College Board Advanced Placement

College Board Advanced Placement
Name	Advanced Placement
Caption	Program logo
Established	1955
Founder	Educational Testing Service; College Entrance Examination Board
Type	College preparatory program
Administered by	College Entrance Examination Board
Country	United States

College Board Advanced Placement is a suite of college-level courses and examinations offered in secondary schools and administered by the College Entrance Examination Board. The program aims to provide rigorous academic content and potential college credit to high school students through standardized assessments aligned with participating colleges and universities. AP courses intersect with curricular and credentialing policies at institutions such as Harvard University, Stanford University, University of California, Berkeley, Yale University, and Princeton University.

Overview

The program offers standardized end-of-course examinations across many subjects including Art History (AP), Biology (AP), Calculus AB (AP), Calculus BC (AP), Chemistry (AP), Computer Science A (AP), Computer Science Principles (AP), Economics (AP), English Literature (AP), English Language (AP), Environmental Science (AP), European History (AP), Human Geography (AP), Macroeconomics (AP), Microeconomics (AP), Physics C: Mechanics (AP), Physics 1 (AP), Physics 2 (AP), Psychology (AP), Statistics (AP), United States History (AP), World History (AP). The program interfaces with higher education admissions offices at institutions such as Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Columbia University, University of Chicago, Duke University, and Johns Hopkins University, and with secondary credential frameworks used by school districts like New York City Department of Education and Los Angeles Unified School District.

History and Development

Origins trace to post‑World War II curriculum discussions involving the Ford Foundation, Educational Testing Service, and the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching. Early pilots connected with campuses including Princeton University and Columbia University; the program formalized during the 1950s and 1960s amid debates involving Harvard University, Yale University, Stanford University, University of California, and policymakers in U.S. Department of Education circles. Expansion through the 1970s and 1980s involved alignment efforts with accreditation bodies like the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools and participation growth in districts such as Chicago Public Schools and Houston Independent School District. Reforms in the 21st century engaged consulting relationships with organizations including McKinsey & Company and technology vendors that supported digital scoring used by testing contractors like Educational Testing Service.

Program Structure and Courses

AP courses are categorized into disciplines represented by departments at institutions such as Harvard University's Faculty of Arts and Sciences, MIT’s School of Science, and Yale University's Department of History. Course offerings have expanded to include arts, languages, sciences, mathematics, and social sciences; examples include Studio Art (AP), Spanish Language (AP), French Language (AP), Chinese Language (AP), Latin (AP), Music Theory (AP), Comparative Government (AP), Statistics (AP), and Computer Science Principles (AP). AP course frameworks are developed through panels of faculty drawn from universities like University of Michigan, University of Texas at Austin, University of Florida, and University of Virginia, and reviewed alongside subject-matter experts from associations such as the National Council for History Education and professional societies like the American Chemical Society.

Curriculum and Exam Format

Examinations combine multiple-choice sections and free-response components scored by trained readers convened at scoring sites often hosted by universities such as Louisiana State University, University of Iowa, University of Maryland, University of Georgia, and University of Kansas. Curriculum frameworks reference canonical works and authors when relevant, invoking sources tied to William Shakespeare, Homer, Immanuel Kant, Jean-Jacques Rousseau, Adam Smith, Charles Darwin, Marie Curie, and James Watson. Exams for subjects like AP United States History and AP European History emphasize document analysis calibrated against rubrics developed with historians from Columbia University, University of Wisconsin–Madison, and Northwestern University. Science AP exams rely on laboratory skill frameworks informed by laboratories at California Institute of Technology and University of California, San Diego.

Scoring, Credit, and Placement Policies

AP exams are scored on a five-point scale used by institutions including University of Virginia, University of Michigan, University of Texas at Austin, Ohio State University, and University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill to determine credit and placement. Policies vary: some universities grant course credit for scores of 3, others require 4 or 5, and selective institutions such as Princeton University, Stanford University, and Harvard University apply stricter standards or limit credit. Articulation agreements and transfer credit practices intersect with state systems like the California State University system and state legislatures that have passed directives affecting credit recognition in systems such as the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board.

Participation, Demographics, and Access

Participation grew markedly in the late 20th and early 21st centuries across urban districts (New York City Department of Education, Los Angeles Unified School District), suburban systems (Fairfax County Public Schools, Montgomery County Public Schools), and international schools in cities like London, Hong Kong, Dubai, and Singapore. Demographic analyses cite disparities examined in research by scholars at Harvard University, Stanford University, University of California, Berkeley, and nonprofit organizations such as the Education Trust and National Center for Education Statistics. Access initiatives have involved partnerships with foundations including the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, programs coordinated with Teach For America, and policy responses from state education agencies like the New York State Education Department.

Criticism and Controversies

Critiques have come from scholars and organizations including researchers at Brown University, University of Chicago, Duke University, and advocacy groups such as the NAACP and American Federation of Teachers. Issues include concerns about inequities raised in litigation before courts such as the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York and policy debates in bodies like the United States Congress and state legislatures. Other controversies involve debates over curriculum content that engaged historians from Rutgers University and University of California, Los Angeles, questions about test security that implicated contractors overseen by Educational Testing Service, and discussions of credential inflation noted by analysts at National Bureau of Economic Research and Brookings Institution.

Category:Advanced Placement