AP Testing – Good News And Bad

By Laurie Borst

First, the good news. In February, the Connecticut Department of Education issued a press release titled “Success in Advanced Placement Program Continues in Connecticut.” The release states, “Connecticut students continued to make significant gains in taking and passing Advanced Placement (AP) examinations in 2006, according to a report issued today by The College Board.”

From 2005 to 2006, the number of students taking at least one AP exam increased 6.6 percent, to 15,187 from 14,243. The number of examinations taken by these students increased 6.2 percent to 25,305 from 23,818. The number of exams with passing scores increased 6.4 percent, from 17,102 in 2005 to 18,189 in 2006.

Newtown High School reflects similar numbers, according to data provided by Director of Guidance Neil Culhane. In 2005, 243 students took AP courses. In 2006, 258 did, an increase of 6.2 percent.

The guidance department’s data begins with the 2001-2002 school year when 119 students took 12 different AP courses. Since that time, 17 different courses have been offered, everything from art history and music theory to languages and US history to the hard sciences. The number of students participating has more than doubled.

In recent years, significantly more Connecticut students have been given access to rigorous preparation courses in their high schools in an increasing range of AP subjects. In 2005-2006, there was an enrollment of 31,802 students in AP courses compared with an enrollment of 20,744 students in 2000-2001.

Course participation and the number of exams taken by low-income, black, and Hispanic students in Connecticut also increased from 2005 to 2006. When compared to the 2005 data, Hartford, New London, New Britain, and New Haven schools posted significant increases in the number of students taking AP examinations and the number of students passing AP exams.

 “This is a positive step forward,” said Interim Commissioner of Education George A. Coleman. “To have all groups increase their participation in AP exams while also improving their percentages of passing scores shows true progress in closing the achievement gap.

“We need to move past the perception that AP is only for a small number of high-performing, college-bound students,” Mr Coleman said.

AP courses are important because not only do they expose high school students to the rigor of college-level work, but they also predict student performance in college. Students who take AP courses are more likely to complete their bachelor’s degrees in four years or less. In addition, since they count as college-level courses, students who take them can save substantial money.

Newtown High School charges $85 per AP test, rising to $90 next year. Western Connecticut State University charges $408 per credit hour. This is the part-time rate. A three-credit course would be $1,224, plus books. A four-credit science course would cost $1,632, plus over $100 for the textbook, plus lab fees.

The AP program in Connecticut has been steadily gaining ground for the last ten years. The state has seen significant and consistent increases in participation rates and the number of students earning passing scores on these exams.

In addition to being a leader in the percentage of graduating seniors who have passed at least one AP exam in high school, Connecticut also outpaced the nation in 2006 in the percentage of students who took an AP exam at some point in their high school career.

“I appreciate the efforts made by all districts and particularly the urban districts in this area and encourage them to continue their efforts,” Mr Coleman said. “What we have in place is good. I believe we can make it even better.”

More information on Connecticut’s AP performance is available at www.collegeboard.com.

And, now, for the bad news. The Educational Testing Services (ETS) has found that what one school identifies as an AP course is not necessarily the same as what another school considers AP, Mr Culhane explained.

ETS’s investigation has found that the curriculum is not necessarily being followed, nor do all schools require AP students to take the final exam. Therefore, an audit is under way to find out what is being taught.

This spring, AP teachers are required to provide to ETS a copy of the course syllabus outlining the course of study, clear and explicit evidence of student work, the tests being used, and descriptions of the projects being assigned. If paperwork detailing the course is not submitted and approved this spring, the course cannot be listed as AP for the fall.

Mr Culhane highlighted another issue raising questions regarding the AP courses. All schools have to deal with vacations, holidays, and conferences and standardized tests that shorten school days. In New England, and other northern climes, snow days impact the amount of teaching time available, which is not an issue for San Diego and other places with mild weather.

“The exams are given in May,” Mr Culhane explained. “The psychology test, for example, is administered on May 5 at 12 noon eastern standard time. There is no deviation.”

He reports that teachers ask, “When do we make up time?” They have no choice but to offer make-up sessions — before school at 6:30 am. Or after school. Or Saturday mornings. Without overtime pay. The teachers do this because they care about their students getting the full course work and being prepared to take the test.