Yes, students need support when they enroll in AP classes but they also need preparation and that is what is missing in most schools who offer the exams. The majority of the students don't realize how intensive the classes are in terms of reading and writing. They don't read on their own in a challenging way and therefore are totally overwhelmed when faced with the amount of outside reading that is required. Also the rigors of the exam itself are not fully explained and taking the test ends up being an exercise in time wasting. I think that it is wonderful that BCPSS offers these courses to whomever wants them; however forcing them to take the test is the problem. The tests are mandated by the system and there you have the low pass rate.

"But I have a hard time understanding why the exam pass rate is so low."

The pass rate is low because AP tests are an objective standard that isn't subject to grade inflation or other manipulation by the city school system.

It's a good thing to have a reliable outside indicator of college readiness among top city HS graduates. Unfortunately, it's indicating that these kids aren't ready to succeed at a real college.

I think you would need something to compare against to draw any conclusions. What is the pass rate among AP class students (I think that means more than among AP test takers since poor students might choose not to take the test for financial reasons) in Baltimore County? If only A students typically pass the AP test then 25% might not be that far from typical. Also, I would think that 1st year AP teachers in a school that has never had AP classes before might have much worse results than after a year or two of learning the process.

I'm not saying that AP students don't need more support, I just think more data is needed to draw conclusions - results by school, comparison to other systems, etc.

It has been rumored that some schools will give extra credit just for taking the test reguardless of what they get on the test. And since most of these test are given at the end of the senior year many students are just going through the motions.

I am in my second year of teaching AP US History at Western.

The first year I taught it, I had 27 students, and 4 of them scored 3 or better. The exam is difficult, involving a large range of knowledge and a huge skill set that is focused on critical thinking, the ability to correctly interpret documents, and the outside knowledge to place events and people within eras of change.

I recruit students to take it. This past year I actively sought out students who I had taught before, students with high recommendations, and students with higher PSAT scores. Still, the emphasis is on expanding AP offerings to all students who agree to take the challenge. With the idea of recruiting, I managed to get 36 signed up. What's wrong? Instead of getting 2 classes of 18, I got one class of 36. This is too large, but we'll do the best we can.

I really wanted to teach AP, and know that I am getting better over time. But I also agree that students in Baltimore (or many other places) are not as well prepared. There is a significant amount of reading, and when you compare that to all of the other classes they are taking...

This is a very demanding teaching assignment also. Young teachers don't have the deep skills yet, but they typically have more enthusiasm. More experienced teachers may have the skills but lack the enthusiasm. It takes a lot of time to teach this class! Then, of course I have 4 other classes-- two government, and two regular US History courses. The challenge for me is to differentiate the skill level between regular and AP. Fun! I'm always worried that I am too difficult for the regular, or too easy for the AP.