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Music Theory
The new 2009, 2010 AP Music Theory Course Description will be available as a free download on AP Central in May. Printed copies will be available for purchase from the College Board Store this summer.
The AP Music Theory Teacher's Guide is available as a free download on AP Central. Printed copies can be purchased from the College Board Store.
Beginning with the 2007 exam, the recorded narration used to administer sight-singing questions no longer includes the notated starting pitch for the melody immediately before the student begins his or her performance. The starting pitch for each melody will only be provided at the beginning of the practice period for each melody. Students can choose to sing the melodies using any starting pitch that is comfortable. A revised administration script for sight-singing is included in the Course Description.
AP Music Theory teachers and AP Coordinators are reminded that schools may choose to order (via the online ordering service) student-response audiocassettes or student-response compact discs for recording student sight-singing responses. Whether responses are recorded on tape or CD, the 75-second practice period for each melody must NOT be included on the recording. Student responses that are recorded on CD rather than on audiocassette must comply with the following:
- Only one student's response may be recorded per CD.
- Only MP3 format is acceptable.
- The files must be labeled following the specific instructions provided in the appropriate Examination Instructions book shipped with the exam materials.
Schools are reminded that all student-response recordings must be returned with the corresponding exam materials (e.g., alternate- or late-testing exam materials should not be returned with materials from regularly scheduled administrations and vice versa).
While AP teachers may not be part of the administration of the exam, they can assist their students in preparing for the sight-singing portion by asking the AP Coordinator to coach the person who will administer the exam, ideally having a practice session using the equipment. Teachers can stage a practice sight-singing administration so that students will know what to expect regarding their singing of the melodies as well as the student's and proctor's respective roles in operating the equipment. Track 4 of the CD included with the 2003 AP Music Theory Released Exam contains the general instructions for sight-singing, the recorded stimulus for the questions for 2003, and instructions for students about operating the recording equipment.
See AP Central for important information about "Recording Student Responses Using a Computer." (available March 2008)
Visit the AP Music Theory Course Home Page on AP Central for information about other music theory teaching resources.
 AP Music Theory Course Home Page
Save the date!
- February 9, 2008: The AP Music Theory Development Committee will present a Teachers' Conference on AP Music Theory in Phoenix. For more information and to register, contact Michele Miller (mmiller@ets.org).
Physics
The 2008, 2009 AP Physics Course Description was published in May 2007. No significant changes are expected for these two years in either the content or the format of the exams of the Physics B or C courses. You can download a PDF of the Course Description free of charge from AP Central or purchase printed copies from the College Board Store. The detailed course objectives in the AP Physics Teacher's Guide (available as a free download on AP Central or for purchase from the College Board Store) have been updated to reflect recent changes and to bring them into closer alignment with the content outline in the Course Description; these objectives are available on AP Central:
AP Physics B and C Learning Objectives
The free-response section of the 2008 AP Physics B Exam will contain a total of seven questions: two 15-point questions and five 10-point questions. The time allotment of 90 minutes for this section will remain the same, and the multiple-choice and free-response sections will still be weighted so that they each contribute 50 percent toward the total score. There is no change in format or number of questions in the multiple-choice section. There is also no change in the number of questions in any multiple-choice or free-response section of either of the Physics C Exams.
The equation tables for 2008 are the same as for 2006 and 2007. The Table of Information for 2008 contains the same information as previously but has been reorganized into a new format. Both are included as an insert in the 2008, 2009 AP Physics Course Description . (They are also available as a separate document under "Exam Information" on the course home pages on AP Central.)
AP Physics B and C Course Description
Table of Information and Equation Tables (.pdf/609KB)
The 2004 AP Physics B and AP Physics C Released Exams and their respective Packets of 10 are available from the College Board Store. The Released Exams include all multiple-choice and free-response questions, along with answer keys, scoring guidelines, sample student responses, and scoring commentary. A diagnostic worksheet to help students understand their areas of strength is also included.
Visit the AP Physics B Course Home Page, the AP Physics C: Mechanics Course Home Page, and the AP Physics C: Electricity and Magnetism Course Home Page on AP Central for information about other physics teaching resources.
AP Physics B Course Home Page
AP Physics C: Electricity & Magnetism Course Home Page
AP Physics C: Mechanics Course Home Page
Psychology
The AP Psychology Course Description can be downloaded free of charge or printed copies can be purchased from the College Board Store. The 2004 AP Psychology Released Exam and corresponding Packet of 10 are also available for purchase from the College Board Store. The Released Exam includes the multiple-choice and free-response questions, along with scoring guidelines, an answer key, sample student responses, scoring commentary, and a diagnostic guide to help students understand their areas of strength. A new AP Psychology Teacher's Guide is currently in production and will be available later this year. Watch for an announcement on AP Central and the electronic discussion group for more information.
Visit the AP Psychology Course Home Page on AP Central for information about these publications and other psychology teaching resources.
AP Psychology Course Home Page
Spanish Language
The new 2009-2011 AP Spanish Course Description will be available as a free download on AP Central in May. Printed copies will be available for purchase from the College Board Store this summer.
