Thursday, January 2, 2014

Why take AP?

WHY TAKE AP?

"[AP courses on a student's transcript] tell us that they're challenging themselves … preparing for the rigor that they will encounter at the University of Wisconsin–Madison. These students are going to be the most successful."      Bobbie Jean St. Arnauld, Freshman Admissions Manager

AP in a University

University of Wisconsin–Madison

In 2011, 75 percent of all freshmen entering the University of Wisconsin–Madison came with AP scores — a record high — illustrating heightened competitiveness for the university. Bobbie Jean St. Arnauld, freshman admissions manager at UW–Madison, said that AP courses on students’ transcripts “tell us that they’re challenging themselves … preparing for the rigor that they will encounter at the University of Wisconsin–Madison. These students are going to be the most successful.”
In 2009, UW–Madison conducted a research study (.pdf/98.3KB) to further explore the value of AP.  (excerpt printed below). Joanne Berg, vice provost for enrollment management, said the study was done “to demystify some of the things we were hearing from faculty members.” She said the study showed “that students who took AP credits … were able to graduate sooner than other students … were able to start advanced courses sooner, and actually free up courses for other students who weren’t able to take AP credits.”
For Gloria Mari-Beffa, professor of mathematics, the study revealed that “students who came with a 3, 4, or 5 on the exams were doing as well or better than those taking our classes and exams. So we used that data to adjust our credit evaluation.”
AP Reader Charles J. James, professor of German, said, “I worked every summer with teachers who teach AP, and my impression is that their courses are just as rigorous as the courses that we place students into here.”
AP Exam
Score
UW-Madison Credit/Course Equivalent UPDATED 9/13
Art
  Studio Art 2D
3, 4, 5
3 credits, general electives
  Studio Art 3D
3, 4, 5
3 credits, general electives
  Studio Art
  Drawing
  Portfolio
3, 4, 5
3 credits, general electives
Biology

3
3 credits, biological science electives
4, 5
5 credits, Zoo/Bot/Bio 151
Calculus
  AB or
  AB Subscore**

3
3 credits, mathematics electives
(exempt from GER Quantitative Reasoning Part A)
4, 5
5 credits, Mathematics 221
  BC**

3
3 credits, mathematics electives
(exempt from GER Quantitative Reasoning Part A)
4, 5
9 credits, Mathematics 221 and 222
Chemistry

3
3 credits, chemistry electives
4, 5
3 credits, Chemistry 103
Computer Science
  A
3
3 credits, computer science electives
4, 5
3 credits, Computer Science 302
  AB
3
3 credits, computer science electives (natural science)
4
6 credits, Computer Science 302 (3 credits) and computer science electives (3 credits, natural science)
5
6 credits, Computer Science 302 and 367
English
  Language and
  Composition

3
3 credits, English composition electives
(not exempt from GER Communication Part A)
4, 5
3 credits, English composition electives
(exempt from GER Communication A)
  Literature and
  Composition

3
3 credits, literature electives
(not exempt from GER Communication Part A)
4, 5
3 credits, literature electives
(exempt from GER Communication Part A)
Environmental Science

3, 4, 5
3 credits, biological science electives
Government and Politics
  United States

3
3 credits, political science electives
4, 5
4 credits, Political Science 104
History
  United States
  History
3
3 credits, general electives

4, 5
6 credits, History 101 and 102
  World History

3
3 credits, general electives
4, 5
3 credits, History 135
Human Geography

3
3 credits, geography electives

4, 5
3 credits, geography electives (social science)
Music Theory

3, 4, 5
3 credits, Music 111
(music majors must take placement test)
Physics
  B

3
3 credits, physics electives
4, 5
8 credits, Physics 103 and 104
  C Electricity and
  Magnetism

3
3 credits, physics electives
4, 5
5 credits, Physics 202 or 208
(proposed major determines equivalency)
  C Mechanics

3
3 credits, physics electives
4, 5
5 credits, Physics 201 or 207
(proposed major determines equivalency)
Psychology

3
3 credits, psychology electives

4, 5
3 credits, Psychology 202
Statistics

3
3 credits, statistics electives

4, 5
3 credits, Statistics 301
In a research study conducted by the University of Texas in 2007 and cited in Becoming a Great High School: 6 Strategies and 1 Attitude that Make a Difference (Westerberg, 2009), students who took at least one AP course and test had higher college GPAs and graduation rates than students who took at least one AP course but no tests. These students also had higher GPAs and graduation rates than students who did neither.
Westerberg, Tim. Becoming a Great High School: 6 Strategies and 1 Attitude that Make a Difference. Alexandria, VA: ASCD, 2009.


No comments: