1-on-1 Mastery-Based AP Computer Science Principles · Taipei

AP Computer Science Principles, from code to computing.

AP Computer Science Principles rewards reading code precisely, defending design choices in your own program, and connecting computing concepts across the breadth of the discipline. Lessons build from the programming and computational thinking students arrive comfortable with toward the Create Performance Task development, code-reading fluency, and cross-Big-Idea reasoning the May exam, and university computing-literacy coursework, will demand.

Audience
AP Computer Science Principles content, international school students
Format
1-on-1, 1 to 1.5 hours per lesson
Duration
Typically 6 to 12 months per program
Begin
Complimentary consultation & assessment class

What Students Learn

Mastery-based AP Computer Science Principles at the level your child's school actually requires.

AP Computer Science Principles is for students working through the framework who want to move past surface familiarity toward the Create Performance Task development, code-reading fluency, and cross-domain reasoning the AP exam tests. The program covers the full College Board AP CSP framework, organized around five Big Ideas:

  • Reasoning through Creative Development from project ideation through design choices, iteration, and the documented decisions a Personalized Project Reference will capture.
  • Working with Data, including representation, transformation, and analysis from binary encoding through filtered and visualized large datasets.
  • Designing algorithms and writing programs in a language of the student's choice (Python, JavaScript, Scratch, or another procedural language) using sequencing, selection, iteration, lists, and procedures.
  • Tracing Computer Systems and Networks from device-level operation through the internet's structure, protocols, and packet routing.
  • Examining the Impact of Computing on individuals, communities, and the global economy, including bias, privacy, ethics, and access.

These are the topics the multiple-choice section tests, the foundation the Create Performance Task written responses build on, and the foundation any university computing-literacy or computer science course will assume students have built.

AP Computer Science Principles is not advanced typing. The shift is from code to computing. Students move from writing programs that work in the language they're comfortable with to reading dense pseudocode in unfamiliar text-based or block-based notation, defending the design choices in their own Create Performance Task program with rigorous written justification, and connecting computing concepts across the breadth of the discipline. A student who can write a working program in Python is doing the code. A student who can read fifteen lines of unfamiliar pseudocode and predict the output, defend why a list-based approach was chosen over a procedure-based one in their Create Task, and explain how the algorithmic efficiency interacts with the data representation the program uses, is doing what both the AP exam and university coursework reward. Skill and fluency develop together. Neither moves far in isolation.

Lessons follow Harland's AP Computer Science Principles curriculum, which is built to bring students to mastery of AP CSP content as defined by the College Board AP CSP framework. Each Big Idea closes in an assessment that mirrors the AP question types, including pseudocode-reading multiple-choice questions and written-response prompts modeled on the Create Task questions. Lessons calibrate to your child's individual gaps and the topics they're working through at school. If a student is working through Big Idea 3, Algorithms and Programming, at school, the teacher works through it with the student, applying the unit's analytical structure to the kinds of problems their class is currently doing. The Create Performance Task itself develops in parallel across the school year. Harland's curriculum decides what gets taught. The student's school AP class, or the May exam itself, is where the teaching shows up.

Progress shows up in places parents can see. Where your child once wrote programs that worked but couldn't explain the design choices clearly, they now defend their Create Task decisions with the rigor the written-response rubric expects. Where your child once read code line by line and lost track of what a procedure returned by the time three calls had been chained, they now trace through dense pseudocode accurately and predict the output before testing it. Where the impact-of-computing questions once felt like opinion essays, they now feel like structured arguments grounded in specific computing innovations and their documented consequences.

How We Teach It

AP Computer Science Principles taught through the program your child is building.

Harland's pedagogy is content-based learning. Computational thinking, code-reading fluency, and the analytical breadth the AP exam rewards develop through the program your child is building, the pseudocode they're reading, and the impact-of-computing material they're working through. Assessments check whether the thinking holds up when the student moves to new material alone.

That means lessons that work directly with the framework. A student working through Big Idea 3, Algorithms and Programming, works on it with their teacher, building the procedural reasoning that lets them write programs that solve problems and trace through pseudocode questions the multiple-choice section dominates. A student moving into Big Idea 2, Data, works on it with their teacher, applying the unit's analytical structure to data representation, transformation, and the connections between data and the algorithms that operate on it. A student developing their Create Performance Task program works on it with their teacher, building the project from ideation through design choices and iteration, with attention to the specific procedures, lists, and decision points the Personalized Project Reference will capture and the written-response prompts will probe.

