The present study is part of a larger mixed methods project that investigated the speaking section of the Advanced Placement (AP) Japanese Language and Culture Exam. It investigated assumptions for the evaluation inference through a content analysis of test taker responses. Results of the content analysis were integrated with those of a many-facet…

The Advanced Placement (AP) program offers an opportunity for students to earn college credit and develop college-ready skills in high school. The curriculum was initially designed for "superior" students at exclusive private schools. Recently, however, the AP program has expanded to serve more students from marginalized backgrounds, and…

Concept Inventories (CIs) are assessments designed to measure student learning of core concepts. CIs have become well known for their major impact on pedagogical techniques in other sciences, especially physics. Presently, there are no widely used, validated CIs for computer science. However, considerable groundwork has been performed in the form…

We compared the performance of Hispanic students from California, Texas, and Arizona on the two Advanced Placement (AP) English exams (i.e., English Language and Composition and English Literature and Composition) using archival data from the College Board from 1997 through 2012. Pearson chi-square tests yielded statistically significant…

While mathematics education gives access to elite universities, higher-paying jobs, and the accumulation of wealth, it continues to be framed as a neutral curricular domain. However, data continually show differential access provided to students of color and their White peers through tracking, the availability of Advance Placement courses, and…

Previous studies argued that high school resources play a modest role in students' postsecondary destinations, but they ignored schools' programmatic resources, which provide opportunities for marks of distinction, such as Advanced Placement courses, and they focused on older cohorts of high school students who entered colleges before competition…

Standardized testing for college admissions has grown exponentially since the first administration of the old "College Boards" in 1901. This paper surveys major developments since then: the introduction of the "Scholastic Aptitude Test" in 1926, designed to tap students' general analytic ability; E.F. Lindquist's creation of…

As the 21st century's first decade draws to a close, America's public school students are participating in online academic classes in increasingly large numbers. More than one million K-12 public school students took online courses in the 2007-2008 school year, according to an estimate in a recent Sloan Consortium survey. This represents a 47…

The discussion here covers five articles that are linked in the sense that they all treat population invariance. This discussion of population invariance is a somewhat broader treatment of the subject than simply a discussion of these five articles. In particular, occasional reference is made to publications other than those in this issue. The…

This article compiles information from program web sites, articles, and interviews with experts to describe the history and current status of the Advanced Placement program and the International Baccalaureate program. The development of the Pre-AP program, the Primary Years program, and the Middle Years program is discussed. (Contains references.)…

This document was designed to inform members of the policy, education, and research communities about existing state and institutional policies and practices associated with four accelerated learning programs: Advanced Placement (AP), dual/concurrent enrollment, the International Baccalaureate (IB) Diploma Program, and Tech-Prep. This effort was…

Although previous reviews of acceleration outcomes have been markedly positive, practitioners have markedly negative perceptions of acceleration's efficacy. This article reviews and evaluates academic, social, and emotional benefits of early school entrance, grade skipping, nongraded classrooms, curriculum compacting, grade telescoping, concurrent…

Recommends that secondary educators interested in high school reform should read three reports (two regarding advanced placement and one regarding minority achievement), and should become familiar with a reading program (the Formula-Three Language Processing program) with documented success at all grade levels. (SR)

Argues that education reform cannot be limited to what goes on in the classroom. Contends that innovation does not inevitably lead to change until and unless the innovators take back control over factors exogenous to the classroom, factors such as pre-college selection, outside testing, accreditation requirements, and class size. (Author/WRM)

Nontraditional methods of instructional delivery at the postsecondary level, such as Technology based distance education course offerings, have been a topic of considerable attention and debate. To date, however, no nationally representative study has examined technology based distance education availability, course offerings, and enrollments in…