AP Statistics

Last updated

Advanced Placement (AP) Statistics (also known as AP Stats) is a college-level high school statistics course offered in the United States through the College Board's Advanced Placement program. This course is equivalent to a one semester, non-calculus-based introductory college statistics course and is normally offered to sophomores, juniors and seniors in high school.

Contents

One of the College Board's more recent additions, [1] the AP Statistics exam was first administered in May 1996 to supplement the AP program's math offerings, which had previously consisted of only AP Calculus AB and BC. [2] In the United States, enrollment in AP Statistics classes has increased at a higher rate than in any other AP class. [3]

Students may receive college credit or upper-level college course placement upon passing the three-hour exam ordinarily administered in May. The exam consists of a multiple-choice section and a free-response section that are both 90 minutes long. Each section is weighted equally in determining the students' composite scores.

History

The Advanced Placement program has offered students the opportunity to pursue college-level courses while in high school. Along with the Educational Testing Service, the College Board administered the first AP Statistics exam in May 1997. [2] The course was first taught to students in the 1996-1997 academic year. [4] Prior to that, the only mathematics courses offered in the AP program included AP Calculus AB and BC. Students who didn't have a strong background in college-level math, however, found the AP Calculus program inaccessible and sometimes declined to take a math course in their senior year. Since the number of students required to take statistics in college is almost as large as the number of students required to take calculus, the College Board decided to add an introductory statistics course to the AP program. Since the prerequisites for such a program doesn't require mathematical concepts beyond those typically taught in a second-year algebra course, the AP program's math offerings became accessible to a much wider audience of high school students. The AP Statistics program addressed a practical need as well since the number of students enrolling in majors that use statistics has grown. [2] A total of 7,667 students took the exam during the first administration, the highest number of students to take an AP exam in its first year. [5] Since then, the number of students taking the exam rapidly grew to 98,033 in 2007, making it one of the 10 most popular AP exams.

Course

If the course is provided by their school, students normally take AP Statistics in their junior or senior year and may decide to take it concurrently with a pre-calculus course. [1] This offering is intended to imitate a one-semester, non-calculus based college statistics course, but high schools can decide to offer the course over one semester, two trimesters, or a full academic year. [2]

The six-member AP Statistics Test Development Committee is responsible for developing the curriculum. Appointed by the College Board, the committee consists of three college statistics teachers and three high school statistics teachers who are typically asked to serve for terms of three years. [6] [7]

Curriculum

Emphasis is placed not on actual arithmetic computation, but rather on conceptual understanding and interpretation. [8] The course curriculum is organized around four basic themes; the first involves exploring data [2] and covers 20–30% of the exam. Students are expected to use graphical and numerical techniques to analyze distributions of data, including univariate, bivariate, and categorical data. [9] The second theme involves planning and conducting a study and covers 10–15% of the exam. Students must be aware of the various methods of data collection through sampling or experimentation and the sorts of conclusions that can be drawn from the results. [10] The third theme involves probability and its role in anticipating patterns in distributions of data. This theme covers 20–30% of the exam. [11] The fourth theme, which covers 30–40% of the exam, involves statistical inference using point estimation, confidence intervals, and significance tests. [12]

Exam

Along with the course curriculum, the exam is developed by the AP Statistics Test Development Committee as well. With the help of other college professors, the committee creates a large pool of possible questions that is pre-tested with college students taking statistics courses. The test is then refined to an appropriate level of difficulty and clarity. [7] Afterwards, the Educational Testing Service is responsible for printing and administering the exam. [6]

Structure

Students are expected to be able to interpret graphs, such as this histogram, and analyze its characteristics, including center, spread, shape, outliers, clusters, and gaps. Black cherry tree histogram.svg
Students are expected to be able to interpret graphs, such as this histogram, and analyze its characteristics, including center, spread, shape, outliers, clusters, and gaps.

The exam is offered every year in May. [13] Students are not expected to memorize any formulas; rather, a list of common statistical formulas related to descriptive statistics, probability, and inferential statistics is provided. Moreover, tables for the normal, Student's t and chi-squared distributions are given as well. [2] Students are also expected to use graphing calculators with statistical capabilities. [14] The exam is three hours long with ninety minutes allotted to complete each of its two sections: multiple-choice and free-response. [15] The multiple-choice portion of the exam consists of forty questions with five possible answers each. [16] The free-response section contains six open-ended questions that are often long and divided into multiple parts. [16] The first five of these questions may require twelve minutes each to answer and normally relate to one topic or category. The sixth question consists of a broad-ranging investigative task and may require approximately twenty-five minutes to answer. [14]

Grading

The multiple-choice section is scored immediately after the exam by computer. [13] One point is awarded for each correct answer, no points are credited or deducted for unanswered questions, and points are no longer deducted for having an incorrect answer. [17]

