AP Program Update Midwest Regional Forum

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AP Program UpdateMidwest Regional Forum

• February 11, 2008
• Marcia Wilbur
• Executive Director, Curriculum Content
  Development
• AP Program

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July 29, 1956
July 29, 1956
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(No Transcript)
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Todays Agenda

• Introduction Challenges in secondary school
  education
• What Does the Latest Research Indicate About AP?
• AP and admissions
• AP and credit/placement
• The AP communitys values, needs, and wants
• AP teachers
• College faculty
• Students
• AP Course Audit renewal process
• AP Course Exam Review

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U.S. Students Fall Behind in International
Comparisonsand Raise Concerns for U.S.
Competitiveness
In 2006, U.S. ranked 35 out of 57 countries
in mathematics

• Programme for International Student Assessment
  (PISA)
• U.S. source for internationally comparative
  information on math and science literacy of
  students in the upper grades
• Age 15
• Assesses math and scientific literacy in terms of
  mastery of school curriculum, and important
  knowledge and skills needed for life
• In 2006, more than 400,000 students from 57
  countries making up close to 90 of the world
  economy took part in PISA 2006

Source OECD, PISA 2006 database
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U.S. Students Fall Behind in International
Comparisonsand Raise Concerns for U.S.
Competitiveness
In 2006, U.S. ranked 29 out of 57 countries
in science

• Programme for International Student Assessment
  (PISA)
• U.S. source for internationally comparative
  information on math and science literacy of
  students in the upper grades
• Age 15
• Assesses math and scientific literacy in terms of
  mastery of school curriculum, and important
  knowledge and skills needed for life
• In 2006, more than 400,000 students from 57
  countries making up close to 90 of the world
  economy took part in PISA 2006

Source OECD, PISA 2006 database
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2006 PISA Results

• Teenagers in a majority of industrialized
  nations taking part in a leading international
  exam (PISA) showed greater scientific
  understanding than students in the United
  Statesand they far surpassed their American
  peers in mathematics, in results that seem likely
  to add to recent consternation over U.S.
  students core academic skills.
• - Education Week (Published Online
  December 4, 2007)

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AP Student Performance in Math
Source Gonzalez, E., OConnor, K., Miles, J.
(2000). How well do Advanced Placement students
perform on the TIMSS Advanced Mathematics and
Physics Tests? Chestnut Hill, MA The
International Study Center, Lynch School of
Education, Boston College.
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AP Student Performance in Physics
Source Gonzalez, E., OConnor, K., Miles, J.
(2000). How well do Advanced Placement students
perform on the TIMSS Advanced Mathematics and
Physics Tests? Chestnut Hill, MA The
International Study Center, Lynch School of
Education, Boston College.
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College Eligible, not College Ready

• Approximately 70 of all students in public
  high schools graduate, and only 32 of all
  students leave high school qualified to attend
  four-year colleges.
• College readiness by ethnic group
• African American 20
• American Indian 14
• Asian American 38
• Hispanic 16
• White 37

Source Public High School Graduation and College
Readiness Rates in the United States, 9/03,
Funded Bill Melinda Gates
Foundation Jay P. Greene, Ph.D. Greg Forster,
Ph.D., Manhattan Institute for Policy Research.
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Colleges have High Participation of Students in
Remedial Courses
Percentage of First- and Second-Year Students Who
Have Taken a Remedial Course Since High School
Graduation by Type of Institution, 2003-04
Students earning a bachelor's degree within 8
years, 2004
Leading predictor of whether a student will
dropout
Estimated cost to the taxpayers is 1 billion
Note Remedial course is defined as a
developmental course intended to improve basic
skills in English, mathematics, reading, study
skills, or writing. Sources NPSAS 2004
Undergraduates College Board Trends in College
Pricing, 2006 NCES 2004a.
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Average Time to Degree Exceeds 5 Years for Both
Public and Private Institutions
Average years to complete a Bachelors degree by
institution, 2000
Source Wayne J. Camara, College Persistence,
Graduation, and Remediation, College Board
Research Notes RN-19, March 2003.
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Todays Agenda

• Introduction Challenges in secondary school
  education
• What Does the Latest Research Indicate About AP?
• AP and admissions
• AP and credit/placement
• The AP communitys values, needs, and wants
• AP teachers
• College faculty
• Students
• AP Course Audit renewal process
• AP Course Exam Review

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AP and College Admissions

• In 2007, Crux Research interviewed admissions
  officers at colleges and universities nationwide,
  with a focus on institutions (selective and
  highly selective) whose applicants have
  higher-than-average numbers of AP courses.

