Advanced Placement

Advanced Placement
College Board · Public domain · source
Name	Advanced Placement
Established	1955
Administered by	College Board
Country	United States

Advanced Placement is a program offering college-level curricula and examinations to secondary school students, primarily in the United States. It enables students to undertake rigorous study and potentially receive college credit or placement through examinations administered by a national organization. The program intersects with many institutions, examinations, curricula, and policies across secondary and higher education.

Overview

The program connects secondary schools, colleges, universities, and testing organizations such as College Board, Educational Testing Service, National Endowment for the Humanities, National Science Foundation, and U.S. Department of Education with curricula influenced by standards from institutions like Harvard University, Yale University, Stanford University, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Princeton University, Columbia University, University of California, Berkeley, University of Michigan, University of Chicago, University of Pennsylvania, Duke University, University of Texas at Austin, University of Virginia, University of Florida, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Ohio State University, University of California, Los Angeles, Cornell University, California Institute of Technology, Johns Hopkins University, Northwestern University, Brown University, Rice University, University of Wisconsin–Madison, University of Washington, University of Southern California, Carnegie Mellon University, Georgia Institute of Technology, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Purdue University, University of Notre Dame, Washington University in St. Louis, Vanderbilt University, New York University, University of California, San Diego, Texas A&M University, Pennsylvania State University, Indiana University Bloomington, University of Minnesota, Michigan State University, Rutgers University, Syracuse University, Temple University, University of Arizona, Boston University, Boston College, University of Miami, Emory University, Brandeis University, Rutgers University–Newark, University of Colorado Boulder, Auburn University, Iowa State University, University of Iowa, Oregon State University, University of Oregon, University of Kansas, Kansas State University, Clemson University, University of Alabama, University of Kentucky, University of Tennessee, Louisiana State University, University of Oklahoma, University of Missouri, Arizona State University, San Diego State University, University of San Diego, University of California, Santa Barbara, University of California, Irvine, University of California, Davis, University of California, Riverside, University of California, Santa Cruz and numerous secondary institutions internationally.

History and Development

Early pilots trace to collaborations among secondary schools, liberal arts colleges, and organizations like Ford Foundation, Carnegie Corporation, Guggenheim Foundation, and Rockefeller Foundation, with academic input from faculties at Columbia University Teachers College, Harvard Graduate School of Education, Princeton University Graduate School, Yale Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, University of Chicago Department of Education, Stanford Graduate School of Education, Teachers College, Columbia University, Johns Hopkins School of Education, UCLA Graduate School of Education and Information Studies, University of Michigan School of Education and others. Expansion in the 1960s and 1970s involved policy debates in forums such as Senate Committee on Labor and Public Welfare, House Committee on Education and Labor, and state boards in New York State Education Department, California State Board of Education, Texas Education Agency and local school districts like New York City Department of Education, Los Angeles Unified School District, Chicago Public Schools, Miami-Dade County Public Schools, Houston Independent School District, Gwinnett County Public Schools, Prince George's County Public Schools, Fairfax County Public Schools, Montgomery County Public Schools.

Program Structure and Courses

Course offerings span humanities, social sciences, mathematics, natural sciences, languages, and arts, with syllabi sometimes modeled after college departments at Harvard College, Yale College, Princeton University, Stanford University, Columbia College, Brown University, Duke University, University of Chicago and specialized programs at Massachusetts Institute of Technology and California Institute of Technology. Examples of course areas include curricula paralleling English literature, United States history, European history, World history, Calculus AB, Calculus BC, Statistics, Biology, Chemistry, Physics C: Mechanics, Physics C: Electricity and Magnetism, Computer Science A, Computer Science Principles, Spanish Language and Culture, French Language and Culture, German Language and Culture, Latin, Japanese Language and Culture, Art History, Studio Art, Music Theory, Economics: Microeconomics, Economics: Macroeconomics, Human Geography, Psychology, Comparative Government and Politics, United States Government and Politics, Environmental Science, European Literature, Seminar, and Research. Many colleges and universities maintain policies recognizing scores for placement or credit, debated in faculty committees at Board of Trustees meetings and academic senates across campuses like University of California system and State University of New York institutions.

Administration and Scoring

Examinations are administered annually by organizations including College Board with scoring processed by teams similar to those used by Educational Testing Service. Scoring uses a 1–5 scale and rubrics designed by panels of college faculty and secondary teachers from institutions such as Harvard University, Yale University, Stanford University, University of California, Berkeley, Princeton University and Columbia University. Policy discussions about fee structures and access have appeared before agencies like U.S. Department of Education, state legislatures in California, New York (state), Texas, Florida, Illinois and advocacy groups including National Education Association, American Federation of Teachers and nonprofit organizations like Khan Academy, College Promise, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.

Participation and Demographics

Participation data reflect trends across districts and regions including New York City, Los Angeles, Chicago, Houston, Miami, Atlanta, Philadelphia, Boston, San Francisco, Seattle, Denver, Minneapolis–Saint Paul, Detroit, Cleveland, St. Louis, Baltimore, Milwaukee, Pittsburgh, Cincinnati, Orlando, Tampa Bay, Phoenix, San Diego, San Antonio, Austin, Portland (Oregon), Sacramento, St. Paul, Kansas City (Missouri), Raleigh, Charlotte, Columbus (Ohio), Indianapolis, Nashville (Tennessee), Louisville, New Orleans, Salt Lake City, Honolulu, Anchorage, Alaska, Baton Rouge, Rochester, New York, Buffalo, New York, Syracuse, New York, Albany, New York, Providence, Rhode Island, Hartford, Connecticut and international centers in Toronto, London, Shanghai, Beijing, Seoul, Singapore, Dubai, Hong Kong, Mexico City, São Paulo, Buenos Aires, Lima, Manila, Jakarta, Bangkok, New Delhi, Mumbai, Cape Town, Johannesburg, Nairobi, Lagos, Cairo, Istanbul, Moscow, Rome, Paris, Berlin, Madrid, Lisbon, Athens, Warsaw.

Impact and Criticism

Scholars, policymakers, and institutions including American Council on Education, National Academy of Sciences, Harvard University Graduate School of Education, Brookings Institution, Urban Institute, Pew Research Center, Economic Policy Institute, Institute for Higher Education Policy, RAND Corporation, The College Board itself, and advocacy organizations such as Civil Rights Project and Southern Education Foundation have debated effects on college access, credit recognition, curricular narrowing, exam equity, and resource allocation. Critiques cite issues raised in reports by U.S. Government Accountability Office, hearings in United States Congress, analyses by researchers at University of California, Los Angeles, University of Michigan, Stanford University, Harvard University, Princeton University and policy proposals from state systems like California State University and University of Texas System. Proponents point to studies of student outcomes tracked at institutions including University of Virginia, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, University of Texas at Austin, University of California, Berkeley, Florida State University and Indiana University Bloomington.

Category:Secondary education