From mboxrd@z Thu Jan 1 00:00:00 1970 X-Spam-Checker-Version: SpamAssassin 3.4.4 (2020-01-24) on polar.synack.me X-Spam-Level: X-Spam-Status: No, score=0.2 required=5.0 tests=BAYES_00,INVALID_MSGID, REPLYTO_WITHOUT_TO_CC autolearn=no autolearn_force=no version=3.4.4 X-Google-Language: ENGLISH,ASCII-7-bit X-Google-Thread: f43e6,80ec92800f85d9e7 X-Google-Attributes: gidf43e6,public X-Google-Thread: 109fba,80ec92800f85d9e7 X-Google-Attributes: gid109fba,public X-Google-Thread: 103376,80ec92800f85d9e7 X-Google-Attributes: gid103376,public X-Google-Thread: f8499,80ec92800f85d9e7 X-Google-Attributes: gidf8499,public From: "Shmuel (Seymour J.) Metz" Subject: Re: Do college AP tests require C++ knowledge? Date: 1997/12/02 Message-ID: <3484657B.2F3F@gsg.eds.com>#1/1 X-Deja-AN: 294692863 References: <65vqjn$9tk$1@flood.weeg.uiowa.edu> Organization: EDS MS Reply-To: nospam@gsg.eds.com Newsgroups: comp.lang.ada,comp.lang.c++,misc.education.science,comp.software-eng Date: 1997-12-02T00:00:00+00:00 List-Id: The AP test for CS used to include a section on Pascal and they decided to replace it with a section on C++. It's perverse, but understandable. For decades the thrust in tests has been to make it easier to grade them. That often means over reliance on multiple choice questions; in this case it means testing everyone on the same language instead of testing for language-independent skills or allowing the student to pick a language. Actually, I have more serious problems with the AP tests; they are given prior to the completion of the school year, and the instructors know what will be on it. The net result is that course content is distorted as teachers teach to the test instead of covering all of the appropriate materila. Robert S. White wrote: > > While my 17 year old nephew was visiting last holiday I was made > to understand that he needed to learn C++ (what version I don't > know - brand new ISO draft?) in order to succeed in U.S. college > Advanced Placement tests. Is this true? Can't the tests be made > somewhat language independent and more at a general computer > science level? Perhaps Professor Feldman can enlighten us. > _____________________________________________________________________ > Robert S. White -- An embedded systems software engineer > e-mail reply to reverse of: ia us lib cedar-rapids crpl shift2 whiter -- Shmuel (Seymour J.) Metz Senior Software SE The values in from and reply-to are for the benefit of spammers: reply to domain eds.com, user msustys1.smetz or to domain gsg.eds.com, user smetz. Do not reply to spamtrap@library.lspace.org