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Approximately 85 of Admissions Officers from
selective institutions feel that AP experience
helps them make decisions
AP course experience favorably impacts admissions
decisions
About 85 of Admissions Officers from Selective
Institutions

• We look favorably on students who have taken AP
  courses. The presence of AP courses is a sign
  that a student has chosen to challenge
  him/herself.
• AP Admissions Officer
• Online Bulletin Board

Admissions Q340 Base (n125)
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Admissions Officers use AP to determine college
preparedness, student motivation, and placement
How does your institution use AP, if at all, to
support admissions decisions?

• We consider the learning environment for each
  applicant how many APs are offered and how
  many has the student taken advantage of and
  grades earned.
• AP Admissions Officer Online Bulletin Board

Admissions Q301 Base (n125)
All uses are employed at a higher rate at
selective institutions
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98 of Admissions Officers anticipate increase or
maintaining their current uses of AP in the future
Think about the use of AP in admissions decisions
at your institution. Five years from now, do
you expect that ?
Higher among selective institutions (47)
Admissions Q705 Base (n125)
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Students scoring 3 on AP Exams are experiencing
much higher college graduation rates than
comparable non-AP students
College Graduation Rate differences between AP
and non-AP students
 Student Demographic AP Exam Grade of 3 or higher
African-American 21 higher
Hispanic 27 higher
White 19 higher
Low-Income 32 higher
Not Low-Income 23 higher

Source Chrys Dougherty, Lynn Mellor, and Shuling
Jian, The Relationship Between Advanced Placement
and College Graduation (National Center for
Educational Accountability, 2006)
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Hargrove, Godin, Dodd Study(in press)

• Followed 5 cohorts of students in Texas colleges
  from 1988-2002. SAT scores and Reduced Price
  Lunch status were used as statistical control
  variables.
• Students who had taken one or more AP courses in
  a Texas high school
• had higher graduation rates
• earned a higher subject-area GPA in sequent
  courses
• completed more courses in the discipline
• Earned higher first-year and fourth-year college
  GPAs (The increase was higher still for students
  who took both the AP Course and the corresponding
  AP Exam.)

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Todays Agenda

• Introduction Challenges in secondary school
  education
• What Does the Latest Research Indicate About AP?
• AP and admissions
• AP and credit/placement
• The AP communitys values, needs, and wants
• AP teachers
• College faculty
• Students
• AP Course Audit renewal process
• AP Course Exam Review

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There is a need for high-quality teachers to
replace retiring AP teachers, with a need to
build commitment, advocacy, and AP loyalty
Which three of the following have been most
influential to you when deciding whether to take
an AP course?
ISSUE 3
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AP teachers want more AP teaching resources (e.g.
mid-year assessments, classroom materials, online
score reports)
How important are each of the following potential
changes the AP Program could make for teachers?
Extremely / Very Important
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New supports for AP teachers

• Free, new AP Released Exam delivered in secure
  manner to all authorized AP teachers (spring
  2008)
• Online score reports (target summer 2009)
• Formative assessments (Web downloads)
• New content-focused professional development
• Reduction of breadth, increase of depth in AP
  science

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While there remains healthy support for
credit-by-examination business among the credit
policymakers higher ed faculty
In general, would you say you favor or oppose
allowing AP students to receive credit or
placement in your department?
76 Strongly Favor or Favor
There were no differences based on selectivity
Dept. Chairs Q240 Base (n125)
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When drilling down to the Top 200 universities,
AP credit policies appear to be increasingly
restrictive
What is the minimum score/most typical score
required by your department under its AP policy
for advanced credit or placement?
Among Admissions Officers, 57 of selective and
78 of Top Third institutions require a 4 or
higher
Dept. Chairs in Sciences and History tend to
require higher scores than those in other subject
areas
Admissions Q345 Base (n125) Dept. Chairs
Q345 Base (n125)
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AP Teachers generally rate higher ed policies as
more essential to maintaining AP participation
than other issues
To sustain your schools current level of
participation in AP, how important is it
that Extremely / Very Important
AP Teachers Q345 Base (n3,417)
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College faculty are looking for guarantees of AP
quality, consistency, and rigor
Very / Extremely Important

• For the gold standard to be in play, faculty and
  administrators need to have a greater sense of
  what AP actually is all about.
• College Faculty Member Online Bulletin Board.

