Course Selection Computer Programming	Course Description	About AP®
	Go to for additional information.	Grade 12 AP® Course Outline

About AP AP can change your life. Through college-level AP courses, you enter a universe of knowledge that might otherwise remain unexplored in high school; through AP Exams, you have the opportunity to earn credit or advanced standing at most of the nation's colleges and universities. Why Participate? With 37 courses and exams across 22 subject areas, AP offers something for everyone. The only requirements are a strong curiosity about the subject you plan to study and the willingness to work hard. Here are just a few reasons to sign up: Gain the Edge in College Preparation  Get a head start on college-level work.  Improve your writing skills and sharpen your problem-solving techniques.  Develop the study habits necessary for tackling rigorous course work. Stand Out in the College Admissions Process  Demonstrate your maturity and readiness for college.  Show your willingness to push yourself to the limit.  Emphasize your commitment to academic excellence. Broaden Your Intellectual Horizons Explore the world from a variety of perspectives, most importantly your own. Study subjects in greater depth and detail. Assume the responsibility of reasoning, analyzing, and understanding for yourself. How Do I Enroll? Once you've decided to take the AP challenge it's easy to enroll. Talk to an AP teacher or the Computer Science Department Head about the course you want to take. Discuss the course's workload and any preparation you might need. Cost The fee for each exam is approximately $87US.  EXAM DATE: Tuesday, May 3rd, 2011

Grade 12 AP®   Computer Science Course Outline   (Download Complete Computer Science Course Description - Click Here)   Following is an outline of the major topics covered by the AP Computer Science Exams. This outline is intended to define the scope of the course but not necessarily the sequence. The topics in the right-hand column will not be tested on the Computer Science A Exam.   I. Object-Oriented Program Design The overall goal for designing a piece of software (a computer program) is to correctly solve the given problem. At the same time, this goal should encompass specifying and designing a program that is understandable, can be adapted to changing circumstances, and has the potential to be reused in whole or in part. The design process needs to be based on a thorough understanding of the problem to be solved. Computer Science A and AB   A. Program design Read and understand a problem description, purpose, and goals. Apply data abstraction and encapsulation. Read and understand class specifications and relationships among the classes (“is-a,” “has-a” relationships). Understand and implement a given class hierarchy. Identify reusable components from existing code using classes and class libraries. B. Class design Design and implement a class. Design an interface. Choose appropriate data representation and algorithms. Apply functional decomposition. Extend a given class using inheritance.   II. Program Implementation The overall goals of program implementation parallel those of program design. Classes that fill common needs should be built so that they can be reused easily in other programs. Object-oriented design is an important part of program implementation.   Computer Science A and AB A. Implementation techniques 1. Methodology a. Object-oriented development b. Top-down development c. Encapsulation and information hiding d. Procedural abstraction B. Programming constructs 1. Primitive types vs. objects 2. Declaration a. Constant declarations b. Variable declarations c. Class declarations d. Interface declarations e. Method declarations f. Parameter declarations 3. Console output (System.out.print/println) 4. Control a. Methods b. Sequential c. Conditional d. Iteration e. Recursion C. Java library classes included in the A-level AP Java Subset     III. Program Analysis The analysis of programs includes examining and testing programs to determine whether they correctly meet their specifications. It also includes the analysis of programs or algorithms in order to understand their time and space requirements when applied to different data sets.   Computer Science A and AB A. Testing Test classes and libraries in isolation. Identify boundary cases and generate appropriate test data. Perform integration testing. B. Debugging Categorize errors: compile-time, run-time, logic. Identify and correct errors. Employ techniques such as using a debugger, adding extra output statements, or hand-tracing code. C. Understand and modify existing code D. Extend existing code using inheritance E. Understand error handling Understand runtime exceptions. F. Reason about programs Pre- and post-conditions Assertions G. Analysis of algorithms Informal comparisons of running times Exact calculation of statement execution counts H. Numerical representations and limits Representations of numbers in different bases Limitations of finite representations (e.g., integer bounds, imprecision of floating-point representations, and round-off error)     IV. Standard Data Structures Data structures are used to represent information within a program. Abstraction is an important theme in the development and application of data structures.   Computer Science A and AB A. Simple data types (int, boolean, double) B. Classes C. One-dimensional arrays     V. Standard Algorithms Standard algorithms serve as examples of good solutions to standard problems. Many are intertwined with standard data structures. These algorithms provide examples for analysis of program efficiency.   Computer Science A and AB A. Operations on A-level data structures previously listed Traversals Insertions Deletions B. Searching Sequential Binary C. Sorting Selection Insertion Mergesort     VI. Computing in Context A working knowledge of the major hardware and software components of computer systems is necessary for the study of computer science, as is the awareness of the ethical and social implications of computing systems. These topics need not be covered in detail but should be considered throughout the course.   Computer Science A and AB A. Major hardware components Primary and secondary memory Processors Peripherals B. System software Language translators/compilers Virtual machines Operating systems C. Types of systems Single-user systems Networks D. Responsible use of computer systems System reliability Privacy Legal issues and intellectual property Social and ethical ramifications of computer use