USA TODAY: 'Overwhelmed with the entire process': 2020 AP exams are online, thanks to coronavirus
date：2020-05-19 16:54author：小编source：USA TODAYviews：
Dominique and Leamae King, seniors at Green Bay's Preble High School, are preparing for three Advanced Placement exams this spring. They're among the millions of students who will now take the tests online, among many other changes due to coronavirus.
GREEN BAY, Wis. – Over the 14 years Adam Wiskerchen has taught Advanced Placement psychology, he's become something of an expert in predicting the concepts and skills that students may see on the high-stakes exams every spring.
The Preble High School social studies teacher has conducted an audit of a decade's worth of exams, analyzing which terms most often appear in the multiple-choice and free-response essay questions on the test.
It's not an exact science, but Wiskerchen said it helps him narrow the focus of his class and the review materials he gives students.
But this year, as the coronavirus pandemic continues to rock the education world, Wiskerchen doesn't know what to expect because, starting Monday, his students and millions of others face AP exams that will look nothing like those from years prior. The testing runs through May 22.
During a typical year, high school students with advanced skills take AP classes that are taught at what is considered a college level. Schools can offer classes in a range of subjects, from physics and chemistry to history and geography to English literature and foreign languages.
The payoff comes each spring, when students gather in a large space – typically a gymnasium or cafeteria or library – for pencil-and-paper exams. They are given several hours to complete the exams, which are usually composed of a combination of multiple-choice and essay questions.
Depending on their performance, they may earn college credits, giving them a jump on their college requirements and, perhaps, a path to an early degree.
This year, the tests will be administered online, and students will use whatever device they have access to, whether computers, tablets or cellphones. They can either type their responses or send photos of written responses.
Because of the security concerns of having students test at home, everyone will take the exam at the same time. Although the times fall during daytime hours in the continental U.S., students in other countries may find themselves taking the exam in the middle of the night. A Japanese student in AP chemistry, for example, will take the test at 3 a.m. Friday.
Rather than hours, students will have 40-50 minutes total to answer one or two free-response essay questions, depending on the course.
"Every year is a guessing game," Wiskerchen said. "But this year, I think they're feeling even more overwhelmed with the entire process."
The College Board opted to only include topics and skills most AP teachers and students would've covered by early March. And because students can't be supervised, the College Board also made all exams open book and open note.
Good for some, bad for others
To students who count writing among their strengths or dread long hours of testing, the adjustments may make the exams easier.
Germantown High School senior Anika Pawlak said she was "really, really excited" at first when she heard about the changes because she usually does better on the free-response aspect of the tests.
"The multiple choice just gets really long and wearing, I feel like, especially after taking four tests over two weeks," she said.
For other students – those who prefer the multiple-choice section or don't have reliable access to internet or an appropriate device – the changes add stress.
Dominique King, a senior at Green Bay's Preble High School, said she has relied on her multiple-choice score in the past.
"We've had the same test format for the last two or three years," she said. "It's hard to change it so fast."
Wiskerchen has myriad concerns about how the test will pan out for his students, especially those who have limited access to high-speed, reliable internet, don't have the appropriate technology, or share one device – maybe a phone or a computer – with their entire household.
The Green Bay Area School District, where Wiskerchen teaches, has faced daunting challenges to take learning online.
Of Green Bay's more than 21,000 students, nearly 60% receive free and reduced lunch. About 1 in 5 households in the city of Green Bay lack a broadband connection, according to a 2018 National Digital Inclusion Alliance study.
Milwaukee Public Schools see similar issues, as almost 84% of its nearly 75,000 students come from economically disadvantaged backgrounds. Also, according to the same study, almost 23% of households in the city of Milwaukee lacked a broadband connection.
"Some kids barely have access to internet, some are sharing a computer among siblings and can barely make it on a Google Hangout session to study," Wiskerchen said. "It's not a normal year. I hope they're more lenient with grading, because the kids are all in such different places."
Pawlak said she thinks there won't be much room for error. Pawlak is taking an unusually heavy AP load: physics, biology, statistics, and English literature and composition. "I'm glad they did this because I was strongly considering not taking some of the AP tests just because of the lack of preparation I’m kind of feeling right now in some of my courses," Pawlak said.
Equity aside, relying on technology feels riskier than the typical pencil-and-paper method, Wiskerchen said. What if a student's computer freezes? What if the program closes out halfway through the testing time?
Brian Kurth, who teaches AP U.S. history at Appleton East High School, worries for students who rely on one cellphone and would use that one small screen to review the prompt and type their responses.
