Starting with next year’s freshman class, students will be required to take AP Computer Science instead of Intro to Computer Science as freshmen, and they will be required to take an extra semester of physical education.
The AP Computer Science class will typically be taken during sophomore year so all students will be able to take the recommended prerequisite course, Algebra I.
Principal Shaun Tomaszewski previously worked at Northgate School District as director of curriculum and assessment, where there was no prerequisite course for AP Computer Science.
“We want to be a little bit more cautious (at Baldwin), so we’re saying kids should have Algebra I before they take” AP Computer Science Principles, Tomaszewski said. “The classes of 2028, 2027, and 2026 will not be required to take (the AP course).”
Students who are currently taking Algebra I as eighth graders will be the only students who will take the AP Computer Science course next year, as freshmen.
Computer science teacher Daniel Thayer said there is a slight difference between the AP and the Intro courses.
“The AP course is broader and covers more subjects, while Intro just focuses on programming,” Thayer said.
According to the College Board course overview, the AP course covers a variety of topics, including data, computer systems, and networks.
“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,” the College Board overview says. “They will incorporate abstraction into programs and use data to discover new knowledge.”
If students choose to take the AP exam at the end of the course, it features 70 multiple-choice questions and two written-response questions.
Because computer science is being pushed to sophomore year for most students, the health requirement will be met during freshman year, again starting with next year’s freshmen.
“The content of the health course is important for kids, so learning about healthy lifestyles and decision-making early on is a smart move,” Tomaszewski said.
In another course requirement change, students starting with the Class of 2029 will be required to take two credits of physical education and health instead of 1.5 credits, as in previous years. One full credit will be earned during freshman year.
“The physical education teachers are combining half a credit of P.E. and half a credit of health into a full-year health and P.E. course. Next year, there are three options for freshmen: Health and P.E., Strength Training and Health, or Wellness and Health,” Tomaszewski said.
He believes that adding an extra half credit of physical education is beneficial, as well as easy for students to achieve.
“Learning about healthy lifestyles and life-long fitness is essential for students’ well-being,” Tomaszewski said. “We’re confident that completing two (health and physical education) credits prior to graduation will support these efforts.”
While the P.E. credits required to graduate will increase by half a credit, the general electives requirement will drop from 8.5 to 8 credits.
Health and P.E. teacher and Department Chair Chris Crighton said it will be difficult to accommodate the number of classes for next year, since for next year only, both the freshman and sophomore classes will take health.
“Next year will be tricky because we have all the freshmen who are going to take health, and we still have to teach all of the sophomores, because they did not have it as freshmen,” Crighton said.
The class content should be relatively the same, just spread across the entire school year rather than a semester, Crighton said.
“Health and PE classes will be on the same day for freshmen. One period of the block they will be doing health, and the other they will be doing P.E. It won’t be one semester of P.E. and one of health,” Crighton said.
Crighton is happy about the curricular changes.
“I like the fact that they have to take another P.E. class,” Crighton said. “I think it’s important because no matter what you’re doing, at least you’re getting out of a desk, getting outside, or moving in some way. Even if you don’t like sports, you get to go to the weight room, do yoga, swim, or do something fun.”
While current high school students will not have to take the extra credit of gym, they still have opinions on the matter.
“I would love to have an extra gym (half) credit, as I think it’d be great to not need as many electives,” sophomore Erika Priano said. “If you take gym class with your friends, then it’s more fun for all of you because then you can just hang out and you can win games.”
Sophomore Sam Dallmus, however, would not like the switch.
“I’d be losing a time that I can take an elective that’ll better my knowledge in a career I want to go into,” Dallmus said. “I think two semesters of gym is enough (for students).”
