Twenty Years of Advanced Placement Human Geography: A Program Assessment

Abstract

This Focus section of The Professional Geographer contains four articles that were prepared for a program assessment of Advanced Placement (AP) Human Geography. Using twenty years of AP program data, the authors probe into the participation of students in the course and how they fared on the exam. AP exam data were analyzed at the national, state, and district-level scales as well as for students differentiated by grade level, race, ethnicity, and gender. The Focus section concludes with a commentary that mulls the private and public values of a geography course in the AP program. This introduction presents the rationale for the program assessment, a summary of the key findings, and a call for geographers to improve the effectiveness of AP Human Geography while supporting research–practice partnerships, dual enrollment programs, and other locally conceived and tailored alternatives to corporate authority, prescriptive curriculum, and standardization in public education. An ongoing assessment of AP Human Geography is recommended as part of a broader discipline-based effort to strengthen and secure the status of geography in U.S. education.

本焦点专题的4篇文章, 评估了大学预修(AP)人文地理学课程。利用20年AP项目数据, 作者们研究了学生的课程参与及其考试表现。在全国、州和学区层面对AP考试数据进行了分析, 并根据年级、种族、民族和性别对学生进行区分。本专题的结论性评论, 思考了AP地理学课程的个人价值和公共价值。作为该专题的介绍, 本文展现了AP项目评估原理, 总结了关键结论, 呼吁地理学家提高AP人文地理学的有效性, 支持合作研究和实践、双注册项目, 在公共教育中对权威、课程和标准化进行本地化思考和修订。为了加强和确保地理学在美国教育中的地位, 建议对AP人文地理学持续进行评估。

Esta sección Focus de The Professional Geographer incluye cuatro artículos preparados para un programa de evaluación de la Geografía Humana en Ubicación Avanzada (AP) [Advanced Placement (AP) Human Geography]. Haciendo uso de datos de veinte años del programa AP, los autores indagan sobre la participación de los estudiantes en el curso y sobre cómo les fue en el examen. Los datos del examen AP se analizaron en las escalas nacional, estatal y de distrito, así como para estudiantes diferenciados según grado, raza, etnia y género. La sección Focus concluye con un comentario que reflexiona sobre los valores privados y públicos de un curso de geografía en el programa AP. Esta introducción presenta los argumentos con los que se justifica la evaluación del programa, un resumen de sus hallazgos claves y un llamado a los geógrafos para que mejoren la efectividad del AP en Geografía Humana, al tiempo que se apoyan las asociaciones de investigación–práctica, los programas de doble matrícula y otras alternativas concebidas y adaptadas localmente a la autoridad corporativa, el currículo prescriptivo y la estandarización en la educación pública. Es recomendable una evaluación continua de la Geografía Humana AP como parte de un esfuerzo más amplio basado en la disciplina para fortalecer y asegurar el estatus de la geografía en la educación americana.

Key Words:

• educational evaluation
• geography education
• higher education
• high schools
• John Dewey

关键词:

• 教育评估
• 地理学教育
• 高等教育
• 高中
• 约翰·杜威

Palabras clave:

• evaluación educativa
• educación geográfica
• educación superior
• escuelas secundarias
• John Dewey

Disclosure Statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Correction Statement

This article has been corrected with minor changes. These changes do not impact the academic content of the article.

Notes

1 The articles in this Focus section are based on data provided in the College Board’s annual AP program reports. The Grosvenor Center downloaded AP program data for 2001 through 2020 from the College Board’s Web site. College Board reports AP program results in a folder with a Microsoft Excel spreadsheet with AP program summary data for the nation (e.g., national-summary-2019.xlsx) and for every state (e.g., Texas-summary-2019.xlsx). The national and state spreadsheets include AP score distributions for each AP course by race or ethnicity, gender, and grade level. The score distributions indicate the number of exams taken overall and exam counts by AP grade (on a scale of 1–5).

2 During the preparation of this program assessment, the Grosvenor Center sent three separate memos to the College Board requesting access to AP program data for 2021 and 2022; an explanation for why the AP Potential tool does not support prospective AP Human Geography students in ninth grade given their large numbers; and information about the amount of revenue associated with ninth-grade exams and how those funds are being spent. The College Board did not respond to these requests.

Additional information

Funding

Funding support for the program assessment of AP Human Geography was provided by the Grosvenor Center for Geographic Education at Texas State University.

Notes on contributors

Michael Solem

MICHAEL SOLEM is a Professor in the Department of Geography and Environmental Studies at Texas State University, San Marcos, TX 78666. E-mail: [email protected]. His research interests include geography curriculum and assessment studies, teacher education, faculty development, and geography in higher education. He is Co-Director of the National Center for Research in Geography Education.

Richard G. Boehm

RICHARD G. BOEHM is a Professor in the Department of Geography and Environmental Studies and holds the Jesse H. Jones Distinguished Chair in Geographic Education at Texas State University, San Marcos, TX 78666. E-mail: [email protected]. He is also the Director of the Gilbert M. Grosvenor Center for Geographic Education and Co-Director of the National Center for Research in Geography Education.

Joann Zadrozny

JOANN ZADROZNY is the Senior Research Associate for the Gilbert M. Grosvenor Center for Geographic Education at Texas State University, San Marcos, TX 78666. E-mail: [email protected]. Her research interests include geography teaching and learning, geography standards, and educational policy.