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Report from the 2009 APWH Reading
in Fort Collins, Colorado
6/13/09 - Silver Spring, MD
Message from the Chief Reader:
Our general perception at the reading was that this year's students were better prepared than last year's, and this was affirmed by the final numbers. The mean score on the objective part of the exam was a full 2 points higher than last year, and the mean scores on the essays were also higher. 4.4% of the essays received the score of 7, 8, or 9 (last year this number was 2%), so the percentage of students who are doing really well is getting larger. I know many of you do workshops throughout the year, so please communicate this good news to the teachers who attend these, and keep doing whatever you've been doing to produce these fine results!
From 6/8/09 - Fort Collins
Statistics from the Chief reader (unofficial and not final):
- Total number of exams - 144,500+ (15.5% increase from last year)
- Multiple Choice: 36.53 (out of 70), so roughly 52%, compared to 57.7% in 2007 and 50.2% in 2002
- DBQ - 2.61 (out of 9), compared to 2.03 in 2008
- CCOT - 2.66 (out of 9), compared to 2.60 in 2008
- C&C - 2.76 (out of 9), compared to 1.20 in 2008
The comparative question took a lot longer to score than usual because more students actually attempted it.
The DBQ and CCOT seemed to have easier rubrics than past years, can't speak about the Comparative as I didn't read that question.
From 6/8/09 - Fort Collins, taken from Monty Armstrong's posting.
The Morning Farm Report-Day 6
Goooooood Morning Neighbors.
Well yesterday was fun. Just at lunch (of course) we had thunder,
lighting, rain, and hail that made the campus look as if it had just
suffered a snowstorm. If you were indoors, it was quite the sight.
We still have the prediction of t-storms for the next two days, but
after Tuesday, the Euro Readers will have to deal with the weather.
As I look out my window today, the skies look gray but it is Colorado.
Today at about 9:00 the DBQ finished!!! A round of applause to Tim
Keirn, who is the Question Leader, and the Readers! The down side is
that they had to retrain for one of the 2 other essay questions. We
are well positioned to finish tomorrow afternoon.
The high light of last evening was the Lesson Jamboree, presented by
the mother goddess of AP World History, Heidi Roupp. Without going
into all the details of the presentations and if you had not seen the
notices on the list and you want a copy, contact Heidi at heidiroupp@aol.com
.
Now as promised, Dr Jerry Bentley’s comments on the CCOT.
(Moderator’s Note: I had to take out some examples because we were not
sure if the students had checked the box on the back of the booklet or
not.)
Scores are relatively high for the CCOT question this year. Students
know a lot of stuff about the silk roads, which have become part of
the canon for AP world history, and for good reason. As a result, many
essays mention silk, porcelain, Buddhism, Christianity, Islam, and
bubonic plague as travelers on the silk roads. A small minority
mentioned Zoroastrianism, Manichaeism, and Nestorian Christianity as
fellow travelers (so to speak) on the silk roads.
So now the question is, if they know a lot of stuff, is it possible
for them to discuss all the stuff they know in persuasive,
intelligent, analytical fashion? Well, some can. Several times now I
have seen a 9 that would knock you off your chair.
What about the others? Well, some are better than others. Somewhere I
have heard that one thing students might consider focusing on is
“thesis, thesis, thesis.” That point holds true for this year’s CCOT
essay. The prompt asks for students to discuss continuities and
changes in patterns of interaction over the silk roads during the
period from 200 BCE to 1450 CE. So a really good thesis statement
might consider addressing some of the CONTINUITIES and CHANGES that
took place over the silk roads during the era 200 BCE to 1450 CE.
There is no need whatsoever to say that there were “political,
economic, religious, social, intellectual, and artistic” continuities
and changes in the silk roads. Are you getting my drift here? There is
no formula that will yield an acceptable thesis. A far better approach
would be for the student to address the question and develop a thesis
that has to do with both continuity and change in patterns of
interaction over the silk roads. And not just “There were many
continuities and a whole lot of changes in silk roads interactions.”
