About This Webinar
Join this quarterly meetup to collaborate with fellow AP CSA teachers on strategies for student success. In this interactive, discussion-based session, we’ll share ideas and resources, review assessment and test prep approaches, and refine pacing plans while exploring updates to the course. This professional learning community is ideal for AP CSA teachers looking to exchange insights and strengthen instruction using CodeHS tools and curriculum.
Join CodeHS curriculum experts and APCSA educators for a deep dive into the Cortado course. Learn about effective pacing strategies, using the Prim pedagogy with investigate files, and how to utilize AI grading tools to support student success on the AP exam.
Full Transcript
Read the complete transcript of this webinar
Welcome everyone to our APCSA professional learning community meeting. This is our final one of the school year, which seems wild to say, but here we are. I am teaching here in Washington, and we are so lucky today to have Ryan with us, who is one of our curriculum developers, because today we are going to spend most of our time talking about the Cortado course and gathering feedback from you. We are going to share thoughts and feedback on how Cortado has gone for you this year, and Ryan is here to answer questions and get a pulse on how it went.
As a reminder, we are here to foster a collaborative environment where APCSA educators share ideas and resources, discuss assessments and test preparation strategies, explore effective teaching methodologies, and refine pacing plans, all with the goal of improving student outcomes and supporting each other in delivering high-quality instruction using CodeHS tools and curriculum.
To start, let's share our favorite APCSA topics. I like doing arrays; I've been doing them forever. Another teacher mentioned using arrays and array lists for a Wordle project, while others enjoy 2D arrays for setting up board games like chess or tic-tac-toe. Ryan mentioned that once you get to data structures, it opens up possibilities where you don't need a thousand variables. As a lead developer for Cortado, he is curious to hear how the course is working in actual classrooms.
Regarding pacing, some teachers are in the middle of Unit 4 and feeling a bit rushed, though this is often due to specific student groups or external factors like snow days and school lockdowns. One teacher noted that students are becoming increasingly autonomous, often completing work in the middle of the night. This led to a discussion about academic integrity and the use of AI tools like ChatGPT. While some students use it to check their work after writing it, others have been caught trying to use it during exams.
The group also discussed the "Prim" pedagogy and the investigate text files within the curriculum. Some teachers use these as a basis for class discussions to force students to journey through the code together. While some seniors might resist these non-graded activities, younger students often find them helpful for learning how to read and modify existing code. A challenge mentioned was the difficulty of grading these files, with many teachers opting for completion-based grading.
In terms of resources, most teachers use the lesson plan objectives for their daily learning targets, though they may not use every part of the plan. There was a strong request for easier access to vocabulary lists and the ability to filter the glossary by unit. Ryan confirmed that textbook chapters are drafted and waiting for engineering to finalize the site integration.
Teachers praised the progression of the exercises and the inclusion of FRQs in the assessments. Some have begun using the AI grading assistant for FRQs, noting that while it occasionally has quirks, it provides a helpful starting point for grading. The meeting concluded with a reminder to share AP score data to help CodeHS understand how the curriculum supports student growth.
As a reminder, we are here to foster a collaborative environment where APCSA educators share ideas and resources, discuss assessments and test preparation strategies, explore effective teaching methodologies, and refine pacing plans, all with the goal of improving student outcomes and supporting each other in delivering high-quality instruction using CodeHS tools and curriculum.
To start, let's share our favorite APCSA topics. I like doing arrays; I've been doing them forever. Another teacher mentioned using arrays and array lists for a Wordle project, while others enjoy 2D arrays for setting up board games like chess or tic-tac-toe. Ryan mentioned that once you get to data structures, it opens up possibilities where you don't need a thousand variables. As a lead developer for Cortado, he is curious to hear how the course is working in actual classrooms.
Regarding pacing, some teachers are in the middle of Unit 4 and feeling a bit rushed, though this is often due to specific student groups or external factors like snow days and school lockdowns. One teacher noted that students are becoming increasingly autonomous, often completing work in the middle of the night. This led to a discussion about academic integrity and the use of AI tools like ChatGPT. While some students use it to check their work after writing it, others have been caught trying to use it during exams.
The group also discussed the "Prim" pedagogy and the investigate text files within the curriculum. Some teachers use these as a basis for class discussions to force students to journey through the code together. While some seniors might resist these non-graded activities, younger students often find them helpful for learning how to read and modify existing code. A challenge mentioned was the difficulty of grading these files, with many teachers opting for completion-based grading.
In terms of resources, most teachers use the lesson plan objectives for their daily learning targets, though they may not use every part of the plan. There was a strong request for easier access to vocabulary lists and the ability to filter the glossary by unit. Ryan confirmed that textbook chapters are drafted and waiting for engineering to finalize the site integration.
Teachers praised the progression of the exercises and the inclusion of FRQs in the assessments. Some have begun using the AI grading assistant for FRQs, noting that while it occasionally has quirks, it provides a helpful starting point for grading. The meeting concluded with a reminder to share AP score data to help CodeHS understand how the curriculum supports student growth.
