typically one overriding unit and summative project with a presentation.
This class is NOT graded on a curve. There may be top programmers who score poorly because they fail to follow the notebook, homework, employability skills, or other things. DO NOT compare yourself to the "top programmers" and count yourself out of a CS Career. There are MANY MANY MANY CS-related careers that are beyond the reach of many programmers, but well within the reach of many other people. There are also many jobs not yet created. So, if you are brave enough to try these courses, you will have the support of Ms. Miller.
Focus on learning. Focus on doing the work. Your grade will come. You will have a lot of prompts that you will be expected to write code to solve the prompt. Then you may be asked to solve it again differently, or with different requirements. This iterative process is tough to deal with if you are used to being given everything up front, working towards the minimum of a rubric, and then you know your grade is before you turn it in. That's not how computer science works. You will use the iterative process. You may create the same overall program in several different ways, and you may do so without a pre-defined rubric. This is how the real world works. Do the work and the grade will come.
Many kids come into both AP Courses without having completed the level 1 pathway course, Intro to Software Technology. Many students come into both classes with absolutely no programming experience, and that is fine, so long as they are prepared to work. While some kids already have excellent programming skills. AP Computer Science A and AP Computer Science Principles are much more than just programming. The courses are NOT graded on a curve. You are NOT graded against the top programmer in the class.
Students will not be "given an A" just because they show up. A grade-bump works on a C, B, D, and an A - whatever you earn. These classes are no joke. Seniors taking APCSP just "for the grade bump" often struggle with "senior itus" and their grade suffers. Don't let that be you.
Departmental Late policy - Assignments are graded a few days after the due date. If the assignment is not turned in when it is graded, there is an automatic 10 - 20% off the maximum score possible. After 2 weeks, the highest possible score is 70%. No late assignments are graded within 1 week of a grading period (4.5, 9, 13.5, 18). This means all assignments must be completed and turned in at the 3.5, 8, 12.5, 17-week mark.

The sixth thing, "Developing internal motivation and unquenchable curiosity"

- Finding Success in college and in adult professional life starts with developing an internal motivation and unquenchable curiosity to solve problems, understand why, ask and research answers to all sorts of problems. Intellectuals READ EVERYTHING they can get your hands on. A consumate professional is often "well read." Build your vocabulary. Learn to use your smart phone and AI to get you smarter (not lazier). When I was in high school, we used to think it was lack of access to knowledge was what made people "smart" or "dumb." You now have access to unlimited information (Google and AI are in your pocket) yet we find students are not Information Hungry. Research and discover what that means. What is meant by a digital pacifier or phubbing? What is meant by soft skills and hard skills? What is meant by transferable skills? What should you do if your teacher allows you to have a smart device, cell phone, or computer in class and you come across a term or word or concept you don't know, partially know, or thought you knew but were wrong? What does "Google It" mean? What does "Garbage in; garbage out" mean? Article: Top 10 Skills High Students Need to Be Developing To Be Prepared For College
- Access the links on this website and read the articles or chapters. They are all over the place. Read the site once and then again. You'll find all sorts of helpful nuggets. We will work with some of the articles throughout the semester. As AP Courses, Ms. Miller does not usually give you comprehension exams on readings. We produce things in these classes (programs, online portfolios, resumes, proper handshakes, etc. When I suggest readings, I assume you read them. When I assign work, I assume after a short time, you can discuss the content at a collegiate level. It is antithetical to collegial learning to reducing the coursework to written vocabulary tests and basic comprehension assignments.
- Explore your interests NOW. The best time to preparing your college application starts with what you do between your 8th grade summer to your 11th grade summers, and all the time between. Show a pattern of grouth. Understand "Quality vs Quantity" in this article. Starting one quality organization or leading it, or competing and winning in it will show off you better than a scattered giant list of every organization offered to you. Build, Make, Organize, or Create something that is uniquely you. The colleges and universities you want to get into have a minimum and a suffienct quality they are looking for. If you are a student doing everything offered to you, but you are not leading anything, you may not doing enough to get in. Enough is not a measure of quantity here, but one of quality. This is how the students doing the one-off thing get in and you, who was president of band, honors society, captain of 12 sports, etc. don't get in. How do the most experienced programmers in the school get beat out by a group of students who used a drag-and-drop program for their CPT or a Congressional App Challenge? How do students who are not experts yet, learn something deeply and win a variety of tech awards or Compete at Technical Student Association Tech Competitions, FRC teams, VEX teams? Google These...this is where extra credit is hiding in plain sight. Every kid applying to X university is top notch student and person, right? How are you different? Start thinking now -- What do I bring to their campus? Not what can they do for me? How can I leverage what I am already really good at and build bridges to other areas? Can I do layout and design, organize people, organize things, motivate people, write, draw, sing, make music, put everything together, program, network? What is Computer Science Honors Society at Chamblee and how can I run a Virtual Student Tech Fair or maintain websites?

