Hello AP Computer Science students. This is the LAST AP Computer Science optional quiz that will be offered for interested students. This optional quiz is only for students with a “B” or lower grade to possibly move up their second semester grade.

The required “practice quiz” will be on Tuesday June 2nd at 3:00pm. The actual quiz will be Wednesday June 3rd at 3:00pm. Both activities are late in the day to make sure they do not conflict with final exams or with any makeup AP exams being taken.

IF YOU’D LIKE TO TAKE THIS OPTIONAL QUIZ, PLEASE DO THE FOLLOWING:

(1) Email Mr. Eliot (deliot@pylusd.org) with your intent to take this opitonal quiz before Monday June 1st at 5:00pm. You will not be allowed to take the quiz if you do not do this.

(2) Fill out the required “AP Comp Sci A COVID-19 Home Quiz 02 Agreement“. If you do not fill out this Google Form before Monday June 1st at 5:00pm, you will not be allowed to take this optional quiz.

https://forms.gle/dE2EAq7dyhwJMXnp9

(3) Show up on Tuesday at 3:00pm for the practice quiz and Wednesday at 3:00pm for the actual quiz. Both sessions will start on time, and the Zoom meeting will be locked to new entries once it is time to start.

(4) The quiz topics are as follows. Optional quiz 02 will focus on Strings, use of String methods, Recursion, Classes (including different constructors), and Polymorphism with additional general Java content including keywords and terminology. The quiz should take about one hour to complete.

–Mr. Eliot

Hello AP Computer Science students. Two optional AP Computer Science quizzes will be offered for interested students. These optional quizzes are designed only for students with “B” or lower grades to possibly move up their grades.

These quizzes will be given The week of May 25th to May 29th and the week of June 1st to June 5th. Students may optionally take one or both of these quizzes. Most likely, both quizzes will be offered on Wednesday. The final date and time will be published at least 48 hours before each quiz. No makeup opportunities will be provided, so students are expected to show up on time, or not take these optional quizzes.

Students who do not take these optional quizzes will NOT have their grades affected. Students with “A” (A-, A, A+) 3rd quarter grades are not welcome to take these quizzes, since their 3rd quarter “A” grade is already locked in by district policy and will not change.

These quizzes will be scaled appropriately as all other AP Comp Sci quizzes were throughout the school year. There is no guarantee that either of these quizzes will “move up” a student’s grade. In fact, the student’s 4th quarter grade could drop as a result of taking one or more of these quizzes. Again, the final grade semester is guaranteed NOT to drop below the 3rd quarter grade.

THE QUIZ CONTENT WILL BE AS FOLLOWS:
* Both quizzes can have multiple choice, short answer, and FRQ questions.
* Both quizzes will expect students to use and write Java code including single code lines, code segments, code methods, and possibly even short classes.
* QUIZ #1 will focus on loops (while, for, for-each), arrays (1D and 2D arrays), and ArrayList with additional general Java content including keywords and terminology.
* QUIZ #2 will focus on Strings, use of String methods, recursion, classes, polymorphism with additional general Java content including keywords and terminology.

This is for Mobile Game Development and Design students taking the optional Unity Certified User Programmer certification. Please read all of the following information carefully. Failure to read and follow this information may result in (1) Your GMetrix practice account being disabled and (2) Your Certiport Exam Voucher not being provided to you.

BEFORE THE CERTIFICATION EXAM:
To receive access to the certification exam, I expect you to complete the GMetrix “Unity Certified Programmer Test 1 Training” and the “Unity Certified Programmer Test 2 Training”. Two timed practice tests are also available on GMetrix, and you are encouraged to take them before the scheduled Certiport Exam. They, however, are not required for access to the certification exam. By Friday, May 29th, if I do not see completion of these preparation and review tasks by a given student, I will not provide them with their Certiport certification exam information, and they will not be invited to take the certification exam.

CERTIPORT CERTIFICATION DATES:
The following three Certiport Exam Blocks seen below have been CONFIRMED by Certiport. I strongly suggest that everyone take the Tuesday June 2nd 11:00am exam slot, so you have the other two slots as “re-take” options if you need them:
(1) Tuesday June 2nd at 11:00am-12:30pm (maximum 10 students)
(2) Thursday June 4th at 10:00am -11:30am (maximum 5 students for retake)
(3) Thursday June 11th at 10:00am-11:30am (maximum 5 students for retake)

Since the 2019-2020 school year ends the second week of June, no certification opportunities will be made available after the third date!

Good morning!

