Exam Date & Time: Afternoon of Friday, May 15, 2026.
Textbook: Java Software Solutions for AP* Computer Science, J. Lewis, W. Loftus, and C. Cocking, 3rd Edition, 2011, Prentice Hall
Grading Policy: Each exam is worth 20% of your semester grade. Each quarter will be worth 40% of the semester grade.
Assessments will be worth a varying amount of points. For example, a lab may be worth 60 points while a test may be worth 80 points. Your grade will be determined by taking the total points you have earned and dividing by the total amount of possible points.
For Example: A student has earned 219 points out of a total of 270. Therefore, their grade will be 219/ 270 = 0.81 or 81%.
Quizzes and Tests will contain three types of problems: (1) factual, (2) conceptual, (3) extensions and/or connections. For the most part, factual questions will be worth the least amount of points and they will be right or wrong. Extension/connection questions will be worth the most points and will have the most partial credit. Finding ways to give partial credit is easier with organized & legible work.
Homework and Labs/Projects will be worth a varying number of points. Most homework is an effort-based grade. Even on multiple choice questions, show your work. Due dates and values will be posted on corricelli.com. When assigned to “read” a section, you need to take notes and show these notes in class as evidence of your reading. Formal projects will be handed in digital form on Dropbox with a rubric. A coding assignment will (generally) earn an A if it compiles, shows you have practiced the skill for that lab, does the job, has a comment for each method, has proper indentation, and uses words for variables and constants (not letters).
Absences: Attendance improves learning. As absences do occur, plans and materials will be posted online via corricelli.com and Google Classroom. It is your responsibility to make up any missed work, get notes, etc. Late work due to an absence will be accepted until the test day for that chapter. Grades may be impacted if late work becomes an issue. On PowerSchool, late work will be marked as such so we can observe patterns. Missed quizzes or tests must be made up as soon as possible.
Our Class Norms: In the first week of school we spent time developing THIS DOC. It organizes our class norms for this year.
Artificial Intelligence: Artificial Intelligence is not a new idea. The idea that a machine can mimic human intelligence is fundamental to the first mechanical calculator (1642) and the first programmable machine (1837). The term "Artificial Intelligence" was not introduced until 1956 at a conference right here in New England (Dartmouth), right after Alan Turing's paper on what has since been referred to as the "Turing Test", a test that says if you do not know you are talking to a machine, the machine passes. What is new is that we have the computational power and storage ability to create intelligent solutions that pass the Turing Test. Turns out computers need a LOT more data than we do to learn. Increasingly, AI solutions are integrated as part of our experience, so we want to help you to learn and how to use these tools safely. As a district we've developed the following two documents to guide us this year:
AI Roles & Responsibilities - we are all going to be learning together. This document summarizes expectations as we do.
AI Assessment Scale - not every assignment will be treated the same; I try to remember to specify the AI level as part of our norms this year. If I forget, please ask.
AI in the student handbook - see page 44 (explanation), page 54 (connection to honor code)
How to cite AI usage - when AI is used it is our shared responsibility to cite its usage.
Our Virtual Classroom: There are three places you will get very familiar with through this course: (1) corricelli.com, (2) Google Classroom, and (3) AP Classroom. Corricelli.com will be your central location for missed work, our schedule, and support tools.
Extra Help: In-person sessions will be before school 2-3 times each week starting at 7am. Most weeks, I plan to come before school on Monday and Wednesday. I will let you know via Classroom if something effects this. Email me if you need alternate arrangements.
Access to Computers: If you have a device you can bring back and forth to school, you are encouraged to do so. For this course, you need a device that allows you to download and run programs. It would need to have a windows, apple, or linux operating system. As long as you use your time wisely in class, the class is planned out so you should not need to have a device at home to program.
Handing in Assignments: Google Classroom, Dropbox, and corricelli.com can be accessed via any computer or mobile device with online access. You may contribute to online dialogue via Google Classroom. Contributions can include: (1) Asking a detailed, homework question, (2) commenting on an article given in class or found online related to topics discussed in class, (3) continuing a class-related conversation online, or (4) responding to an online question by myself or a peer.
Contact Information: Email is the best way to reach me because I check it most often.
Email: jackie_corricelli@whps.org
Site: corricelli.com
Voicemail: 860-231-5000 ext. 6167
Miscellaneous Information:
Calculators: No calculators are allowed on the AP Exam. Consequently, no calculators are allowed in this class. Operations are not always what they seem in many programming languages, including Java. There may also be some new operations that you have never seen before. We need to think in Java to be prepared to take this exam.
Cell Phones: Conard High School policy (click HERE for the policy document) is that phones and other connected devices (including smart watches) are off and away. The only exception to this is if we are doing something in class that requires you use cell phones.
Notebook: You should have a way to keep information organized for this class. Date your documents and keep them in a three-ring notebook or folder in your Google Drive so you can use them to study.
Passes: We will be using the SmartPass system. We will be learning how to use this system together during this school year.
Wasting Time: Any student who wastes class time will be required to see me after or during class, depending on the situation. Consequences will be assigned if further interruptions occur. This includes, but is not limited to: excessive talking, unnecessary protests or distractions, or not working productively.
Let’s Begin! I am looking forward to working with you and learning from you this year. Keep a sense of humor even (especially) when you are being challenged. Remember, no one is born with this knowledge. Everyone has to work at it.
Sincerely, Mrs. Corricelli