Journalism Student Performance on Advanced Placement Exams

Many states provide incentives to students, teachers, and schools for the participation and success of students on Advanced Placement (AP) examinations administered by the College Board. The purpose of this article is to examine whether these incentives help students enroll and succeed in AP exams. An analysis of nationally representative AP exam data, taken from the Education Longitudinal Study of 2002, revealed that AP exam fee exemption, the most prevalent incentives, leads to an increase in the likelihood of AP course enrollees taking the exam—in particular, the disadvantaged. In contrast, little evidence was found that performance-based incentives, to which several states link AP test results, are helpful for improving AP exam participation and performance.

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IMPACT OF GROUP WORK AND EXTENDED ESSAY WRITING ON ONLINE ADVANCED PLACEMENT PROGRAM® STUDENT PERFORMANCE

ETS Research Report Series ◽

10.1002/j.2333-8504.2007.tb02064.x ◽

2007 ◽

Vol 2007 (1) ◽

pp. i-64

Author(s):

Phil Handwerk

Keyword(s):

Advanced Placement ◽

Student Performance ◽

Group Work ◽

Essay Writing ◽

Extended Essay

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Secondary School Calculus: Preparation or Pitfall in the Study of College Calculus?

Journal for Research in Mathematics Education ◽

10.5951/jresematheduc.23.1.0056 ◽

1992 ◽

Vol 23 (1) ◽

pp. 56-71

Author(s):

Joan Ferrini-Mundy ◽

Marie Gaudard

Keyword(s):

Secondary School ◽

Advanced Placement ◽

Student Performance ◽

Analysis Of Covariance ◽

First Year ◽

Final Exam ◽

First Semester ◽

First Year College ◽

College Course ◽

College Calculus

This study investigated the effects of various levels of secondary school calculus experience on performance in first-year college calculus, with focus on student performance on conceptual and procedural exam items. Analysis of covariance, with mathematics SAT score as a covariate, was employed to explore differences among four groups of students. Students who had a year of secondary school calculus, advanced placement or otherwise, differed significantly in performance from students who had either no calculus or a brief introduction to calculus prior to college. A brief secondary school introduction to calculus, in comparison with no secondary school calculus, provided an initial advantage in the college course. This slight advantage reappeared on the final exam and on the procedural subscale of the final exam. Students who had studied a full year of secondary school calculus performed significantly better than other groups throughout the first-semester course. The advantage was revealed more strongly in procedural than in conceptual items. There were no significant differences among the four groups of students on outcome measures in the second-semester course. Students with more secondary school calculus background were more likely to continue into the second semester of college calculus.

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