Its AP Computer Science A exam day! Good luck to you all. For those of you that have been showing up regularly to the review sessions over the last few weeks, I think you have done the necessary work to be ready. Just relax, open your mind, and let the Java code flow out 🙂


THINGS I HOPE YOU DID BEFORE TODAY:

(1) Visit the AP Exam Demo page HERE and make sure your computer is ready to go.

(2) Print and have near you the AP Exam Day Checklist found HERE.

(3) Keep the AP E-Ticket email the college board sent you!

THINGS I HOPE YOU TO TODAY:

(1) Show up with your AP Exam E-Ticket at 12:30pm for the AP Computer Science A exam. Use your E-Ticket email to get in.

(2) Get plenty of rest. Eat a good meal in the morning, and a light lunch. Tell your family and friends to leave you alone. Tell your family to stay off the Internet and Netflix and Zoom! Don’t have ANYTHING running on your computer that you don’t need.

(3) Don’t stress too much! Just do your best. The difficult part of getting ready is over. The code is in there, just let it come out. Remember, if it is difficult for you, it is difficult for everyone. Focus on the code primarily, and the “open ended” questions secondarily.

(4) Have some notes nearby, but not too many. Have the AP Comp Sci Java Quick Reference open in a tab and perhaps even a printed copy. Have a tab logged into the ICT Curriculum. Perhaps open the ICT Curriculum to Example 15-1 (ArrayList) and Example 16-1 (Arrays).


Good luck,
Mr. Eliot

Good afternoon AP Comp Sci parents and students,
This is Mr. Eliot…

I’m sending this email to make parents and students aware of important preparation that needs to be done before the AP Computer Science A exam on Friday, May 15th at 12:30pm.  Here are some suggestions to be completed before Friday.

HOW PARENTS CAN HELP:
(1)  Please make sure your student gets plenty of rest Thursday night.  Make sure they get a full 8 hours of sleep the night before the exam.

(2)  Please make sure your student eats well (but not too well) on Friday, the day of the exam.  They should not be too full, or too hungry when the exam starts.  If your student is more alert and focused after having a cup of tea or coffee, consider providing this before the exam.

(3)  Please make sure the student has a quiet testing environment free of all distractions.  This is not the time for them to do chores, or to babysit their siblings or to have family and friends over.

(4)  Please make sure your student has the best computer in the house with the best Internet connection.  Ideally this computer should have Visual Studio Code or JGrasp or Microsoft Word or Notepad or TextEdit (for Mac) installed.  They need a program that they can easily type code into with indenting, then copy and paste into the AP website.

(5)  Please make sure everyone else in the house is using minimal Internet during the exam.  Please avoid video conferencing (Zoom), Netflix, online game, etc from 12:30pm on Friday until the exam is over.

WHAT STUDENTS SHOULD DO:
(1)  Please make sure you visit the AP Exam Demo website well before Friday.  Please practice copying and pasting code from the program you will use.  Please make sure that code maintains indenting after you copy and paste.  It is here at this link:

https://ap2020examdemo.collegeboard.org/

(2)  Please make sure you have a bookmark for the Java Quick Reference in your web browser AND a printed copy of the Java Quick reference next to you when you take the exam.  It is here at this link:

https://apstudents.collegeboard.org/ap/pdf/ap-computer-science-a-java-quick-reference_0.pdf

(3)  Please make sure you fill out and print the AP Exam Day Checklist for this exam.  It is here at this link:

https://apcentral.collegeboard.org/pdf/ap-student-exam-day-checklist.pdf

(4)  Please use the PASTE CODE OPTION if at all possible, and write your code in Visual Studio Code or JGrasp or Microsoft Word.  I STRONGLY RECOMMEND the copy and paste method of taking this exam, as it is quick, easy, and safe.  I only recommend using the “Upload” file option and the “Upload” photos option as backup plans in case of extreme emergency. 

(5)  Please consider having some blank paper and a pencil nearby.  Use this to take notes as you go and as a possible backup if you need to write your code by hand and photograph it. 

(6)  Since this is an open notes exam, you can have out items that are useful to you.  Obviously, you should have the Java Quick Reference out.  Another good option might be the Java String API or Java Math API in your web browser if you understand how to read it quickly.  Beyond that, too many papers or too much Internet searching will only slow you down. 

(7)  Finally, if you are planning on using your phone as a backup plan and you have an iPhone, there is an important setting to change.  The AP website does not support the HEIC image format, which is the default for iPhones.  Please review the attached directions (below) on how to set your iPhone to “Most Compatable (JPEG)“.

Good luck on Friday, if you have any questions, please email me.
The rest of this week, we will be reviewing FRQs on Zoom at 3:00pm.
Mr. Eliot (deliot@pylusd.org)