information about csaw

Students who enter Westhill High School as Freshman must wait until near the end of their Freshman year to apply for admission to the Computer Science Academy of Westhill (CSAW). However, eighth graders districted for Westhill who think they may have eventual interest in joining CSAW are strongly advised to take a computer science class during their Freshman year at the school. The following sections are designed to help you decide on which course to take first.

Almost all honors-level students entering Westhill should start their Computer Science Pathway by first taking AP Computer Science Principles. Despite the AP moniker, this course is designed for students with no previous experience in Computer Science. It features no homework and only two large exams, the midterm and final. The only honors students who want to take a computer science class in their freshman year but should not take AP CSP are those who do not want to commit to a full year of computer science during their Freshman year may opt to start with Python, which is broken into two half-year courses, Python A and Python B.

Westhill also offers 1% of the incoming Freshman the opportunity to skip AP Computer Science Principles and take AP Computer Science A in their first year at Westhill. These students will typically have a significant amount of computer science experience either by attending summer camps or through independent study. Freshman who wish to be considered for this Accelerated Pathway must take a placement exam during the first week of school. If you are interested, please email the academy at CSAW@stamfordct.gov during your final year of middle school.

CP-level students who wish to take a computer science class during their freshman year should opt for either Intro to Computer Science or Python A, both of which are half-year courses. Students who opt for the Intro course during their first semester can continue by taking Python A during their second semester. Students who opt for Python A can continue with Python B during their second semester. Eighth-graders who are struggling to pass mathematics in middle school are encouraged to take Intro to Computer Science as Freshman. All other CP-level students are encouraged to take Python A. Students unable to decide between the Intro and Python courses are encouraged to take the Placement Exam during the first week of school. This exam is used for placement only and is not used to determine admission into CSAW.

Students who enter Westhill other than as Freshman can apply to join CSAW at any time, once they become enrolled at Westhill. Admission to CSAW is open to all Westhill students. To apply for admission, simply go to the Forms page and fill out the on-line Application for Admissions Form. These students should also consider taking the voluntary Placement Exam during the first week of school to help them determine which computer science course to take first.