Mr Rappleye Welcome The Exam

1. Perspectives on Advanced Placement Literature and Composition Mr Rappleye Welcome The Exam

2. Looking at the Exam: a frame of reference • 3 hour exam in early May • 1 hour: 50-60 Multiple Choice Questions: • 2 hours: 3 essays • Poem • Prose • “Open” Question (analytical-expository essay)

3. Multiple Choice • 4 passages: period/diversity/canon • 10-15 questions on each passage • Close Reading • Poetry/prose/plays • Late 16th century to present • 60 minutes • weighted :45 % • reliability • available

4. Essays • 3 Essays • Approximately 40 minutes each • “Sight Reading” • Poem • Prose • “Open question” • device or theme • choose a work of merit

5. Scoring • Each Essay read and scored separately, by different readers • Readers are trained for ONE question • One room reading Each Essay • Chief Faculty Consultant (1) • Question Leader (3) • “Table”: 6 readers and a Table Leader • 600+ readers from around the country • Experienced High School AP teachers • College teachers (rhetoric and confidence)

6. Reading • Holistic Scoring • Scoring Guide • 9 point scale • “Range Finders” • First half of first day • Regular checks after that: after every break • Table leaders’ first days checking scores

7. 9 point Scale • First Draft • Top half or Bottom half? • Scoring Guide: key terms • Samples--range finders • Internalizing Standard • Watch the “5” (Nine Point Scale) • Use full range

8. Touchpoints • You don’t know what the score means in terms of final grade • AP: • 1:No Recommendation • 2:Possibly Qualified • 3: Qualified • 4:Well Qualified • 5:Extremely Well qualified

9. Cross referencing • Standards established by the students’ performance; NOT before the essays are read • Similarities in phrasing but… • Reader’s results correlated to the MC • Emphasis on accuracy • Grading “Blind”

10. Getting to the Final Score • Raw Score Multiple Choice: 45 % (67 pts) • Raw Score of Essays: 55% (83 pts) • FORMULA: 150 Point total • The “lines” separating 1,2,3,4,and 5 are then determined by Chief Reader, looking at results, comparing to past in consultation with statisticians from ETS. • What does the score mean?

11. FYI... • 25 Questions on Prose • Global mean: 13.8 • 30 Questions on Poetry • Global mean: 18.5 • Poetry Analysis: 4.6 • Prose Analysis: 4.6 • Analytical-Expository Essay: 5.0 • 1999 AP Lit and Comp Exam • 176,221 candidates • FIVE: 11.3% • FOUR: 21.5% • THREE: 35.5% • TWO: 26.4% • ONE: 5.4%

12. Implications: Habitual focus on COMPLEXITY • of Tone • of Characterization • of Theme • Also, Cultural Literacy • Style (composition) • Timed Testing (practice and preparation)

13. To Whom? Various Perspectives on the Exam • Colleges • Administration/Marketing • Students…do you know why they are there? • Marketing? • College Credit? • Interest! • Parents • ETS… • You!

14. My perspective... • English teacher at MICDS 14 yrs • Evolution of an AP program • Coach Cross Country and Track • Reader for the AP Lit and Comp exam • try to get involved • Have taught AP Lit and Comp as • year long junior level course • year long senior course • semester long course

15. The Test and YOUR Course • No required Coverage • BUT! • Variety • Genre • Period • Skills Test: Close Reading • Freedom and Limitations

16. What’s Your Unique Situation? Who’s Paying? Texts... Teaching to the Test: It’s a good test, but... Teaching Your Passion What can you Control and what lies beyond your control? Enrollment How many take tests? How will You Evaluate your success? How will OTHERS? Limits and/as Opportunities

17. Sharing some perspectives • This Course and how it got that way • Items for Emphasis: Some Things that work • Items to Mention: helpful hints • Scoring the Exam: practice • Questions