AP Computer Science Principles students have two layers under the surface. The score pressure is real. The May exam matters for university plans, particularly for students using AP CSP as their introductory computing credit, and most students know it. But beneath the score pressure is a specific cognitive challenge that defines the AP CSP exam. Writing one strong program in a familiar language is not the hard part. The hard part is reading dense pseudocode in unfamiliar text-based or block-based notation on the multiple-choice section, defending the design choices in your own Create Performance Task program with rigorous written justification, and connecting computing concepts across the five Big Ideas, from data representation to algorithmic efficiency to the social and economic impact of computing innovations. The 1-on-1 format gives teachers room to slow down where the pseudocode-reading is dense, to develop the Create program with the depth the written-response prompts will reward, and to keep the conceptual breadth rigorous across all five Big Ideas. Skill and fluency develop together. Neither moves far in isolation.

The format also lets teachers calibrate within the program's structure. A student fluent with writing their own programs but uncomfortable with the pseudocode-reading multiple-choice section gets pushed toward the harder questions the exam will ask. What does this procedure return when called with these arguments. What value does the list hold after the iteration completes. What output does this program produce when the input changes. A student strong on technical concepts but weak on the written argumentation the Create written-response prompts require gets work calibrated to the rubric's expectations. That means defending design choices clearly, justifying procedure decisions with concrete reference to the code, and articulating the algorithmic thinking the rubric criteria will reward.

Computer science principles also has a practical dimension, and AP CSP's practical dimension is built into the exam itself. The College Board requires students to develop a Create Performance Task program, a computer program of the student's own choice that solves a problem, demonstrates an innovation, or expresses a personal interest, over at least 9 hours of in-class time. Students submit the program code, a video of the program running, and a Personalized Project Reference document through the AP Digital Portfolio by April 30. On the May exam itself, students answer two written-response questions about the code in their Personalized Project Reference, contributing 30 percent of the AP score. Harland's 1-on-1 AP CSP program supports the Create Task from project ideation through code refinement, supports the Personalized Project Reference development the exam will reference, and prepares students for the written-response prompts the exam will ask about their own code. For students taking AP CSP at school, school provides the in-class time and Digital Portfolio submission infrastructure. Harland helps the project develop into something the student can defend rigorously on exam day.

Curriculum and Alignment

A structured curriculum keyed to the College Board AP Computer Science Principles framework.

AP Computer Science Principles at Harland follows a structured curriculum keyed to the College Board AP CSP Course and Exam Description, organized around the five Big Ideas. A student who completes the program has demonstrated mastery of AP CSP content as the College Board CED defines it.

The five Big Ideas of the framework structure the work. Big Idea 1, Creative Development, anchors the iterative project work the Create Performance Task will require. Big Idea 2, Data, develops the representation, transformation, and analysis skills that connect to algorithm efficiency. Big Idea 3, Algorithms and Programming, dominates the multiple-choice section at roughly one-third of the test and underpins the program-writing skills the Create Task evaluates. Big Idea 4, Computer Systems and Networks, builds the conceptual framework students need to reason about the internet, devices, and network protocols. Big Idea 5, Impact of Computing, develops the social, economic, and ethical reasoning the exam tests both directly and through the Create written responses. The computational thinking practices, including procedural abstraction, code-tracing precision, and design choices, anchor the cross-cutting skill scaffold the exam tests across all five Big Ideas. AP CSP is language-flexible by design. Students develop their Create program in a language of their choice, and exam pseudocode draws from both text-based and block-based notation defined by the College Board reference sheet.

Standards
College Board AP Computer Science Principles Course and Exam Description, with the computational thinking practices as the cross-cutting skill framework
Materials
Harland curriculum materials and CED-aligned textbooks, with past AP exam pseudocode questions, written-response prompts, and the College Board pseudocode reference sheet integrated as ongoing input
Assessment
End-of-unit assessments in AP question formats, including pseudocode-reading multiple-choice items and written-response prompts modeled on Create Task questions, plus Create Performance Task development checkpoints
Reporting
Skill-level tracking against Harland's internal rubrics, matched to international school standards and the College Board's computational thinking practices

Prerequisites and What Comes Next

Where AP Computer Science Principles fits in your child's learning.

