Announcing Beauty and Joy of Computing: An Exciting New AP Computer Science Principles Course for NYC High Schools
Program Requirements | About the Curriculum | Apply | Attend a Webinar | Current Schools
Highlights
BJC curriculum co-creator and Berkeley professor Dan Garcia with a handful of BJC teachers from Brooklyn Tech, Lehman, Sunset Park, New Dorp, Tottenville, Martin Van Buren, and ACORN high schools.
- Research-based curriculum that prepares students for new Advanced Placement (AP) Computer Science Principles exam
- Use of engaging Snap! visual programming language lowers barriers to entry for teachers and students
- Attention to programming and societal implications of computers
- Paid professional development for teachers using a blended learning model with two face-to-face weeks and an online learning component.
- Participation in ongoing Community of Practice for teachers of AP CS Principles
- Teachers without any computer science background encouraged to apply!
Overview
The New York City Department of Education (DOE) in partnership with Education Development Center (EDC), University of California, Berkeley (UCB), and CSNYC is pleased to announce the launch of a new Advanced Placement (AP) Computer Science Principles course for New York City high schools and a funded program to train 100 teachers over a three-year period, starting with the first cohort of 30 teachers in spring 2015. Applications for the 2016-17 cohort are open!
The course is called Beauty and Joy of Computing (BJC). The purpose of AP CS Principles and the BJC program is to attract non-traditional computing students, such as female and underrepresented minority students, to the breadth and depth of ideas in modern computer science. The BJC course will prepare students to take the new AP Computer Science Principles exam that will be offered starting in Spring 2017.
BJC is based on a successful undergraduate course at the University of California, Berkeley. BJC has been adapted for NYC high schools by a team of educators and researchers from UCB, EDC, and the DOE. The program is underwritten by a grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF).
For more information, send an email to apcs@sepnyc.org. Read more about the BJC project at bjc.berkeley.edu and AP CS Principles at the College Board.
Applications for the 2016-17 cohort are open!
The Beauty and Joy of Computing for New York City project is supported by the National Science Foundation under grant number 1441075.
BJC 2015-16 Schools
| School | Borough |
| ACORN Community High School | Brooklyn |
| Bronx Compass High School | Bronx |
| Bronx Early College Academy for Teaching & Learning | Bronx |
| Bronx Envision Academy | Bronx |
| Bronx Leadership Academy HS | Bronx |
| Brooklyn Technical High School | Brooklyn |
| Essex Street Academy | Manhattan |
| Herbert H. Lehman High School | Bronx |
| John Bowne High School | Queens |
| Martin Van Buren High School | Queens |
| New Dorp High School | Staten Island |
| NYC Lab School for Collaborative Studies | Manhattan |
| Pablo Neruda Academy | Bronx |
| Ralph R. McKee CTE High School | Staten Island |
| Robert F. Wagner, Jr. Secondary School for Arts and Technology | Queens |
| Science Skills Center High School for Science,Technology & the Creative Arts | Brooklyn |
| Sunset Park High School | Brooklyn |
| The High School for Global Citizenship | Brooklyn |
| The HS for Innovation in Advertising and Media | Brooklyn |
| The Renaissance Charter High School for Innovation | Manhattan |
| Tottenville High School | Staten Island |
| Urban Assembly Gateway School for Technology | Manhattan |
To add your school to this list, please see our Applications page for details.
