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The AP Studio Art Poster
Originality and Integrity
Basic Information About Portfolio Evaluation
AP Studio Art Publications
The AP Studio Art Poster
The poster is published each year. On the front side of it, there are reproductions of student works, chosen after completion of the previous June's Reading by a group of Readers. The back, though, contains a condensed version of the basic information in the AP Studio Art Course Description, and is intended for students as well as teachers.
The poster also frequently contains updated information about the portfolio specifications, which has not yet been incorporated in the Course Description.
AP Studio Art teachers are entitled to free posters for each student in their classes, plus one extra. 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 609 771-7300 or 877 274-6474 (toll free in the U.S. and Canada) or via email to apexams@info.collegeboard.org.
 The College Board Store
Originality and Integrity
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. Since they aspire to college-level work, AP students who make use of borrowed images must 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 which makes use of photographs, published images, and/or other artists' works, you must show development beyond duplication. This may be demonstrated through manipulation of the material(s), formal qualities, design, and/or concept of the original work. It is unethical, constitutes plagiarism, and often violates copyright law to simply copy and image (even in another medium) that was made by someone else.
In evaluating portfolios, the Readers look for original thinking. Students are encouraged 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. Teachers and 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.
Basic Information About Portfolio Evaluation
All of the Readers (the people who evaluate the portfolios) are either AP Studio Art teachers or teachers of first-year college courses. When they arrive, the portfolios have already been checked in and the sections separated. Each section is scored separately, and an intensive standard-setting session is held before the scoring of each section is begun. Standard-setting is the process of developing a common understanding of the scoring rubric for each section. Actual scoring does not begin until the Chief Reader is satisfied that the Readers as a group share such an understanding and can apply the rubric with a high degree of consistency.
Once the actual scoring begins, Readers work independently of each other and do not see the scores that anyone else has given to the same work. Section I (Quality) is graded by three Readers; Sections II and III are each scored by two Readers. If there is a wide divergence in the scores assigned by two Readers to the same section of a portfolio, the section is pulled out and is forwarded to the Chief Reader or one of his/her assistants for review and resolution of the scores.
Because of this structure, a minimum of three and a maximum of seven Readers score the various parts of an individual's portfolio. In fact, as the group of Readers has grown over the years, the number of Readers is much more likely to be at the high end than the low end of that range.
Once the Reading is completed, the scores assigned to a portfolio are converted to a composite raw score. The Chief Reader, in consultation with technical staff from ETS and the College Board, and in light of a detailed debriefing session with the whole group of Readers, decides what the lowest composite score will be for each of the AP grades.
AP Studio Art Publications
Below are descriptions of two publications that you might find particularly useful. You can order them via the College Board Store, or you can download a copy of the Course Description for free below.
The College Board Store
AP Studio Art Course Description
AP Studio Art Teacher's Guide, edited by Maggie Davis, and published in 2003. It contains syllabi by the teachers of six exemplary AP programs that cover a wide range of teaching situations, three syllabi by college instructors, full-color illustrations of student work, and articles that provide in-depth information about a wide range of topics.
AP Studio Art Course Description. The Course Description, updated regularly, provides an outline of the course content for AP Studio Art. It explains the kinds of skills students are expected to demonstrate and describes portfolio requirements in detail.
Slide sets of student work are also available for each portfolio. Each set contains 80 slides and is composed of either four or five complete Concentrations (including the Concentration statements) and individual Breadth examples for that portfolio. The Drawing set also includes three slides of the portfolio evaluation.
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