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Home > Features > An AP Reading: Summer Camp at Clemson University
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An AP Reading: Summer Camp at Clemson University
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by Robert E. Cannon
University of North Carolina
Greensboro, North Carolina
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and John J. Lepri
University of North Carolina
Greensboro, North Carolina
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| | The Annual Migration
We come by plane and by car. We come from all over the United States, including Alaska and Hawaii, and from around the world -- England, Myanmar, and Canada. Urged on by mysterious forces, we are on an annual migration to summer camp: Advanced Placement Biology Camp at Camp Clemson, otherwise known as the AP Biology Reading at Clemson University in South Carolina.
Upon arrival, we receive our information guide (camper's bible), our nametag (to let others know who we are, and to secure our entry into the Reading site), our room key, and most important, our meal card. We campers who have been to this camp before know that we won't starve during our week at Camp Clemson. We find our apartments; maybe our roommate is already there.
Our first night is spent meeting and greeting old friends -- campers who we probably haven't seen since last year's week at camp. There are about 350 biology campers this year. In addition to familiar faces, about 90 first-time campers, who we call "rookies," join us. Campers are an approximately equal mix of college and high school faculty.
Like campers everywhere, we have our own slang and special codes. We talk about "questions," we are curious about how the "standards" or "rubrics" will come together, and we wonder what will get "points toward internal 'maxes.'" We are also curious about how many exams there are to read.
That's right. We are at Camp Clemson to read and grade the 2002 AP Biology Exams, completed by over 96,000 students, with four essays each (nearly 400,000 essays!).
Before we all arrived, a small group of campers -- our Chief Faculty Consultant Camper, four question leader campers, and our table leader campers -- worked for two days developing rubrics (scoring guidelines) for each of the four AP Biology free-response questions. Now, they are ready to show all the campers what they've accomplished.
Camp Clemson Officially Opens
After our Day One breakfast, we head to the big auditorium for the official opening of Camp Clemson. We are welcomed by our Chief Camper (aka Chief Reader) and other officials, including the Provost of Camp Clemson, a former Chief Camper for AP Biology. We separate into our four teams -- one for each exam question. We have our first camp project: to fine-tune the rubrics for the question that we have been assigned and to practice applying the rubrics to ensure that we can grade the exams consistently and fairly. Next comes coffee break number one. Donuts? Fresh fruit? Maybe one of each.
After a couple more hours of sharing and demonstrating our knowledge with our fellow campers, we break for lunch. Our Question 1 group continues talking about the rubrics while we eat -- what deserves credit, what doesn't. After lunch, we are back at it, discussing individual points that the majority of students will write, including all of the arcane details that maybe one-tenth of one percent of the 96,000 students may write. Our mantra, "Every test is a kid," reminds us that we will be searching each answer for what students know. We don't penalize for incorrect responses, and there's always more than one way to get to a score of "10."
By the middle of the afternoon, we are in our individual reading rooms in groups of 10 to 16 campers, reading and comparing notes with a "buddy" to make sure that we both are fairly and consistently grading. We check with our table leader camper (kind of like a camp counselor) if we aren't sure about a student's particular response. When we are fully confident in our ability to score exams, our table leader camper lets us loose to grade for real. We know that she will be checking our work, "back-reading" us for quality control. We want to be right-on when it comes to grading. A midafternoon break brings another new issue: cheese crackers or fruit? Okay, one of each.
It's 5 p.m. -- time to quit for the day. Our first day at camp has been a successful one. We've learned the rubrics and have started to grade.
Gathering 'Round the Campfire
Dinner at the cafeteria: salads for some, meat and potatoes for others. More talk with old friends -- how was your year? How's your family, your kids, what are your plans for the summer?
We introduce ourselves to rookies. Where are you from? How long have you been teaching AP? What did you think of your first day at Camp Clemson? Can we answer any questions? Rookies are always a little anxious at the start of camp. They don't know many other campers, and the process of developing rubrics and grading are new to them. They are surprised to discover that some of the experienced campers still count on their fingers as they grade exams. Since the maximum value of an essay question is 10 points, as you read, it is easy to use fingers for keeping track.
After dinner, some campers head back to their rooms. They may still have their own final exams to grade, or they may have brought a manuscript that they are working on. Many campers head to our lounge to share refreshments and conversation or to watch a game on TV (NBA and NHL finals always seem to be on TV during our week at camp). More chances to catch up, renew good friendships after a year apart. Most of us don't stay up too late because we know that we have a busy day coming tomorrow.
Day Two arrives with the sounds of alarm clocks. We are in our assigned rooms grading exams by 8:30, occasionally checking with our buddy or table leader if we have a question. Our reading rate is picking up, and we maintain consistency. Fifteen-minute break around 10 a.m.; at noon, lunch for an hour; then back at it until about 3 when we have another break; and at 5, we're done. A few of us head to the tennis courts for an hour or so, others go to the pool for some lap swimming. Some go running; others head to the golf course for a round; a group goes on a canoeing outing on our camp lake, Lake Hartwell. After dinner, there's a movie, or maybe a panel discussion on how the test was developed. Our lounge is a busy place with lively conversation.
Camp takes on a routine -- reading during the day, relaxing at night. We get reports from our Chief Camper that we are moving through those 96,000 exams, but more important, our means are right on. We are remarkably consistent in applying the rubrics.
Midweek we have Professional Night. This year, nearly all campers turn out for a lecture by a leading microbiologist from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta on bioterrorism. His talk is an hour, then campers ask a lot of questions. We head to our lounge for more informal discussions.
Our week of camping continues. On our sixth night, we meet for our final night party. Table leader campers put on a skit based on the TV show Survivor. It is hilarious and demonstrates how multitalented campers are. Campers have brought food and beverages from their home states. It proves that some states are not quite ready to make their own beverages! Our last evening ends with our DJ-hosted dance -- oldies, doo-wop, the Electric Slide, YMCA, jitterbug, the twist -- just like high school. Some campers are great dancers, while others of us just try not to embarrass ourselves.
Final Farewells
On the last day, some of us pack our suitcases before heading to breakfast. Last chance for cheese grits until next year. We say good-bye at the break to some campers who have early flights. More good-byes at lunch. We get a copy of our annual Camp Directory that has all our names, addresses, and most important, our e-mail addresses, so we can communicate with old friends and new throughout the year.
A few of us return to our reading rooms after lunch for final clean-up of late-arriving papers. Our Chief Camper heads off to a video-conference to determine who will get scores of 5, 4, 3, 2, or 1 on the exam.
We turn in our room keys; the buses load and depart for the Greenville-Spartenberg Airport for flights all over the country and around the world. Those of us who have driven to camp load our cars and hit the road for home.
It has been a wonderful week at Camp Clemson. We read and graded over 96,000 exams consistently and fairly. But more important, committed biology teachers from high schools and colleges came together to exchange ideas and to learn from each other. We took home new perspectives on what and how and why we teach, and how we can most fairly and consistently evaluate our students' accomplishments. Old friendships were renewed as new ones were made. Although our job at camp was to grade exams, the real reason that we love to return to AP camp every year is quite simple: it's a chance to see our dear friends.
The "other 51" weeks will roll by with their own challenges and rewards. If you think that you'd like to join us for a stimulating week of AP Biology camp next year, apply to a be Camper/Exam Reader using the link below. We welcome new, enthusiastic rookies into our family of Campers.
Rob Cannon has been an AP Biology Reader for 16 years. He served for five years as Chief Faculty Consultant and is currently the Chair of the AP Biology Development Committee.
John Lepri has been an AP Biology Reader for 12 years. He has served as a table leader and question leader.
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