Implementing Systemwide Advanced Placement AP Equivalencies

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Implementing Systemwide Advanced Placement (AP)
Equivalencies
Dave Degroot, Alan Hancock College Michelle
Pilati, Rio Hondo College

• Academic Senate for the California Community
  Colleges Spring Plenary April 18, 2008

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Overview

• Past AP Resolution Summary
• Why AP?
• AP Equivalencies for General Education
• AP Equivalencies for Courses
• Conclusions and questions

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Spring, 2005

• 9.03 Application of Advanced Placement (AP)
  scores
• Resolved, That the ASCCC investigate the
  feasibility of establishing statewide standards
  to be used for the application of AP credits in
  each California community college.

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Fall, 2006

• 4.02 Advanced Placement (AP) Credit Policies
• We strongly recommend that local senates research
  the practices used for awarding AP credit to be
  sure that the process is driven by faculty,
  benefits students, and is inclusive of all
  disciplines faculty deem appropriate for the
  application of AP credit and
• We review research on AP credit policies and
  procedures conducted by local senates and develop
  a best practices paper.

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Fall, 2006

• 4.06 Advanced Placement (AP) Equivalency Lists
• We strongly recommend that the CSU and UC system
  offices work with their academic senates to
  identify GE areas and major prep patterns deemed
  appropriate for the application of AP credit and
  
• We urge ICAS to study the wide variance among
  community colleges and universities in the
  awarding of AP credit and make recommendations
  for local senates to consider.

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Spring, 2007

• 9.06 Researching AP Uses and Cut Scores
• Work with our ICAS partners to
• Ensure that intersegmental discipline faculty
  review the AP cut scores and applicability for
  their disciplines
• Ensure that adequate time is given for research
  to be conducted for determining the most
  appropriate cut scores prior to any formal
  revision and subsequent adoption of the ten-year
  old matrix and

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Spring, 2007

• 9.06 Researching AP Uses and Cut Scores
• Work with our ICAS partners to
• Clarify how AP exam scores are applied to grant
  unit and/or subject credit for purposes that vary
  among segments, with the goal of achieving
  similarity in standards across our institutions
  and for our students.

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But were community college faculty. Why are we
discussing AP?

• In the last few years, the number of high
  school students taking AP courses has ballooned
  1.2 million, or 21 percent, of students in the
  Class of 2004 took at least one.
• Epstein, David. A New AP,
• Inside Higher Education. May 26, 2005.

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Spring 2008 Resolutions

• Standardized Template for Advanced Placement Exam
  Information
• Standardized Procedures for Determining Advanced
  Placement Exam Equivalencies
• CCC GE Advance Placement (AP) Equivalency

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What is Advanced Placement?

• HS students complete courses in high school and
  take an AP exam.
• CCCs may choose to accept AP scores or not.
• AP Exam grades are reported on a 5-point scale
• 5 Extremely well qualified
• 4 Well qualified
• 3 Qualified
• 2 Possibly qualified
• 1 No recommendation

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Why should CCCs give credit for AP?

• Parents and students expect it
• Allows students to progress to the next level of
  coursework
• GE AP Equivalencies have been established for
  IGETC and CSU GE

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Why should CCCs give credit for AP?

• College faculty serve on standard-setting
  committees and participate in the grading of AP
  exams.
• College faculty serve on the committees that
  develop AP course descriptors and exams
• AP courses and exams are updated regularly based
  on feedback from up to 200 colleges and
  universities.

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Why should CCCs give credit for AP?

• Why not?

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AP Equivalencies

• Two different kinds of AP equivalencies
• GE Area Equivalency
• Course Equivalency
• Two different things equivalency criteria is
  different
• Example AP English Language and Composition

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Faculty Responsibility

• Faculty determine AP credit standards
• Consider implications
• Become familiar with tests and local curricula
• Conduct local research

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Faculty Responsibility

• Discipline faculty make recommendations
• Discuss with local curriculum committee and
  Senate
• Disseminate and publish information widely

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AP Credit Implications Different AP Credit
Applications

• Examine similarities and differences between CSU
  GE/IGETC/AA-AS GE and local major requirements
• Assess impact on course-to-course articulation
  agreements
• Use tools that support and inform faculty
  decisions

Ensure access without compromising on
integrity.
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AP Tools to Support Faculty

• The College Board recommends that faculty.
• Understand what an AP Exam grade represents
• Use data on the performance of AP students in
  college
• Base our policy on external recommendations
• Review AP curricula and AP exams.

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AP Tools to Support Faculty

• For more information, access http//apcentral.col
  legeboard.com/apc/public/colleges/setting_policy/i
  ndex.html

The College Board provides detailed descriptions
of every AP course at http//apcentral.collegeboa
rd.com/apc/public/courses/descriptions/index.html
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Best Practices for Establishing Credit Policies

• Is the time right for a best practices paper?
• Involve discipline faculty, articulation
  officers, transfer counselors in process.
• Evaluate AP exams and curricula.

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Best Practices for Establishing Credit Policies

• Explore impact on local and transfer students.
• Publish AP credit policies in catalog.
• Benefits and drawbacks of a statewide CCC AA/AS
  GE AP credit policy?

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Determining Minimum AP Credit Levels

• In a comprehensive study of AP practices,
  William Lichten of Yale University documents that
  the more selective the university in terms of
  admissions, the more likely that it requires a
  score of 4 or higher for advance credit.
  According to Lichten, around the nation, only 45
  percent of colleges and universities currently
  allow credit for a score of 3 or lower, and that
  percentage is falling.
• Whither Advanced Placement? Educational Policy
  Analysis Archives, 8.29, June, 2000.

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Establishing Minimum Standards Minimum
Acceptable Scores May Vary by Subject

• Seton Hall University restricted the
  acceptable AP cutoff scores to 4 and 5 a few
  years ago when we realized that the score of 3
  did not guarantee an acceptably high level of
  achievement. While Seton Hall has recently
  entered the ranks of Tier II institutions, it
  doesn't pretend to be Princeton or Williams. The
  point is that even a somewhat less competitive
  school like ours felt the need to raise the bar
  because those students with 3's looked pretty
  much like the rest of the College English I
  students.
• Ed Jones
• Assistant Professor of English
• Seton Hall University