Meaningful Access to Advanced Placement Programs

This study explored gender-related differences in participation in and scores on the College Board's Advanced Placement Program and Achievement examinations. In both sets of tests, the numbers of male and female high school students were unequal for several subject areas. The French, Spanish, and Modern Hebrew examinations attracted many more female than male students, whereas many more male than female students took the Physics, Chemistry, and Computer Science examinations. There was little change in most of the patterns of enrollment from 1982 through 1992. Male students had moderately higher scores on the Physics, Chemistry, and Computer Science tests, whereas female students had a slight advantage on some of the language examinations. Although the patterns of gender-related score differences were stable, there were some indications that gender differences are narrowing, especially in the areas of American history and computer science.

Each year approximately 3,000 high school students take the College Board's Advanced Placement Examination in German Language. The examination is intended to measure a student's proficiency in listening, reading, writing, and speaking at an advanced college German language course level. Candidates receive grades from 5 (extremely well qualified) to 1 (no recommendation) which they present to colleges and universities in the United States, Canada, Great Britain, and Germany. Various institutions in the United States and Canada award credit or placement in German according to their Advanced Placement (AP) policies.1 British Universities, including Oxford and Cambridge, have been accepting candidates based on AP Examination results for several years. Although the criteria vary from college to college, there is a general acknowledgment that the examination reflects competency.2 German universities will also admit American high school students to a course of study if they passed four AP examinations in the following subjects: 1. one foreign language and two mathematicalscientific subjects

Higher education institutions and their computer science departments have been strong supporters of K12 CS. One area that has not been explored in-depth is the use of concurrent enrollment (CE) programs to expand access to high school CS courses such as CS Principles or CS1. CE courses are those that are taught by an approved teacher in a high school. Unlike other programs that offer credit by exams (e.g., College Board's Advanced Placement or International Baccalaureate), the context for concurrent enrollment varies with state and insitutional policies. However, CE programs also hold potential for broadening participation in computing with flexibility in timelines and assessments in alignment with local school contexts. We will facilitate discussion around what it takes to develop a CS CE program including teacher qualifications, aligning courses to majors or other college requirements, partnering with high schools, assessment standards, etc. CE programs also have the potential to support departmental Broadening Participation in Computing plans. Computer with webcam and microphone recommended; handout on starting CS CE programs provided.

Gender-related differences on the College Board's Advanced Placement and Achievement tests, 1982-1992.

A college-level introductory course rarely gets the attention it deserves. It tends to be the oldest course in one's repertoire; the course that has the least-direct interface with one's research activities; the one that is most easily farmed out to adjunct faculty; and also the one that draws the largest audience, from all corners and crevices of the campus. It is easy to fall into a comfort zone with an introductory course, instead of thinking self-critically about one's method and effectiveness of instruction. Moreover, in a department setting, the introductory course is rarely the focus of our interaction with colleagues.

We consider the relationship between the multiple‐choice and free‐response sections on the Computer Science and Chemistry tests of the College Board's Advanced Placement program. Restricted factor analysis shows that the free‐response sections measure the same underlying proficiency as the multiple‐choice sections for the most part. However, there is also a significant, if relatively small, amount of local dependence among the free‐response items that produces a small degree of multidimensionauty for each test

ABSTRACTThis study examined the relationship of multiple‐choice and free‐response items contained on the College Board's Advanced Placement Computer Science (APCS) examination. Confirmatory factor analysis was used to test the fit of a two‐factor model where each item format marked its own factor. Results showed a single‐factor solution to fit the data best in each of two random‐half samples. This finding might be accounted for by several mechanisms, including overlap in the specific processes assessed by the multiple‐choice and free‐response items, and the limited opportunity for skill differentiation afforded by the year‐long APCS course.

Using analyses based on fitting item response models to data from the College Board's Advanced Placement exams in chemistry and United States history, we found that the constructed response portion of the tests yielded little information over and above that provided by the multiple‐choice sections. These tests also allow examinees to select subsets of the constructed response items; we found that scoring on the basis of the selections themselves provided almost as much information as did scoring on the basis of the answers

The accounting profession will experience a 50 percent decline in its ranks in the next ten years as accounting professionals from the Baby Boomer generation retire. To replace these professionals, the accounting profession will have to compete with law, medicine, engineering, and other professions that will also be replacing their “boomers.” During the period the boomers are retiring, the number of high school graduates is expected to decline, which suggests that the currently high accounting enrollments are unlikely to continue. If the accounting profession is to compete for the best and brightest students in the future, it is in its best interest to address structural impediments that exist in its educational supply chain. One significant structural impediment in the supply chain is the traditional high school accounting course. In 2000 the AICPA's Taylor Report stated high school accounting courses were a “systemic barrier” to entry into the profession for the very high school students the profession wants to attract (Taylor 2000). These courses have not changed substantially since the Taylor report was issued. The Accounting Pilot and Bridge Project (The Project) proposes to eliminate this barrier and has created a new college-level high school accounting course that provides college credit for those students who take the course and pass a rigorous qualifying examination. The Project is modeled after the College Board's highly successful Advanced Placement (AP) program. Once specific goals are achieved, The Project plans to submit a proposal to the College Board for it to adopt accounting as part of its Advanced Placement curriculum. After describing the research and initiatives that led to the creation of The Project, this paper discusses the goals of The Project, the process to have accounting added to the College Board's AP Curriculum, the curriculum used in the pilot course, the progress made to date, and what lies ahead.

