AP Us Government and Politics

[Patricia]

Does anybody know what the percentage of students who get a 5 on this exam is so low? It seems to hover between 6 and 8. Yikes!
Patricia

[FloridaLisa]

I have no idea, but as I'll be putting this class together for next year, could you provide a link for those stats? That does sound discouraging!

Thanks,
Lisa

[Susan in IL]

If I remember correctly, a lot of AP tests are like that. If you look at the stats, there are about 50% who get a 3 or above and 50% who do not. I have always wondered if they create a bell curve.

[Anne/Ankara]

Here's the report from the College Board. Look at p. 29 on US Government, and it looks like it is about 16% get a 5. That sounds about right, I think.

http://professionals.collegeboard.com/profdownload/ap-report-to-the-nation-2008.pdf

[Gwen in VA]

My kids have told me that when they take AP exams, a LOT of kids just don't care. They nap during the exam.....

My son took an AP exam last week through our public school. The ps requires kids who take the AP course to take the exam. During the break many kids went up to the teacher and said that they had answered NONE of the multiple choice questions -- could they please go home now?

In our school district all sophomores are required to take one of two social studies classes -- AP US Govt is one of the two classes. So surprise, surprise -- many kids get a 1 on the exam!

High schools are "graded" on the number of AP courses they offer and the percent of kids who take the AP exams; exam scores don't enter into the criteria. I have heard that the percent of 1's given on AP exams is skyrocketing for this reason.

[Patricia]

Here's the link to the AP exams page:
http://apcentral.collegeboard.com/apc/public/exam/exam_questions/index.html

That's for all courses, just pick the one you want to check.

For US Gvt specifically, go to:

http://apcentral.collegeboard.com/apc/members/exam/exam_questions/2086.html

and click on "grade distribution" for any given year (except 2008, of course).

The percentage of students who score a 5 is very low compared to other AP exams. Usually, around 10-11% of students get the top score. And, yes, it is not unusual at all to see students work on the first portion of the exam (multiple choice questions), and just go to sleep when it comes to writing essays. Sad, but true...

Patricia

[Anne/Ankara]

Here's the report from the College Board. Look at p. 29 on US Government, and it looks like it is about 16% get a 5. That sounds about right, I think.

http://professionals.collegeboard.com/profdownload/ap-report-to-the-nation-2008.pdf

Correction-- it's page 30 and it is 6%... sorry! I was looking at "Comparative* Government...

[Moira in MA]

And, yes, it is not unusual at all to see students work on the first portion of the exam (multiple choice questions), and just go to sleep when it comes to writing essays. Sad, but true...Patricia

dd just sat the AP Chemistry, she told me that the student sitting next to her, answered a couple of multiple choice questions, then put his head down and went to sleep. Strangely, he worked really hard on the free response questions after the break.

[Ailaena]

And, yes, it is not unusual at all to see students work on the first portion of the exam (multiple choice questions), and just go to sleep when it comes to writing essays. Sad, but true...

Patricia
dd just sat the AP Chemistry, she told me that the student sitting next to her, answered a couple of multiple choice questions, then put his head down and went to sleep. Strangely, he worked really hard on the free response questions after the break.



Wow, now I feel so terrible. Just yesterday, I was talking with some kids who had sat some AP exams last week and they were telling me the same thing... And I was teasing them about exaggerating:blush: And these kids were all from different states! That is just so disturbing.

Although, I think that eventually, whoever does the high school rankings will begin taking into account the actual AP grade. OK, I hope that, rather. I remember reading the US news top high school list and thinking about how misleading it is to rank schools like that and, that to me, its less important about how many AP exams are offered than how well the kids are prepared for them.

[Gwen in VA]

I agree completely, Ailaena! :iagree:

[Jane in NC]

Although, I think that eventually, whoever does the high school rankings will begin taking into account the actual AP grade. OK, I hope that, rather. I remember reading the US news top high school list and thinking about how misleading it is to rank schools like that and, that to me, its less important about how many AP exams are offered than how well the kids are prepared for them.

The Newsweek list that came out a few years ago included number of AP courses offered as part of their criteria. Our local newspaper then pointed out that one of the schools in the area which made it on the Newsweek list did not have a single student earn a 3 or better on a science AP test.

A school administrator then argued that a "passing" grade was not needed for a student to have benefitted from the breadth and demands of an AP course. (And let's take that word "passing" with a grain of salt since many colleges only give credit for a 4 or 5--if at all.)

The AP audits have changed the game, though. Now my local schools offer fewer APs.

Jane