Here’s an example of a thesis statement that would work: “There were
continuities in that the silk roads always made it possible for ideas,
religious beliefs, and diseases to travel great distances, but there
were changes in the powers that dominated different regions of the
silk roads.” That is actually about the minimum acceptable thesis
statement for the CCOT question this year. The thesis needs to address
both continuity and change, and it needs to indicate at least in
general terms what was the nature of the continuity and the change.
Some students have gone further and offered quite sophisticated theses
involving periodization of the silk roads and explanations of
continuity and change in the period 200 BCE to 1450 CE.
Beyond “thesis, thesis, thesis,” what else can we say about the CCOT
essay this year? Before too long the scoring rubric and other
information will be available, so I’ll just mention one further point
about the content and organization of the essay. Some essays this year
don’t deal with issues of continuity and change. They discuss
advantages and disadvantages, causes and effects, beginning and end,
good effects and bad effects, etc., etc. As a result, even though they
are sometimes quite impressive on their own terms, their score will be
0 or 1 or maybe 2. A strong essay needs to deal with both continuity
and change involving interactions over the silk roads, and it needs to
mention some specific evidence supporting arguments about continuity
and change. Seems obvious, but many essays forget to discuss issues of
continuity and change.
Cheers,
Jerry B.
Jerry H. Bentley
Department of History
University of Hawaii
2530 Dole Street
Honolulu, HI 96822
Well Dear Readers, off to breakfast for the last time. I will be on
an early bus to the airport, but not the earliest. The first buses
start arriving at 3:30 in the morning!!! But I will send one more
missive before I depart.
Best
Monty
From 6/7/09 - Fort Collins, taken from Monty Armstrong's posting:
The Morning Farm Report-Day 5
Goooood Morning Neighbors
What a great day yesterday in Ft. Collins. Sunshine, breezes, a walk
back to the dorms in the warm twilight from the meeting. All the
things that would have conspired to have me flunk out after 1 semester.
The forecast is for isolated t-storms for the rest of the week but the
travel advisory has been lifted for Tuesday.
The Reading is going well with one very strange occurrence for those
of you who have read before. Today ALL of the DBQ tables will be
retrained on the other 2 essays. This is a new one for me, even after
reading World and Euro for 13 years. The DBQ is reading very well and
very quickly but the Comp is reading slower because so many students
are doing a great job. The Comp question has the highest mean score
of all three essays.
The meeting with the Test Committee and the Question Leaders went very well last night. For those of you still wondering about the changes to come in the test, that was not a subject for the meeting.
Now about the questions.
DBQ
2 responses
No double-dipping in the thesis
The thesis could be in the conclusion but it had to be a specified conclusion.
The student could get the “understands” point if it was correct but off task.
Correct grouping counts as understanding.
POV for two docs.
(The bad news is that) PERSIA does not work well on this DBQ.
The missing doc had to explain responses; it had to be in terms of the question.
CCOT
(I have a separate report about the CCOT from Jerry Bentley which I
will post tomorrow.)
The thesis had to deal with interactions, this being the operative word.
“Addresses” is a low bar.
5 pieces of accurate evidence
The student’s ability to analyze is improving.
The continuity of change, meaning that the constant introduction of
new religions, for example, is change but is the continuity of change.
COMP
5 items in the thesis:
- North America and South America
- Some sense of “racial ideology” meaning beyond using those words.
- Effects of racial ideology
- One similarity or difference.
Addresses needs all six items
4 pieces of evidence but they have to be 2 from each region at a
minimum and they have to relate to racial ideology in one way or
another.
One direct comparison
Analysis of one direct comparison.
(Again, this question has the highest mean score.)
All in all it was a good meeting. As those of you who have been here
in the past, these can sometimes get heated but I think the questions
were straight forward and the rubrics well written.
The sky outside my room is leaden so the t-storms may be on the way.
We shall see.
Now to breakfast and counting down. Two more days.
