AP® Science Courses
Given the speed with which scientific discoveries and research continuously expand scientific knowledge, many educators are faced with the challenge of balancing breadth of content coverage with depth of understanding. The upcoming changes to AP science support AP teachers in their efforts to foster students’ deep understanding of science by reducing the emphasis on broad content coverage and emphasizing the practice of scientific inquiry and reasoning.
Changes to select AP science courses and exams will take place no sooner than the 2012-13 academic year. The specific course revisions that will be implemented in 2012-13 will be announced in early 2010, so that the AP community will have sufficient time to understand the nature of the changes and to begin to implement these changes in an incremental way. To that end, we are exploring the possibility of an incremental rollout of various laboratory experiences, so that teachers can incorporate new techniques for students over time. A draft version of the revised AP Biology curriculum is now available to inform your thinking about how these changes could be integrated into your classroom. Please note that this draft has not yet been edited and will undergo further revisions before being finalized this fall. The final version will be announced and posted on this website in early 2010.
The developments underway in AP science courses are exciting because they support what many great science teachers are already doing: cultivating students' understanding of key concepts and development of intellectual skills by focusing on key concepts using a limited number of appropriate content examples, rather than by marching through an exhaustive "checklist" of required content. Teachers will have the opportunity and responsibility to select and use content in ways that help students understand the underlying concepts, as well as the skills, essential to the practice of science. The revised courses will provide clear signposts about the depth of understanding and boundaries of the concepts and content that will be assessed on the AP Exam. Teachers will not need to cover every possible example related to a particular concept. Instead, the course materials will provide clear guidance as to what course content is the most appropriate for teaching the core concepts, thus providing educators with more flexibility to share what excites them and to take advantage of local resources and phenomena.
Science educators from colleges, universities and secondary schools have worked with the College Board to ensure that AP science courses and exams will continue to represent the highest standards of teaching and learning. Courses will be organized around "big ideas" through which students can see the meaning of the material in its current context as well as through its connection to previously learned information. Within each big idea, the subject's concepts, learning objectives and science practices are detailed. For a preview of this new organizing principal, see the draft version of the
AP Biology Curriculum Framework.
Overall, the changes to the AP science courses are meant to sharpen understanding of essential concepts and provide the most robust scientific fundamentals so that students understand the subject matter and are able to analyze results with the rigor and objectivity of a scientist. The changes reflect the most modern teaching methodology and utilize instructional tools espoused by current cognitive research. Additionally, the revisions include a clear articulation of student-performance descriptions that will provide AP teachers with valuable feedback to inform their instruction, and that will aid colleges and universities in their placement of qualified AP students into subsequent courses.
Additional information about the revisions to AP science courses and exams and the range of resources, including sample questions, that will be available to teachers to facilitate the integration of these changes into their courses will be announced in early 2010.