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Initiatives needed to increase higher education
satisfaction with AP

• Greater involvement of college faculty in the
  exam development and scoring processes
• Recognition and appropriate remuneration for
  expertise rendered
• Improved communications to academic departments
• Implementation of standard-setting colloquia that
  enable faculty from AP-receiving institutions to
  help define standards and expectations for AP
  student achievement

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Exam scores of 1 are proliferating, showing that
many students are not receiving the preparation
they deserve for AP
CAGR 8
CAGR 10
CAGR 17
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Students cite lack of preparation among the
primary barriers to AP Exam taking
AP Exam Taking
ISSUE 4
Graphic is based upon a regression model.
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Initiatives necessary to foster student exam
readiness

• Toolkit for conducting week-long AP Summer Camps
  to review skills necessary for success in an AP
  course
• Provision of free AP Course Study Guides
  (downloaded from collegeboard.com) for students
  and teachers to use throughout the academic year
  and in reviewing for exam day
• Exam review materials
• Continued organizational investment in Pre-AP
  programs and services such as SpringBoard

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Todays Agenda

• Introduction Challenges in secondary school
  education
• What Does the Latest Research Indicate About AP?
• AP and admissions
• AP and credit/placement
• The AP communitys values, needs, and wants
• AP teachers
• College faculty
• Students
• Course Audit renewal process
• AP Course Exam Review

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Why conduct an AP Course Audit?
  Schools Exams Students
1996 11,712 843,423 537,428
2006 16,000 2.3 million 1.3 million
Percent increase 37 174 150
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Who participated?
Participant Type Count Participant Type Count
Teachers 135,486
Principals 3,066
Administrators 9,744
District Officials 883
College Faculty 839
TOTAL 149,179
The AP community responded in overwhelming
numbers to the inaugural, worldwide review of AP
courses. Where 105,000 syllabi were
anticipated, 141,000 were submitted --- and over
14,000 schools participated.
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Who evaluated the syllabi?

• Nearly 850 college instructors have served as
  Reviewers and Senior Reviewers
• For all 37 AP subjects, each reviewer teaches the
  parallel college course
• Reviewers undergo training and qualifying
  experiences before beginning live evaluations

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The AP Course Ledger

• Searchable database of over 136,000 courses in
  more than 14,000 secondary schools worldwide
  authorized to carry the AP label
• Search database by high school, high school code,
  city, state, and subject
• Entire database is available for download into
  admission office systems

collegeboard.com/apcourseledger
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What are College Faculty Saying About the Course
Audit?

• My experience conducting the audit was very
  encouraging almost without exception, the
  syllabi reflected serious preparation and a
  desire to facilitate learning. That is really
  what is important.           James
  Riddlesperger, Senior Faculty Reviewer,
  U.S. Government, Texas Christian University
• Some of these syllabi begin with broad themes,
  and then combine some texts that one might not
  naturally put togetherthese unique approaches
  make me think about the ingenuity of AP
  teachers.        
• Bruce Plourde, Senior Faculty Reviewer,
  English Literature, Temple University

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67 of AP teachers --- and 81 of new AP teachers
--- think the audit provided a valuable
opportunity to reflect on their course
The audit provided a valuable and useful
opportunity to reflect on my course
62 of AP teachers in private schools thought
that the audit provided a valuable opportunity to
reflect on their course
67 agree/strongly agree
81 of first-year AP teachers felt the audit
provided a valuable opportunity to reflect on
their course
Total Responses 26,023
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Almost half of AP Teachers felt that they
improved their course as a result of the Audit
strongly agree/agree
66
49
33
18
14
14
14
13
11
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Nearly one in five AP teachers felt that the
Audit alerted them to changes in the AP course or
exam that they hadnt yet incorporated into their
course
 The audit alerted me to changes in the AP course
or exam that I hadn't yet incorporated into my
course
21 of AP English teachers felt the Audit
alerted them to changes in the AP course or exam
that they had not yet incorporated into their
course
14 of AP math teachers felt the Audit alerted
them to changes in the AP course or exam that
they had not yet incorporated into their course
24 of AP teachers in schools with greater
than 50 f/r lunch felt the audit alerted them to
changes
18 strongly agree/agree
Total responses 25,982
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AP Course Audit Impact

• 67,000 teachers report having improved their
  course as a result of the audit
• 18,200 teachers used the audit to acquire more
  current textbooks
• 22,100 teachers indicated that they had not been
  aware of major changes to the AP curriculum until
  they did the audit
• 18,000 teachers used the audit to acquire greater
  lab time or instructional time
• 45,500 felt that the audit was just a hoop they
  had to jump through