The seventh thing, "Soft Skills, Getting Ahead and What Am I Getting Myself Into?"

With all this said so far, some of you may want to do a few things to "get ahead" or "really understand what you're getting into,"

You can do the following:

- This is a collegiate and employability course taught at a high school. I treat you like employees and like college students, while following the required rules of high school. I take roll, call home, will take your cell phone, and otherwise treat you like high school students who need that level of supervision. Academically, I treat you UNLIKE high school students. You are required to adjust your thinking about your education. These lessons will be painful for some of you. Understand collegiality and how you should come into the room. Learn what tardiness does to collegiality. Don't miss a day and come to me and ask what you missed. See collegiality.
  - Here is the best analogy I have: In high school, you're like a baby bird in a nest—your mouth open, waiting to be fed (knowledge). Teachers and adults give you knowledge directly, and you're in a safe, structured environment of the nest. You can see a bit of the world, but you're mostly expected to stay put and follow the routine.
  - In college, things change. You're still given access to the “food” (knowledge), but no one is putting it in your mouth anymore. You leave the nest and start figuring things out for yourself. Sometimes you work with others to get what you need; sometimes you don’t. As you move further through college, you determine what knowledge to feed yourself with and you go and get it youself.
- Do the little things well.
  - Take notes and keep them organized. Just taking and organizing notes is proven to improve understanding, even if you feel like it is stupid, a waste of time, or "typing is easier" the research shows handwritten notes are more beneficial than none or typed notes. Writing (or typing) and condensing notes will only help you, especially in lecture classes. APCSA and APCSP are lecture and performance classes.
  - Teach yourself touch-typing. two-finger and six-finger typing is going to slow you down.
  - Practice public speaking loudly and clearly. You will present your code and thinking process, a lot, in both classes.
- Practice Collegiality & Navigate People
  - Look up and read what collegiality is and is not. Understand that collegiality should not be confused with cheating. Practice Collegiality.
  - Be on time to class; early even. This allows you to sign in, sit down, get out your notes, login, and learn a bit about your neighbors.
  - Talk face-to-face to your classmates. Learn everyone's name in class, and a little about them. Get contact information for some of them and share yours. Talk virtually, and in class. When given a choice, face-to-face is better than the alternative.
  - Be welcoming and open to hearing about different things and people. Pack your judgmental self away and be glad that there are different types of people in the room. Learn to work with all of them. Find value in everyone you possibly can. Learn to say, "That's interesting" instead of "That's so stupid." Learn to say, "I hadn't thought about that that way before" instead of "Your opinion is wrong." Learn to say, "Interesting way to look at that" and "I wonder where else that way of thinking can apply?" Your ability to navigate different types of people may be the job skill that transfers between all of your jobs. AI can and will do a lot, but navigating people is not a skill AI is well suited to yet.
  - Be flexible, adaptable, and never count anyone out.
- Do more than the minimum.
  - Read an article of your choosing on ethical programming that is NOT otherwise mentioned here.
  - Read the AP Course Exam Description for APCSP or the AP Course Exam Description for APCSA. College admissions officers know how many AP classes you took versus how many AP Exams you took, and all of your scores. If the number of AP classes is significantly higher than the AP tests you took, and/or your scores are no higher than 3, then they may suspect grade inflation, so your GPA will matter less.
  - Read several web pages about the Software Development Life Cycle, articles mentioned here and NOT otherwise mentioned here.
  - Read several web pages about Agile Scrum in software development, articles mentioned here and NOT otherwise mentioned here.
- Be curious.
  - Learn how to put good queries into Google - You are a digital native. You should wish to educate and train yourself out of, "Garbage in, garbage out". Relying on the first few things that Google spits back out to you will lead you astray. Read about quality searches and how to do them.
  - Research AI, Machine Learning, and SQL/NoSQL, etc.
  - Explore on W3Schools Java Tutorial, Methods, and Classes.
  - Explore on on W2 Schools other courses.
- Pay attention and...
  - You'll learn way more than programming or computer science in these courses.

