New Developments in Advanced Placement (AP) and the Academic Policies Your Campus May Need to Review

Cathy Brigham, The College BoardBarbara Smith, The University of Texas at San Antonio

Overview

Introductions

Awareness of AP

Awareness of AP

Two Major Developments in AP

AP Course & Exam Redesign

Begins with courses and exams in world language, history, and science subjects

Represents a collaboration among college faculty, AP teachers, and learning and assessment specialists

Is designed to meet colleges’ expectations of student outcomes for the comparable college course

As part of our commitment to continually enhance alignment with current practices in college-level learning, the AP Program is evaluating and redesigning courses and exams.

Key Components of the Revised AP

Courses and Exams

College Faculty Are Involved inEvery Aspect of APOn an annual basis, more than 5,000 college faculty participate in AP.

Curriculum studies

Curriculum frameworks

Question writing and review

Comparability studies

Standard setting studies

Pilot draft exam questions

AP teacher training

AP and pre-AP strategies workshops for teachers

AP teacher syllabus evaluations

Exam scoring as Chief Readers and Readers

Exam scoringAP Course Audit

Professional developmen

t

Standards alignment

Course & exam

content

Curriculum Framework Development

4-year colleges& universities

Academic organizations

Panels of subject-matter

experts

Committeeof college faculty

& AP teachers

50+ college department

chairs

50+AP teachers

Curriculum studies, research, and

recommendations are collected

A curriculum framework is drafted

The curriculum framework is reviewed and verified

Exam Development

Standard setting

College comparability

Exam questions are reviewed against achievement expectations to set raw scores for the overall exam.

Portions of an AP Exam are administered to students in the related college course; student AP scores are correlated to their final course grades.

A panel of 15 college faculty & AP teachers

College faculty from the panel and

their students

Committees of teachers & college faculty who teach

comparable college/AP courses

Achievement expectations are defined by the specific knowledge and skills required to earn each exam score.

Two studies are conducted to establish standards and inform cut scores for the relevant AP Exam.

AP Course Launch Schedule

New Program: AP | Cambridge Capstone Program and Credential

Program Goals

Curriculum Structure and Credential Requirements

10th -12th

Grade

Year Two

Year One

Research Project

Seminar Course

To qualify for the AP | Cambridge Capstone Credential, students must:

1.Earn qualifying scores on the Seminar Course and Research Project Assessments

2.Earn scores of 3 or higher on three or more AP Exams

Any Year of HS

Year Two

Year One

Research Project

Seminar Course

Essay (4500-5000

words)

Team Project

Individual Presentati

on

Written Exam

Development of Research and Inquiry Skills Is Central to both Courses

ReflectionAssess the impact

of research on personal

perspectives.

Deconstruction

Detailed analysis of a point of view.

Reconstruction

Identification & evaluation of

evidence for and against competing

points of view.

Communication Communicate views, information and research effectively and convincingly.

Students engage in multiple iterations of the Critical Path, a teaching and learning process.

Status of the AP | Cambridge Capstone PilotSeventeen schools in the United States and abroad are piloting the program, beginning in fall 2012

Fall 2012 August 2013

Fall 2013 August 2014

Cohort 1: Score reports for the Seminar Course are sent to designated colleges.

Cohort 1: Students begin the Research Project. Transcripts that include Capstone information are included with student applications.

Cohort 2: Students begin the Seminar Course.

Cohort 1: The first AP | Cambridge Credentials are issued to colleges, along with score reports for the Research Project.

Cohort 2: Score reports for the Seminar Course are sent to designated colleges.

Cohort 1: Students begin the Seminar Course.

Miami-Dade County Public Schools, FL

Miami Palmetto Senior High School

Barbara Goleman Senior High School

Miami Southridge Senior High School

North Miami Beach Senior High School

New York City, NY

Brooklyn Technical High School

Houston and DFW, TX

Carl Wunsche Senior High SchoolJack E. Singley AcademyNimitz High School

Spokane School District, WA

North Central High School

Prince George’s County Public Schools, MD

Bowie High School

Eleanor Roosevelt High School

McCracken County Public Schools, KY

Lone Oak High School

Metropolitan Nashville Public Schools, TN

Hume Fogg Academic High Schools

Independent Schools

Chadwick School, Los Angeles, CA

Deerfield Academy, MA

Non-US Schools

Hong Kong International School

Strathcona High School, Edmonton, Alberta

One Institution’s Experience:UTSA

University Review Process

University Review Process

Website

UTSA Catalog

University Review Process

Question

Vision for an Ideal Model:AP Policy Review

Question

UTSA AP Policy

How an Annual Review of AP Policy Can Impact Your Students

Recent Data on AP

Five Evidence-Based Claims about AP

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AP Students Who Earn a 3+ Perform Well in Subsequent Courses in the Discipline.

Adapted from Morgan & Klaric, 2007

These students perform as well as or better than non-AP students – even after controlling for prior achievement.

AP Students Tend to Take More Courses in Their Exam Subject Area Once in College

The correlation between AP Exam and major is particularly strong for STEM subjects.

Adapted from Mattern, Shaw, & Ewing, 2011

Adapted from Morgan & Klaric, 2007

Traditionally underrepresented students who take AP Exams in some STEM subjects tend to major in these subjects.

AP students who chose major

Students taking the intro course who chose major

Correlation Between AP and College Major is Particularly Strong for Multiple Exam Takers

Adapted from Mattern, Shaw, & Ewing, 2011

Subject Area

Took Maximum Number of AP Exams in Area

and Chose Major in Field

Took One AP Exam in Area

and Chose Major in Field

Did Not Take AP Exam in Area and

Chose Major in Field

Biological/Biomedical Sciences

26.1% 20.1% 6.4%

Computer Science 27.1% 16.8% 1.8%

Foreign Language 20.0% 4.7% 1.1%

Math/Physical Science 65.0% 20.6% 8.5%

Humanities 25.6% 13.1% 11.3%

Social Science 24.7% 17.4% 13.3%

Students Who Earn Credit for AP Tend to Earn Higher Fourth-Year GPAs than Non-AP Students

Adapted from Hargrove, Godin, & Dodd, 2008

AP Is an Indicator of Successful Degree Completion

Adapted from Dougherty, Mellor and Jian, 2006

Increased probability of college graduation compared to students not participating in AP

Next Steps

Next Steps: AP Policy Review as Advocacy

Next Steps: AP Re-design

aphighered.collegeboard.org

Next Steps: AP Capstone

Over 100 Institutions Have Endorsed Capstone