#accelerated cs

[realtalk-tj]

Who's the current Accelerated Foundations of Computer Science teacher?

Response from Penelope:

It’s Mr. Rose (unless he’s leaving which idts?).

[realtalk-tj]

would rose bump? btw im in acc and my grade is pretty close

Response from Fat Friar: 

See previous answer. The only way to know is to ask. If you choose to ask, be prepared with specific points so it doesn’t look like you’re asking for a free boost. Sorry I can’t provide a better answer, but best of luck! 

[realtalk-tj]

i'm taking acc comp sci with no background in cs. i'm ahead on the labs and i get the code. i honestly love cs. but this quarter, i got a B+ again. is it too late to drop to regular comp sci?

Response from Aurora:

I’m pretty sure it’s too late to drop to foundations. However, a B+ is a very good grade and even if you could drop to foundations, I doubt your counselor would let you as you do not have a bad grade and aren’t struggling with the content. On top of that, foundations is already quite full. However, I totally understand your frustration with your grade. Figure out where you can improve. Are you struggling on the tests? If so, try to improve your study methods and make sure you are well prepared for the next one. If you’re messing up dq’s, study whatever you are learning on the bus or during lunch every day, just for 10 minutes or so. If you think it would help, try talking to Mr. Rose about how you can improve, even though he can be rather unapproachable. Good luck :)

[realtalk-tj]

What do you do in the 3rd and 4th quarters of Accelerated?

Response from Hagrid:

Java, so basically the Foundations CS labs.

[realtalk-tj]

Anyone who was in accelerated cs...how was third and fourth quarter compared to like second quarter?

Response from Hagrid:

Honestly I don’t remember, but we did learn Java in second semester which I didn’t find that difficult.

[realtalk-tj]

Does accelerated computer science have an associated "credit" or GPA boost that the kids taking foundations don't get?

Response from Hagrid:

Nope, both have the same credit or GPA boost according to the TJ Course Guide. Each has the 0.5 weighting/boost, so there is no advantage to your GPA if you take accelerated. 

[realtalk-tj]

My schedule is messed up for CS and now I have to choose between Accelerated with Rose ( might not be possible the class is full I'm pretty sure ), Foundations with Billington, or foundations with kim. What do you recommend? I know java but some schedule glitch is forcing me out of accelerated.

Response from Madeye:

If you are already fluent with Java programming, then unfortunately you may not learn a whole lot from foundations CS, although some of the material like graphics, recursion, and sorts may still be new. First quarter (karol) will probably crawl by though :( In the case that you can’t take accelerated, I would personally recommend Mrs. Kim’s class. Between her and Mr. Billington, the labs should all be the same, but Mrs. Kim’s class will probably be more relaxed and fun, and you will most likely have a lot more freedom. She will let you go way ahead in the labs and even let you become her assistant, going around and helping other people with their code. For the sake of education, however, if there was any way that you could take accelerated, I would suggest you do so that you could learn more stuff.

[realtalk-tj]

Does Foundations of CS Accelerated also cover the Java material in a regular Foundations class?

Response from Severus:

I did not take Accelerated CS but from what I’ve heard, you spend the first three quarters coding in Python, and the last quarter covers the Java material usually learned in Foundations so that everyone is on the same page for AP CS. 

Response from Hagrid:

Yes, but it does not cover the entire curriculum. From what I remember, Mr. Rose picked out key labs from each of the Foundations units and had us do those. They were enough to prepare me for AP CS, but I still did some practice over the summer just so I was more confident about using Java.