The Advanced Placement U.S. History exam will be administered around the country in just one week (on May 14). And as you may know, it鈥檚 the last year the test will appear in its current format鈥攆or 2014-15, the College Board is .
The new curriculum will be more specific about which historical details teachers need to cover, rather than simply stating how much weight they should give to a particular historical period. As the states, the previous 鈥渓ack of specificity put pressure on many teachers (who were uncertain of what might appear on the AP exam) to attempt cover every detail of American history.鈥� (No small feat!)
The changes also aim to align the course more closely to college credit requirements and will emphasize 鈥渉istorical thinking skills,鈥� such as 鈥渃hronological reasoning, comparing and contextualizing, [and] crafting historical arguments using historical evidence.鈥� Does any of this sound familiar yet? Focus, emphasis on critical thinking, textual evidence, college readiness ... . Yes, sounds a lot like the goals of the Common Core State Standards. Sure enough, here鈥檚 the answer to the next question, straight from the FAQ:
As we reported in March, the College Board is also . The changes there are quite similar to the ones described above, including an emphasis on citing evidence and coverage of fewer topics. They鈥檒l reflect the common standards, too鈥攚hich College Board president David Coleman helped write.
In fact, the and programs are changing, too, and in similar ways. The new exams for those will come out for spring 2016. (You can see a list of all the .)
As for the AP History exam format, here鈥檚 how next year鈥檚 will compare to the one next week:
You鈥檒l notice that there will be fewer multiple-choice questions and more writing. That鈥檚 not unlike the common-core-aligned tests, which are currently still field-testing.
In the meantime, students and teachers preparing for next week鈥檚 test might want to browse these . Some are mainly motivational and offer logistical tips, as in 鈥渄ress comfortably鈥� for the test and 鈥渉ave a quiet, early evening鈥� beforehand. (There are so many tips provided, in fact, that they might not be great for already anxious students.) Other videos include short interviews with historians on core concepts in U.S. history that are likely to show up on the exam. There鈥檚 also a sheet with , which, based on the comments, teachers seem to love. It鈥檚 all free, though you may have to register for some resources.