> > >It seems crazy to ignore the philosophy and roots of a language when > >choosing one for teaching, but a concern about popularity in the industry > >seems to have overwhelmed common sense at some schools. > OTOH it must seem strange for CS1 to ignore a student's high AP test > score, and the AP test, and thus high school CS, is now C++. :( > Team-Ada goes around this loop every so often. Some comments: (1) Many schools (not just "Ada schools", either) do not mechanically accept AP test scores as equivalent to CS1/CS2. (2) Currently there is a plan underway to change the AP test to ... Java. The AP test is a quasi-commercial product of the College Board; they contract with Educational Testing Service to administer and score the tests. (I worked for ETS for 4 years - I've seen it from inside...) Essentially, they try to follow the "market" and guess which language will dominate 4-5 years up the road. Yes, yes, they discuss developing a language-neutral exam, over and over. This view has not yet prevailed, and (IMHO) is unlikely to prevail. Don't waste your breath.:-) Mike Feldman