Advanced Placement Presentation - Feb 5, 2013

Advanced Placement American Community School Athens Athens, Greece February 5, 2013

What is AP? The College Board’s Advanced Placement Program (AP) offers 34 first-year university level courses, each culminating in a rigorous exam, which provide willing and academically prepared students with the opportunity to earn college credit and/or advanced placement.

AP is a collaborative effort among students, high schools, and the colleges and universities that contribute to the development of AP courses and exams and offer credit, placement and admission benefits based on students’ AP experiences.

Most recent key AP facts  18,000+ secondary schools worldwide are authorized to offer AP exams, including ~1,200 schools outside the U.S.

 In 2012, more than 2 million students took ~3.7 million exams; among them over 100,000 exams in 115 countries outside the U.S.

 5,000+ college faculty develop and scored the AP Exams  ~4,000 colleges and universities receive AP Exam scores annually

Universities all over the world recognize AP A total of 511 universities worldwide recognize AP today

Europe & Eurasia 263 Middle East & North Africa

Americas

7

(outside U.S.)

222 Africa (SubSaharan)

1 Key Countries with at least 1 University that accepts AP

AP Country-wide recognition policies [Germany, Denmark, Sweden, Switzerland, Austria, Norway, Italy]

East Asia & the Pacific

18

Universities in Europe recognize AP‌ AP Country-wide recognition policies

Austria Denmark Germany Netherlands Norway Switzerland Italy Countries with at least 1 University that accepts AP Belgium Cyprus Czech Republic France Greece Hungary Ireland Italy Poland Spain United Kingdom

Universities in the UK accept AP in the admissions process

Example of UK university admissions policies  SAT I: around 1950+ across the three elements

 SAT subject tests: scores of 600+. 700+ should be attained in all prerequisite subjects

 AP: Scores of 4 or 5. We use these for admissions purposes only - no credits/exemptions are awarded

Example of UK university admissions policies

King’s College London  SAT score of 1800, or  Three Subject tests of 650 each, or

 Three AP exams of 5,5,4

Edinburgh  SAT score of 1800 (600 minimum in Critical Reading, Mathematics and Writing) plus two APs at Grade 4, or

 SAT score of 1800 (600 minimum in Critical Reading, Mathematics and Writing) plus two SAT Subject tests with 650 minimum, or

 Three APs at Grade 4 minimum

The AP Advantage - Students Prepares for future success in college with academic enrichment and rigor Earn college credit or advanced placement • Possible tuition savings • Appropriate placement in college courses • Flexibility to pursue double major, combined B.A./M.A. programs, study abroad options Earn awards, scholarships, and recognition in local community • AP Scholar Awards • AP International Diploma (APID)

Enhance profile and stand out in college admissions

The goal: support schools in developing collegeready, global citizens P21 “ Four Cs”

Critical Thinking Creativity and Innovation

Communication Collaboration AP is seeking to foster greater emphasis in secondary school classrooms on: • Critical inquiry, synthesis and research skills

• Independent, creative, and interdisciplinary thought • The ability to work as part of a team • International, cross-cultural, and self awareness

AP Course & Exam Redesign is a significant response to developing enhanced critical thinking skills within the discipline

AP Course & Exam Redesign: Why and How As part of an ongoing effort to maintain alignment with current best practices in college-level learning, AP is redesigning courses and exams.

 Starting with exams in history, science and world languages, AP is evolving to emphasize rigorous, research-based curriculum.

 Principles of the redesigned courses and exams: • Emphasize deep understanding rather than comprehensive coverage; skills paired with content; create clear learning objectives • Reflect current understanding of learning in the discipline.

• Reflect current research directions within the disciplines.

The new AP Biology curriculum, released to the public in February, 2011, provides teachers with:

 Clarity of Focus  Flexibility  Reduced Breadth  Detailed curriculum framework

Redesigned assessment: a Biology multiple choice question example Released 2008 AP Bio Question

Sample New AP Bio Question

 Tests students’ ability to recall and identify

 Tests students’ ability to infer and evaluate

 Focuses instruction on memorization of the parts of the plant

 The equation is provided, so focus is on having students use rather than remember factual information  Requires that students understand application of the science in a complex real-world scenario

advancesinap.collegeboard.org

 Currently in pilot phase with 15 schools participating

 Keeping the modular, flexible aspects of AP while emphasizing global competencies

 Key Higher Ed committees contributing development

The structure of the pilot program AP | Cambridge Capstone

Research Project

Year 2

• Take

Extended Report (20-pages)

10th to 12th

3 or More AP Exams AP

AP (Anchor)

AP

Seminar Course

Year 1 Team Project

Individual Presentation

To qualify for the Credential, students would need to:

Written Exam

3 (or more) AP exams and earn a score of 3 or higher on each. • Earn a cumulative qualifying score on the four (4) program assessments.

In the Seminar Course, students evaluate topics of global relevance through multiple thematic dimensions

Questions or comments? Review the latest AP® research studies www.collegeboard.org/apresearch

AP Course home pages are found at: http://apcentral.collegeboard.org For more information, please contact: College Board International international@collegeboard.org