The advanced placement (AP) curriculum developed by the College Board aims to prepare high school students for the rigor of college coursework. In collaboration with NSF, the NRC, and educators across the nation, the Board is revising AP science courses to better develop students’ ability to conduct scientific inquiry. The revised courses emphasize depth of scientific inquiry and practice as opposed to the acquisition of limited knowledge in many content areas. The new courses in biology and chemistry will be launched in 2012 and 2013, respectively. The Board plans to provide supports to teachers to help them implement the new AP curricula, including online resources and community building activities.

SRI, working in collaboration with The University of Washington (UW) and George Washington University (GWU), will form the study team conducting the implementation and impact study of the new AP science curriculum and produce findings that can be used by the College Board and educators to strengthen the teaching of advanced science courses in high school. The study team will recruit and provide resources to 40 schools to launch a new inquiry-based AP Biology or Chemistry course, and randomly assign students within the recruited schools to take the newly offered courses.

To document the fidelity of AP course implementation, SRI is conducting surveys, interviews, and observations of teachers and students in the AP courses, and providing real-time feedback to educators. The impact study conducted by UW and GWU will determine the effects of the scaled-up, inquiry-based curricula on students’ ability to conduct scientific inquiry and their overall educational performance and aspirations, including the number, quality, and type of colleges to which students apply and enroll. The four-year study will also examine variation in the effects of the new courses according to students’ prior level of preparation and the level of fidelity with which the courses are implemented.