Computer Science
NJ CIP CODE: 110701
OUR MISSION
To provide school to college or school to career preparation in the field of Computer Science through a core curriculum emphasizing coding, technology, math, and computer engineering; as well as the opportunity to earn college credit and relevant work experience.
OUR GOALS
Assist in achieving the Computer Science work force needs of the State
Promote the concept of Computer Science as essential to all fields, organizations, and industries
Assist in creating a work force in this field that has ethnic and gender diversity
Promote a broadly trained worker who will meet the needs for future new projects in Computer Science.
Provide students with a strong foundation in math, technology, problem solving, and the design process.
Enhance quality high school to college articulation.
The Course Sequence
1) Computer Science Principles
AP Computer Science Principles introduces students to the central ideas of computer science, instilling the idea and practices of computational thinking and inviting students to understand how computing changes the world. This rigorous course promotes deep learning of computational content, develops computational thinking skills, and engages students in the creative aspects of the world. It is expected that students enrolled in this course will take the AP test.
2) Web Design & Server Development ACP with Digital Game Development ACP
Web Design & Server Development ACP is a semester course, designed to allow students to understand two facets of a large subset of their daily life. How to design web sites, as well as how to build and maintain the technological platform which they require in order to exist. Students will learn both software and hardware requirements necessary for a web server to exist, as well as how to use them to host their own projects. Students will also learn about the problems behind maintaining a web server and preventing/correcting security vulnerabilities. Students are expected to also enroll in Digital Game Development ACP.
Digital Game Development ACP is a semester course targeted as an introduction to game theory and development. Students will be engaged throughout the course to design both new and classic games through a user-friendly game programming interface. Many topics will be addressed throughout the course including game design, theory, creation and production. Students will learn how games are distributed and design game programs that are platform independent. Students will also enroll in Web Design & Server Development.
3) PLTW Cybersecurity ACP
Whether seeking a career in the growing field of cybersecurity or learning to defend their own personal data or a company’s data, students in Cybersecurity establish an ethical code of conduct while learning to defend data in today’s complex cyberworld.
Articulation Agreements
Sussex County Community College (6 total credits)
The following courses are concurrent through SCCC:
Computer Science Principles =
COMS 114 Introduction to Computer Science I (3 credits)
Computer Science A =
COMS 115 Introduction to Computer Science II (3 credits)
Additionally...
Based on student performance on their EOC exams, students may be eligible to earn many more college credits through dozens of PLTW affiliated universities. Please visit this website for more information:
Structured Learning Experience
Year 1:
Students will job shadow at Sussex Rural Electric to see how the employees use coding and Computer Science to track electric outages, and trouble shoot electrical problems across the county grid. Students will visit Sussex Rural Electric for job shadowing once in the first semester and again during the second semester. Each day of job shadowing will last 2.5 hours -- making a total of 5 hours for the year. Students will have an employee from Sussex Rural visit the class prior to their visit to Sussex Rural to share with the students a little bit about what they will see when they visit. Students will take notes during their visit and write a reflection about what they learned during their experience.
Year 2:
Students will volunteer for 10 hours as junior-staff members of the VTHS Geek Squad. As volunteers they will help fix some tech problems throughout the district as submitted by teachers and staff (e.g. SmartBoard won't work, computer won't log in, etc.; or even tutorials on how to use different technology tools)
Year 3:
Students will work as employees in the School-Based Enterprise "The Geek Squad." As employees their main responsibility will be to help the district repair chromebooks and to help coding for the website and security features for district email, the website, and the app. Students will interview for the position in the Geek Squad, and if selected, will have the class as a period of their day, 5-days a week, for the duration of the school year, dedicated to working in this capacity. The Geek Squad is supervised by the Chief Technology Officer of the district -- Mr. Matt Shea
Third Party Assessment
Computer Programming Job Ready Exam -- NOCTI exam (administered at the end of the third course)
Students are also expected to take the Project Lead the Way "EOC" test as well as the AP Computer Science test through College Board