| Topic: |
Sociology > Education |
| User: |
"Dom" |
| Date: |
07 May 2007 09:53:21 AM |
| Object: |
Follow-up to AP racket self-audit |
This follow-up to the story posted at:
http://groups.google.com/group/k12.chat.teacher/msg/916d42356ba65ba9?
is the top story on the front page of today's Hartford Courant.
Does anyone know:
1. If the AP psychology test is all multiple-choice?
2. How many idiotic multiple-choice questions are on this test?
-----------------------------------
http://www.courant.com/news/education/hc-apcourses0507.artmay07,0,7039109.story?coll=hc-headlines-home
Advanced, Says Who?
Audits Reflect Concerns That High School `AP' Courses May Not Pass
Muster
By JIM FARRELL
Courant Staff Writer
May 7 2007
Seniors in Gerry Navarra's advanced placement psychology classes are
preparing for high-pressure tests that will determine whether they
might be eligible for college credits in the subject.
Navarra, meanwhile, is facing scrutiny of a different sort, as he
waits to learn whether the course he has taught for the past four
years at Manchester High School is worthy of the prestigious "AP"
designation.
"I wouldn't call it insulting, but it was a lot of work," said
Navarra, who, along with about 130,000 other teachers nationally, was
asked to submit a detailed course syllabus and other documentation to
the College Board, which is conducting an audit of AP courses.
The audit was prompted by concerns that some high schools might be
labeling classes as advanced placement without following prescribed
content or even intending to offer AP exams.
Navarra said he isn't worried, in part because of how well students in
his class perform. Last year, for example, more than half the 50
students he taught earned a maximum score of 5 on the AP test.
"But I understand what's behind it," he said of the audit, alluding to
the exponential growth of AP courses in the past decade and concurrent
concerns about the quality of some classes.
Nationally, students took more than 2 million AP exams last year,
about a 10 percent increase from the year before. In Connecticut
alone, there were 15,187 AP tests taken last year, compared with 5,248
in 1996.
The rapid growth of AP courses has led to skepticism by college
admissions departments, according to Tom Matts, an official with the
College Board, which publishes the tests.
"They were absolutely the driver behind the audit," Matts said.
"They're seeing all this growth and they're scratching their heads
thinking, `How are these AP teachers accommodating all these new
students? Are they watering down the curriculum?' They were curious
and, indeed, skeptical."
Colleges base admissions decisions in part on transcripts that show
student grades and indicate the level of each course taken. AP classes
are considered the toughest, followed by honors and college prep.
But admissions decisions are made during a student's senior year, and
admissions officials have had no way of knowing whether a student
enrolled in what was labeled an AP class would pass or even take the
AP exam at the end of the school year.
Exams are scheduled to run from Monday through May 18.
The audit began in January, and teachers must meet a June 1 deadline
in order to be sure that their material can be reviewed before the
2007-08 academic year begins in late August.
Matts said 60,000 teachers have submitted syllabuses thus far and
35,000 have been reviewed. If a syllabus is found lacking, the College
Board gives a teacher specific feedback and additional chances to
resubmit information.
"We've really put a lot of resources behind this," Matts said, noting
that AP teachers are welcome to review sample syllabuses for each of
the 37 courses offered.
Only 18 teachers who have submitted syllabuses are still working on
revisions in order to have their courses authorized.
Matts said he expects a spike in submissions once tests end.
"AP teachers are very, very busy right now," he said.
Those teachers who do not respond or whose syllabuses are found
lacking will have to forfeit the AP label on classes next fall.
Casualties could include science classes that have inadequate
laboratory facilities. Also, experts have speculated that some
teachers may have essentially renamed honors-level classes as advanced
placement to make them seem more rigorous.
Matts would not speculate about how many courses would lose the AP
designation next year. Initially, the College Board projected that 85
percent of current courses would be authorized, but Matts said he now
expects that percentage to be higher.
Sharon Locke, an assistant principal at New Britain High School, said
AP teachers at her school were given an internal deadline of April 1
to submit their material. She also said teachers were given plenty of
support, including release time from teaching as needed.
"I expect 100 percent to be authorized," she said.
Charlene Senteio, an administrator at Hartford Public High School,
also was confident that her school's nine AP courses would pass
muster.
The loss of even a few AP courses in Connecticut high schools could
spur interest in other college-credit programs, according to Peter M.
Prowda, a consultant with the state Department of Education, who cited
Connecticut's early college experience program.
About 4,600 state students are enrolled in college classes taught in
their high schools by their high school teachers, who have been
trained by UConn and are considered adjunct faculty members.
"These are not just college-level courses, these are our college
courses," said Jill Thorne, director of the program.
Another 75 teachers are expected to be certified this year, further
expanding the program. The courses are accepted for credit at UConn
and at many other colleges, Thorne said.
Parents and students welcome opportunities to earn college credits
while in high school largely because of the spiraling costs of higher
education.
By passing an AP test, which costs $83, or by earning at least a C in
a UConn course, which typically costs high-schoolers $75, a student
can avoid taking a three-credit college course. At a private college
or university, that can mean a savings of $3,000 or more in tuition
costs.
"There's very little down side," said Tim Reed, who teaches AP
chemistry at East Hartford High School, noting that all 24 students in
his class took the AP test last year and just three did not score high
enough to be eligible for college credits.
Many teachers cite test scores as proof that their programs are
effective. But College Board officials say the audit was deliberately
designed not to measure student performance, because such an approach
might have led high schools to discourage students from taking AP
classes if they seemed less likely to pass the test.
Contact Jim Farrell at jfarrell@courant.com.
.
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| User: "Donna Metler" |
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| Title: Re: Follow-up to AP racket self-audit |
07 May 2007 10:15:08 AM |
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"Dom" <DRosa@teikyopost.edu> wrote in message
news:1178549601.845220.12450@l77g2000hsb.googlegroups.com...
This follow-up to the story posted at:
http://groups.google.com/group/k12.chat.teacher/msg/916d42356ba65ba9?
is the top story on the front page of today's Hartford Courant.
Does anyone know:
1. If the AP psychology test is all multiple-choice?
2. How many idiotic multiple-choice questions are on this test?
No numbers listed, but it's a 70 minute multiple choice test, which accounts
for 2/3 of the score and 50 minute Free response (2 questions) which is 1/3
of the score. Based on the sample questions, this is NOT an easy test, and
is easily comparable to a college level intro to psych class.
http://www.collegeboard.com/prod_downloads/ap/students/psych/ap-cd-psych-0607.pdf
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| User: "Dom" |
|
| Title: Re: Follow-up to AP racket self-audit |
07 May 2007 07:23:50 PM |
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On May 7, 10:15 am, "Donna Metler" <dmmet...@xxxcomcast.net> wrote:
"Dom" <D...@teikyopost.edu> wrote in message
news:1178549601.845220.12450@l77g2000hsb.googlegroups.com...> This follow-up to the story posted at:
http://groups.google.com/group/k12.chat.teacher/msg/916d42356ba65ba9?
is the top story on the front page of today's Hartford Courant.
Does anyone know:
1. If the AP psychology test is all multiple-choice?
2. How many idiotic multiple-choice questions are on this test?
No numbers listed, but it's a 70 minute multiple choice test, which accounts
for 2/3 of the score and 50 minute Free response (2 questions) which is 1/3
of the score. Based on the sample questions, this is NOT an easy test, and
is easily comparable to a college level intro to psych class.
http://www.collegeboard.com/prod_downloads/ap/students/psych/ap-cd-ps...
Thank you very much for the URL above.
.
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