Thread by @AP_Trevor

I’ve just arrived in Cincinnati to check in with the great faculty scoring the AP French and AP Spanish exams, but some other AP subjects have completed the majority of scoring work, so I’ll be able to start posting results tomorrow. But first, a few quick reminders:

Reminder #1: These scores represent a critical mass of scored exams, but faculty will continue to score late arriving exams throughout June. So we don’t upload scores for educators and students to view until all subjects are complete. Scores will be posted on July 5.

Reminder #1a: If you’re an AP student, here’s information about how to view your AP scores on July 5: apstudents.collegeboard.org/view-scores

Reminder #1b: If you’re an AP educator, here’s information about how to view your students’ AP scores on July 5: scores.collegeboard.org

Reminder #2: As the remaining late-arriving or make-up exams in each subject are scored, they will slightly shift the score distributions I’ve tweeted.

Reminder #3: Let’s remember that AP scores are only one indicator of student learning. AP scores’ only valid use is for placing a student out of a corresponding college course. AP scores are not designed for evaluating academic potential, growth, or teacher quality.

Reminder: #3a: Accordingly, while we celebrate students who earn scores that qualify them for college credit, we must be clear that AP scores are never a referendum on a student’s academic potential, let alone what matters much: curiosity and motivation to keep learning.

Reminder #3b: Let’s also keep in mind that the worst outcome of a low AP score is really not bad at all: the student simply retakes the class in college – which some would prefer to do anyway.

Reminder #3c: And recent research shows that students who receive an AP 2 typically outperform other college students when they do retake this subject: research.collegeboard.org/media/pdf/new-…

Reminder #4: I received an email from an AP teacher who shared a good concern about tweeting the number of perfect scores. She worried that such tweets might make other students feel a diminished sense of achievement, as if a 3, 4, or 5 is insufficient.

Reminder #4a: This concern resonated for me. So I’ll pause on providing such info this year; please provide me feedback about the pros / cons. (I will still send individual letters to those students and their schools; they should know when such a rare feat is achieved.)

Reminder #5: I won’t know in advance when each subject will reach a critical mass of psychometrically confirmed scores, so I won’t respond to any questions about when I’ll be able to post a particular subject’s results.

Reminder #6: AP Exams aren’t scored on a curve. Rather, as many students who earn the points that match a college A or A+ receive a 5; all who earn the points that equate to a college A- (or thereabouts) receive a 4; and so on, down the AP score scale.

Reminder #6a: How do psychometricians determine the number of AP Exam points that equate to a college A? A combo of methods: having college students themselves take the AP Exams; following AP students into college to see how they perform compared to matched non-AP students; etc.

Reminder #7: Because these score distributions include all students worldwide, individual classrooms will often have score distributions that are either higher or lower than this aggregation of all AP scores worldwide.

Reminder #8: Since I’ll be posting results for 38 different AP subjects, it’s a good time to remind everyone that students do not need to take large numbers of APs. Our research shows that students often maximize AP’s benefits by taking 1-2 AP courses per year in grades 10-12.

Reminder #8a: So let’s help reduce pressure by encouraging students to take fewer AP courses well, rather than more AP courses superficially. We’ve shared this research with college admissions offices nationwide: onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.111…