Or, he wonders: What if they choose to snap a photo of their written work, but it's blurry, they don't notice before sending it off and it's unreadable when it comes time for scoring?
"I'm a little wary of this," Kurth said, "so I'm encouraging most to type."
Germantown High School senior Anika Pawlak said she was "really, really excited" at first when she heard about the changes because she usually does better on the free-response aspect of the tests.
"The multiple choice just gets really long and wearing, I feel like, especially after taking four tests over two weeks," she said.
For other students – those who prefer the multiple-choice section or don't have reliable access to internet or an appropriate device – the changes add stress.
Dominique King, a senior at Green Bay's Preble High School, said she has relied on her multiple-choice score in the past.
"We've had the same test format for the last two or three years," she said. "It's hard to change it so fast."
Wiskerchen has myriad concerns about how the test will pan out for his students, especially those who have limited access to high-speed, reliable internet, don't have the appropriate technology, or share one device – maybe a phone or a computer – with their entire household.
The Green Bay Area School District, where Wiskerchen teaches, has faced daunting challenges to take learning online.
Of Green Bay's more than 21,000 students, nearly 60% receive free and reduced lunch. About 1 in 5 households in the city of Green Bay lack a broadband connection, according to a 2018 National Digital Inclusion Alliance study.
Milwaukee Public Schools see similar issues, as almost 84% of its nearly 75,000 students come from economically disadvantaged backgrounds. Also, according to the same study, almost 23% of households in the city of Milwaukee lacked a broadband connection.
"Some kids barely have access to internet, some are sharing a computer among siblings and can barely make it on a Google Hangout session to study," Wiskerchen said. "It's not a normal year. I hope they're more lenient with grading, because the kids are all in such different places."
Pawlak said she thinks there won't be much room for error. Pawlak is taking an unusually heavy AP load: physics, biology, statistics, and English literature and composition. "I'm glad they did this because I was strongly considering not taking some of the AP tests just because of the lack of preparation I’m kind of feeling right now in some of my courses," Pawlak said.
Equity aside, relying on technology feels riskier than the typical pencil-and-paper method, Wiskerchen said. What if a student's computer freezes? What if the program closes out halfway through the testing time?
Brian Kurth, who teaches AP U.S. history at Appleton East High School, worries for students who rely on one cellphone and would use that one small screen to review the prompt and type their responses.
Or, he wonders: What if they choose to snap a photo of their written work, but it's blurry, they don't notice before sending it off and it's unreadable when it comes time for scoring?
"I'm a little wary of this," Kurth said, "so I'm encouraging most to type."
Determined to make it work
Nevertheless, teachers are determined to prepare their students the best they can.
In Kurth's AP U.S. history class in Appleton, the changes made to the exam are certainly a curveball, but he's been preparing his students for the document-based question (DBQ) all year.
To complete a DBQ, students write a short essay, in which a student must craft an argument on a historical topic using a combination of their knowledge and several provided primary and secondary sources.
These days, Kurth posts review assignments and videos to Canvas, the online learning management system the Appleton Area School District uses for distance learning. Rather than providing sample multiple-choice questions, however, Kurth focuses on providing as many optional, timed DBQ prompts as he can.
Every once in a while, he meets with students face-to-face through Google Hangouts to see how they're doing. One bright note: Kurth has had much more time than he usually has to review with his students.
Although Wiskerchen, at Green Bay's Preble High School, doesn't know exactly what to expect as far as the test goes, he feels confident that the transition to virtual class review has been smooth.
For starters, he runs an AP psychology review account on both Twitter and Instagram, which combined have about 15,000 followers from all over the world. On the accounts, Wiskerchen shares multiple-choice questions, tips for test day and even comedic memes that touch on important terms.
"As soon as the school year begins, I start reviewing on social media," Wiskerchen said. "It's been actually extremely helpful, considering what we're going through right now."
It can be a challenge to meet with students at a set time during the day – many have picked up extra hours at part-time jobs. Wiskerchen hosts several review sessions every week, where he provides practice essay questions and times students like they will be timed on test day.
"I always tell the kids, just like in sports, the best way to practice is to scrimmage what the game is going to look like," Wiskerchen said.
Shorewood High School AP environmental science teacher Eric Mathews said that creating engaging content is key to keeping students focused and motivated.
"I've been working on posting these little podcasts or these little videos and just trying to create content that is a little funny, a little exciting, get some music in the background, whatever it is, to get the kids to say ‘You know, I’ll take some time right now to click on that link and see what Mr. Mathews has to say about creating electricity today or whatever it is,” Mathews said.
