Advanced Placement Program

Advanced Placement Program
Name	Advanced Placement Program
Established	1950s
Type	College entrance / secondary school program
Administered by	College Board
Headquarters	New York City

Advanced Placement Program

The Advanced Placement Program is a secondary school curriculum and examination system that offers college-level coursework and assessments to high school students, enabling accelerated study and potential college credit recognition at universities and colleges. It operates through standardized exams administered by the College Board and is offered at thousands of secondary schools across the United States, Canada, and internationally, informing admissions decisions at institutions such as Harvard University, Stanford University, University of California, Berkeley, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and University of Oxford.

Overview

The program provides subject-specific courses and exams in areas including United States History, Calculus, Biology, Chemistry, Physics, English literature, Spanish language, French language, German language, Latin, Art History, Studio Art, Economics, Macroeconomics, Microeconomics, Statistics, Computer Science A, Computer Science Principles, Psychology, Environmental Science, Human Geography, World History, Comparative Government and Politics, Music Theory, Japanese Language and Culture, Chinese Language and Culture, Italian Language and Culture, German Literature, European History, United States Government and Politics, Latin Literature, Classical Greek, Spanish Literature, Film Studies, Seminar (AP) and Research (AP). Courses prepare students for end-of-course assessments that colleges may accept for credit or placement, affecting matriculation at institutions like Yale University, Princeton University, Columbia University, University of Chicago, and Johns Hopkins University.

History and Development

The program originated in the mid-20th century amid initiatives to align secondary schooling with postsecondary standards championed by organizations such as the Ford Foundation, Carnegie Corporation, and leading university systems including the University of California system. Early pilot efforts involved collaboration among secondary schools, private foundations, and universities like Harvard University and Yale University. Throughout the 1960s and 1970s the program expanded under the auspices of the College Board, with subsequent reforms influenced by national reports such as the A Nation at Risk commission and policy shifts linked to the Higher Education Act of 1965 and later state education departments including the New York State Education Department and California Department of Education.

Curriculum and Exams

AP courses follow curricula developed by panels of university faculty and secondary teachers, drawing on standards from institutions including Massachusetts Institute of Technology and University of California, Berkeley. Exam formats vary by subject: multiple-choice sections, free-response essays, portfolio submission for studio courses, and performance tasks for subjects like AP Research and AP Seminar. The College Board revises frameworks in consultation with advisory groups from universities such as Princeton University, Duke University, University of Michigan, University of Texas at Austin, and University of Pennsylvania to maintain comparability with introductory collegiate offerings taught at institutions like Brown University and Northwestern University.

Administration and Scoring

Exams are administered each May at authorized test centers including public high schools, private schools, and international schools affiliated with organizations such as the International Baccalaureate community. Scoring employs trained readers—often faculty from universities like University of California, Los Angeles, University of Wisconsin–Madison, University of Florida, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and Ohio State University—who evaluate free-response sections against rubrics. Scores range from 1 to 5; many colleges including University of Virginia, Boston University, New York University, University of Southern California, and University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign use these scores for credit and placement decisions.

Participation and Demographics

Participation has grown substantially, with thousands of schools participating and millions of exam registrations annually, including students from districts overseen by entities like the Los Angeles Unified School District, Chicago Public Schools, Houston Independent School District, Toronto District School Board, and international schools in cities such as Hong Kong, Singapore, London, Dubai, and Paris. Demographic analyses by researchers at institutions like Harvard University, Stanford University, University of Michigan, Columbia University, and Duke University examine disparities related to socioeconomic status, race and ethnicity, and access to qualified teachers, prompting state policy responses from agencies including the California State Legislature and New York State Assembly.

Impact and College Credit Policies

AP performance influences admissions and placement at selective institutions including Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Stanford University, Harvard University, Yale University, and Princeton University, and is used for credit awards at public systems such as the University of California and State University of New York. Credit and placement policies vary: some universities grant course credit for scores of 4 or 5, others accept 3 and above, while institutions like Oxford University and Cambridge University may grant advanced standing or exemption in specific cases. Research by scholars at National Bureau of Economic Research, Brookings Institution, American Institutes for Research, RAND Corporation, and universities like Nebraska and Vanderbilt University evaluates AP outcomes related to college completion, time-to-degree, and cost savings.

Criticism and Controversies

Critiques address equity of access highlighted in studies from Urban Institute, Pew Research Center, Brookings Institution, Education Trust, and Civil Rights Project at Harvard University, concerns about curriculum narrowing raised by faculty at Columbia University and University of Chicago, disputes over test security and administrative errors involving school districts like Miami-Dade County Public Schools and Dallas Independent School District, and debates over the College Board's proprietary governance and fee structures criticized in media coverage referencing U.S. Department of Education scrutiny and legal actions involving consumer protection statutes in jurisdictions such as New York and California. Controversies also include academic integrity cases at institutions like University of Colorado and policy debates within state legislatures including the Texas Legislature and Florida Legislature about AP course offerings and funding.

Category:Secondary education programs