Written by: Heather Zimar
Published: 03/28/2006

Colleges Consider Readjusting Policies for Awarding AP Credit

Wartburg College, in Waverly, Iowa, is considering readjusting the way it awards AP credit, reports USA Today.

Wartburg, like most colleges nationwide, look positively at AP courses on students’ transcripts. And many colleges typically exempt students who have passed AP exams from taking certain introductory courses. But in recent years, entering students with AP credits “really weren’t in many ways ready for the rigor of college curriculum,” said Edith Waldstein, vice president of enrollment management.

Last year, 1.2 million students took more than 2.1 million AP exams, double the number 11 years ago. Since 2000, the percentage of students who took and passed AP courses increased in every state and the District of Columbia. Nearly every state has an incentive program to encourage more schools to offer the courses. In addition, President Bush, during his state of the union address, announced a plan to train more teachers to teach AP and similar programs.

But doubts are arising about whether the program is an effective measure of college readiness. Several highly selective schools, including Harvard, Yale and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology require students to take introductory courses in certain subjects, regardless of whether they passed an AP exam in the same subject. Beginning this fall, entering students at the University of Pennsylvania will no longer be able to use AP credits alone to satisfy general education requirements. In addition, the University of Georgia in Athens is reviewing AP policies after a task force found too many students placing out of core classes “without either undergoing the rigorous assessment of or acquiring the skills taught at a research university.”

Research on whether AP participation can predict student success in college appears inconclusive. In addition, early studies, including a 2002 review by the National Research Council, part of the National Academy of Sciences, have found that certain the AP courses lack quality.

So far, the AP program offers a curriculum and exam for 35 college-level courses in 20 subjects, including math, science, English and social studies.

Related Links:

USA Today
http://www.usatoday.com/news/education/2006-03-20-ap-main_x.htm