The EIGHTH thing for APCSP, be ready to iterate...

What does iterate mean? Iterate means doing things over and over again, with slight changes each time. You've read this article already if you followed directions previously. If not, read it now. This time, think about why Ms. Miller layers everything? You're learning the target skills, but you're also being asked to link these things, ideas, skills, to other things you already know. Why did this kid's book (well 2 chapters of it) end up here, twice?
Also, look up what the Software Development Life Cycle is...and compare it to the Engineering Design Process . Why do you think a Computer Science and Engineering Teacher uses both, almost interchangeably? Why do Computer Science and Engineering go hand-in-hand for that manner?
OPTIONAL...To get a real-life example of a "passion project" and a "published work" by a high school student, this author gives many real life examples of iteration, and he also used it to get into a top university. Read the chapter summary (The entire pdf is only 35 page exerpt) of this book PDF by Elliot Lichtman, "The Computer Always Wins: A Playful Introduction to Algorithms Through Puzzles and Strategy Games" published by MIT Press. This book gives you layered examples of a passion project, a published work, and a fantastic bridge between well known games and design thinking for computer programmers. This book was written by a high school student, who was attempting to make programming fun and accessible. Elliot Lichtman was only a few years ahead of you when he wrote this book, so why not you, too? There is absolutely no reason why you can't write your own book about computer science or any other topic for which you have a passion. Elliot took where he was and was interested in, and merged the two. We need more scholarship and writing on you and your unique point of view. Why not you? Elliot Lichtman's THE COMPUTER ALWAYS WINS: A PLAYFUL INTRODUCTION TO ALGORITHMS THROUGH PUZZLES AND STRATEGY GAMES. MIT Press. Dec 2024.

two chapters from THE COMPUTER ALWAYS WINS.pdf

The EIGHTH thing for APCSA-Java: complete the required and recommended readings (below) and create a visual artifact (Canva Infographic) summarizing the information. Then continue until you get to the email to Ms. Miller.

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AP COMPUTER SCIENCE A — SUMMER READING LIST

Advanced Placement Java Course

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Complete all REQUIRED readings (items 1–8) and at least THREE RECOMMENDED

readings (items 9–13) before the first day of school.

Reading times are estimated for a student reading at an average college

freshman pace (200–250 words per minute).

See the SUMMER ASSIGNMENT at the bottom of this document.

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SECTION 1: PROFESSIONAL PRACTICE & MINDSET

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[1] REQUIRED — Rubber Duck Debugging: Talk Through Your Code

Estimated reading time: ~4 min (MTU article) | 9–11 min (freeCodeCamp)

Source A: Michigan Technological University Computing Blog (2024)

URL: https://blogs.mtu.edu/computing/2024/08/21/talk-to-the-duck-the-rubber-duck-debugging-method/

Source B: FreeCodeCamp (longer, more detailed)

URL: https://www.freecodecamp.org/news/rubber-duck-debugging/

About: Explores the classic technique from The Pragmatic Programmer by

Hunt & Thomas — explaining your code line-by-line to an inanimate object

to surface hidden bugs. A foundational habit for every programmer.

Read one or both; the freeCodeCamp version goes deeper.

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[2] REQUIRED — Tips for Being a Successful AP Computer Science Student

Estimated reading time: 7–9 min

Source: Breakout Mentors

URL: https://breakoutmentors.com/how-to-ace-the-ap-computer-science-a-exam/

About: Practical advice on studying, practicing free-response problems,

using College Board labs, managing time on the exam, and building strong

programming habits from the start of the course.

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SECTION 2: THE BIGGER PICTURE — WHY CS MATTERS

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[3] REQUIRED — Why Java, Even If You Don't Plan to Be a Programmer

Estimated reading time: 6–8 min

Source: NextGen Bootcamp

URL: https://www.nextgenbootcamp.com/blog/why-should-high-school-students-learn-java

About: Explains how learning Java builds critical thinking, problem-solving,

and logical reasoning skills that transfer to every field — from medicine to

music to business — and why it strengthens any college application.

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[4] REQUIRED — Becoming a Programmer in the Age of AI

Estimated reading time: 14–18 min (comprehensive guide)

Source: Machine Learning Mastery (2025)

URL: https://machinelearningmastery.com/the-roadmap-for-mastering-ai-assisted-coding-in-2025/

About: A roadmap for learning to code alongside AI tools — covering why

fundamentals matter more than ever, how AI shifts the developer role, and

how to use tools like GitHub Copilot responsibly and effectively.

