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|  | Frequently Asked Questions
The following categories and questions will help clarify some of the basics for all three Studio Art courses.
Note: For answers to questions about Studio Art digital submission, visit Studio Art Digital Submission FAQs.
Planning a Portfolio
Preparing the Portfolio
The Evaluation Process
The AP Studio Art Poster
AP Studio Art Resources
Planning a Portfolio
Which portfolio should my students submit if their work consists of drawings, sculpture, and 2-D design?
While we encourage students to work with a variety of media and approaches to making art, the three AP Studio Art portfolios are each intended to address a different set of concepts. The reason for this is that the three portfolios closely correspond to college courses in drawing, 2-D, and 3-D design. This correspondence assists colleges with granting appropriate credit for AP work. Students must determine an area of focus and submit a single portfolio that represents these efforts. For more information see the Student Performance Q&As, which can be downloaded from any of three AP Studio Art portfolio pages on AP Central.
If my students' work bridges the territory covered by 2-D Design and Drawing, which of those two portfolios should the students submit?
Although there are distinctions between the Drawing and 2-D Design portfolios, some works may be appropriate for either one (see crossover work in Examples of Artwork for Drawing portfolio and 2-D portfolio, below). For instance, a pen and ink image might be beautifully and expressively drawn, while simultaneously demonstrating an effective use of positive and negative space and symmetrical balance. Ultimately, the student must decide whether they want to earn credit for a drawing class or a 2-D Design class, and then emphasize the principles and qualities appropriate for that activity (see the AP Studio Art poster and AP Studio Art Course Description for further explanations and examples).
How can I tell whether my student's work is "three-dimensional enough" for the 3-D Design portfolio?
For a working definition of what constitutes 3-D work, consider the following:
The artwork occupies actual physical space. Height, width, depth, and gravity are essential elements of the construction and effect of the artwork.
The unoccupied space (space between the masses, edges, and parts) are significant contributors to the effect of the artwork.
Directional light changes, reveals, and conceals the appearance of the form.
The form has no "back" - all aspects of the physical object must be experienced to have full information about the artwork.
The form's literal structure and its material properties influence and affect the interpretation of the artwork.
What is the minimum number of works required in a Concentration?
Twelve images are required, but up to six of these could be second views. The use of second views or details would be appropriate for Drawing or 2-D work that is extraordinarily elaborate or detailed, or for 3-D work that needs a second view in order to be fully understood.
It is expected that most students submitting Drawing or 2-D Concentrations will create 12 or more works from which they will select their best 12 works. Because 3-D work often represents a large investment of time, a 3-D Concentration may be considered successful with significantly fewer than 12 works.
Can the requirement for Section III (Breadth) be met with work in a single medium?
The best demonstrations of breadth clearly show experimentation and a range of conceptual approaches to the work. It is possible to do this in a single medium or in a variety of media. If a student chooses to use a single medium, the work must show a range of approaches, techniques, compositions, and subjects.
May students work from photographs or other published images?
While the use of appropriated images is common in the professional art world today, many colleges and art schools continue to stress strongly the value of working from direct observation. In aspiring to college-level work, students who make use of borrowed images should demonstrate a creativity and sophistication of approach that transcends mere copying. This policy is clearly stated on the AP Studio Art poster:
If you submit work that makes use of photographs, published images, and/or other artists' works, you must show development beyond duplication. This may be demonstrated through manipulation of formal qualities, design, and/or concept of the original work. It is unethical, constitutes plagiarism, and often violates copyright law to simply copy an image (even in another medium) that was made by someone else.
In evaluating portfolios, the faculty consultants look for original thinking; please encourage your students to create artworks from their own knowledge, experiences, and interests.
Copying work in any medium without significant and substantial manipulation is an infringement on the original artist's rights and can constitute plagiarism. You and your students are strongly encouraged to become knowledgeable about copyright laws. The growth in the use of computer software, scanners, xerography, and photography makes this issue of particular concern.
Universities, colleges, and professional schools of art have rigorous policies regarding plagiarism. The AP Studio Art program endorses these policies.
Why can't videotapes, animation, or other time-based media be submitted?
The restructuring of the AP Studio Art portfolios in 2001-02 was based on a survey of colleges, universities and art schools. One of the clear findings of that survey was that the overwhelming majority of responding institutions would not grant credit or placement for work in these areas.
Can the same work, or different images of the same work, be submitted in more than one section of the portfolio?
Images of the same work may not be submitted in both Section II, Concentration, and Section III, Breadth; any overlap between works in these two sections will negatively impact the student's score. However, works submitted in Section I, Quality, may be submitted for either of the other two sections.
Can a student submit two portfolios at the same time?
Yes, but the work in the two portfolios must be completely separate from each other. No overlap of work is permitted.
When should a second view of a work or a detail image be included?
Details or second views are permitted (or required) throughout the 3-D Design portfolio, but are permitted only for the Concentration section of the Drawing and 2-D Design portfolios. Detail images should be used only when it is helpful for an evaluator to see a very close-up view of, for example, the texture of a work. Extra images that show only a slightly closer view than the original image should be omitted.
Preparing the Portfolio
How should students protect the original works that they submit for Section I (Quality) of the Drawing portfolio or the 2-D Design portfolio?
The process of shipping artwork to and from ETS requires that the work be protected. In addition, although care is taken to protect each student's work while it is at the AP Reading site, portfolios are at times stacked in relatively tall piles, and the original works are taken out and put back into the portfolios at least once. Taking the following precautions is essential; please also see the detailed instructions in the AP Studio Art Course Description.
