Learning and Understanding: Improving Advanced Study of Mathematics and Science in U.S. High Schools Report of the Content Panel for Chemistry (2002) / Chapter Skim
Currently Skimming:
2. Overview of Advanced Study Programs in Chemistry in U.S. High Schools
2. Overview of Advanced Study Programs in Chemistry in U.S. High Schools
Pages 3-10
The Chapter Skim interface presents what we've algorithmically identified as the most significant single chunk of text within every page in the chapter.
Select key terms on the right to highlight them within pages of the chapter.
From page 3... ...
Secondary schools that wish to offer an AP chemistry course must be prepared to provide a laboratory experience equivalent to that of a typical college course (College Entrance Examination Board [CEEB]
|
From page 4... ...
It is in the first course that the requisite concepts are learned and the laboratory skills developed that are needed to legitimize advanced study in the second high school chemistry course.4 An appropriate background in mathematics is needed to succeed in AP chemistry, and the College Board addresses this matter as well: "In addition, the recommended mathematics prerequisite for an AP chemistry class is the 2The College Board (2001b) reports that in 2001 of the 55,000 students taking AP Chemistry, 3,000 were in the ninth or tenth grades, and 28,000 were in the eleventh grade.
|
From page 5... ...
Moreover, students who enroll in and complete AP chemistry, or any other AP courses, are not required by the College Board to take the AP examination developed by the College Board and administered by the Educational Testing Service.5 Administered each May, the AP chemistry examination takes 3 hours and consists of 2 sections. The first section (90 minutes)
|
From page 6... ...
Unlike the AP program, the IB program seeks to provide interdisciplinary preparation for university work rather than attempting to meet particular university course requirements, although strong perfor9Although AP courses are not traditionally offered as an integrated program, the panel notes that for several years the College Board has offered an International Diploma for Advanced Placement. This program is designed for students who plan to pursue undergraduate studies outside the United States or Canada.
|
From page 7... ...
To ensure quality and to foster improvements, teachers are required to submit copies of their PSOW annually to the IBO for moderation and feedback. As noted above, the College Board recommends that at least 290 minutes per week be allotted for an AP chemistry class (174 total hours per year, assuming a 36-week academic year)
|
From page 8... ...
Final IB scores for each student are a combination of the results of the IA and the external scoring of the examination papers but are reported to the school as a single total. QUALIliICATIONS FOR CACHING ADVANCED HIGH SCHOOL COURSES IN CHEMISTRY To provide a chemistry course consistent with the criteria noted above for an advanced study course in chemistry at the high school level, those 13The Group 4 project is an interdisciplinary activity that involves all of the IB science students at the school in identifying and investigating an issue, usually of local interest.
|
From page 9... ...
The preparation of AP and IB chemistry teachers is discussed in detail in Chapter 4. DEFINITION OF ADVANCED STUDY IN CHEMISTRY FOR HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS The chemistry panel agrees that the prerequisite first-year high school course in chemistry should provide students with an introduction to the atomic-scale view of matter, including its connection to macroscopic physical and chemical properties and to the language used to express these relationships, using the periodic table as an organizing entity.
|
From page 10... ...
FINDINGS AND CONCLUSIONS Although exceptions exist among schools and teachers, the chemistry panelfinds that in general the material taught in advanced courses (as specified in the guidebooks provided by the College Board and the IBM fail to meet many of the criteria outlined in the previous section. In addition, the panel finds the AP and IB final examinations to be formulate and predictable from year to year in their approaches and question formats.
|
Key Terms
This material may be derived from roughly machine-read images, and so is provided only to facilitate research.
More
information on Chapter Skim is available.