A new AP Spanish Language Teacher's Guide is currently in production and will be available later this year. Watch for an announcement on AP Central and the electronic discussion group for more information.
The new 2007 AP Spanish Language Exam proved to be a highly successful assessment for identifying the knowledge, skills, and abilities that parallel the skills evidenced by students in corresponding college courses. However, because the new exam format requires a significant amount of specialized directions, the actual exam administration lasted beyond the specified time limits in 2007. In order to ensure that the same exam format can be successfully delivered in 2008, the following changes will result in a total administration time reduction of approximately 30 minutes:
- Reductions in the Multiple Choice section of the exam
One reading comprehension passage and 5 reading comprehension questions will be eliminated and the overall section time reduced by 10 minutes. The weight of each Exam section remains unchanged.
- Master Recordings will be in Spanish only
For the portions of the Exam where spoken directions are recorded on the master CD in both English and Spanish, the English directions will be eliminated. All directions will be printed in the students' test booklets in Spanish and in English so that no students are disadvantaged. The directions will be available to AP Spanish teachers on AP Central for preview. A translation of the directions in English for proctors will be available in the administration manual.
- The general AP Exam Administration instructions for all world language courses will be revised and made more concise.
The following additional steps will be taken in order to ensure the smoothest administration possible:
- The master CD with the listening prompt for the Presentational Writing will be created independently of the master CD with the listening prompts for the speaking sections. In this way, separate groups of students may take these portions of the Exam simultaneously. The Exam booklets will also allow for the simultaneous administration by separate student groups of the FRQ section to take place as follows:
- the presentational writing first, followed by the fill-ins, the informal writing, and then the speaking
- the fill-ins, the informal writing, and the speaking first, followed by the presentational writing.
- The College Board will create an online training for AP Coordinators and proctors of AP world language exams, in hopes of providing clear directions and suggestions for ensuring a successful administration. The event should be ready by March 2008 and will be available as a free archive on AP Central. AP world language teachers are encouraged to promote this event with their local proctors.
Visit the AP Spanish Language Course Home Page on AP Central for information about teaching resources and to see "Recording Student Responses Using a Computer" (available March 2008). Go to the exam section of the Home Page, where all of the 2007 post-exam materials are now available. The "Student Performance: Q&A" for the 2007 exam provides valuable information about areas where students continue to need additional development opportunities.
AP Spanish Language Course Home Page
Spanish Literature
The new 2009-2011 AP Spanish Course Description will be available as a free download on AP Central in May. Printed copies will be available for purchase from the College Board Store this summer.
The AP Spanish Literature Teacher's Guide is available as a free download from AP Central. Printed copies can be purchased from the College Board Store. Other publications available from the College Board Store include Special Focus in Spanish Literature: Teaching Poetry and the 2003 AP Spanish Literature Released Exam and its corresponding Packet of 10.
Go to AP Central for a description of the current AP Spanish Literature Exam format and required reading list.
Exam Format: Spanish Literature
Visit the AP Spanish Literature Course Home Page on AP Central for information about other Spanish literature teaching resources and professional development opportunities.
AP Spanish Literature Course Home Page
Statistics
The new 2009, 2010 AP Statistics Course Description will be available as a free download on AP Central in May. Printed copies will be available for purchase from the College Board Store this summer.
A new AP Statistics Teacher's Guide is in production and will be available later this year. Watch for an announcement on AP Central and the electronic discussion group for more information
The 2007 AP Statistics Released Exam publication that contains the exam and all associated information is scheduled to be published in the spring of 2008.
A teaching resource titled AP Statistics Module—Sampling and Experimentation: Planning and Conducting a Study is available in the College Board Store. The purpose of this module is to demonstrate sampling and experimental design to beginning AP Statistics teachers while extending the understanding of these topics for more experienced teachers. The module introduces the idea of a scientific research study and provides coherent scaffolding for the ideas behind current scientific methodology as they apply to experimental studies. It also provides the logical framework around which scientific experiments of today are designed and justifies their preeminent place of importance in the world of science.
The module presents a global view of the research process, outlining the scope of research questions and methods. First, modern experimental design is presented as an evolution of thought about how objective knowledge of the external world is "created" and why the process is necessarily a bit complicated. Then, a magnifying glass is focused on the topics of sampling and experimental design. Since the primary audience for this module is AP Statistics teachers, its exposition takes a path somewhat beyond the content of the AP Statistics topic outline, with the objective of increasing the teachers' comfort level with respect to these topics. Finally, some tips and materials are provided to help implement these topics in the classroom.
Questions periodically arise concerning the downloading of programs from the Internet into students' calculators for use on the exam. The policy can be found in the Course Description, as well as on the AP Statistics Exam page on AP Central.
Visit the AP Statistics Course Home Page on AP Central for information about other statistics teaching resources. Go to the exam section of the Home Page, where all of the 2007 post-exam materials are now available. For example, the "Student Performance: Q&A" for the 2007 exam provides valuable information on areas where students continue to need attention. In general, when answering the free-response questions, students need to be encouraged to show all of their work and justify their answers. The sample student responses with corresponding commentary should add to teachers' and students' understanding of what is expected on these questions.
