In a highly competitive selection process, the University of Alabama (UA) and its partner high school Booker T. Washington Magnet High School (BTW) in Montgomery were recently selected to participate in the College Board Computer Science: Principles Pilot during the 2011-2012 academic year.
Pilot programs are charged with developing an AP Course designed to introduce students to the central ideas of computer science, instilling the ideas and practices of computational thinking and engaging students in activities that show computing and computer science is changing the world.
In Alabama, UA Computer Science Professor Jeff Gray and BTW AP course instructor Mr. William Cowles will develop and teach the pilot course at their respective institutions in the coming school year.
Funded by the National Science Foundation and The College Board, the proposed course must be rich in computational content, include computational and critical thinking and skills, and engage students in the creative aspects of the field. Through both its content and pedagogy, this course aims to appeal to a broad audience.
Booker T. Washington Magnet High School and the University of Alabama are joined by eight other pilot program partnerships:
• North Gwinnett High School with Georgia Tech
• Northside College Prep and Chicago Lab High School with the Illinois Institute of Technology
• Greater Hartford Academy of Math and Science with Trinity College
• Springdale High School with University of Arkansas at Little Rock
• South Philadelphia High School with University of Pennsylvania
• West High School with University of Wisconsin, Madison
• Patrick Henry High School with Virginia Tech
• Newbury Park High School with Stanford University
A+ College Ready is excited to partner with and the Alabama institutions in the development of a new way of teaching computer science. Two other NMSI states, Virginia and Arkansas were also selected to participate in the pilot programs allowing us to gauge how the Advanced Placement Training and Incentive Program impacts the success of this initiative. If the pilot is successful, we will encourage many more of our Program schools to offer the new course.
