During April 27-29, 1996, the AP CS Ad Hoc Committee held its last formally-scheduled meeting. From the standpoint of the participants, the efforts of this Committee have been most productive. Not only did this work allow the AP CS Test Development Committee to refine the C++ subset and clarify several issues of content, but the interactions also raised some interesting possibilities and suggestions for new directions and initiatives for SIGCSE. The following notes highlight a variety of ideas.

C++ in AP CS

• As announced previously, Pascal will be used on both versions of the AP CS examinations in 1997 and 1998. Both examinations will shift to C++ in 1999.

• The Ad Hoc Committee, together with the Test Development Committee, refined the specification of a subset of C++ for use on the AP CS examinations. For the most part, the subset follows the constructs proposed in a draft "Call for Comments", although some adjustments were made. The "Call for Comments" had been circulated at the 1996 SIGCSE Symposium and via the World Wide Web.

• A commentary was written, adding details about the C++ subset and explaining why a variety of choices were made.

• Three parenthetical notes may be of interest.
  • While the Committee had many long discussions on details of a C++ subset, there was great agreement about the final result; the Committee members seem agreed that the C++ subset seems well constructed. While Committee members might quibble about a few details now and then, these points do not seem significant -- largely reflecting personal tastes.

  • Unfortunately, very few people chose to respond to the "Call for Comments", in spite of the circulation of the materials and the request for feedback. The Ad Hoc Committee reviewed all comments very carefully, and in many cases, the AP CS C++ subset was modified (and improved) in response to the comments. In a few cases, the suggested changes seemed inconsistent with the goals of AP CS or a CS1/2 course, or the suggested changes seemed to add unnecessary additional syntax.

  • The resulting AP CS C++ subset has many elements in common with the description of "Essential C++" on pages 3-14,20 of the June 1996 SIGCSE Bulletin.

The AP CS Topic Outline

• While the AP CS Test Development Committee expressed its interest in receiving extensive feedback about the AP CS Topic Outline over the long term, the Committee indicated that some preliminary work is necessary.
  • Due to the very heavy workload of the AP CS Test Development Committee, the current AP CS Course Description is badly dated -- the Course Description does not adequately indicate the content and emphasis of the current AP CS exams. Thus, at the April meeting, a considerable amount of time was spent by the AP CS Test Development Committee in dramatically overhauling the current AP CS Course Description to reflect current content and emphasis. While some members of the Ad Hoc Committee helped in this process (most folk who had served recently on the AP CS Test Development Committee), this work largely was done by the current AP CS Test Development Committee. In this work, the Test Development Committee emphasized repeatedly that they were not changing the current course -- rather they were trying to bring the topics outline and course description up to date with current practice.

  • With various time constraints involved with ETS publishing, the AP CS Test Development Committee wants a corrected AP CS Course Description to appear this summer or fall (in a special mailing to the entire AP CS community, to high schools, and to colleges) and then next spring in the new AP CS Course Description booklet. With various production constraints, it seems that there is a six-month or more time lag between when the Committee finishes its work on material and when revised materials can appear in published form.

  • Once an up-to-date AP CS Course Description is available and circulated, then the AP CS Test Development Committee can start the process of considering appropriate changes, new directions, and other issues of course content. The time frame for this work is not yet clear.

Teacher Training

• Work has already started on a revised Teacher's Guide for a C++ based AP CS course. Fran Trees of the AP CS Ad Hoc Committee will be a principal editor and writer.

• Plans also are being made for 2 sets of training sessions in the Summer, 1997. These sessions will be designed for AP consultants who give regional workshops to CS teachers, so the leaders of various AP workshops around the country will understand the important elements and issues regarding the change to C++. Note that ETS already has budgeted these training sessions, and various leaders (people who have recently served on the AP CS Test Development Committee) are already talking about specific content and schedules for these sessions.

The Relationship Between AP CS and SIGCSE

• The AP CS Test Development Committee genuinely wants to receive feedback on content, directions, and details of the AP CS Course Description.

• There is a need for high school and college faculty to come together on a regular basis for ongoing discussions. High school teachers need to know about curricular directions in colleges and about college expectations for incoming students. College teachers need to understand opportunities and constraints for teaching in high schools. Unfortunately, this contact rarely takes place (except at AP CS readings), and some college faculty may have a tendency to pontificate without listening.

• Meaningful dialog between high schools and colleges about CS curricula can take place only if the faculties of these groups interact, and SIGCSE is a natural place for discussions to occur.

• While SIGCSE has talked about expanding its membership in many ways and while SIGCSE has made some attempts to reach out to secondary school teachers, it has not been terribly successful in attracting large numbers of high school teachers. Some other groups may be organized for this audience (e.g., ISTE and a new SIG), but SIGCSE can serve as an essential role in bringing groups together.

These ideas have been forwarded to the SIGCSE Board, where a detailed review is in progress. Within SIGCSE, such suggestions are particularly timely, since SIGCSE has undertaken a general effort to reach out to a broader audience -- both internationally and within the United States -- and to include a wider range of interests. The goal here is not to limit SIGCSE's audience to introductory-level courses, but to expand discussion at all levels, with AP CS as one important part. Thus, the work suggested by the AP CS Ad Hoc Committee is meant to complement, not limit, other initiatives. (Other SIGCSE efforts might even be directed at high-level, undergraduate courses or even at graduate education.)

With on-going cooperation among AP CS, SIGCSE, and other groups, the Ad Hoc Committee believes there is a good chance of expanding interactions between college and high school faculty, reinforcing communication channels between AP CS and the general CS Community, and increasing SIGCSE membership. Your SIGCSE representatives on the Committee welcome your comments.

Suggestions concerning this World Wide Web page also are welcome.

Henry M. Walker (walker@math.grin.edu)