Historical thinking, a term that encompasses a diverse set of definitions and competencies, calls on students to replicate the work and cognitive processes of historians by analyzing and interpreting evidence and making logical conclusions based on this evidence. Given this emphasis on discipline-specific skills, "sources" (especially…

Analytical reading and writing are embedded in a disciplinary approach to history instruction and present opportunities to extend students' literacy practices. U.S. educators and researchers have come to rely on the Document-Based Question (DBQ) to assess and develop students' historical knowledge and argument writing. However, this task has been…

For a long time, Advanced Placement and other advanced-level U.S. history courses at the high school level were modeled after the collegiate survey course. However, the last two decades or more have seen some significant changes in the teaching of U.S. history at undergraduate and high school levels. Many of these changes at the high school level…

Although most teachers believe that "students should write at least one in-depth paper during high school," the independent research paper is disappearing from high school curricula in the face of two competing pressures: the need to prepare for high-stakes tests and student "senioritis." In many high schools, the senior year has become "a…

Reports on the history of the Advanced Placement (AP) program, considering such issues as the program's initiation, changes within the program, its various problems, growth in Advanced Placement, and the program's reach overseas. (CMK)

Warns against the declining standards of the Advanced Placement (AP) U.S. history examination and the AP program. Focuses on the problems that occur in maintaining high standards and the practive of teaching to the test in AP courses. Discusses who does grade and who should grade the AP examinations. (CMK)

Provides historical information on the Document-Based Question (DBQ) that has been a part of the Advanced Placement (AP) U.S. history examination since 1973. Focuses on the effects that DBQ had on course content and teaching methods. Addresses the new changes made with the redesign of the DBQ in 1982. (CMK)

Provides background information on the Document Based Question (DBQ) that is part of both the Advanced Placement (AP) U.S. and European history examinations. Includes an example of the process involved in analyzing documents during the AP examination. Discusses teaching techniques that can be used for the DBQ with the purpose of improving student…

Argues that poor student performance on the Advanced Placement (AP) U.S. history examination is due to poor preparation for the exam and the misuse of the AP examination to measure teacher effectiveness and school quality. States that teaching methods must change to enable students to see the relationships among facts in history. (CMK)

Explores the development of the Advanced Placement (AP) U.S. history test and reviews its grading process for consistency and fairness. Examines the efforts taken to ensure compatibility with college-level U.S. history survey courses. (CMK)

Discusses teaching Advanced Placement (AP) U.S. history at an urban, minority high school. Addresses student recruitment; using a summer assignment; notetaking and the Document-Based Quiz, various teaching strategies; preparing and reviewing for the AP examination; using special events; and the importance of professional development and…

Explains why Advanced Placement courses are not offered at Sandia Preparatory School, a college preparatory school located in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Focuses on the school mission, overall philosophy, and how this relates to the history classroom in particular. (CMK)

The College Board's Advanced Placement European History examination has evolved over the course of its first half-century of existence in virtually all respects: the types and subject matter of questions asked (and not asked); the nature of the history those questions reflect; the number of questions both offered and to be answered, as well as how…

Suggests that teachers on secondary and college levels should develop closer relationships and work together to promote the study of history at both levels. Presents a case study of a college (the State University of New York at Stony Brook) and a high school (Shoreham-Wading River High School) which have developed a successful working…

Over the past two decades, remarkable strides have been made in examining, documenting, and incorporating race and gender issues in history courses, but it is time to take a look at the ways in which these curricular and pedagogical changes have impacted the Advanced Placement United States History Examination. This paper focuses on three…