When calculating class rank, high schools often give additional weight to grades earned in College Board Advanced Placement (AP) courses as an incentive for students to take hard courses. This paper examines changes in student course-taking behavior after an increase in AP grade weights at Texas high schools. We find that raising the magnitude of the AP grade weight in schools already using weights has a small impact that is limited to white students who are not eligible for free or reduced-price lunch (FRPL). When schools introduce grade weights for the first time, the impact is large and widespread with the probability of taking an AP course increasing by 3 to 12 percent and the number of AP courses taken increasing by 0.13 to 0.95 standard deviations. Impacts are largest among students who are not FRPL eligible.

Numerous researchers (e.g., Academic Pathways to Access and Student Success, 2006, ACT, Inc., 2009; Bragg, Kim, & Barnett, , 2006; College Board, 2010; Hargrove, Godin, & Dodd, 2008; Keng & Dodd, 2008; Morgan & Klaric, 2007) have concluded that participating in challenging high school curriculums such as Advanced Placement (AP) courses and exams positively contribute to students' college readiness, college achievement, and career success. Specifically mentioned in the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB, 2002) was the AP program as a college prep course (U.S. Department of Education, 2004). Moreover, Section 1702 (Access to High Standards Act) of the No Child Left Behind Act acknowledged federal confirmation of AP coursework as college prep curriculum and encouraged states and school districts to incorporate these programs as a means of elevating academic standards (U.S. Department of Education, 2004). In his 2006 State of the Union Address, President George W. Bush thrust the AP program into mainstream education; accordingly, the national perception on AP program involvement increased (Klopfenstein & Thomas, 2009).In a policy brief for the Education Commission of the States (ECS), Dounay (2006) recommended an all-inclusive state policy on advanced placement. First, each state and school district should require a minimum number of AP courses to be offered. As a result, state policy would provide consistency in AP content and leverage AP curriculum offerings in low-income and high minority schools. Second, a state-wide AP framework would establish standards and opportunities for all students to gain access to college preparatory courses. As the result, the federal government, along with most states, and the College Board subsidizes AP exam fees for low-income students. In addition, most states (including Texas, New York, and Florida) provide additional incentives for students and teachers of students who achieve AP exam scores of 3 or higher (Holstead et al., 2010). In September 2006, U.S. Secretary of Education Margaret Spellings announced that 33 grants in the amount of $17 million were awarded to increase the participation of low-income students in AP courses and exams. In 2006, an additional $5,867,284 was awarded to 26 states to fund AP exam subsidies programs (U.S. Department of Education, 2006).In 2012, Arne Duncan, the current Secretary of Education, announced that federal support of AP program incentives and exam subsidies were reinstated (U. S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, 2012). Over $21.5 million was budgeted to subsidize AP exam fees. As the result of these financial awards, the federal government continued to acknowledge AP course and exam participation as curriculum of college readiness and success. Although funding for AP programs and exams was approved, researchers (e.g., Davis, Joyner, & Slate, 2011; Moore & Slate, 2008) have documented the persistent AP achievement and participation gaps among Black students in the United States. Specific to this study, few researchers (Davis, Joyner, & Slate, 2011; Koch; 2012) have investigated AP program involvement and performance of ethnically diverse, primarily lower socioeconomic, student groups across states.PURPOSE OF THE STUDYThe purpose of this study was to determine the cost effectiveness of covering AP exam fees by comparing the success value provided by overall AP exam outcomes to test expenditures for Black students in three researcher-selected states (i.e., Texas, New York, and Florida). According to the Centers for Disease Control (n.d.), cost-effectiveness analysis is commonly used in the health care industries to confirm if the intervention and the results desired validate the cost or investment. As it pertains to this research, cost-effectiveness analysis compares the costs of AP exam to the results or level of success on these exams. In addition, the cost effectiveness analysis evaluates the extent to which AP achievement can be regarded as providing value for the dollars spent (Davis, 2013). …

