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Guidance for the AP Create Task and Practice Create Task
This page needs updates based on whether or not we decide to require the Explore Curricular Requirement (and updates to that requirement). --MF, 11/17/19
Brian, we decided not to, right? (Just triple-checking.) --MF, 5/23/20
Tim suggested adding these links:
BJC includes a Practice Create Task several units before the official Create Task. It is strongly encouraged (both by BJC and the AP CSP Chief Reader's Report) to conduct a Practice Create Task before students undertake the AP Create Task, on which they cannot seek teacher support. The BJC Practice Create Task uses the exact same student pages as for AP Create Task so that students can explore and resolve any issues with the instructions and required technology before undertaking the official Create Task.
BJC does not include the CSP Explore Curriculum Requirement, which, despite its name, is not required. Instead, BJC fulfills this requirement through several social implications labs across the year as described in the course syllabus.
Links
- AP CSP: The Exam - official College Board site with exam information, scoring webinar recording, and sample performance tasks
- BJC Student AP CSP Create Task - the student-facing pages are designed to be used twice—once for the Practice Create Task and again for the official Create Task so that all questions and technical issues are resolved the first time around
Pacing
- Teachers must provide at least 12 classroom hours to complete the Create Task.
- BJC recommends allocating about 6 classroom hours for the Practice Create Task.
Tips
- The BJC Create Task pages are designed to be a support to students as they complete these College Board tasks and should be treated as a supplement to the official College Board materials. The College Board website and documentation should be consulted regularly and considered the final word on the requirements of the Create Task. The BJC pages are not intended to be a complete resource and may not contain the most up to date information. They are provided to help clarify requirements that have been confusing to students.
- After students complete their Practice Create Task, consider drawing a crowd for the students to show off their work (other students, teachers, parents, and administrators).
Example Student Snap! Project Videos
2020 Big Idea: CRD; and Computational Thinking Practices and Skills: 1.B, 1.C, 4.C, 6.C
As students undertake the Practice Create Task, they select and use a development process, plan and code their program, test their program for errors, write about their development process, and acknowledge any code developed by other people (Skills: 1.B, 1.C, 4.C, 6.C; Big Ideas: CRD).
2020 Enduring Understanding: CRD-2
In the Practice Create Task, students undertake an iterative design process as a formalization of their programming work so far in the year and as preparation for the Create Task (CRD-2).
Related edX BJC Videos
Brian wants us to revisit whether these videos are relevant enough to warrant including. --MF, 9/7/18
AP Classroom
After the Practice Create Task, the following AP CSP topics have been covered completely. You may choose to use the AP Classroom formative assessment practice questions for the following topics:
- 1.3 Program Design and Development (covered in Unit 1 Lab 3: Modern Art with Polygons and the Practice AP Create Task)
- 1.4 Identifying and Correcting Errors (covered in the Practice AP Create Task)
Correlation with 2020 AP CS Principles Framework
Computational Thinking Practices: Skills
- 1.B: Determine and design an appropriate method or approach to achieve the purpose.
- 1.C: Explain how collaboration affects the development of a solution.
- 4.C: Identify and correct errors in algorithms and programs, including error discovery through testing.
- 6.C: Acknowledge the intellectual property of others.
Learning Objectives:
- CRD-2.E: Develop a program using a development process. (1.B)
- CRD-2.F: Design a program and its user interface. (1.B)
- CRD-2.H: Acknowledge code segments used from other sources. (1.C)
-
CRD-2.I: For errors in an algorithm or program:
- Identify the error. (4.C)
- Correct the error. (4.C)
- CRD-2.J: Identify inputs and corresponding expected outputs or behaviors that can be used to check the correctness of an algorithm or program. (4.C)
Essential Knowledge:
- CRD-2.B.4: The behavior of a program is how a program functions during execution and is often described by how a user interacts with it.
- CRD-2.B.5: A program can be described broadly by what it does, or in more detail by both what the program does and how the program statements accomplish this function.
- CRD-2.E.1: A development process can be ordered and intentional, or exploratory in nature.
-
CRD-2.E.2: There are multiple development processes. The following phases are commonly used when developing a program:
- investigating and reflecting
- designing
- prototyping
- testing
- CRD-2.E.3: A development process that is iterative requires refinement and revision based on feedback, testing, or reflection throughout the process. This may require revisiting earlier phases of the process.
- CRD-2.E.4: A development process that is incremental is one that breaks the problem into smaller pieces and makes sure each piece works before adding it to the whole.
- CRD-2.F.1: The design of a program incorporates investigation to determine its requirements.
- CRD-2.F.2: Investigation in a development process is useful for understanding and identifying the program constraints, as well as the concerns and interests of the people who will use the program.
-
CRD-2.F.3: Some ways investigation can be performed are as follows:
- collecting data through surveys
- user testing
- interviews
- direct observations
- CRD-2.F.4: Program requirements describe how a program functions and may include a description of user interactions that a program must provide.
- CRD-2.F.5: A program's specification defines the requirements for the program.
- CRD-2.F.6: In a development process, the design phase outlines how to accomplish a given program specification.
-
CRD-2.F.7: The design phase of a program may include:
- brainstorming
- planning and storyboarding
- organizing the program into modules and functional components
- creation of diagrams that represent the layouts of the user interface
- development of a testing strategy for the program
- CRD-2.H.1: It is important to acknowledge any code segments that were developed collaboratively or by another source.
- CRD-2.H.2: Acknowledgement of code segment(s) written by someone else and used in a program can be in the program documentation. The acknowledgement should include the origin or original author’s name.
- CRD-2.I.1: A logic error is a mistake in the algorithm or program that causes it to behave incorrectly or unexpectedly.
- CRD-2.I.2: A syntax error is a mistake in the program where the rules of the programming language are not followed.
- CRD-2.I.3: A run-time error is a mistake in the program that occurs during the execution of a program. Programming languages define their own run-time errors.
- CRD-2.I.4: An overflow error is an error that occurs when a computer attempts to handle a number that is outside of the defined range of values.
-
CRD-2.I.5: The following are effective ways to find and correct errors:
- test cases
- hand tracing
- visualizations
- debuggers
- adding extra output statement(s)
- CRD-2.J.1: In the development process, testing uses defined inputs to ensure that an algorithm or program is producing the expected outcomes. Programmers use the results from testing to revise their algorithms or programs.
- CRD-2.J.2: Defined inputs used to test a program should demonstrate the different expected outcomes that are at or just beyond the extremes (minimum and maximum) of input data.
- CRD-2.J.3: Program requirements are needed to identify appropriate defined inputs for testing.