Advanced Cybersecurity is designed to provide students the advanced concepts and terminology of cybersecurity. The course explores the field of cybersecurity with updated content including new innovations in technology and methodologies. It builds on existing concepts introduced in Introduction to Cybersecurity and expands into malware threats, cryptography, organizational security, and wireless technologies. Various forms of technologies will be used to expose students to resources, software, and applications of cybersecurity. Professional communication skills and practices, problem-solving, ethical and legal issues, and the impact of effective presentation skills are enhanced in this course to prepare students to be college and career ready. Employability skills are integrated into activities, tasks, and projects throughout the course standards to demonstrate the skills required by business and industry. Competencies in the co-curricular student organizations are integral components of both the employability skills standards and content standards for this course. Advanced Cybersecurity is the third course in the Cybersecurity career pathway in the Information Technology Career Cluster. Students enrolled in this course should have successfully completed Introduction to Hardware Technology and Introduction to Cybersecurity.

AP Computer Science A introduces students to computer science through programming. Fundamental topics in this course include the design of solutions to problems, the use of data structures to organize large sets of data, the development and implementation of algorithms to process data and discover new information, the analysis of potential solutions, and the ethical and social implications of computing systems. The course emphasizes object-oriented programming and design using the Java programming language. College Course Equivalent AP Computer Science A is equivalent to a first-semester, college-level course in computer science. Prerequisites It is recommended that a student in the AP Computer Science A course has successfully completed a first-year high school algebra course with a strong foundation of basic linear functions, composition of functions, and problem-solving strategies that require multiple approaches and collaborative efforts. In addition, students should be able to use a Cartesian (x, y) coordinate system to represent points on a plane. It is important that students and their advisers understand that any significant computer science course builds upon a foundation of mathematical reasoning that should be acquired before attempting such a course. Computer Language The AP Computer Science A course requires that solutions of problems be written in the Java programming language. Because the Java programming language is extensive, with far more features than could be covered in a single introductory course, the AP Computer Science A Exam covers a subset of Java. Lab Requirement The AP Computer Science A course must include a minimum of 20 hours of hands-on, structured lab experiences to engage students in individual or group problem solving. Thus, each AP Computer Science A course includes a substantial lab component in which students design solutions to problems, express their solutions precisely (e.g., in the Java programming language), test their solutions, identify and correct errors (when mistakes occur), and compare possible solutions. College Board has developed several labs that are aligned to the course framework that fulfill the 20-hour lab requirement. The class period recommendations provided in the unit guides account for the time needed to complete each lab activity as described in the lab guide.

AP Computer Science Principles introduces students to the breadth of the field of computer science. In this course, students will learn to design and evaluate solutions and to apply computer science to solve problems through the development of algorithms and programs. They will incorporate abstraction into programs and use data to discover new knowledge. Students will also explain how computing innovations and computing systems, including the Internet, work, explore their potential impacts, and contribute to a computing culture that is collaborative and ethical. It is important to note that the AP Computer Science Principles course does not have a designated programming language. Teachers have the flexibility to choose a programming language(s) that is most appropriate for their students to use in the classroom. College Course Equivalent AP Computer Science Principles is equivalent to an introductory, college-level breadth course in computer science. Prerequisites It is recommended that students in the AP Computer Science Principles course have successfully completed a first-year high school algebra course with a strong foundation of basic linear functions, composition of functions, and problem-solving strategies that require multiple approaches and collaborative efforts. In addition, students should be able to use a Cartesian (x, y) coordinate system to represent points on a plane. It is important that students and their advisers understand that any significant computer science course builds upon a foundation of mathematical reasoning that should be acquired before attempting such a course. Prior computer science experience is not required to take this course.

How can computing change the world? What is computer science? Engage your creativity. Demonstrate and build your problem-solving ability all while connecting the relevance of computer science to society! Computer Science (CS) Principles is an intellectually rich and engaging course that is focused on building a solid understanding and foundation in computer science. This course emphasizes the content, practices, thinking and skills central to the discipline of computer science. Through both its content and pedagogy, this course aims to appeal to a broad audience. The focus of this course will fall into these computational thinking practices: connecting computing, developing computational artifacts, abstracting, analyzing problems and artifacts, communicating, and collaborating. Various forms of technologies will be used to expose students to resources and application of computer science. Professional communication skills and practices, problem-solving, ethical and legal issues, and the impact of effective presentation skills are enhanced in this course to prepare students to be college and career ready. Employability skills are integrated into activities, tasks, and projects throughout the course standards to demonstrate the skills required by business and industry. Competencies in the co-curricular student organizations are integral components of both the employability skills standards and content standards for this course. Computer Science Principles is the second course in the Programming, Game Design, Internet of Things, Web Development, Cloud Computing, and Computer Science pathways in the Information Technology Cluster. Students enrolled in this course should have successfully completed Introduction to Software Technology.

