During the Cold War, policymakers began to fear that the reason why an American triumph over the Soviet Union wasn't being achieved was that students weren't being adequately prepared in high school and college. The fact that the USSR had caught up to the United States in terms of developing atomic weapons and in space exploration contributed to the growing unrest and uneasiness about the next generation of American scientists. In response to this fear, the Ford Foundation created the Fund for the Advancement of Education (FAE) in 1951 to help boost American school programs in science, technology, engineering, and math.
An early FAE investigation found that some students were taking first-year classes at colleges which basically repeated what they had already learned in high school, and it suggested that advanced students should be taking "advanced placement" classes instead. Another FAE project worked on developing introductory college-level classes at high schools. The two merged to form a pilot program that introduced "advanced placement" classes in high schools, cumulating in an exam that could promote students to higher level classes in college. The first ten AP exams offered in 1952 included physics, chemistry, literature, and several others regarding languages and science.
The program was initially named In its early days, all exams were no longer than three hours and students could pay a $10 fee to take as many exams as they wanted. The scoring system was still the same, with the highest being a 5 and the lowest being a 1. In 1955, the College Board took over the program's administration, renaming it the College Board Advanced Placement Program.
As schools began focusing more on training teachers and maintaining the consistency of the AP program, the number of students taking exams has skyrocketed. At least one in eight, or about 12%, of all high school students in the United States, took at least one AP exam last year. Changes have also been made to the process of ordering tests. Today, each exam is individually purchased and the pricing of exams has gone up to around $94 per test.
The original purpose of the AP program in the 1950s was to bridge the gap between secondary and higher education while training young Americans in the fields of STEM. Now, the tests are seen as a way to test our knowledge in advanced high school curriculum while also allowing us to demonstrate our interests in certain fields.
Sources: http://mentalfloss.com/article/56692/brief-history-advanced-placement-exams
https://blog.prepscholar.com/history-of-ap-classes-exams
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ReplyDeleteI had no idea that AP tests were made during the Cold War as a response to America's fear. I also found it interesting that the price for AP tests have drastically changed, and that today, you have to pay around $94 for each AP test. Apparently, in 2008, College Board could not administer the French AP exam, as well as two other exams due to lack of funding. The increase in price per test may have to do with that. Another cool fact is that Harlan Hanson, who was a student at Harvard, was the first director of College Board.
Great Post! This was something that I wanted to research after taking the test on Friday. I did not know that the tests were created during the Cold War in response to the Soviet Union. I found that part particularly interesting. But, after getting over the initial awe, it made realize that these tests are quite antiquated. It made me ask the question if having a Test at the end of the course was really worth it. Moving forward, I wonder if will continue to have AP Tests or will they significantly change them in some way to adapt to all the changes around.
ReplyDeleteRadical post. I like how you posted around the time of the actual ap test. If you wanted to go further with this, you could look into ways the ap system could be changed if you think it needs it. You could also look into why you would think its great
ReplyDeleteThanks for the post, Julia! I thought this topic was very meta. I hadn't realized that the AP test had a history extending all the way back into the Cold War. I read in an article that the Cold War prompted more than just an arms race, but also an education race as both sides sought to out-compete each other. Not only did the launch of Sputnik result in the AP test, it also instigated the government to pass the National Defense Education Act. Even today, we see the threat of foreign Superior technology has resulted in the US expanding defense budgets AND often moving for education reform. Miller, a Harvard doctor on a panel following Sputnik's launch said, "Decades after Sputnik burned in the atmosphere, we’re still talking about science education as a means of security."
ReplyDeletehttps://news.harvard.edu/gazette/story/2007/10/how-sputnik-changed-u-s-education/
Woah! I wish the fee for AP testing was still $10, instead of $97 per test! It is so interesting that these tests started because of the Cold War... I guess that is something to be thankful for in the cold war (or not, depending on how you view AP testing). I had no idea that the launching of Sputnik would have pushed americans to act so quickly to change education policies so fast in this way. I really do feel greatful for the opportunity that AP testing has given me!
ReplyDeleteDo you think that AP tests are helpful? This article from stanford believes that they are not, and it might be worth a read-
https://news.stanford.edu/2013/04/22/advanced-placement-courses-032213/
Julia! Awesome post and super interesting as well. The FAE also aligns with the United States' decision to pass the National Defense Education Act, which made it so STEM was the emphasized as a potential job field for college graduates. Looking at the history of college board, "College Board is an American non-profit organization that was formed in December 1899 as the College Entrance Examination Board (CEEB) to expand access to higher education." So, College Board actually goes back much further than the National Defense Education Act and the period during Cold War hysteria. Representatives of 12 universities gathered to collaborate on making a status quo for college and high school education. As it does now, CollegeBoard has also faced criticism for decades. "Since at least the late 1970s, College Board has been subject to criticism from students, educators, and consumer rights activists." Many have called out the organization for being corrupt, "[they have] excessive profits and exorbitant executive compensation; nineteen of its executives make more than $300,000 per year, with CEO Gaston Caperton earning $1.3 million in 2009".
ReplyDeletehttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/College_Board