The AP lever for boosting access, success, and equity

Roegman, Rachel; Hatch, Thomas

doi:10.1177/0031721716629653

Cited by 10 publications

(18 citation statements)

References 1 publication

(1 reference statement)

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“…First, school context matters. This has long been known, of course, but seeing how context matters in relation to a specific high-stakes exam with critical implications for college course-taking is an extension of prior literature in this area (e.g., Roegman & Hatch, 2016). Districts’ per-student total funding allocations and the length of the school year have positive significant associations with students’ AP performance gains.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Historically, urban and economically disadvantaged students had less access to AP programs than their better-off peers (Schneider, 2009). Although extensive efforts to increase access for students in urban and high-poverty schools to AP programs have been undertaken (The College Board, 2014; Conger, Long, & Iatarola, 2009; Lichten, 2010; Roegman & Hatch, 2016; Wyatt & Mattern, 2011), tracking systems and the quantity of offerings are often barriers to enrollment in AP courses (Klopfenstein, 2004; Klugman, 2013; Schneider, 2009; Zarate & Pachon, 2006). Nevertheless, simply increasing access to AP examinations does not increase the percentage of economically disadvantaged students passing AP examinations (Hallett & Venegas, 2011; Lichten, 2010).…”

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confidence: 99%

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When Do Students in Low-SES Schools Perform Better-Than-Expected on a High-Stakes Test? Analyzing School, Teacher, Teaching, and Professional Development Characteristics

et al. 2016

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This empirical study analyzed data from 638 teachers and 11,800 students in low-socioeconomic status (SES) urban schools (and schools with urban characteristics) exploring associations of school, teacher, teaching, and professional development characteristics toward student performance on the revised Advanced Placement (AP) Biology and AP Chemistry examinations. The analyses indicated that districts per-student funding allocations, the days of instruction, teachers’ knowledge and experience, and some aspects of teachers’ professional development participation were significantly associated with student performance on AP science examinations that was better than predicted by students’ Preliminary Scholastic Aptitude Test (PSAT) scores.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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confidence: 99%

When Do Students in Low-SES Schools Perform Better-Than-Expected on a High-Stakes Test? Analyzing School, Teacher, Teaching, and Professional Development Characteristics

et al. 2016

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“…Based on our findings, we present four recommendations for practice and policy in suburban schools that may help to recruit and retain more African American male students in AP English programs. First, open enrollment policies can improve access to AP English courses because African American male students and parents initiate the referral process rather than relying solely on school practitioner recommendations (Roegman & Hatch, 2016). Through open enrollment policies enacted at Suburban High, several participants in this study successfully advocated for placement in AP English (and other AP) coursework, suggesting that African American male students can be empowered to make decisions about advanced coursework in their own best interests while mitigating the gatekeeping effects of teachers and school counselors (Davis et al, 2013;Roegman & Hatch, 2016;Whiting & Ford, 2009).…”

Section: Improving Equity In Ap English Programs By Listening To and Learning From Successful African American Male Studentsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…First, open enrollment policies can improve access to AP English courses because African American male students and parents initiate the referral process rather than relying solely on school practitioner recommendations (Roegman & Hatch, 2016). Through open enrollment policies enacted at Suburban High, several participants in this study successfully advocated for placement in AP English (and other AP) coursework, suggesting that African American male students can be empowered to make decisions about advanced coursework in their own best interests while mitigating the gatekeeping effects of teachers and school counselors (Davis et al, 2013;Roegman & Hatch, 2016;Whiting & Ford, 2009). Open enrollment policies could also facilitate the work of school teams that bring together teachers, counselors, and administrators to recruit African American male students into AP English.…”

Section: Improving Equity In Ap English Programs By Listening To and Learning From Successful African American Male Studentsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Open enrollment policies could also facilitate the work of school teams that bring together teachers, counselors, and administrators to recruit African American male students into AP English. Rather than relying solely on teacher and counselor nominations and students' previous participation in honors coursework, school teams can use alternative methods to identify African American male students for AP English, including parent and student referrals; targeted reviews of the academic records of all African American male students; and individual meetings with Black freshmen and sophomores about potential interest in AP English (Davis et al, 2013;Roegman & Hatch, 2016).…”

Section: Improving Equity In Ap English Programs By Listening To and Learning From Successful African American Male Studentsmentioning

confidence: 99%

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“I'm Trying to Beat a Stereotype”: Suburban African American Male Students’ Social Supports and Personal Resources for Success in AP English Coursework