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[5] REQUIRED — Why Kids Still Need to Learn to Code in the Age of AI

Estimated reading time: 14–18 min (12-page position paper PDF)

Source: Raspberry Pi Foundation (2025) — PDF

URL: https://static.raspberrypi.org/files/about/Why-kids-still-need-to-learn-to-code-in-the-age-of-AI-2025-Raspberry-Pi-Foundation-position-paper.pdf

About: A research-backed position paper making the case for why

computational thinking and coding remain essential skills for young people

even as generative AI becomes ubiquitous.

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SECTION 3: COLLEGE & CAREER PLANNING

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[6] REQUIRED — How to Become a Competitive CS College Applicant

Estimated reading time: 9–11 min

Source: CollegeVine Blog

URL: https://blog.collegevine.com/extracurriculars-for-aspiring-computer-science-majors

About: Covers the extracurriculars — coding clubs, hackathons, open-source

projects, and competitions — that strengthen a CS college application, plus

how admissions officers evaluate CS-specific profiles.

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SECTION 4: ACADEMIC INTEGRITY & CITATION

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[7] REQUIRED — How to Properly Cite Sources in an AP Course

Estimated reading time: 1–2 min (short FAQ page)

Source: College Board — AP Central (official)

URL: https://apcentral.collegeboard.org/help-center/what-best-way-avoid-plagiarism

About: Official College Board guidance on avoiding plagiarism, citing

sources, and maintaining academic integrity across all AP coursework,

including Computer Science A.

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[8] REQUIRED — How to Properly Cite an AI Prompt (MLA & APA)

Estimated reading time: 5–6 min (MLA) | 4–5 min (APA) | ~10 min for both

Source: MLA Style Center & APA Style Blog (official style guides)

MLA: https://style.mla.org/citing-generative-ai-updated-revised/

APA: https://apastyle.apa.org/blog/cite-generative-ai-references

About: Official style-guide guidance on how to format citations for

AI-generated content, including the prompt, tool name, version, date,

and URL. Required reading before submitting any work that used AI.

Read both guides — each style is used in different courses.

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RECOMMENDED READINGS — Complete at least THREE from this list (items 9–13)

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[9] RECOMMENDED — Is There a Future for Software Engineers? The Impact of AI

Estimated reading time: 12–15 min

Source: Brainhub

URL: https://brainhub.eu/library/software-developer-age-of-ai

About: An industry analysis of how AI is reshaping software development —

which skills are growing in demand, what human-centric work remains, and

how to future-proof a career in technology.

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[10] RECOMMENDED — How to Stand Out as a CS College Applicant

Estimated reading time: 10–12 min

Source: Lantern College Counseling (2026)

URL: https://www.lanterncollegecounseling.com/insights/navigating-the-competitive-landscape-of-computer-science-admissions-an-experts-approach

About: A detailed look at what admissions officers call the "CS

fingerprint" — the combination of coursework, projects, and activities

that demonstrate genuine passion — and how to build one intentionally

before senior year.

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[11] RECOMMENDED — AP CS Plagiarism & AI Policy: What You Need to Know

Estimated reading time: ~2 min (short policy page)

Source: College Board — AP Central (official policy)

URL: https://apcentral.collegeboard.org/courses/ap-computer-science-principles/course/faq/plagiarism-policy

About: The official College Board policy on AI use and plagiarism for AP

Computer Science. Directly relevant to how you may cite or use AI tools

in any AP course. Know the rules before you need them.

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[12] RECOMMENDED — Why Reading the Syllabus Is Critical in College Courses

Estimated reading time: ~4 min (College Raptor) | 5–6 min (Substack)

~9–10 min for both

Source A: College Raptor

URL: https://www.collegeraptor.com/find-colleges/articles/tips-tools-advice/importance-college-syllabus/

Source B: How to Read a Syllabus to Promote Success (Sloane Hanley)

URL: https://sloanehanley.substack.com/p/how-to-read-a-syllabus-to-promote

About: The syllabus is a contract between you and your professor — it

contains deadlines, grading policies, office hours, and expectations your

professor may never repeat aloud. Students who ignore it miss assignments,

misread policies, and start courses at a disadvantage. This is the habit

that separates college-ready students from everyone else.

