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Changes to high school AP tests affecting Miami classes

University questioning if the Miami Plan is being ‘eroded’

Talawanda High School advanced placement student Drew Campbell, in teacher Clara Squance's class, takes a test, Tuesday, Dec. 15, 2009. Staff photo by Greg Lynch

Greg Lynch Talawanda High School advanced placement student Drew Campbell, in teacher Clara Squance's class, takes a test, Tuesday, Dec. 15, 2009. Staff photo by Greg Lynch

ENLARGE PHOTO

Talawanda advanced placement teacher Clara Squance hands out test papers Tuesday, Dec. 15. A change in the law for AP tests says college credit can now be given for scores of 3 or higher. Staff photos by Greg Lynch

ENLARGE PHOTO

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By Katie Rico, Contributing Writer Updated 10:56 PM Friday, December 25, 2009

OXFORD — Miami University is measuring the impact of a change in state law that requires Ohio colleges to grant course credit for a lower score on advanced placement tests taken by incoming students.

State law now requires that college credit be given to students who earn a score of 3 on tests taken after completing a high school advanced placement class. Previously, credit was only given to students who earned a score of 4 or 5.

Prior to the law, which was originally drafted in 2005 and took effect in the fall, Miami did not accept all AP tests and would have only accepted 1,805 AP test scores, said University Registrar Dave Sauter.

By accepting all tests and a lower score, the university saw a 68 percent increase in accepted scores, with a bump to 3,037.

The change has left university administration wondering about the ultimate effect this new law will have on its students and the university’s core classes.

The university made some changes, Sauter said, decreasing the number of sections of the first of two required freshman English courses offered and increasing the number of sections of the second one.

“Right now we have to estimate the mix. It’s going to take a couple of years going through this to say, ‘Okay, we’ve got it down and know what to expect for the next year,’ ” Sauter said.

Talawanda school administrators are supportive of the change, which they say will allow students to explore interests outside their core course work, said Marianne Marconi, director of guidance and intervention at Talawanda High School.

Marconi said she expects to see a larger number of high school students taking AP classes before heading to college because of the change.

“This decision will probably be an incentive for more students to sign up for AP classes in order to gain additional college credit,” she said.

Sauter said under the new law, the average incoming student at Miami would have 20 of their 128 hours required for graduation from AP tests or transfer credit.

Because of this, he said the university is questioning whether the Miami Plan is being “eroded” and if students are truly developing the skills to be successful beyond college.

Sauter said the university is going to begin reviewing and tracking how students who tested out of core classes are doing in their higher level courses, comparing grades of those who got AP credit for classes and those who did not.

Miami will have the opportunity to provide feedback to the Ohio Board of Regents on how they feel their students who have gotten AP credit for classes are doing overall.

Sauter said the law does allow for major-specific and department-specific requirements to be altered. This would allow the university to “fine tune” courses if they feel student proficiency is not at a high enough level, ensuring that students leave the institution with the right knowledge base.

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