Advanced Placement Program
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Advanced Placement Program, commonly known as Advanced Placement, or AP, is a United States and Canada-based program that offers high school students the opportunity to receive university credit for their work during high school, as well as a standard measure of achievement in a particular course. Measured by the number of students that enroll in AP courses and take AP exams, AP United States History is the most popular test.
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[edit] History
In May 1951, a group of educators from three of America's elite prep schools (Phillips Academy, Phillips Exeter Academy, and the Lawrenceville School) and three of the country's most prestigious colleges (Harvard University, Princeton University, and Yale University) convened to discuss the best use of the final two years of high school and the first two years of college. This committee published a final report, General Education in School and College (Harvard University Press, 1952), which led to the establishment of the AP Exams.
The first AP exams were given in traditional academic subjects like biology. In recent years the AP program has expanded into subjects such as art and music theory. There is now even a computer-based program for Chinese [1] and Japanese [2].
The non-profit College Board, which has run the program since 1955, develops and maintains courses in various subject areas, supports those who teach the courses, supports universities as they define their policies related to AP grades, and develops and coordinates the administration of annual AP examinations. These activities are funded through fees charged to students taking AP Exams.
In 2002, over one million high school students participated in AP courses, and over 90 percent took the corresponding AP exam. Many high schools offer AP courses, though the College Board allows the home-schooled and others who have not taken a course at a high school to take the exam. Exams cost $83 each. Until the 2005 exams, exams in the same category could be taken together and only paid for once. For example, both economics, or both physics, or both government exams, for $83 per set. (The exams rose in price, one dollar from $82 in 2006. It should be noted that even though the exams cost $83, some schools raise the cost of the exam by almost $30 to cover proctor expenses, while others lower the cost of the exam with subsidies.) Financial aid is still available for students with demonstrated need.
[edit] Scoring
AP tests are scored differently from the A-F grading scale common in the United States. They are scored on a numeric scale, 1 to 5, with the following general meanings:
- 5: Extremely well-qualified
- 4: Well-qualified
- 3: Qualified
- 2: Possibly qualified
- 1: No recommendation
These scorings are used by some colleges to exempt students from introductory coursework if they demonstrate mastery through an AP test. Each college's policy is different (see link below), but most accept scores of 4 or 5, and some accept scores of 3. Some colleges and universities will even assign an A grade for a 5 score.
In some high schools with an exam exemption policy, an AP Exam can be taken in place of the school's final exam and the final grade given to the student in that case is the final quarter/semester grade without the exam. The AP exam is rarely used as a course grade because the AP exam scores are only released in mid-July, well after the end of that academic semester. However, "mock-exams", usually APs from the previous year, are often administered as final exams.
[edit] Exam subsidies
Recognizing that the $83 cost may constitute an impediment to students of limited means, a number of states and municipalities independent of the College Board have partially or fully subsidized the cost. For example, the Los Angeles Unified School District currently provides Advanced Placement to students who enrolled in the free school lunch program to take AP exams at the cost of $5 and Miami-Dade County Public Schools, Fairfax County Public Schools, and Arlington Public Schools offer free tests to all students enrolled in any Advanced Placement class.
[edit] Schedule of exams and geographical divide
The exams are administered in the first two weeks of May. This is close to the end of the school year in southern states. This is awkward for teachers and students in the north and west, where classes end in the beginning or middle of June. Teachers move through the curriculum in a shorter time period. Late May becomes anti-climactic: classes continue, yet the important AP exam has passed.
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- AP Research Technical Manual - Can only be accessed through The College Board's website for AP professionals
