What a NIGHT!! So much information!! AP hosted a “nationwide conference” (we (the AP teachers) called it our “online date with Trevor Packer” (he’s the head of AP)) to give us SOME of the details on the “New and Improved ” AP tests you will be taking. Here are the details I know:
- Each test is one 45 minute essay (RA for APLANG and DBQ for APUSH) The DBQ will be modified from the usual one. Instead of 7 docs there will only be 5, and there will be a modified rubric — but I don’t get to see that until Friday afternoon at some point. For LANG the RA is exactly what you have been working on all year. I’m happy. You guys should ROCK THIS! The DBQ is really the easiest of the essays to write — It’s essentially a historical argument where you use a couple of sources — I think it’s a LOT better than the “3 SAQs” everyone else was predicting because SAQs come down to “do you know THIS thing…” DBQ leaves a lot of open room for you to show WHAT you know. The RA isn’t a surprise — it’s the most “AP Lang” of the English essays, so we figured that was coming. You should be fine – we’ve practiced it more than anything else.
- Your tests are:
- APLANG is on May 20 at 1:00pm
- APUSH is on May 15 at 1:00pm.
- Those are FIRM times, so start getting ready now — make sure you have Wifi, a reliable device (can be a laptop, desktop, iPad, or phone), and that you can be uninterrupted for that hour. If you have a problem with any of those things — please let me know. CB asked us to share this site: cb.org/tech. If you need help with Wifi or a device, please don’t hesitate to use the site to ask for one…You paid a lot for these tests, and they want to make sure you have what you need!
- It’s 45 minutes HARD STOP. The timer starts when you open the question, and when it stops at 45 minutes you have to have finished writing AND UPLOADED YOUR ESSAY. PERIOD. So those of you who like to push time in class, writing up until the last possible second (and after…”I’m just writing my naaaaammmmee”) are going to HAVE to cut it short. That also means it would be really good for you to get a timer or stop watch to keep time for you.
- I get to see your essays!! Yay!! Normally after you take the test none of us ever see your essays again. This year, since you are uploading them, I will get them sent to me by College Board on or before May 26. I won’t know your score by then – I won’t even know how CB will be scoring them — but I’ll get to see them to know if you were way off the mark — or if you took a nap!
- PLEASE BE CAREFUL! CB is taking cheating REALLY seriously. Apparently some people have been posting on Twitter and Reddit ways they are planning to cheat on the tests. Mr. Packer told us tonight that CB is taking records of all cheating and “plans to cheat” and will be reporting students to “every college they have submitted or do submit SAT or PSAT scores to.” That’s a serious problem for you getting into college — so PLEASE don’t play around with it. Do your best – you’re going to be fine.
OK, so there’s more information coming out throughout the day on Friday. Coach and I will work together Monday morning to process through everything and start planning the future. Next week we will continue moving forward, focusing on the 1950s, and end the week starting our Civil Rights study. Even though the content we are covering isn’t on the test, we will be focused on using that content to develop the skills you DO need. After next week we’ll start reviewing more aligned to the actual test. Don’t forget to finish up this week’s work by Sunday night.
Have a great Friday!
Ms. T