McArdle¹,

Turner

2021

Teachers College Record

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Background African American male students attending U.S. suburban schools remain severely underrepresented in Advanced Placement (AP) programs. A number of structural barriers, including racialized tracking policies; limited referrals from educators and school counselors; conventional AP practices centered on Eurocentric curricula, literature, and pedagogies; and educators’ deficit mindsets toward Black masculinity, mitigate African American male students’ access to and success in suburban AP classrooms. Despite these sobering realities, African American male students have achieved success in AP English Language Arts coursework. Yet few researchers have investigated the multiple and complex forms of support to which African American male students attribute their successful performance in AP English coursework in suburban high schools. Purpose/Research Question In an effort to close opportunity gaps in AP English programs, the present study illuminates the social supports and personal resources that African American male students mobilized to earn exemplary grades (i.e., maintaining a grade of B- or higher, or 79.6% or higher out of 100%) in an AP English Language and Composition and/or an English Literature and Composition course, and earn a passing score on the formal AP exam (i.e., 3 or higher). Countering deficit-oriented research paradigms, we employed an anti-deficit achievement framework to (re)position young African American men as capable, motivated, and agentive learners who marshal complex supportive networks, as well as their own personal resources, to successfully learn academic literacies in AP English classrooms. Our inquiry was guided by the following research question: To what social supports and personal resources do young African American men who graduated from a suburban high school attribute their success in AP English coursework? Participants Eight young African American men who were enrolled in AP English coursework in a suburban Mid-Atlantic secondary school were the participants in this study. Participants were successful learners who received exemplary grades in an AP English class, were taught by the first author, and earned a passing score on an AP English exam. Participants’ ages ranged from 21 to 33 years, and all were attending or had graduated from a four-year college or university. Research Design The young men participated in one-on-one, in-depth interviews. Interviews probed the participants’ personal experiences in AP English, their perspectives in achieving success in the class and on the formal exam, and their recollections of the AP English curriculum, and were cross-analyzed for common sources of supports through multiple coding cycles. Findings The young men highlighted six sources of support that were integral to their AP English success. They described three sources of social supports—the wisdom, guidance, and caring that they received from family members, English teachers, and peers—that promoted their success in AP English. In addition, participants identified three types of personal resources—their own college aspirations, persistence in learning academic literacies, and racial consciousness—that inspired and motivated their high scholastic achievement in AP English. Conclusion By mobilizing the rich social supports and personal resources in their lives, African American male students have the resilience, courage, and the intelligence to enroll and succeed in AP English coursework. We suggest that suburban school administrators, school counselors, and teachers use open AP enrollment policies; work closely with and provide pertinent information to African American families; address students’ social emotional concerns; and ensure that AP English pedagogical practices are humanizing to improve the recruitment and retention of African American male students in AP English programs. Finally, we contend that educational scholars and practitioners must continue to engage in research and practice that nurture young African American male students’ social supports and personal resources for AP English success.

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Advanced placement course credit and undergraduate student success in gateway science courses

et al. 2022

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Approximately 2 million students take Advanced Placement (AP) examinations annually. However, departmental policies that allow students to replace introductory courses with AP credit greatly vary within and across universities, even across relatively similar universities. This study examines the impact of AP credit policies on second‐course success in introductory Biology, Chemistry, and Physics course sequences at six large public research universities (N = 48,230 students). Applying logistic regression analyses, we found that general performance indicators and measures of systemic inequities during high school were predictive of students earning skip‐eligible scores. Interestingly, we descriptively discovered wide variation across institutions and disciplines in the percentage of students who chose to skip when meeting their local policies. However, logistic regression analysis did not find general trends of inequalities for skipping courses for students with skip‐eligible scores. We then applied inverse‐probability weights with regression adjustment to examine the effects of course skipping. We found that students who skipped their first course with AP credit actually performed similarly well or better in subsequent courses than did students who did not skip, even in contexts where lower AP scores were accepted. Therefore, our study suggests administrators to increase coherence in AP credit policies across departments and disciplines. In particular, we encourage modifying AP credit policies and academic advising to encourage students to skip when they have eligible AP scores. Benefits may include reductions in unnecessary coursework that is burdensome for both students and universities, potentially freeing up resources to better support students who were not privileged to enroll in AP courses during their high school education.

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The AP lever for boosting access, success, and equity

Cited by 10 publications

References 1 publication

When Do Students in Low-SES Schools Perform Better-Than-Expected on a High-Stakes Test? Analyzing School, Teacher, Teaching, and Professional Development Characteristics

When Do Students in Low-SES Schools Perform Better-Than-Expected on a High-Stakes Test? Analyzing School, Teacher, Teaching, and Professional Development Characteristics

“I'm Trying to Beat a Stereotype”: Suburban African American Male Students’ Social Supports and Personal Resources for Success in AP English Coursework

Advanced placement course credit and undergraduate student success in gateway science courses

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