At our university science majors do not get college credit for AP exams, no
matter the score; we only give credit in other disciplines, including
psychology. In talks with science faculty here they feel that the AP
course and
test give very poor preparation for the major. So that may provide an
answer to
your first question.
However, as I said in my previous post (geez, I'm almost out of allottment!)
that is not the case for Psych.
Annette
Quoting Rick Froman <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>:
The research found, "that students who received a 5 on an AP exam in
science and then took the same material in college averaged only 90 -
even after the additional year of college study in an area in which they
had presumably already demonstrated A-level work."
Who is this subset of individuals who got a 5 on the AP exam and decided
to take the course in college instead of getting credit for it? That
can't be a representative sample of those taking the AP test or AP
classes. Why is an average score of 90 for this group not an adequate
demonstration of college- level work?
"Students who received an AP score of 4 averaged 87 and those who
received an AP score of 3 received an average grade after a full year of
college science of only 84 - compared to 82 as the average for students
who had taken honors science courses in high school, but who had not
taken AP science classes."
If a 4 works out to a B average, 87 is actually quite a bit higher than
that. If 3 is a passing C, 84 would seem to be much higher than that. I
am actually surprised that an AP score of 3 corresponds with a B
average. I would consider an 84 to be successful completion of
college-level work. The research seems to suggest that a 5 should be A,
a 4 should be B and a 3 should be C but that is not how AP scores are
used. In fact, no grades are given for AP classes, only credit is given.
So, if a 3 is passing with 84%, I see no problem with giving credit for
such a score as a passing grade in a college-level class.
I also don't know why the researcher assumes that an additional semester
re-hashing what the person learned over a full year is going to add much
to what they already knew. And the design of the study makes it
impossible to separate how much they knew upon entering college from how
much they picked up in the college class. It is just assumed that they
must have learned more in the college class.
Also note that AP Psychology was not addressed in this study.
Rick
Dr. Rick Froman
Professor of Psychology
John Brown University
2000 W. University
Siloam Springs, AR 72761
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
(479) 524-7295
http://www.jbu.edu/academics/sbs/faculty/rfroman.asp
-----Original Message-----
From: Christopher D. Green [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]
Sent: Monday, February 20, 2006 4:13 PM
To: Teaching in the Psychological Sciences
Subject: Inside Higher Ed :: Advanced Yes, Placement No
Having only taught in Canada, where there are no AP courses in high
schools, I often wondered how well this system worked. The answer,
apparently, is "none too well."
http://insidehighered.com/news/2006/02/20/ap
--
Christopher D. Green
Department of Psychology
York University
Toronto, ON M3J 1P3
Canada
416-736-5115 ex. 66164
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
http://www.yorku.ca/christo
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Annette Kujawski Taylor, Ph. D.
Department of Psychology
University of San Diego
5998 Alcala Park
San Diego, CA 92110
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