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[13] RECOMMENDED — Benefits of Taking Notes or Keeping a Handwritten Journal

Estimated reading time: 6–8 min

Source: The Learning Scientists (2024) — research summary

URL: https://www.learningscientists.org/blog/2024/7/18-1

About: A research-based review showing that students who take handwritten

notes outperform those who type on conceptual assessments. Handwriting

forces summarization, deeper processing, and stronger memory retention —

all critical skills for a rigorous AP course and the college coursework

ahead.

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ESTIMATED TOTAL READING TIME

================================================================================

Required readings (items 1–8):

Item 1 (MTU only) ~4 min

Item 2 7–9 min

Item 3 6–8 min

Item 4 14–18 min

Item 5 (PDF) 14–18 min

Item 6 9–11 min

Item 7 1–2 min

Item 8 (both guides) ~10 min

─────────────────────────────────────

Required subtotal: 65–80 min

Recommended readings (any 3 of items 9–13):

Minimum 3 shortest items: ~18–26 min

Maximum 3 longest items: ~30–37 min

─────────────────────────────────────

Recommended subtotal: ~18–37 min

TOTAL ESTIMATED TIME: ~85–120 min (approx. 1.5 to 2 hours)

================================================================================

SUMMER ASSIGNMENT — CANVA INFOGRAPHIC & INTRODUCTORY EMAIL

================================================================================

WHAT TO DO:

1. Read all REQUIRED articles (items 1–8).

2. Read at least THREE RECOMMENDED articles (items 9–13).

3. Create a summary INFOGRAPHIC in Canva (https://www.canva.com) that

captures the key ideas, themes, and takeaways from your readings.

Your infographic should be visually organized, clearly labeled, and

reflect your own thinking — not a list of copied quotes.

4. Export your Canva infographic as a PDF or image file.

5. Attach it to your INTRODUCTORY EMAIL to your teacher.

DUE DATE:

Between July 5 and the FIRST FRIDAY of the school year.

Do not wait until the last day — submitting early makes a strong first

impression and signals the professionalism expected in this course.

CITATION REMINDER:

If you used AI assistance at any point while reading, taking notes, or

designing your infographic, you MUST cite it properly using the MLA or

APA guides in reading #8 above. This is an AP course — academic integrity

matters from day one.

CANVA TIP:

Free Canva accounts are available to students at canva.com. Look for

"Infographic" templates to get started. Aim for one cohesive design that

connects the readings thematically rather than listing them separately.

================================================================================

Questions? Email Ms. Miller between July 5 and July 15.

================================================================================

Read this section as part of the required reading. Taking notes on it for your artifact, and to what degree is up to your discretion.

More about Ms. Miller and the CS Classes:

Ms. Miller did a lot of "talking" on this website, which you certainly read completely. 😀When Ms. Miller is talking in class, consider yourself responsible for that information. Write it down as notes. Date at the top of the page, lesson, HW, etc.

This is a multi-layered course of study and a lot goes on. Will it appear on the test? Yes. Life is the test, and it's all there. Sometimes I grade it for this course. Othertimes, I live by the proverb, you can lead a horse to water but you can't make it drink. You are the horse in this proverb.

Notetaking in APCSP is optional, but recommended. Notetaking in APCSA is required and must be in pencil or pen on notebook paper. A spiral notebook,3-ring to hold looseleaf, or some kind of notebook is required. This is low-haning fruit for this class. There is an article on the reading list specifically about the benefits of notetaking.

All classes have assigned seats; Ms. Miller will switch your seat as needed.

For this summer assignment, there is a lot of reading and not a lot to turn in, was there?

Welcome to a college-level class. Welcome to a work-centered class. The work here is on you to read, think, deconstruct, think, research, practice, and learn to do. To that end, prepare for this class the night before, and in this class, only work on this class. Bringing other classwork into computer science classes, playing games on the computers, using your Chromebooks or personal laptops will get you into trouble as a high school student, and harm your development as a college level student. Get into the mindset for success early. Treat our industry professionals as the professionals they are. They are a tremendous resource for all of us.

Grades will follow what you put into the course. There are due dates in the first days and the first week of school. Some assignments can be made up late; others cannot.

Extra Credit is offered when it is offered and not in the last 4.5 weeks (Not December or April/May).

Cheating: Cheating is a short term solution and it harms you long term. Don't do it. Cheating's consequences will hurt you. You will get a call home. You will get a 0 score. You will get marked CH for cheating. You will lose Ms. Miller's trust.