Best
Monty
From 6/6/09 - Fort Collins - taken from Monty Armstrong's posting:
The Morning Farm Report-Day 4
Goooood Morning Neighbors
Well, I finally get to abuse the weatherperson. We were supposed to have t-storms yesterday and it did not happen. They then said late pm but that did not happen either. As I look pout my window this morning it LOOKS like it might be a great day.
The bad news is that they are predicting t-storms for Tuesday and there may be flight delays!!!!!
The Reading is going well. The Readers are finding their groove and they are becoming one with the rubrics.
Had a chance to talk to Susan Litrell who is doing the CCOT and got some information about the details there.
1) The bar for evidence is high. The students need to provide not just a list of items but to have each items dealt with in a separate sentence as a separate thought. The bar is five pieces of evidence. (If you remember last year, for the Indian Ocean trade question points were given for each item mentioned.)
2) As usual, the thesis still presents a problem.
3) The global context point is also to be couched in terms of the Silk Road.
Yesterday’s activity was the annual trip to the Rockies. It is spectacular but daunting. It is a long bus ride to and fro and there is still snow so it can get cold. Those going were advised NOT to wear flip-flops and before you shake your head, this advice was given on the basis of last year’s trip.
You may notice that these reports are getting shorter and shorter. As much fun as the Reading is, it can be a little draining.
Tonight should prove interesting however. It is “Meet the Test Committee and Question Leaders” night that can often create a bit of heat, in deference to Gandhi. (“We should strive that our conversations generate more light than heat.”)
Well dear Readers, “Once more into the breech. . .”
Monty
The Morning Farm Report – Day 3
Goooood morning Neighbors.
Well the weatherperson was partly correct. We got thunder in the afternoon with a few drops of rain in the evening. As I look out my window, yes we have windows, it looks grey but we shall see.
Last night’s speaker was Sam Wineburg from Stanford University. If you are not familiar with his work he deals with historical thinking and the processes involved. There was too much for me to put in here but you might want to refer to his best known work, Historical Thinking and Other Unnatural Acts: Charting the Future of Teaching the Past (Critical Perspectives On The Past). And he also co-authored Knowing, Teaching, and Learning History: National and International Perspectives with someone named Peter Stearns (?) and Peter Seixas.
The Reading is moving along. For those you who have been here in the past, we are starting to see folders that have one of the other essays scored.
My friend Patrick Whelan (author along with Jennifer Laden of the Kaplan review book) is reading the DBQ and had the following comments:
1) The question is about RESPONSES and many of the students, especially when it comes to the missing document, are not taking that into account. This goes back to the idea that you need to work with your students to make sure that they are answering the question that they are being asked. NOT the one they THINK they are being asked.
2) The same problem occurs with grouping.
3) And, of course, the ever present “Thesis, thesis, thesis.
Brief I know but there was not a great deal of time for us to talk. I will have something more cogent for you later.
Well dear Readers, back once more to the oars.
Best
Monty
From 6/4/09 - Fort Collins - taken from Monty Armstrong's posting:
The Morning Farm Report-Day 2
Goooood Morning Neighbors
Well, as much as I like to abuse the weatherman, we did get a T-storm yesterday just as we were leaving the Reading. And the forecast calls for more of the same tomorrow and temps in the high 60s-low 70s during the day for the rest of the Reading.
I will give you my limited perspective on the C&C question, bearing in mind that I have only seen about 100 of the 140,000 essays.
I return to my well-worn drumbeat of “Thesis, thesis, thesis.” I am seeing students who have a grasp of the concept of “racial ideology” by what they write in the body of the essay, they simply do not put it in the thesis. If you look at the question, you will see 6 parts-
1) North and 2) Latin America
3) Racial ideology and 4) its effects
5) Similarities and 6) differences.
The thesis must deal with five. (I have seen only 2 papers that dealt with radical ideology.) They must deal with the first four and then with a difference or similarity. We are not looking for some in depth discussion of racial ideology but the concept that ideas about race determine how people act. I am seeing score sheets where 20 out of 25 students are not getting credit for a thesis.