Students' answers to the free-response section are reviewed in early June by readers that include high school and college statistics teachers gathered in a designated location. [13] [18] The readers use a pre-made rubric to assess the answers and normally grade only one question in a given exam. Each question is graded on a scale from 0 to 4, with a 4 representing the most complete response. Communication and clarity in the answers receive a lot of emphasis in the grading. [13]

Both sections are weighted equally when the composite score is calculated. [16] The composite score is reported on a scale from 1 to 5, with a score of 5 being the highest possible. [18]

Grade distributions

Score2001 [19] 2002 [20] 2003 [21] 2004 [22] 2005 [23] 2006 [24] 2007 [25] 2008 [26] 2009 [27] 2010 [28] 2011 [29] 2012 [30] 2013 [30] 2014 [31] 2015 [32] 2016 [33] 2017 [34] 2018 [35] 2019 [36] 2020 [37] 2021 [38] 2022 [39] 2023 [40]
511.5%11.2%13.2%12.6%12.6%12.6%11.9%12.9%12.3%12.8%12.4%12.6%12.2%14.3%13.2%13.9%13.3%14.6%14.5%16.2%16.0%14.3%15.1%
423.4%21.8%22.3%22.4%22.8%22.2%21.5%22.7%22.3%22.4%21.4%20.2%20.9%20.9%18.9%21.7%15.5%21.2%18.0%20.7%20.0%22.1%22.2%
324.9%23.9%26.4%24.8%25.3%25.3%25.4%23.7%24.2%23.5%25.0%25.0%25.7%24.5%25.2%24.7%25.0%24.9%26.7%23.1%22.0%23.5%22.7%
219.1%19.2%19.5%19.8%19.2%18.3%17.1%18.8%19.1%18.2%17.6%18.8%18.1%17.8%18.9%15.7%20.4%15.9%19.7%21.7%17.0%16.7%16.2%
121.1%23.9%18.6%18.1%20.1%21.6%24.1%21.8%22.2%23.1%23.5%23.4%23.1%22.6%23.8%24.0%25.8%23.4%21.1%18.3%25.0%23.4%23.8%
% of Scores 3 or higher59.8%56.9%61.9%59.8%60.7%60.1%58.8%59.3%58.8%58.7%58.5%57.8%58.8%59.7%57.3%60.3%53.8%60.6%59.2%60.0%58.0%59.9%60.0%
Mean2.852.772.922.852.892.862.802.862.842.842.802.802.812.872.792.862.702.872.852.952.852.872.89
Standard deviation1.311.331.301.281.311.321.341.341.331.351.341.341.331.361.351.371.351.361.331.341.411.371.39
Number of students41,03449,82458,23065,87876,78688,23798,033108,284116,876129,899142,910152,750169,508184,173195,526206,563215,840222,501219,392187,741183,181216,968242,929