Before starting

AP Computer Science Principles assumes some prior exposure to computing, though the College Board framework explicitly accommodates students new to programming. Students arriving with strong programming experience in any language (Python, JavaScript, Java, or others) often find the procedural elements of Big Idea 3 familiar and can focus their work on the breadth of computing concepts across the other Big Ideas. Students arriving without prior programming experience can still take AP CSP. The program runs longer to build foundational programming skills before moving into the conceptual breadth the framework requires. Some students find Harland's computer science program a useful preparation when they want to build foundational programming experience before AP CSP, particularly when they're considering AP Computer Science A as a follow-on. Algebra I content fluency is sufficient for the algorithmic thinking the exam tests.

One thing to know about scope. The College Board AP CSP framework includes the Create Performance Task as a scored exam component, contributing 30 percent of the AP score. The CPT consists of three parts (program code, a video of the program running, and a Personalized Project Reference) submitted through the AP Digital Portfolio by April 30 and referenced by the written-response questions on the May exam. Submission through the Digital Portfolio requires school enrollment in an AP CSP class section. For students taking AP CSP at school, the submission infrastructure is provided by the school. For students using Harland as primary instruction, families typically arrange enrollment in an "exam only" AP CSP class section through a school willing to support that arrangement, which the College Board permits and the Student Coordinator walks through at the consultation stage. Harland's role is to support the student's CPT development to a strong submission and prepare them for the exam day written responses. The school administers the actual Digital Portfolio submission.

The consultation and assessment class establishes whether AP CSP is the right starting point and whether parallel work in foundational programming would help. Some students arrive needing both syntax-foundation reinforcement and AP support, and the lesson plan covers what's most urgent first.

What comes after

Most students complete AP Computer Science Principles in 6 to 12 months, depending on entry point and lesson cadence. Students taking the program alongside their school AP CSP course typically work through the framework over the school year and sit the May exam. Students preparing in an intensive run-up work at higher cadence in the months before the test, with the constraint that the Create Performance Task must already be developed and submitted.

After AP CSP, the natural successor for students wanting depth in programming is AP Computer Science A, which moves from CSP's breadth-and-impact orientation into the rigorous Java programming, object-oriented design, and algorithm work that university computer science majors will assume students have built. Students continuing in computer science as a major typically take AP CSA following AP CSP. Students using AP CSP for general computing-literacy university credit, particularly those pursuing non-CS majors that nonetheless value computing fluency, may not need further AP work.

The longer-term aim of AP Computer Science Principles is to make itself unnecessary. The program brings students to mastery of AP CSP content. Students sit the exam in May, and the program's role ends. A parent who's no longer worried about their child's AP work is the point of all of it.

Common Questions

Common questions about AP Computer Science Principles at Harland.