- All original works should be backed with some kind of rigid board, or mounted.
- Cover the surface to protect the work. Reflective materials, such as acetate or shrink-wrap, provide the best protection but may cause glare that makes the work difficult to see. A sturdy, opaque overleaf that is hinged to one edge of the backing, so that it may be easily lifted, provides excellent protection and is highly recommended.
- Works should not be rolled, framed, or covered with glass or Plexiglass.
- Do not submit work that may still be wet, or that contains glue or other materials that may cause it to stick to the piece on top of it. Use fixative on works that may smudge.
The Evaluation Process
How are the portfolios evaluated?
AP Studio Art portfolios are sent to a central location for evaluation. The process of evaluation is called the Reading, and those who assess portfolios are termed Readers. All Readers are either AP Studio Art teachers or teachers of introductory college studio art courses. The Reading begins with an intensive standard-setting session. Standard-setting is a method of developing common understandings of the scoring rubric for each section of the portfolio. Actual scoring does not take place until the Chief Reader (supervisor of the Reading) is satisfied all Readers understand the scoring rubric and will apply the rubric with a high degree of consistency.
Each of the three sections of the portfolio is scored separately. Section I (Quality) is graded by three different Readers; Sections II (Concentration) and III (Breadth) are each scored by two Readers. Readers evaluate the sections independently and do not see scores that others have given. When portfolio scores are tallied, if there is a divergence in scores for the same section of a portfolio of three points or more, the section is forwarded to the Chief Reader or another member of the Reading leadership for review and resolution. Reading leaders monitor the consistency of Readers' scores throughout the Reading and provide remediation to Readers if scores are found to deviate from the standardized application of the rubric.
In total, a minimum of seven individual scores are recorded and then averaged to compute the overall score for each portfolio. Each section of the portfolio is weighted equally in the final overall score.
When all portfolios at the Reading have been evaluated, scores assigned to each portfolio are converted to a composite raw score. The Chief Reader reviews data sets and statistical analyses from the present and past Readings, leads a debriefing session with Readers, and consults with specialists from ETS and the College Board before setting the parameters for composite scores that define each of the AP grades. After these parameters are set, raw scores are converted into final grades within the five-point scale used to report AP grades.
What is an irregular portfolio?
Any portfolio that does not meet the specifications for submission (detailed on the AP Studio Art poster, in the Course Description, and on AP Central) is considered "irregular." Although specifications are deliberately flexible enough to accommodate a huge range of work, it is expected that teachers and students will take seriously the limits that do exist. Because of the inherent unfairness of allowing some students to bend the rules while other students adhere to them, portfolios that are irregular are handled in the following ways:
- Extra works submitted for the Quality section of the Drawing and 2-D Design portfolio are set aside and are not scored.
- Actual artworks submitted for the Quality section of the Drawing and 2-D Design portfolio that are larger than 18"x 24" are set aside and are not scored.
- Original works that are submitted for the Concentration or Breadth sections of any portfolio are set aside and are not scored.
- Actual sculpture submitted for the Quality section of the 3-D Design portfolio is set aside and is not scored.
- Videotapes and animations are NOT accepted. (Still images from a videotape or animation are acceptable.)
- If less artwork is submitted than what is required as the minimum for any section, the submitted works are graded. The effect of missing work on the score given for that section (whether the score is lowered and to what extent) is at the discretion of the Reader. This is true for the case of too few works submitted by the student and for the case of some works being set aside because they did not meet specifications. Remember: The transition to digital submission for portfolio sections that previously required slides will not change the number of pieces required for each section.
- Multi-page works should not be submitted in the Quality section of the Drawing or 2-D Design portfolios. They will be opened at random to a single page for evaluation. Images of books (or single pages from books) may be submitted. Images of multi-page works may be submitted for any section of the 3-D Design portfolio, if the books are themselves three-dimensional works of art.
Readers are not happy to set aside work that, in many cases, is obviously the result of effort and concentration by the student. However, Readers are committed to ensuring equity in the portfolio evaluation process, so portfolios that do not meet specifications are dealt with uniformly, employing the procedures outlined above. When an irregular portfolio is identified, the AP Grade Report for the portfolio states that the grade is "based on an incomplete or otherwise irregular portfolio."
The AP Studio Art Poster
Why is the AP Studio Art poster so useful?
On the front side of each year's poster are reproductions of student works, chosen after the completion of the previous June's Reading by a group of the most experienced Readers. The back contains a condensed version of the basic information in the AP Studio Art Course Description, and is intended for students as well as teachers. Frequently, the poster also contains updated information about the portfolio specifications, which has not yet been incorporated in the Course Description.
When and how can teachers get the current AP Studio Art poster?
In the fall, posters are automatically sent to each school that had students submit portfolios in the previous year. The schools are sent a quantity of posters based on their previous year's number of AP Studio Art students, plus a percentage for growth. New schools receive posters after their AP Coordinators submit the AP Participation Form, specifying the number of students in the AP Studio Art class(es). Posters can also be ordered from the College Board Store for $3 each. A school that has been in the program and does not receive enough posters for the current year's students may request more from AP Services by calling (212) 713-8066 or via email toapexams@info.collegeboard.org .
 The College Board Store
AP Studio Art Resources
See the Bibliography section of the Course Description for a detailed list of recommended books and the Teachers' Resources area of AP Central to read reviews of books, Web sites, videos, and more.
AP Studio Art Course Description
Teachers' Resources
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