Measuring demographics and performance in computer science education at a nationwide scale using AP CS data

Abstract

We examine the current state of computing education in the United States, in order to be able to identify problems in diversity and performance. Data on computing education are difficult to come by, since computer science courses are not tracked in US public education systems. By using a large and nationwide quantitative data source, we can gain new insights into who is participating in computing education, where the greatest need is, and what factors explain the variance between states. We used data from the Advanced Placement Computer Science A (AP CS A) exam to get a detailed view of the demographics of who is taking the exam across the United States and in each state, and how they are performing on the exam. We use economic and census data to provide explanations for some of the AP CS data. We find that minority group involvement is low in AP CS A, but the variance between states in terms of exam-takers is driven by minority group involvement. We find that wealth in a state influences the number of students taking the AP CS A exam, but indirectly.