AP Statistics Course Home Page
Save the dates!
- April 9–12, 2008: Sessions focused on AP Statistics are planned as a part of the program at the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM) Annual Meeting in Salt Lake City.
- August 3–7, 2008: Sessions focused on AP Statistics are planned as a part of the program at the Joint Statistical Meetings in Denver.
More information is available in the programs for these conferences.
NCTM Meetings
Joint Statistical Meetings
Studio Art
The new 2009 AP Studio Art Course Description will be available as a free download on AP Central in May. Printed copies will be available for purchase from the College Board Store this summer.
The College Board is actively preparing for a transition to a digital, web-based submission process for the portfolio sections that have traditionally required slides. Changing from slides to digital submission will not change any of the requirements for the portfolios. The Quality sections for Drawing and 2-D Design will still require actual artwork, and the number of images required for all sections will remain the same.
Please note that this transition could take place as early as the 2008-09 school year and impact 2009 AP Studio Art portfolio evaluations. As more information becomes available, updates will be posted on AP Central and e-mailed to AP Coordinators and AP teachers at schools that submitted AP Studio Art portfolios in May 2008.
The 2007-08 poster includes a single revision. Digital and photographic media may be included in the Drawing Portfolio with the following guideline:
"Any work submitted in the Drawing Portfolio that incorporates digital or photographic processes must address drawing issues such as those listed above, as well as mark-making. Using computer programs merely to manipulate photographs through filters, adjustments, or special effects is not appropriate for the Drawing Portfolio."
All teachers, even those with AP experience, are encouraged to read the text on the back of the poster and in the Course Description closely. Many frequently asked questions are addressed in these publications.
For additional clarification, teachers and students are encouraged to refer to the AP Studio Art Teacher's Guide and the examples of student work in each portfolio that are posted on AP Central under the heading "Exam Questions." The Teacher's Guide, which covers all three portfolios, includes nine syllabi with color illustrations of student work and numerous articles by AP teachers, college faculty, and AP Readers. A newly available resource is the 2005 AP Studio Art CD, which contains over two hundred images and covers all sections of each of the three portfolios. To order the Teacher's Guide or the CD, visit the College Board Store.
The AP Studio Art Course Home Pages for 2-D Design, 3-D Design, and Drawing on AP Central delineate the growing number of articles that are currently available.
AP Studio Art: Drawing Course Home Page
AP Studio Art: 2-D Design Course Home Page
AP Studio Art: 3-D Design Course Home Page
U.S. History
The AP United States History Course Description is available on AP Central. You can download a PDF free of charge or order printed copies from the College Board Store.
The 2006 AP United States History Released Exam and corresponding Packet of 10 are available for purchase from the College Board Store. The Released Exam includes the multiple-choice and free-response questions, along with scoring guidelines, an answer key, sample student responses, scoring commentary, and a diagnostic guide to help teachers understand their students' areas of strength.
The AP United States History Teacher's Guide is available as a free download on AP Central. Printed copies can be purchased from the College Board Store. The guide includes suggestions for starting a new AP United States History program, as well as information on core concepts and skills, available resources, course organization, and how to prepare students for the exam. It also includes several sample syllabi, which employ a range of approaches that teachers can adapt for their own use.
Another publication entitled Special Focus in United States History: Teaching with Primary Sources will be available soon from the College Board Store.
Visit the AP U.S. History Course Home Page on AP Central for information about other United States history teaching resources.
AP U.S. History Course Home Page
World History
The AP World History Course Description is available on AP Central. You can download a PDF free of charge from AP Central or purchase printed copies from the College Board Store. An outline detailing the content coverage of the course, as well as revised generic core-scoring guidelines for the document-based; continuity and change-over-time; and comparative essay questions can be found in the Course Description.
The AP World History Teacher's Guide is available as a free download on AP Central. Printed copies can be purchased from the College Board Store.
The 2002 AP World History Released Exam includes all multiple-choice and free-response questions, as well as scoring guidelines for each of the free-response questions. Sample student responses and scoring commentary are also provided. The Released Exam and the corresponding Packet of 10 can be ordered from the College Board Store. The 2007 AP World History Released Exam will be published in the spring of 2008.
Essay questions, scoring guidelines, sample student essays with scoring commentaries, "Student Performance Q&A," and grade distributions for the 2002-2007 exams are available on AP Central. The "Q&A" is especially valuable because it highlights areas in which student performance is adequate and places where performance misses the mark.
Thirteen teaching units for the AP World History course are available through the College Board Store. The units, prepared under the general editorship of Patrick Manning from the University of Pittsburgh and Deborah Smith Johnston from Lexington High School in Massachusetts, are intended to help teachers learn the best practices for teaching world history.
AP World History Teaching Units
Visit the AP World History Course Home Page on AP Central for information about other world history teaching resources.
AP World History Course Home Page
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