In Kurth's AP U.S. history class in Appleton, the changes made to the exam are certainly a curveball, but he's been preparing his students for the document-based question (DBQ) all year.
To complete a DBQ, students write a short essay, in which a student must craft an argument on a historical topic using a combination of their knowledge and several provided primary and secondary sources.
These days, Kurth posts review assignments and videos to Canvas, the online learning management system the Appleton Area School District uses for distance learning. Rather than providing sample multiple-choice questions, however, Kurth focuses on providing as many optional, timed DBQ prompts as he can.
Every once in a while, he meets with students face-to-face through Google Hangouts to see how they're doing. One bright note: Kurth has had much more time than he usually has to review with his students.
Although Wiskerchen, at Green Bay's Preble High School, doesn't know exactly what to expect as far as the test goes, he feels confident that the transition to virtual class review has been smooth.
For starters, he runs an AP psychology review account on both Twitter and Instagram, which combined have about 15,000 followers from all over the world. On the accounts, Wiskerchen shares multiple-choice questions, tips for test day and even comedic memes that touch on important terms.
"As soon as the school year begins, I start reviewing on social media," Wiskerchen said. "It's been actually extremely helpful, considering what we're going through right now."
It can be a challenge to meet with students at a set time during the day – many have picked up extra hours at part-time jobs. Wiskerchen hosts several review sessions every week, where he provides practice essay questions and times students like they will be timed on test day.
"I always tell the kids, just like in sports, the best way to practice is to scrimmage what the game is going to look like," Wiskerchen said.
Shorewood High School AP environmental science teacher Eric Mathews said that creating engaging content is key to keeping students focused and motivated.
"I've been working on posting these little podcasts or these little videos and just trying to create content that is a little funny, a little exciting, get some music in the background, whatever it is, to get the kids to say ‘You know, I’ll take some time right now to click on that link and see what Mr. Mathews has to say about creating electricity today or whatever it is,” Mathews said.
How will colleges respond?
Chief among some students and parents' concerns is whether colleges will even count the exams. So far, all signs point to most colleges going off the same criteria.
The College Board says on its website that, after speaking to admissions officers at hundreds of higher education institutions, it is confident the vast majority of higher education institutions will award credit and placement the same as they have in the past.
Sara Minkey, a junior at Appleton East High School, hopes to attend a prestigious school on the East Coast, like Yale University, so she can take her cello playing to the next level by studying music performance.
She is taking three AP courses this year – calculus, U.S. history and English language and composition – to get ahead and save money.
“If they accept those scores, that’ll reduce my tuition a lot and that’s how I’d be able to afford to go out of state,” Minkey said.
She’s not too worried about colleges not accepting her scores – Yale has announced it will – and her teachers have been reassuring. Whatever happens, Minkey believes the courses will be worthwhile because of the extra challenge they present, and help her stand out on her college applications.
Kurth, meanwhile, said he's glad that his students have a chance to take the test at all.
"A lot of these kids put in an incredible amount of hard work," he said. "AP classes are not easy throughout the whole year, so I'm really glad they're able to showcase that work and get that college credit, because they deserve it."
Source: https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2020/05/11/2020-ap-test-changes-coronavirus-online-essay-no-multiple-choice-rules-how-long-exam-study/3107814001/
The College Board says on its website that, after speaking to admissions officers at hundreds of higher education institutions, it is confident the vast majority of higher education institutions will award credit and placement the same as they have in the past.
Sara Minkey, a junior at Appleton East High School, hopes to attend a prestigious school on the East Coast, like Yale University, so she can take her cello playing to the next level by studying music performance.
She is taking three AP courses this year – calculus, U.S. history and English language and composition – to get ahead and save money.
“If they accept those scores, that’ll reduce my tuition a lot and that’s how I’d be able to afford to go out of state,” Minkey said.
She’s not too worried about colleges not accepting her scores – Yale has announced it will – and her teachers have been reassuring. Whatever happens, Minkey believes the courses will be worthwhile because of the extra challenge they present, and help her stand out on her college applications.
Kurth, meanwhile, said he's glad that his students have a chance to take the test at all.
"A lot of these kids put in an incredible amount of hard work," he said. "AP classes are not easy throughout the whole year, so I'm really glad they're able to showcase that work and get that college credit, because they deserve it."
Source: https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2020/05/11/2020-ap-test-changes-coronavirus-online-essay-no-multiple-choice-rules-how-long-exam-study/3107814001/
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