LOGO August 5, 2014
Why was the AP US course changed? Many history professors and public school teachers believed AP History was more about memorization and the coverage of information than the development of authentic history skills. Social Studies experts wanted students successfully completing AP US History to have obtained the following skills: analyzing and synthesizing primary and secondary sources recognizing reoccurring concepts and themes constructing historical arguments through writing.
Changes in the AP US History Course The new course has seven overarching social studies themes (Explanations on next slide): 1. Identity 2. Work, Exchange, and Technology 3. Peopling 4. Politics and Power 5. America in the World 6. Environment and Geography 7. Ideas, Beliefs, and Culture
Changes in the AP US History Course 1. The course is centered upon 7 Overarching Social Studies Themes: Identity (What is our national identity and how has that changed?) Work, Exchange & Technology (agriculture, commerce, and manufacturing) Peopling (moving to, from, and within the United States) Politics and Power (What role does local, state, and national government play in the development of the U.S.?) America in the World (participation, influence, and impact on the world) Environment and Geography (How has the environment and geography of America influenced, constrained and shaped our development and how have we sought to preserve and protect its natural wonder and resources?) Ideas, Beliefs, and Culture (how have ideas, beliefs, and culture helped change America?
9 Historical Thinking Skills The New AP Course focuses on 9 Historical Thinking Skills (Explanations on next slide) 1. Historical Causation 2. Patterns of Continuity and Change over Time 3. Periodization 4. Comparison 5. Contextualization 6. Historical Argumentation 7. Use of Relevant Historical Evidence 8. Interpretation 9. Synthesis
9 Historical Thinking Skills 1. Historical Causation (analyzing and comparing causes and effects) 2. Patterns of Continuity and Change over Time (example: continuous push for political freedom in America). 3. Periodization (how are history units and time periods organized?) 4. Comparison (Compare and contrast historical developments from across various time periods). 5. Contextualization (how does a local or regional event fit into the national scope of American History?) 6. Historical Argumentation (Analyze and evaluate various historical arguments and use historical sources to construct an argument) 7. Use of Relevant Historical Evidence (describe and evaluate evidence from diverse sources) 8. Interpretation (analyze various interpretations and how they have changed over time) 9. Synthesis (To construct an understanding or an argument using a diverse collection of primary and secondary sources)
Old AP US History Standards The Old AP US History Standards had 28 different time periods set up like the one below. Period 4 The American Revolutionary Era, 1754 1789 The French and Indian War The Imperial Crisis and resistance to Britain The War for Independence State constitutions and the Articles of Confederation The federal Constitution
9 Historical Periods The New AP US History Periodization Period Date Range Instructional Time Percent of AP Exam 1 1491 1607 5% 5% 2 1607 1754 10% 3 1754 1800 12% 4 1800 1848 10% 5 1844 1877 13% 45 % 6 1865 1898 13% 45% 7 1890 1945 17% 8 1945 1980 15% 9 1980 Present 5% 5%
9 Historical Periods The New AP US History Periodization Period Date Range Instructional Topics 1 1491 1607 Pre-Columbian Exchange / Cultures Collide 2 1607 1754 European Colonization 3 1754 1800 The Road to Revolution / New Republic 4 1800 1848 Jacksonian Democracy / Slavery and Reform 5 1844 1877 The Civil War and Reconstruction 6 1865 1898 Industrial America / Gilded Age 7 1890 1945 Progressivism, Depression, World Wars 8 1945 1980 Cold War / Civil Rights Movement 9 1980 Present The New Conservatism / Global Society
Changes to the AP Exam Old AP US History Exam: 80 Multiple-Choice Questions (55 Minutes) 1 Document-Based Question (60 Minutes) 2 Free-Response Questions (70 minutes) New AP US History Exam (Explanation on next slide) 55 Multiple-choice Questions (55 Minutes 40%) 4 Short-Answer Questions (45 Minutes 20%) 1 Document-Based Question (60 Minutes 25%) 1 Long-Essay Question (35 Minutes 15%)
New AP Exam Explanation 55 Multiple-Choice Questions These multiple choice questions will ask students to select an answer from a question that is based upon a primary or secondary source (including passages, images, charts, maps, graphs, etc.). 4 Short-Answer Questions This section will ask students to briefly analyze, interpret, and explain various viewpoints on a given primary source. 1 Document-Based Question This section will ask students to analyze and synthesize several primary sources and place their conclusions in an essay. 1 Long-Essay Question - A student will construct an essay that states and defends a thesis based upon a question.
How is the Course Different? 1. The new AP US History Standards stress the development of authentic history skills over the memorization of endless information. 2. The new AP Standards are written in a deliberately broader, conceptual format in order to give teachers choice as to what example topics they use in class.
North Carolina State Social Studies Standards The NC DPI made a very similar switch to a conceptual / thematic format in 2011-2012. In the NC Social Studies Preamble, it is stated, Learning from history requires more than the memorization of people, places, dates, and events. It requires that students are able to explain the casual connections between and among events According to social studies curriculum specialists the new AP Standards align philosophically with the North Carolina state standards.
Media Criticisms 1. The Founding Fathers have been taken out of the new standards. 3.2 The resulting independence movement was fueled by established colonial elites, as well as by grassroots movements that included newly mobilized laborers, artisans, and women, and rested on arguments over the rights of British subjects, the rights of the individual, and the ideas of the Enlightenment. Including information about Thomas Jefferson, John Adams, Ben Franklin, or George Washington would be critical to meeting this objective. The standards are written broadly in order to give teachers flexibility.
Media Criticisms 2. The good things the USA has done, like the Marshall Plan, are not in the new standards. Standard 8.1 reads: The United States developed a foreign policy based on collective security and a multilateral economic framework that bolstered non- Communist nations. Though not explicitly stated, the Marshall Plan would definitely be an example of this objective.
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