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Next Steps Important dates

• Jan 31 deadline for submission of NEW courses
  for 2007-08
• Feb 1 Mar 3 Website closed for upgrades
• Mar 4 Website reopens

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Next Steps Renewing Authorizations

• Beginning March 4, principals and AP Coordinators
  can renew authorizations for courses that
• will be taught by the same teacher
• will be taught from the authorized syllabus
• Renewal process can be completed online at
  https//apcourseaudit.epiconline.org

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Next Steps New courses for 2008-09

• On March 4, the Website will begin accepting
  submissions for 2008-09
• Course Audit forms will be submitted
  electronically no faxing
• All syllabi will be assigned an ID number
• Teachers can share this number among themselves
  to alert us to submissions of identical syllabi
• 2007-08 syllabi will also be assigned an ID
  number.

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AP Course Audit Contact Information

• apcourseaudit_at_epiconline.org
• 1-877-APHELP-0
• Tom Matts ltlttmatts_at_collegeboard.orggtgt

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Todays Agenda

• Introduction Challenges in secondary school
  education
• What Does the Latest Research Indicate About AP?
• AP and admissions
• AP and credit/placement
• The AP communitys values, needs, and wants
• AP teachers
• College faculty
• Students
• Course Audit renewal process
• AP Course Exam Review

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AP Course Exam Review Where can improvements
be made?

• A National Research Council Report (2002)
  identified several opportunities to improve math
  and science education in the US. These
  recommendations are equally applicable to all AP
  course subjects.
• Courses should emphasize deep understanding
  rather than comprehensive coverage.
• Programs should reflect current understanding of
  learning in the discipline.
• Programs should reflect current research
  directions within the disciplines.
• Courses should emphasize inquiry and reasoning

The National Research Council Learning and
Understanding Improving Advanced Study of
Mathematics and Science in U.S. High Schools 2002
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AP Science Course Exam Review Phase I Bio
Recommendations
Establish a conceptual framework that will
increase depth and reduce breadth Emphasize
inquiry-based teaching and learning and
integrate reasoning Define prior knowledge
Increase Access Assume a leadership role in
professional development Develop formative
assessments
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Calls for rethinking what is taught, how it is
taught and how learning is assessed
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How People Learn

• Students come into the classroom with
  preconceptions about how the world works. If
  their initial understanding is not engaged, they
  may fail to grasp new concepts and information
  that are taught or they may learn them for
  purposes of a test not revert to their
  preconceptions outside the classroom
• To develop competence in an area of inquiry,
  students must a) have a deep foundation of
  factual knowledge, b) understand facts and ideas
  in the context of a conceptual framework , and c)
  organize knowledge in ways that facilitate
  retrieval and application
• A metacognitive approach to instruction can
  help students learn to take control of their own
  learning by defining learning goals and
  monitoring their progress in achieving them

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• Some design principles
• Effective STEM curricula
• are coherent, focus on
• important ideas within
• the discipline, and are
• sequenced to optimize
• learning

2. Teaching for understanding begins with
careful consideration of students thinking 3.
Assessment is aligned with instruction and
desired learning outcomes
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Learning and Understanding

• This study examined AP, IB and alternative
  approaches (special schools, e.g.)
• Recommends that programs incorporate the
  principles emerging from learning research as
  they move forward

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Assessment needs to move beyond a focus on
component skills and discrete bits of knowledge
to encompass the more complex aspects of
student achievement
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The AP Review Project will produce a more
inclusive and more engaging program of study for
each discipline. To achieve this we identify
AP Course Exam Review Goals

• The essential concepts that are to be studied in
  depth
• The essential reasoning and inquiry skills that
  are to be supported by instruction and measured
  on the exams
• Teaching practices that are most successful at
  developing understanding
• The minimum resources required to support these
  practices
• Cutting-edge areas of research that can best
  capture essential concepts within the discipline
  and reveal the unity of scientific ways of
  knowing.