No letter of recommendation from Ms. Miller, going forward at CHS.
If Ms. Miller has already written one for you, her letter of recommendation may be rescinded by directly contacting the universities, scholarships, GHP, honors positions, etc.
Score of 0 in the gradebook
Assignment is marked CH for Cheating in the Gradebook.
Contact home to parent or gaurdian
Contact with NHS, Beta Club, JROTC and/or other organizations with an honor code, and possible removal from such organizations or clubs
Removal from leadership positions in TSA, VEX, and/or FRC

You don't know this yet, but the letter of rec consequence is the most severe consequence of cheating because Ms. Miller is a writer of subject area letter of recomendations. The good news is, cheating is not necessary. We will work on appropriate use of AI in both classes, becuase AI's use is different in each class. You should come away understanding what is and is not appropriate AI use in each class. It is highly suggested you take excellent notes on those lessons.

What to Expect Next Year: How to be Successful in a high school Computer Science class

Computer Science learning is more like a marathon-length triathlon than a 5K run. What do I mean by comparing programming learning to a multi-sport event at great length?

First, pace yourself. A little work each day during the semester both at home during the week and on weekends, and working diligently in class every day will serve you well. In the 2021-2022 school year, the students who spent the time in class and at home, over time, and didn't cram or triage the class earned high Bs, or As. This has been true thru the 2025-2026 school years. Some students had such a high A, that they could have scored a 0 on the final project and still earned an A for the course. Strive to be those students.

Second, when preparing for class, watch the videos and take notes on traditional loose-leaf notebook paper or a spiral notebook. Leave about 2-3 inches empty on the right side or the bottom of the page. Then, in class, add any clarifying information from the class lecture and exercises. Store the notes in a 3-Ring binder that is dedicated to the class (or dedicated spiral notebook). Your oganized notebook IS one of the only offered extra credits offered in the first semester, and only if you are keeping up with it as we go. Keep that notebook neat and organized. Not one person who seriously took notes by hand, kept up with their notebook and studied with it, earned lower than an A in either of the courses: APCSA or APCSP.

Third, in class and in tutoring, give 100% of your attention to the discussion at hand. Put up your cell phone, remove your earbuds, and close the extra tabs.

If at home, shut the door to your room. Set an alarm if needed, but do not use the TV or your gaming device, or your cell phone to "keep the time" as you will be distracted. Use YouTube or video tutorials as supplements after you have used the CodeHS videos or additional assigned videos.

Try not to study in the coffee shop, public places, unless you have to use their internet. In those cases, make sure you do use headphones or earbuds. Larger earphones or the little ones with cords send the message to passersby that you are plugged in, not available to chat, and "please do not disturb me" mode.

What kind of learning goes on in an APCSA or APCSP course?

FRQs are on both the APCSP and APCSA exams. You will get practice with FRQs in both classes after spring break. FRQs require the collegiate level thinking that is hard to fake, if a student has been "coasting along" not putting in the thinking and understanding effort.

MCQs are on the APCSA and APCSP exam. You will get practice with FRQs in both classes after spring break.

In class, we write a lot of programs in APCSA-Java a lot. We use a variety of IDEs but mostly stick with CodeHS's interface.

In APCSP, we have two Python coding Units. APCSP is a general Computer Science Course. We have more units on general CS stuff than some students would like. APCSP is NOT considered a "programming course" while APCSA is considered a "programming course."

APCSP has 30% of the APCSP Exam completed in class. Students write a program to specific requirements for the class, and that program is sufficient to meet the College Board's Requirements. This way, the student only has to complete the 70% of the AP Exam: the 70 MCQs and the 4 FRQs on exam day.

Major Outcomes (Artificats) of APCSP and APCSA

Roughly 1/10th of BOTH APCSP and APCSA are employability skills. Both courses are considered employment courses and focus on job readiness, soft skills, hard skills, and transferrable skills.

The major output at the end of APCSP is that all students have a high school level resume focusing on their transferrable skills.
The major output at the end of APCSA is that all students have a Professional Online Portfolio that includes their
- Resume (high school level) focusing on their transferrable skills
- CTAE Pathway courses with artifacts and reflections on each.
  - IST (Intro to Software Technology) - 1 artifact including a presentation or summary of what was assigned, the output, and a brief reflection on how the output meets the assignment.
  - APCSP (Principles) - 3 artifacts - usually the Create Performance Task's Video of the code, the Create Performance Task's Program Code, and Create Performance Task's flowchart or pseudocode
  - APCSA (Java) - 6 or more programs, that can be assignments or Weekly Programming Assessments, plus the presentaiton on Agile/Scrum Methodologies.

