CollegeBoard: Analyses of CS Study Benefits Shouldn't Be Interpreted As Causal

theodp writes: Code.org, backed by some of tech's wealthiest individuals and their companies, is this close to getting computer science declared a 'core subject' in K-12 public schools. So, when the non-profit recently asked CollegeBoard for more evidence that learning computer science is linked to improved learning in other subjects, it must have been disheartened by the study results. "The purpose of this brief note," wrote the CollegeBoard, "is to document some exploratory analyses linking participation in AP Computer Science to subsequent performance in SAT Mathematics and AP Calculus and Statistics. None of these analyses should be interpreted as causal. Although there appears to be a relationship between AP CS participation and subsequent outcomes, it is highly likely that this is the result of one or more omitted and confounding characteristics of students that are not able to be controlled for given this research design."

Comments

Human

[invictusvoyd]

CS is more of an art than a science . Because most of it is "human facing " Not just the GUI but the way it solves problems for humans. Encouraging students to think of innovative "solutions" to human problems will be more fruitful than churning out an army java programmers

Re:Really?

[Nidi62]

I would expect it to improve reading, reading comprehension, written language skills, and logical thinking. That is what the student is learning!

The problem is, and I think CollegeBoard is saying this, that anyone who has the ability to take AP CS and then take the test should already have significantly developed reading, comprehension, and logical thinking skills. From my experience (I did go to a school with a magnet program but AP classes were open to all students) most students who took an AP class took several; it was very rare to have someone take just one class. So it was a bad idea to have CollegeBoard do a study anyway because there is no way to isolate any potential benefit with AP CS from the student's general ability/interest. Unless Code.org was counting on this so that they could obfuscate the results to show whatever they wanted (a distinct possibility).