When The College Board, the company who administers Advanced Placement (AP) courses and the SAT test to thousands of future college applicants each year, began developing the AP Computer Science Principles (AP CSP) course, they hoped to not only meet the growing need for computer scientists in the workforce but also address the systemic inequities in the field of science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM).
So far, results show that it’s working.
In a study of the high school graduating classes of 2016 and 2019, The College Board found the AP CSP course was attracting more diverse students. For the class of 2019, 68% of Black students, 59% of Latinx students, and 60% of first-generation students who were enrolled in AP CSP were engaging in an AP STEM course for the very first time.
Maureen Reyes
“In 2008, the National Science Foundation (NSF) approached The College Board and said, ‘[computer science course] numbers are holding low, and it’s mostly white and Asian males [who take it,]’” said Maureen Reyes, executive director of AP placement at the The College Board. NSF shared research that showed a broader introductory course to computer science could help bring in more diverse students.
“AP CSP was designed to take away barriers that may have existed previously,” said Reyes. “The only recommended prerequisite course is Algebra I, and that’s by design. It’s meant to say to students coming from that class, you already have the skills you need.”
AP CSP, first launched in 2016 in 2,500 schools, teaches the basics of computer technology, the internet, cyber security, and the rules of computer coding languages. It teaches students to think creatively when solving problems.
