I have not used this curriculum yet, but from what I have explored, I LOVE the approach. Lessons seem to be very intentional and engaging. If I had unlimited resources to create my own curriculum, I think it would look a lot like what is offered here. Thanks for making this resource. So - I would love to switch to code.org’s curriculum. But here is my concern:
I feel like I would be starting over because of the order this curriculum uses. Everything I have used in the past will no longer align. I don’t trust that the tests are secure, so I would need to rewrite/reorganize all of my paper tests. This could take some time, but I feel like it would be worth it, except…
If the college board follows through on their announced changes to the course framework and removes inheritance, I assume this curriculum will see massive changes and then I will need to start over again. Assuming (and this could be wrong) that the changes take place 2024-2025, starting from scratch 3 years in a row does not sound appealing. I’m considering using the same resources I used last year just to wait this out.
I have not read every lesson, so here are my questions -
With inheritance introduced so early in this curriculum, does it show up often in the following units? How much will the units change if the framework is changed?
If I prefer to continue teaching inheritance even if College Board removes it, will “older” versions of the curriculum still be available?
Hi @cisenhour thank you for utilizing the forum and bringing up these concerns. It sounds like you are a veteran CSA teacher and I understand how nerve racking it can be to make the switch to a new curriculum.
This document has the computational thinking practices and big ideas from the AP college board course and exam description tied to each of the Code.org units and lessons. In Code.org’s CSA curriculum the concept of inheritance is first introduced in Unit 1 Lesson 8 and the concept of inheritance and inheritance specific concepts (using the super keyword, overwriting methods, etc.) get brought up in later units.
While I am not on the curriculum team, it is my understanding that Code.org is going to treat CSA as they have with CSP. Each iteration of the course framework with CSP the college board has rolled out, Code.org has updated their curriculum accordingly. I would anticipate they would do this with CSA as well. That being said, you are able to access prior versions of the curriculum. I just checked CSP and you can still access the 2017-2018 school year version of the curriculum. Code.org’s CSA curriculum has been updated from last year and you are able to access that version as well.
Thank you for bringing up these concerns as I’m sure many teachers are in the same situation. Please follow up with us and let the community know if you use the Code.org CSA curriculum or any of the resources and what you think. Feedback is always appreciated and what helps develop this course and community of CSA teachers
-Sam
Hi @bmoreini! This is the changelog for the 24/25 school year. You can find it by going to the CSA landing page and clicking the “Teacher Resources” drop down and selecting the 24-25 Change Log at the top. To answer your question, it does not look like any significant changes have been made to the Resource or Activity Packet.
Thanks @sam_stafford and the whole code.org CSA team! I’m switching my AP CSA from a horrible curriculum to code.org’s this year, and your CSA course is a breath of fresh air in both pacing and how easy you’ve made it for teachers. Syncing your units with AP Classroom practices is just one little thing you’ve done which helps us out, and those little things add up quickly!