See also

Notes

  1. 1 2 Mulekar (2004), p. 4
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Piccolino, Anthony V. (May 1996). "The Advanced Placement course in statistics: Increasing students' options". The Mathematics Teacher. 89 (5): 376–377. doi:10.5951/MT.89.5.0376.
  3. ↑ Boslaugh, Sarah; Paul Andrew Watters (2008). Statistics: A Desktop Quick Reference. O'Reilly. ISBN   978-0-596-51049-7 . Retrieved 2009-07-30.
  4. ↑ Garfield, Joan B.; Dani Ben-Zvi (2008). Developing Students' Statistical Reasoning: Connecting Research and Teaching Practice. Springer. p. 8. ISBN   978-1-4020-8382-2 . Retrieved August 11, 2009.
  5. ↑ Hinders (2007), p.3
  6. 1 2 Mulekar (2004), p. 3
  7. 1 2 Hinders (2007), p. 4
  8. ↑ Mulekar (2004), p. 5
  9. 1 2 Koehler (2008), pp. 7–9
  10. ↑ Koehler (2008), pp. 8–9
  11. ↑ Koehler (2008), pp. 8, 10
  12. ↑ Koehler (2008), pp. 8, 11
  13. 1 2 3 4 Mulekar (2004), p. 8
  14. 1 2 Simmons (2009), p. 6
  15. ↑ Berger (1997), p. 4
  16. 1 2 3 Simmons (2009), p. 5
  17. ↑ Berger (1997), p. 5
  18. 1 2 Simmons (2009), p. 7
  19. ↑ "2001 Advanced Placement Examination National Report" (PDF). College Board. College Board. 2001. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2012-02-18. Retrieved August 10, 2009.
  20. ↑ "2002: Statistics Grade Distributions". AP Central. College Board. 2009. Retrieved August 10, 2009.
  21. ↑ "2003: Statistics Grade Distributions". AP Central. College Board. 2009. Retrieved August 10, 2009.
  22. ↑ "2004: Statistics Grade Distributions". AP Central. College Board. 2009. Retrieved August 10, 2009.
  23. ↑ "2005: Statistics Grade Distributions". AP Central. College Board. 2009. Retrieved August 10, 2009.
  24. ↑ "2006: Statistics Grade Distributions". AP Central. College Board. 2009. Retrieved August 10, 2009.
  25. ↑ "2007: Statistics Grade Distributions". AP Central. College Board. 2009. Retrieved August 10, 2009.
  26. ↑ "AP Statistics Student Grade Distributions: AP Examinations - May 2008" (PDF). AP Central. College Board. 2008. Retrieved August 10, 2009.
  27. ↑ "AP Statistics Student Grade Distributions: AP Examinations - May 2009" (PDF). AP Central. College Board. 2009. Retrieved October 13, 2009.
  28. ↑ "AP Statistics Student Grade Distributions: AP Examinations - May 2010" (PDF). AP Central. College Board. 2010. Retrieved December 4, 2010.
  29. ↑ "2011 AP Score Distributions" (PDF). College Board. 2011. Archived (PDF) from the original on 2021-06-10. Retrieved June 9, 2021.
  30. 1 2 "2013 AP Exam Score Distribution". Total Registration. Retrieved 5 July 2013.
  31. ↑ "2014 Student Score Distributions" (PDF). The College Board. Retrieved 8 July 2015.
  32. ↑ "STUDENT SCORE DISTRIBUTIONS" (PDF). College Board .
  33. ↑ "2016 Student Score Distributions". Total Registration. Retrieved 13 July 2016.
  34. ↑ "2017 AP Exam Score Distributions".
  35. ↑ "2018 AP Score Distributions". College Board. 2018. Archived from the original on June 10, 2021. Retrieved June 9, 2021.
  36. ↑ "2019 AP Score Distributions" (PDF). College Board. 2019. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 1, 2020. Retrieved June 9, 2021.
  37. ↑ "STUDENT SCORE DISTRIBUTIONS" (PDF). Retrieved June 9, 2021.
  38. ↑ Total Registration (2021-07-27). "2021 AP Exam Score Distributions". www.totalregistration.net. Archived from the original on 2021-07-08. Retrieved 2021-07-28.
  39. ↑ Total Registration (2022-06-28). "2023 AP Exam Score Distributions". www.totalregistration.net. Retrieved 2022-06-28.
  40. ↑ Total Registration (2023-06-27). "2023 AP Exam Score Distributions". www.totalregistration.net. Retrieved 2023-06-27.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Advanced Placement</span> American program with college-level classes offered to high school students

Advanced Placement (AP) is a program in the United States and Canada created by the College Board. AP offers undergraduate university-level curricula and examinations to high school students. Colleges and universities in the US and elsewhere may grant placement and course credit to students who obtain qualifying scores on the examinations. The AP curriculum for each of the various subjects is created for the College Board by a panel of experts and college-level educators in that academic discipline. For a high school course to have the designation, the course must be audited by the College Board to ascertain that it satisfies the AP curriculum as specified in the Board's Course and Examination Description (CED). If the course is approved, the school may use the AP designation and the course will be publicly listed on the AP Course Ledger.

Advanced Placement (AP) Chemistry is a course and examination offered by the College Board as a part of the Advanced Placement Program to give American and Canadian high school students the opportunity to demonstrate their abilities and earn college-level credits at certain colleges and universities. The AP Chemistry Exam has the lowest test participation rate out of all AP Courses, with around half of AP Chemistry students taking the exam.

Advanced Placement (AP) Computer Science A is an AP Computer Science course and examination offered by the College Board to high school students as an opportunity to earn college credit for a college-level computer science course. AP Computer Science A is meant to be the equivalent of a first-semester course in computer science. The AP exam currently tests students on their knowledge of Java.

Advanced Placement (AP) Calculus is a set of two distinct Advanced Placement calculus courses and exams offered by the American nonprofit organization College Board. AP Calculus AB covers basic introductions to limits, derivatives, and integrals. AP Calculus BC covers all AP Calculus AB topics plus additional topics.

Advanced Placement (AP) European History, is a course and examination offered by the College Board through the Advanced Placement Program. This course is for high school students who are interested in a first year university level course in European history. The course surveys European history from between 1300-1450 CE to the present, focusing on religious, social, economic, and political themes.

Advanced Placement (AP) English Language and Composition is a course and examination offered by the College Board as part of the Advanced Placement Program.

Advanced Placement (AP) Human Geography is an Advanced Placement social studies course in human geography for high school, usually freshmen students in the US, culminating in an exam administered by the College Board.