What to Expect in APCSA or APCSP?

What to Expect in both APCSA and APCSP? In both courses, you are expected to be taking an Advanced Placement course. This means you will need to shift your student preparation and thinking from a high school (relatively passive) to a collegiate level (relatively active).

In high school level courses that are not AP level, the teacher does a lot of the work for you, and you get to come to class, do what is said, memorize a bunch of stuff, and take the tests. Everything on the rest is presented to you in class.

In these AP courses, because it is college level, the teacher is not going to spoon-feed you little chunks of information, tell you if you're right or wrong, and find your mistakes for you. In an AP college-level course, you are expected to take the information, practice it, apply it, and problem-solve with it. AP Courses often teach the skills early on, then there is a lot of practice, application, and synthesizing that you must do on your own. In college-level courses, you must ask yourself, "Do I know what I need to know to do this? Do I need to research more? ... practice more ... problem-solve more?" "And the ultimate question at the collegiate level, do I know it enough so I could teach it to a junior programmer?"

You need to recognize if you need to supplement your practice, background information, or ask for additional tutoring.

You will be graded both on rubrics, where many answers are possible, as well as mastery of skills-based tasks with one right answer, such as MCQs. You arealready comfortable with some MCQ type of questions where A, B, C, or D are correct. CS MCQs are a little different than other AP Courses, and we will practice them using AP Classroom and other resources. Even college-level MCQs can be different, and harder than high school-level MCQs. The answer to a question might be A only, B only, C only, D, only, A, B, and C, A and B, C and B, A and C, All of the Above, or None of the Above. You might have a question where 1 in 10 answer choices is correct. In other words, college-level course MCQs can be simple True/False questions where 1 of 2 is correct ( a 50% chance of guessing the right answer), or traditional MCQs where 1 of 4 answers are right (a 25% chance of guessing the right answer), or 1 in 10 choices are correct (a 10% chance of guessing the right answer). College-level MCQs often have half-page question stems and have one to five questions, spanning two pages, based on that original question.

What to Expect in APCSA specifically? APCSA is front-loaded. The first semester is the learning of Java: the problem-solving, syntax, programming fundamentals, and syntax in Java. The programming assignments are specific skills-based, and they build on each other. Do not get behind first semester. The second semester is applying those skills to real world problems, team-work situations, and the AP Exam. YOu will still have some content to learn, but you will write a lot of programs second semester.

We also work all year in AP Classroom. I grade AP Classroom for completion, not a score. YOU are expected to be collegiate level learning and learn from your own efforts from AP Classroom.

We offer tutoring is bigger than the AP College Board's requirements. You will have some entrepreneurship and employment skills embedded and graded during the school year, CTSOs, and the ability to get hired and promoted in CS industry -- way more than just an AP class, right? You leave this class knowing you know how to program.

The final exam is actually a project and an exam.

What to Expect in APCSP specifically? APCSP is a split class because the AP Exam is split into an in-class project and a traditional paper exam.

We cover IT principles, problem-solving, employment skills, entrepreneurship skills, and product design cycles.

We move into teamwork projects that focus on problem-solving and team negotiating. Their focus is on how to work in teams quickly and efficiently, with accountability, and some presentation skills.

TWe begin our first programming unit in Python. It is text-based, but beginner-friendly. This is a fundamental skills unit and for those who already know Python, they must still test in Python, but may also spend time working on an unknown-to-them language.

We work on coding real programming projects that lead up to building a mock "Create Performance Task." We will build several smaller CPTs before the actual AP CPT. Some students submit a technology fair project in any category, for extra credit.

We review the rules, and expectations, and focus on meeting the goals of the AP rubric. The AP CPT score is 30-40% of the total AP score, with 60-70% of the score coming from the MCQs.

We work on the CPT in-class and turn it in by spring break.

We work the rest of the semester we work on a negotiated passion project, and presentations.

We take a classroom final exam.

Comparison of the Academic Demands: Dual Enrollement, College Freshman, and AP Courses

Here's a comparison of the academic demands across these three pathways:

1. Depth of Engagement & Independent Thinking

Dual Enrollment: You're in a real college course, but often taught at a community college with awareness that many students are still in high school. Professors may still scaffold assignments somewhat, but expect college-level writing and critical thinking.
College Freshman Courses: Expectations for independent analysis jump significantly. Professors assume full cognitive and academic maturity. There's little handholding — you're expected to synthesize material, form original arguments, and engage with primary sources without being guided step by step.
AP Courses: Heavily structured around a specific College Board curriculum and exam. The thinking required is rigorous but somewhat formulaic — students learn to master a defined body of knowledge and specific essay/response formats designed to score well on the AP exam, not necessarily to think like a scholar in that discipline.