Who is AP Computer Science Principles at Harland for? +
AP Computer Science Principles at Harland is for high school students working through AP CSP, most often during sophomore through senior year. Most of our students fall into one of three patterns. Some are taking AP CSP at school and come to us for support alongside the school program, building Create Performance Task development depth, code-reading fluency on pseudocode questions, and the cross-Big-Idea reasoning the exam tests differently from typical introductory computing coursework. Some are preparing for the May exam in an intensive run-up, working through past multiple-choice questions, refining their already-developed Create Task, and practicing the written-response prompts in the weeks or months before the test. Some are using Harland as primary instruction with school-arranged Create Performance Task submission, working through the College Board framework with us across the school year while their school administers the AP Digital Portfolio submission.
My child can write programs that work but freezes on the AP exam's pseudocode-reading questions or struggles with the written-response prompts about her own Create program. Can the program help her with that kind of thinking? +
This is a familiar situation. The AP CSP exam tests a kind of fluency that writing your own programs in a comfortable language doesn't always practice. Reading dense pseudocode in unfamiliar text-based or block-based notation and predicting what a procedure returns, what value a list holds after iteration, what output a program produces under different inputs. Defending the design choices in your own Create Performance Task program with rigorous written justification, including the algorithmic thinking behind specific procedures and the reasons certain decisions were made over alternatives. Connecting computing concepts across the five Big Ideas, including how data representation interacts with algorithm efficiency, how systems-level decisions affect impact, and how computing innovations carry consequences for individuals and communities. We work directly on these skills, slowing down on the pseudocode-reading practice the multiple-choice section requires, on the rubric criteria the written-response prompts evaluate, and on the conceptual breadth the exam expects across all five Big Ideas. Most students who come to us strong on writing their own programs but freezing on pseudocode-reading or written-response prompts close that gap by working through the rubric explicitly, with sample questions and practice under time constraint.
What does the AP Computer Science Principles program cover? +
The program follows the College Board AP Computer Science Principles Course and Exam Description, organized around five Big Ideas. Big Idea 1 covers Creative Development, including iterative design, collaboration, and program documentation. Big Idea 2 covers Data, including representation, transformation, and analysis from binary encoding to large-dataset filtering. Big Idea 3 covers Algorithms and Programming, including procedures, conditionals, iteration, lists, and the algorithm design that dominates the multiple-choice section at roughly one-third of the test. Big Idea 4 covers Computer Systems and Networks, including device-level operation, the internet's structure, protocols, and packet routing. Big Idea 5 covers the Impact of Computing on individuals, communities, and the global economy, including bias, privacy, ethics, and access. The program prepares students for both sections of the exam. The multiple-choice section is dominated by code-reading questions in pseudocode. The Create Performance Task contributes 30 percent of the score and consists of three components submitted through the AP Digital Portfolio. The three components are the program code, a video of the program running, and a Personalized Project Reference. On exam day, students answer two written-response questions about the code in their Personalized Project Reference. The exam is fully digital through the College Board's Bluebook platform.
How long is each lesson and how often does my child attend? +
Lessons are 1-on-1 sessions of 1 to 1.5 hours, in person at our head office in Da'an or online. Most students attend one to three lessons per week. Harland's AP CSP program is organized around the five Big Ideas, with each Big Idea closing in a unit assessment that mirrors AP question formats, plus dedicated lessons supporting the Create Performance Task development across the school year. At one or two lessons per week alongside a school AP course, the program runs through the school year and concludes with the May exam. At three lessons per week, the program covers a semester, though Create Performance Task work still requires school-year development time. For students preparing in an intensive run-up to the May exam with their Create Task already submitted, the cadence increases as the test approaches. The Student Coordinator helps you choose the cadence that fits.
How are lessons scheduled, and what if we need to reschedule? +
Lessons happen on a fixed weekly slot reserved with your child's primary teacher. This protects the teacher's time and keeps a consistent rhythm for your child. If you need to reschedule, give us at least 24 hours of notice and we'll find another time when your teacher is available. Many families add classes during summer or winter vacation, either to accelerate progress or to make up for a slower term. Once a unit has started, it should be completed within a defined window. The Student Coordinator walks through the details when you enroll.
Can my child begin AP Computer Science Principles over the summer? +
Yes. Summer enrollment is available across Harland's AP programs, with two patterns. Students preparing for the upcoming May AP exam in an intensive run-up sometimes begin or accelerate in summer at higher cadence (typically 2-3 sessions per week), particularly when their school AP course pacing has fallen behind or they're starting prep late. For AP CSP specifically, the Create Performance Task constraint applies. The CPT requires development during the school year with school-administered Digital Portfolio submission, so summer intensive prep is most useful for students who have already developed their CPT and are working on multiple-choice and written-response preparation. Students preparing for the following year's AP exam (i.e., taking AP Computer Science Principles at school in fall) often use summer for a head-start block, working through Big Idea 1 or building foundational programming experience before fall classes begin and ideating the Create Task project they'll develop during the school year. The Student Coordinator helps you choose the right summer pattern based on which exam year your child is preparing for.
How do you measure progress? +
Progress is measured through unit assessments aligned with the College Board AP CSP framework. Each of the five Big Ideas closes with an assessment that mirrors AP question formats, including pseudocode-reading multiple-choice items and written-response prompts modeled on the Create Task questions. The Create Performance Task itself develops across the school year, with checkpoints at project ideation, initial program development, code refinement, video recording, and Personalized Project Reference finalization. Parents receive updates after every lesson and formal progress reports when each Big Idea unit ends. Skill-level tracking uses Harland's internal rubrics, which match international school standards and the College Board's computational thinking practices. Where helpful, the Student Coordinator translates this into the expectations of your child's school.
How do we begin? +
Every Harland relationship begins with a consultation, followed by a 1-on-1 assessment class. The consultation is about your goals and your child's situation. The assessment class is about how your child works in the subject. Together they tell us where to start and what kind of teacher will fit best.

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