Students completing this course will gain an understanding of the fundamental principles used at every stage of the game creation process.  First, game genres and modes of play are explored in terms of the psychology of incentives, motivation to play, and social networking.  Next, virtual characters and non-player characters are reviewed from concept drawing to 2D and 3D art, rigging, and animation.  Finally, level design, storytelling, and animation are added to develop a virtual world around the characters. These same techniques are at work in training simulator systems, virtual shopping experiences, augmented reality, and many other important career options. Schools offering this program can provide a foundation of traditional drawing, illustration, and art courses to make way for the 2D and 3D animation, storytelling, character development, audio, and game technology.  Various forms of technologies will be used to expose students to resources and application of computer science. Professional communication skills and practices, problem-solving, ethical and legal issues, and the impact of effective presentation skills are enhanced in this course to prepare students to be college and career ready. Employability skills are integrated into activities, tasks, and projects throughout the course standards to demonstrate the skills required by business and industry. Competencies in the co-curricular student organizations are integral components of both the employability skills standards and content standards for this course. Students taking this program are strongly encouraged to add an internship to their curriculum which will give them real world experience, understanding how the computer game industry works. Game Design: Animation and Simulation is the third course in the Game Design pathway. Students enrolled in this course should have successfully completed Introduction to Software Technology and Computer Science Principles. After mastery of the standards in this course, students should be prepared to earn an industry-recognized credential in this career area.

Introduction to Cybersecurity is designed to provide students the basic concepts and terminology of cybersecurity. The course examines how the concept of security integrates into the importance of user involvement, security training, ethics, trust, application of cybersecurity practices and devices, and best practices management. The fundamental skills cover internal and external threats to network security and design, how to enforce network level security policies, how to protect an organization’s information, and a broad range of other topics. Various forms of technologies will be used to expose students to resources, software, and applications of cybersecurity. Professional communication skills and practices, problemsolving, ethical and legal issues, and the impact of effective presentation skills are enhanced in this course to prepare students to be college and career ready. Employability skills are integrated into activities, tasks, and projects throughout the course standards to demonstrate the skills required by business and industry. Competencies in the co-curricular student organizations are integral components of both the employability skills standards and content standards for this course. Introduction to Cybersecurity is the second course in the Cybersecurity career pathway of the Information Technology Career Cluster and primarily focuses on the National Cybersecurity Workforce Framework category Protect and Defend and the Computer Network Defense work roles. Students enrolled in this course should have successfully completed Introduction to Hardware Technology.

Part of the CTAE department at Paul Duke STEM High School.

Part of the CTAE department at Paul Duke STEM High School.

This course, with Hypertext Markup Language (HTML) and Cascading Style Sheet (CSS) as its foundation, will teach students to develop and design responsive web sites through coding, testing, debugging and implementation of web-based services. This course will also allow students to learn about content management systems, client-side languages, server-side languages, and database concepts. The course is designed to give students foundational knowledge of front-end and back-end development to address the presentation and data access layers of web site development.  Various forms of technologies will be used to expose students to resources and application of computer science. Professional communication skills and practices, problem-solving, ethical and legal issues, and the impact of effective presentation skills are enhanced in this course to prepare students to be college and career ready. Employability skills are integrated into activities, tasks, and projects throughout the course standards to demonstrate the skills required by business and industry. Competencies in the co-curricular student organizations are integral components of both the employability skills standards and content standards for this course. Web Development is the third course in the Web Development pathway. Students enrolled in this course should have successfully completed Introduction to Software Technology and Computer Science Principles. After mastery of the standards in this course, students should be prepared to earn an industry-recognized credential in this career area.

Part of the CTAE department at Paul Duke STEM High School.

Part of the CTAE department at Paul Duke STEM High School.

Part of the CTAE department at Paul Duke STEM High School.