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AP Course Exam Review Process

• The process of AP Science, History, World
  Languages Course Exam Review has been informed
  by
• College Curriculum Study
• National select state standards
• Established learning science approaches to
  curriculum and assessment design
• Learning and Understanding (National Research
  Council, 2002)
• Understanding by Design (Wiggins and McTighe,
  2005)
• Evidence-centered Design (Steinberg, Mislevy,
  Almond, 2003)

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AP Science Course Exam Review How will we get
there?
2006 2006 2006 2006 2007 2007 2007 2007 2008 2008 2008 2008 2009 2009 2009 2009 2010 2010 2010 2010 2011 2011 2011 2011 2012 2012 2012 2012

PROCESS DESIGN
ESTABLISH FOUNDATION
COURSE / EXAM MODEL
CURRICULUM DESIGN
ASSESSMENT DESIGN
INVOLVE AP PROFESSIONAL COMMUNITY
PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT
OPERATIONS
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AP Course Exam Review How will we get there?
PROCESS DESIGN Review process is based on
learning methodology, potential risks, and
discipline expertise.
The AP Science Review is supported in its
initial phases by a grant from the National
Science Foundation. Principal Investigators on
that grant provide expertise in learning science,
science education, and assessment design.
Discipline-specific expertise is provided by AP
Review Commissions whose membership includes
secondary and post-secondary educators and
practicing scientists and historians. The
role of the AP staff is to develop resources to
support and facilitate the work of these teams.
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AP Course Exam Review How will we get there?
PROCESS DESIGN Review process is based on
learning methodology, potential risks, and
discipline expertise.

• Commissions were assembled to provide subject
  matter
• expertise and direction for the review

• Professional organizations, (e.g. the National
  Science Foundation, ACTFL, etc.) and College
  Board members identified by consensus the
  Commission members
• Each Commission is comprised of leaders in Higher
  and Secondary Education with subject-specific
  expertise
• The Commission provides input and guidance on
• Essential course content and skills
• Instructional practices

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AP Course Exam Review Establish Foundation
ESTABLISH FOUNDATION Disciplinary experts
identify the essential reasoning and concepts.

• Each Commission was charged to focus the
• AP course review on the following goals
• Draw upon current research on learning,
  instruction, and assessment
• Reduce the breadth of content coverage
• Increase depth of understanding of essential
  concepts
• Develop capacity to use inquiry and critical
  thinking skills
• Organize curriculum, instruction, and assessment
  using unifying themes
• Create learning programs accessible to students
  from a broad range of backgrounds
• Prepare students for success in subsequent
  college-level courses

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AP Course Exam Review Establish Foundation
ESTABLISH FOUNDATION Disciplinary experts
identify the essential reasoning and concepts.

• The AP courses and exams will produce Integrated
  Learning
• by embedding the Essential Content within
• Unifying Concepts that deepen learning by
  increasing coherence
• Inquiry and Reasoning skills that deepen
  learning by involving students in knowledge
  construction

Unifying Concepts
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AP Course Exam Review Course / Exam Model
COURSE / EXAM MODEL Compile the framework for
the course/ exam in the form of claims and
evidence.
CURRICULUM DESIGN
ASSESSMENT DESIGN

The new AP courses and exams will be based on
well-defined learning objectives and descriptions
of student work that achieves these objectives.

• Assessment Design
• The assessment model will support deep learning
  by emphasizing reasoning and inquiry
• Each of the scores within the 5-4-3-2-1 scoring
  model will be tied to clear and specific
  standards for student achievement

• Curriculum Design
• Course descriptions will clearly define the scope
  of the learning objectives.
• Embedded formative assessments will support
  progress toward success on the AP Exam.
• Curricular resources will be provided to support
  AP students and teachers.

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AP Course Exam Review Involve AP
Professional Communities
INVOLVE PROFESSIONAL AND AP COMUNITY Review
approach with and solicit feedback from
Instructors (secondary and post-secondary).

• Guiding principles of the Review process are to
• Rely upon the expertise of the leading educators
  and scholars from both higher and secondary
  education.
• Solicit feedback and input from those most
  involved with the courses and exams.
• After the 2008 release of the draft Course / Exam
  model
• Review and comment by professional communities
• Solicit input from a representative sample of AP
  teachers
• Involve and consult with higher education
  communities
• Present the model at professional conferences
• Provide AP Course Exam Review updates on AP
  Central

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AP Course Exam ReviewWhat does this mean for
AP teachers?

• There are still many details to be finalized for
  the AP Course and
• Exam Review. At this point, the following
  impacts are known
• The amount of change differs by exam.
  Subject-specific details will be provided as
  available.
• Through the AP Course Audit network and AP
  Central, the College Board will continue to
  provide purposeful, direct and regular updates on
  any significant course changes
• The criteria used in the Course Audit will
  reflect the new Curriculum Framework.
• The AP Course Exam review effort provides a
  renewed opportunity to involve higher education
  faculty with the goal of ensuring ever-increasing
  credit policies across institutions

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Your Questions