AP CS Principles

Class Policies Sheet

Exam Details: 

Textbook: Blown to Bits – Your Life, Liberty, and Happiness after the Digital Explosion, H. Abelson, K. Ledeen, and H. Lewis, 2008, Addison-Wesley

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, this student’s 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.  Work will be submitted digitally.  Homework may be due the next day.  Homework may be an effort-based grade or it may be graded based on correctness.  Grades will be communicated on PowerSchool.  A coding assignment will (generally) earn an A if it runs, shows you practiced the skill being checked, does the job, and has organized methods.    

Absences: Attendance improves learning. As absences do occur, plans and materials will be posted online via corricelli.com and Google Classroom.  Papers will be placed in the bin in the front of the 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 Virtual Classroom: There are four places you will get very familiar with through this course: (1) corricelli.com, (2) Google Classroom, (3) Mobile CSP Site, and (4) AP Classroom.  Corricelli.com will be your central location for missed work, our schedule, and support tools. 

Contact Information: Email is the best way to reach me because I check it most often.

Voicemail: 860-231-5000 ext. 6167

Extra Help: In-person sessions will be before school 2-3 times each week starting at 7am.  These will be posted online and on the board outside Room 167 and on corricelli.com.   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.    

Handing in Assignments: Google Classroom, App Inventor, and  corricelli.com can be accessed via any computer or mobile device with online access. You may be required to 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. 

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 App Inventor.  There may also be some new operations that you have never seen before.  To be prepared to take the exam, we will need to practice doing this arithmetic without a computer.

Notebook: You should have a way to keep papers organized for this class.  Date your papers and keep them in a three-ring notebook or folder so you can use them to study.

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