Lessons 1 - 3
I would like some guidance on how to approach this year’s Create Task. I have been looking at the new Unit 9 and I have some questions.
First, I will mention that the plans for lesson 1 and lesson 2 include, in the Preparation section, a link to the Teacher’s Lounge. This link takes the reader to the Teacher’s Lounge ('22-'23 ). This is not very helpful, since we are looking at the '23-'24 curriculum, and things have changed.
Lesson 4 - Create PT Written Response Mock Exam
Then, there is Lesson 4: Create PT Written Response Mock Exam. We have two practices that we can use with our students. According to the instructions, the students should be ready with their Personalized Project References.
Are we talking about their actual personalized project references? I mean, the references for the projects they are uploading into their Digital Portfolio as part of their AP Exam? If this is the case, are we allowed to provide our students with feedback on these specific questions? This is not clear at all.
Also, the lesson 4 plan includes a handout titled Create PT Mock Exam Description. This handout is just a document with two duplicated paragraphs. At the end of the paragraphs, it reads, “The four categories listed below align to the four prompts.” There is nothing listed below the paragraph/s.
Finally, if we are to grade and give feedback to our students, are there any guidelines?
Yikes! It looks like you found a few items that need to be addressed by the curriculum team. The best way to get ahold of them is by writing to support@code.org or using the support link from the website.
I am going to forward your comments to them now. I know they are not in office until the 2nd, but I bet they will get to it quickly.
I noticed that the Create PT Mock Exams offered by Code.org are just the same example included in the AP Computer Science Principles Course and Exam Description, effective fall 2023. This is on page 186 of the document. There are scoring guidelines on page 188.
Code.org offers “two” versions, of the Mock Exam, Version A & Version B, but they are exactly the same.
Also, the AP Computer Science Principles Course and Exam Description, effective fall 2023, has 526 pages. After page 187, there is an empty page. Then you will see the Student Handsouts. When you get to the end of the Student Handsouts, the booklet/guide starts again with a “new” content page. It is like the booklet/guide starts again. It is in this second portion where you will find the scoring guides. According to the document, you are on page 188, but if you look at the number of the page in the file, you are on page 455. This is very, very confusing!
Thanks so much for your helpful feedback regarding some of the updates that were presented for Unit 9! We are parsing through the feedback and will be pushing out some changes to address those concerns that you have outlined here. Thanks so much for your time and efforts in making this mid-year exam update go as smoothly as possible for our wonderful community.
You are correct that the questions that are asked on both versions are the same. The two versions are intended to provide a different depth of experience based on how you wish to approach the task with your students. Below is an excerpt from the Teaching Tip that explains the difference:
"Version A involves circling key terms in the question for a focused response. It’s a concise approach suitable for those who prefer simplicity and efficiency.
Version B, on the other hand, adds a more detailed layer to the process. It includes circling key terms, numbering them, writing short summaries, and freewriting ideas. This method aims to stimulate creativity and build a comprehensive resource during response writing.
Teachers and students are encouraged to choose the annotation strategy that aligns best with their preferences, learning styles, and objectives."
I, too, am finding some missing resources for Unit 9. We will be starting this unit next week and in looking over the slides, I see things referenced, like Day 1 slide #11 “Create PT annotated Sample 1.” I have yet to find this resource posted on Unit 9 or viewing All Resources.
In writing the above, I actually did find a copy from a past course… Lesson 1 Create PT Annotated Sample 1 (6/6) Unfortunately, this is for the old WR. I can see how it will help students understand how their submissions will be scored, but it will no doubt be confusing to say, “You won’t actually be submitting a Written Response like this…” Fun times.
On slide 3, “Scoring Guidelines” are referenced and, I assume, these are to be found on the College Board? I found scoring guidelines for 2022, but not 2023-2024.
Could be I’m overlooking things… feeling a bit overwhelmed by trying to glean out old Written Responses and the new PPR. Thank y’all.
I tried to put together all the information from the AP recording and code.org (and some other resources). Maybe it will help you, or anyone, understand the task better. It is a working document, so I am constantly making changes. There isn’t much different with the app itself or even what you submit to AP from previous years. The PPR is about understanding how your code words.
I felt the same way. I went through the slide decks and contacted code.org support. They made the changes to the slide decks, but the Lesson Plans still need a little work. Some small errors were just bad page numbers, but a big one was talking about rubrics and written responses that were from the old version.
I am looking for example apps for my students to look at before they begin their own coding. It looks like there used to be some on code.org but I can’t find them. Does anyone have good examples for students to look at? I think it will be difficult for some of them to get started without having seen a well-done example first.
I just finished posting a resource, but since it doesn’t seem like anyone goes there much, I thought I’d share a link (in case you weren’t aware it existed).
Cheers
P.S. - thanks Mr. Rhodes for the awesome spreadsheet.
How many lists? I noticed in a codeHS exemplar they showed 2 lists being initialised. I thought it was meant to be only one? One segment showing it created the other showing it used but only one list.
You need at least one list. If there are more than one, and the student shows both in the screenshot for the Personalized Project Reference, the scorer will look at the first one when deciding whether to give the point or not.
The list should be meaningful, and it should have more than one item.