Advanced Placement (AP) is a program in the United States and Canada created by the College Board, a nonprofit organization that offers college-level curriculum and examinations to high school students. Increasing numbers of high school students across America take AP courses. Despite the increasing popularity of the AP curriculum, many Black, Hispanic, or low-income students are historically underrepresented in these courses. Students of color are more likely to not enroll in AP courses, not receive a passing score, or become disengaged and drop out, thereby missing out on the academic benefits that AP courses can provide. This qualitative research study sought to examine and understand whether culturally responsive pedagogy can increase engagement among students of color in high school AP courses. Using a two-cycle action plan, qualitative data were collected through interviews and observations to understand teacher attitudes, behaviors, challenges, and issues concerning engagement among students of color. An action research plan was developed and implemented to examine whether culturally responsive teaching activities can increase the engagement of students of color in the classroom. The study concludes that teachers who employ culturally responsive practices that incorporate family and cultural artifacts, socially relevant issues, counter-narrative storytelling, and creative self-expression can positively influence Black and Brown student engagement and performance in the classroom. This study demonstrates that the teacher is the controlling factor when it comes to engaging students of color in the classroom. When a teacher makes a durable, proactive commitment to employing culturally responsive curriculum, activities, and behaviors to connect with disengaged students of color, then trust, engagement, and learning occurs. --Author's abstract

The Advanced Placement (AP) Program provides a framework for high school students to obtain college credit and/or placement for work done in high school. Toward this end, the College Board outlines course descriptions and organizes examinations in several dozen disciplines, including computer science. To meet its goals, each AP course must align with college courses, so students taking an AP course will master needed content Several approaches are used to monitor this connection between AP courses and college-level courses. This session will review these approaches, considering how the AP CS A course matches introductory college computer science courses.

Syracuse University Project Advance, established in 1973, offers an opportunity for talented high school students to enroll in college courses for degree credit while still in high school. The courses, identical in every important respect to those taught to students on the Syracuse University campus-same syllabus, textbooks, assignments, examinations, and grading criteria-are taught by carefully selected high school faculty members whose credentials have been reviewed and approved by faculty committees from the appropriate Syracuse University departments. To qualify to teach a University course, high school faculty members must have extensive teaching experience and credentials in the content area and attend a special summer workshop (usually five to eight days in length) conducted by the Syracuse University faculty member responsible for the course on the main campus. Upon successful completion of the workshop, teachers are appointed adjunct instructors of Syracuse University. To retain the appointment, teachers must teach the Syracuse course at least once every two years and attend an inservice seminar in the subject area sponsored by Syracuse University each fall and spring. Once implemented, the courses are carefully monitored by the Syracuse University faculty and Project Advance administrative staff, cooperating with the high school teacher to ensure that standards in the high school sections of the course are comparable to those for the same course taught on campus. At least once each semester Syracuse University faculty members and Project Advance administrative staff visit each class, checking papers, laboratory manuals, and other products of instruction for consistency of academic standards; talk with the teacher and with the students about the program; and discuss community response and the overall administration of the program with high school administrators. In addition to inservice seminars and site visits, frequent contact is maintained with the high school. Over the past eleven years, nearly 500 colleges and universities have recognized Syracuse University courses completed through Project Advance by awarding degree credit and/or exemption from enrolling in a similar course. Some of these have awarded credit and/or exemption only after reviewing a portfolio of tests and instructional materials, while still others have reserved awards until the student has completed an advanced college course successfully at their institution. A small number of schools also offer the possibility of degree credit if the student can attain an acceptable grade on a proficiency examination administered by the appropriate academic department. A few colleges, on the other hand, have adopted a blanket policy that college-level courses completed in a high school setting will not be recognized for credit. The one possible exception to this policy is the Advanced Placement Program (AP) of the College Entrance Examination Board. Largely because it is a standardized measure of academic achievement, some college officials look primarily to the AP Examination in considering degree credit for college courses taken in high school.

The purpose of this study was to determine how the hybrid learning program implemented by School X had an impact on the school's Advanced Placement (AP) program. Prior research shows how the COVID-19 pandemic had an impact on education and how AP has impacted school students; however, there was a lack of knowledge of how the COVID-19 pandemic impacted AP under the context of hybrid learning. Data was collected through survey research and a case study in which a mixed method was completed. Participants included 48 students enrolled in any of the following classes: Biology, European History, and World History as well as three teachers of the outlines AP classes at School X. Initial results showed that there were not significantly different AP scores in the hybrid year when compared to "normal" school years (2015-2019), and although students preferred in-person learning to hybrid learning, they did not feel as if it significantly hindered their performance in AP classes. Therefore, the conclusion can be made that although in-person learning is preferable to hybrid learning, it does not have a significant negative impact on AP classes; however, this is limited to students of AP classes and those who had a similar hybrid learning experience to School X. Future research should explore how the hybrid learning program impacted non-AP students as well as performing this study on larger populations to verify results.