Advanced Placement (AP) Microeconomics is a course offered by the College Board as part of the Advanced Placement Program for high school students interested in college-level coursework in microeconomics and/or gaining advanced standing in college. The course begins with a study of fundamental economic concepts such as scarcity, opportunity costs, production possibilities, specialization, and comparative advantage. Major topics include the nature and functions of product markets; factor markets; and efficiency, equity, and the role of government. AP Microeconomics is often taken in conjunction with or after AP Macroeconomics.

Advanced Placement (AP) Psychology and its corresponding exam are part of the College Board's Advanced Placement Program. This course is tailored for students interested in the field of psychology and as an opportunity to earn Advanced Placement credit or exemption from a college-level psychology course. It was the shortest AP exam until the AP Physics C exam was split into two separate exams in 2006.

Advanced Placement (AP) Spanish Language and Culture is a course and examination offered by the College Board in the United States education system as part of the Advanced Placement Program.

Advanced Placement (AP) United States History is a college-level course and examination offered by College Board as part of the Advanced Placement Program.

Advanced Placement (AP) United States Government and Politics is a college-level course and examination offered to high school students through the College Board's Advanced Placement Program. This course surveys the structure and function of American government and politics that begins with an analysis of the United States Constitution, the foundation of the American political system. Students study the three branches of government, administrative agencies that support each branch, the role of political behavior in the democratic process, rules governing elections, political culture, and the workings of political parties and interest groups.

Advanced Placement (AP) World History: Modern is a college-level course and examination offered to high school students in the United States through the College Board's Advanced Placement program. AP World History: Modern was designed to help students develop a greater understanding of the evolution of global processes and contacts as well as interactions between different human societies. The course advances understanding through a combination of selective factual knowledge and appropriate analytical skills.

Advanced Placement (AP) Chinese Language and Culture is a course and exam offered by the College Board as a part of the Advanced Placement Program in the United States. It requires proficiencies throughout the Intermediate range as described in the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages (ACTFL) Proficiency Guidelines. The course interweaves language and culture learning and is conducted mostly in Mandarin Chinese. The first AP Chinese courses were offered worldwide in the fall of 2006, followed by the exam in May 2007.

Advanced Placement (AP) Environmental Science is a course and exam offered by the American College Board as part of the Advanced Placement Program to high school students interested in the environmental and natural sciences. AP Environmental Science was first offered in the 1997–1998 school year.

Advanced Placement (AP) Japanese Language and Culture is a course offered by the College Board as part of the Advanced Placement Program in the United States. It is intended to give students a thorough background in the Japanese language and Japanese social customs. The class was first given as a certified College Board program in the 2006–07 school year. Preparations for the corresponding test were made, but the complex computer and internet requirements were not fully sorted out by administration time, and the exam was not given in some areas.

Advanced Placement (AP) Physics C: Mechanics is an introductory physics course administered by the College Board as part of its Advanced Placement program. It is intended to proxy a one-semester calculus-based university course in mechanics. The content of Physics C: Mechanics overlaps with that of AP Physics 1, but Physics 1 is algebra-based, while Physics C is calculus-based. Physics C: Mechanics may be combined with its electricity and magnetism counterpart to form a year-long course that prepares for both exams.

Advanced Placement (AP) Physics C: Electricity and Magnetism is an introductory physics course administered by the College Board as part of its Advanced Placement program. It is intended to proxy a second-semester calculus-based university course in electricity and magnetism. The content of Physics C: E&M overlaps with that of AP Physics 2, but Physics 2 is algebra-based and covers other topics outside of electromagnetism, while Physics C is calculus-based and only covers electromagnetism. Physics C: E&M may be combined with its mechanics counterpart to form a year-long course that prepares for both exams.

Advanced Placement (AP) Latin, formerly Advanced Placement (AP) Latin: Vergil, is an examination in Latin literature offered to American high school students by the College Board's Advanced Placement Program. Prior to the 2012–2013 academic year, the course focused on poetry selections from the Aeneid, written by Augustan author Publius Vergilius Maro, also known as Vergil or Virgil. However, in the 2012–2013 year, the College Board changed the content of the course to include not only poetry, but also prose. The modified course consists of both selections from Vergil and selections from Commentaries on the Gallic War, written by prose author Gaius Julius Caesar. Also included in the new curriculum is an increased focus on sight reading. The student taking the exam will not necessarily have been exposed to the specific reading passage that appears on this portion of the exam. The College Board suggests that a curriculum include practice with sight reading. The exam is administered in May and is three hours long, consisting of a one-hour multiple-choice section and a two-hour free-response section.

Advanced Placement (AP) Computer Science Principles is an AP Computer Science course and examination offered by the College Board to high school students as an opportunity to earn college credit for a college-level computing course. AP Computer Science Principles is meant to be the equivalent of a first-semester course in computing. Assessment for AP Computer Science Principles is divided into two parts, both an end of course exam as well as the creation of artifacts throughout the course.

References

Further reading

Textbooks

Teaching guides

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.