2. Self-Regulation & Time Management

Dual Enrollment: You still have a high school schedule providing external structure (bells, parents, counselors). The college coursework is real, but your overall day is still managed for you.
College Freshman Courses: Massive shift in self-regulation required. No one reminds you about deadlines. You manage your own sleep, study time, social life, and workload simultaneously — often for the first time. This meta-skill gap catches many students off guard.
AP Courses: The most structured of the three. Teachers track your progress closely, curriculum is mapped to an exam date, and parents/schools monitor grades vigilantly. The effort is high, but the environment is still very supervised.

3. Volume & Type of Workload

Dual Enrollment: Workload mirrors a genuine college course — reading-heavy, with papers and exams rather than nightly homework sets. However, the courses are often introductory, and the total course load is lighter since you're only taking one or two college classes alongside your high school day.
College Freshman Courses: The cumulative load is far heavier — 4 or 5 college courses simultaneously, each with their own reading, writing, labs, or problem sets. The interaction between courses competing for your time is something dual enrollment students rarely experience until they're actually on campus full-time.
AP Courses: Workload is high and consistent throughout the year, but it's optimized toward a single high-stakes test in May. Much of the effort is retention and review-based rather than the open-ended research and writing that dominates college coursework. Labs (in AP sciences) are more prescribed than college lab work.

Bottom line: AP courses demand disciplined mastery of defined content; dual enrollment introduces real college expectations but within a still-supported environment; and college freshman courses demand all of the above plus full self-sufficiency — academically, logistically, and personally.

The ninth and final thing, (APCSA abd APCSP) and Almost Final Thing -- EMAIL in a Professional Setting. Read for the required attachements.

Note: This is actually the 10th summer thing, more on that later, and the most important because it's how Ms. Miller grades you.

Required for all APCSA and APCSP students.

AFTER July 5, 2026 - 😃- Using your school email account, email Ms. Miller a professional email before the first day of school. This email needs to be sent between July 5 and the first day of school. If you join the class after the first day of school, it is due that first Friday of school you enrolled in the course. For full credit. You will lose 10% each calendar day you are late. This is your first project grade.

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Your email should have:

(10 pts) mailto: heather_miller@dekalbschoolsga.org AND your s9XXXXX email address AND

CC: your professional, non-school email address (usually @gmail.com )

(10 pts) Subject Line: Use the correct course:

"APCSA 26-27 - Professional Email from [your first and last name as it appears in Infinite Campus]"

"APCSP 26-27 - Professional Email from [your first and last name as it appears in Infinite Campus]"

(10 pts) Include a professional Salutation.

Good afternoon Ms. Miller,

(50 pts) Body: Answer the following statements in complete sentences.

What is your name in Infinite Campus? What would you like me to call you when I call roll? Is this the same name you want me to use with your parents/guardians/adults/other teachers? What grade will you be in this school year? What do you know about programming? What is your experience? Are you in TSA already? How are you involved at CHS? Do you play sports, if so what? What clubs, activities, band, and responsibilities are you in? What do you do outside of school -like jobs, volunteering, etc?

Why did you decide to take APCSA or APCSP? What is your biggest fear in taking APCSA or APCSP?

What courses are you taking this year? Are you a dual enrollment?

Include anything else you think would be appropriate for an introductory, professional email.

When using email, CC: your personal email address. This way you have Ms. Miller's email address in your personal email and your school email. Ms. Miller will also communicate with you occasionally on both email addresses.

My school email is __________________.

My personal email is _________________.

I check my _(personal or school)_____ email more often. By the way, as a college student (AP Student), you should be checking one or both email addresses daily.

(20 pts) Professional signature:

Sincerely,

Your first name and last name (optional pronouns)

APCSP Student or APCSA

Chamblee High School, Class of 202_ [your anticipated grad year]

Optional:

If you have anything else you want me to know about you about you that you think is important, i.e. any special needs like seating requirements on a 504 plan, IEP, or anything else?

Email Heather_M_Miller@dekalbschoolsga.org

CC: your s9XXXXXX@dekalbschoolsga.org (your s number email address) AND

CC: your personal email address that you will actually be checking regularly and will keep after you graduate.

If you don't know what CC: and BCC: are, look those terms up in Google.

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