Because they are not constructing a decent thesis, many students are also not getting full credit for addressing the question.
We are getting a ton of evidence, although some of it very strange and some of it outside the time period.
The other thing that is lacking in many papers is analysis of the reasons for either a similarity or difference between the two regions.
I will say that students seem to be writing longer essays then years past.
The meeting last night (College Board tries to keep us busy, even at night.) was the annual meting with the folks from the CB. Stats about the 2008 test including the fact that 77+% of the students taking the test are sophomores. Also the word that the redesign of the courses will probably start with the 2011-2012 school year and World History will be among the first. I have heard some rumors but will keep mute until things are official. The thing which is being said is that the redesign will NOT cause classroom teachers to have to find a new text.
Well dear readers, off to breakfast and back to the pink booklets.
Monty
From 6/3/09 - Fort Collins - taken from Monty Armstrong's posting:
The Morning Farm Report-Day 1
Goooood Morning Neighbors.
The first day of the general Reading started off with rain. Not heavy but rain. For this Southern California boy it is a strange feeling to be rained on. The forecast for today is scattered T-storms with a high of 67.
For those of you who are new since last year, allow me to give you a bit of enlightenment about the Morning Farm Report. The title originated in Lincoln the first year we read AP World. I had memories of my grand father sitting in the kitchen listening to the morning farm report before he went out to work his groves and the named seemed to fit with Lincoln.
The Morning Farm Report is designed to be both information about the Reading as well as details about the various essays (You have already seen one posting.)
Although today was the first full day with 800+ Readers, there has been a wealth of activity before this. First the Chief Reader and the Question Leaders sort through samples to find a representative group and create the operational rubric. Then the Table Leaders spend two days going over the samples to come up a with a group of 7-10 essays which will be given to the Readers. Remember that the operational rubric is based on the generic rubric but is designed to reflect what the students have written.
The Table Leaders spend most of the first day going over the samples with the Readers making sure everyone is scoring the same way. The object is to create a situation where an essay read on one day by one reader would get the same score when read on another day by a different reader.
I am on the Comparative, Question #3, the one dealing with racial ideology. I will tell you that the students seem to have risen to the occasion and for the most part are doing very well. But it is only the first day.
I hope to have all three of the Question Leaders as well as some readers to offer up their opinions and guidance about the three essays.
Well Neighbors, off to breakfast (the food being very good for dorm food) and then to tables!
Best
Monty
From 6/1/09 - Fort Collins
The TLs (Table Leaders) arrived on Saturday. The QLs (Question Leaders) had been here for a few days working on the rubric and picking samples. Yesterday we all went through the rubric and began to look at samples. Today we began pair reading with our yurt (that is the name we give to the areas we read in, sections of a larger room broken up by poles and curtains) - mates.
I am on the DBQ. This is the rubric as it stands now:
- Thesis must address two specific African responses to imperialism. Positive and negative will not be enough.
- Understanding the basic meaning of the document is the lowest bar, correcting listing the documents in a a list will count as understanding!
- Supporting thesis with evidence of an African response to imperialism - can't be about European actions or anything else.
- Analyzing POV in 2 documents, but are allowing challenges to veracity or reliability!
- Group documents in two ways (are allowing sub groups as groups), but grouping must address African responses to imperialism (most often: violent and non-violent). Grouping point can also be achieved by listing them accurately.
- Identify one additional document and explain how the document helps analysis of African responses to imperialism.
Students seem to be doing well, not many 0s. But also not many over 6. Stumbling points seem to be addressing African responses.
This is what I hear on the Comparative:
- Mexico and Spanish California or Florida are being allowed as North America if correctly identified as part of that region. If students talk about specific countries/colonies without addressing them as part of the regions discussed they will not get credit.
- Ideologies is another tripping point - student has to correctly identify the ideas towards race, not simply examples.
Haven't heard much about the Continuity and Change Over Time other than students seem to know things (give or take the occasional train on the Silk Road!
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