AP Computer Science A: Difference between revisions

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{{Short description|Advanced Placement course and exam in Java programming}}

{{Advanced Placement}}

'''Advanced Placement''' ('''AP''') '''Computer Science A''' (also known as '''AP CompSci''', '''AP CompSci A''', '''APCSAAP CSA''', '''AP Computer Science Applications''', or '''AP Java''') is an [[AP Computer Science]] course and examination offered by the [[College Board]] to [[high school]] students as an opportunity to earn college credit for a [[college]]-level [[computer science]] course. AP Computer Science A<ref>[http://apcentral.collegeboard.com/apc/public/courses/teachers_corner/4483.html AP Computer Science A Home Page], The College Board</ref> is meant to be the equivalent of a first-semester course in computer science. The AP exam currently tests students on their knowledge of [[Java (programming language)|Java]].

AP Computer Science AB, which was equal to a full year, was discontinued following the May 2009 exam administration.<ref name=CSABdiscontinued>{{cite web | url = http://apcentral.collegeboard.com/apc/public/courses/teachers_corner/195948.html | title = Important Announcement about AP Computer Science AB | work = AP Central | publisher = The College Board | year = 2008 | url-status = dead | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20080409195847/http://apcentral.collegeboard.com/apc/public/courses/teachers_corner/195948.html | archive-date = April 9, 2008}}</ref>

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*'''Actors'''

**The GridWorld Case Study employs an Actor class to construct objects in the grid. The Actor class manages the object's color, direction, ___location, what the object does in the simulation, and how the object interacts with other objects.

**Actors are broken down into the classes "Flower", "Rock", "Bug", and "Critter", which inherit the Actor class and often override certain methods (most notably the Act method). Flowers can't move, and when forced to Act, they become darker. Flowers are dropped by Bugs and eaten by Critters. Rocks are also immobile and aren't dropped or eaten. Bugs move directly ahead of themselves, unless blocked by a rock or another bug, in which case the Bug will make a 45 degree turn and try again. They drop flowers in every space they occupy, eat flowers that are directly on their space of grid, and are consumed by Critters. Critters move in a random direction to a space that isn't occupied by a Rock or other Critter and consume Flowers and Bugs.

*'''Extensions'''

**The Case Study also includes several extensions of the above classes. "BoxBug" extends "Bug" and moves in a box shape if its route is not blocked. "ChameleonCritter" extends "Critter" and does not eat other Actors, instead changing its color to match the color one of its neighbors. "Crab Critter" moves left or right and only eats Actors in front of it, but otherwise extends the "Critter" class.

**Students often create their own extensions of the Actor class. Some common examples of student created extensions are [[Four Lords of the Diamond|Warden organisms]] and SimCity-like structures, in which objects of certain types create objects of other types based on their neighbors (much like [[Conway's Game of Life]]). Students have even created versions of the games [[Pac-Man]], [[Fire Emblem]], and [[Tetris]].<ref>{{cite web|last1=Horstmann|first1=Cay|title=Extending GridWorld|url=http://www.horstmann.com/gridworld/extending-gridworld.html|website=Extending GridWorld|access-date=22 February 2016}}</ref>{{self-published inline|date=March 2025}}

*'''Known issues'''

**The version that is available at the College Board website, GridWorld 1.00, contains a bug (not to be confused with the Actor subclass Bug) that causes a SecurityException to be thrown when it is deployed as an [[Java applet|applet]]. This was fixed in the "unofficial code" release on the GridWorld website. Also, after setting the environment to an invalid BoundedGrid, it will cause a [[Null pointer|NullPointerException]].

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!2003

!2004

!2005<ref name=GradeDistrib2005>{{citation | url = http://media.collegeboard.com/digitalServices/pdf/research/studentgradedistribut_47038.pdf | title = STUDENT GRADE DISTRIBUTIONS | year = 2005 | format = PDF | publisher = College Board | access-date = January 30, 2017}}</ref>

!2006<ref name=GradeDistrib2006>{{citation | url = http://media.collegeboard.com/digitalServices/pdf/research/ap06_student_grade_distribs.pdf | title = STUDENT GRADE DISTRIBUTIONS | year = 2006 | format = PDF | publisher = College Board | access-date = January 30, 2017}}</ref>

!2007<ref name=GradeDistrib2007>{{citation | url = http://media.collegeboard.com/digitalServices/pdf/research/2007_STUDENT_GRADE_DISTRIBUTIONS.pdf | title = STUDENT GRADE DISTRIBUTIONS | year = 2007 | format = PDF | publisher = College Board | access-date = January 30, 2017}}</ref>

!2008

!2009<ref name=GradeDistrib2009>{{citation | url = http://media.collegeboard.com/digitalServices/pdf/research/student-grade-distributions-09.pdf | title = STUDENT GRADE DISTRIBUTIONS | year = 2009 | format = PDF | publisher = College Board | access-date = January 30, 2017}}</ref>

!2010<ref>"[https://reports.collegeboard.org/media/pdf/Student-Score-Distributions-2010_1.pdf Student Score Distributions]" (PDF). Retrieved January 12, 2024.</ref>

!2011<ref>"[https://reports.collegeboard.org/media/pdf/AP-Student-Score-Distributions-2011_1.pdf Student Score Distributions]" (PDF). Retrieved January 12, 2024.</ref>

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!2022<ref>"[https://apcentral.collegeboard.org/media/pdf/ap-score-distributions-by-subject-2022.pdf Student Score Distributions]" (PDF). Retrieved October 1, 2023.</ref>

!2023<ref>"[https://apcentral.collegeboard.org/media/pdf/ap-score-distributions-by-subject-2023.pdf STUDENT SCORE DISTRIBUTIONS]" (PDF). Retrieved January 12, 2024.</ref>

!2024<ref>{{Cite web |last=Total Registration |date=2024-06-25 |title=2024 AP Exam Score Distributions |url=https://www.totalregistration.net/AP-Exam-Registration-Service/AP-Exam-Score-Distributions.php |access-date=2024-06-27 |website=www.totalregistration.net}}</ref>

!2025

|-

!5

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|27.3%

|26.8%

|24%

|25%

|-

!4

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|20.4%

|22.4%

|22%

|22%

|-

!3

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|19.9%

|18.8%

|20%

|20%

|-

!2

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|10.4%

|9.5%

|11%

|10%

|-

!1

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|22.1%

|22.5%

|23%

|23%

|-

!|% of scores 3 or higher

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|67.5%

|68.0%

|66%

|67.2%

|-

!|Mean

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|3.20

|3.21

|3.13

|3.18

|-

!|Standard Deviation

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|1.50

|1.50

|1.48

|

|-

!|Students

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|31,117

|39,278

| 48,994

|57,937

|60,519

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|77,753

|94,438

|

|93,124

|}