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Information concerning :
THE ADVANCED PLACEMENT PROGRAM (AP)
THE SAT II TESTS and the
UCONN COOPERATIVE PROGRAM (UCONN) 3
The "history" student who is intent on doing well and improving his chances for college admissions has three programs he or she may select. The first is a set of various SAT II/Achievement tests, the second the Advanced Placement program, and the final one is the UCONN Cooperative program. This handout deals with all three.
THE SAT II TESTS
These use to be called the Achievement Tests. They are offered by the College Board, are part of the test program prepared by the Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) people. They are often given on the same day as the SAT's. There are two tests given in history: United States History and the World History tests. The two tests are meant as a measure of the knowledge you have acquired in these areas and your ability to apply them. Unlike the SAT's which are supposed to measure aptitude or ability, the achievement tests measure what you have learned.
The tests are given five to six times a year. The SAT II booklet will give you these dates as well as answer other questions you may have. Your fee entitles you to take one, two or three different tests on any one test date. See your Guidance advisor for additional help.
The United States History test measures the “comprehension of United States history from pre-Columbian times to the present as well as basic social studies concepts, methods, and generalizations as found in the study of history.
The test contains 90-95 multiple-choice questions that covers “political, economic, social, intellectual, and cultural history and foreign policy.”
The World History test measures the “understanding of key developments in global history.” It also “assess ability to use basic historical techniques including application and weighing and of evidence and the ability to interpret and generalize.
The test contains 95 multiple-choice questions. Each test is one hour long. The tests are graded and reported in the same manner as the SAT tests. Each test assumes you have had a one-year comprehensive course at the college-preparatory level in the respective disciplines.
You can get more information and register online at: www.collegeboard.com
THE ADVANCED PLACEMENT PROGRAM
The Advanced Placement Program is run by the College Board of Princeton, N. J. It is a nationally recognized program which allows high school students to take and complete college-level studies.
The programs "serves three groups: students who wish to pursue college-level studies while still in secondary school, schools that desire to offer these opportunities, and colleges that wish to encourage and recognize such achievements."
In history three programs are offered, U.S. History, European History, and World History. Although Western Civilizations at Weston High School is not an Advanced Placement Program, a student following its curriculum can take the European History test with good results. The College Board offers a booklet on each program which is very good and covers almost any question you might have. See me or the Guidance office for the booklet.
Each program ends in a test which determines college placement. The test cost about $90.00 and is administered at Weston High School in early May. The test, which is three hours long, is now made up of three sections. The format of the test is divided into two parts; objective questions and essays. The objective part is found in the first part, a 80 minutes multiple-choice section. The second and third sections are 120 minutes. The second section, the free-response section, begins with a mandatory 15-minutes reading period followed by Part A, in which students are required to answer a specialty essay called the "DBQ." It stands for- document-based essay question. Here there is no choice. You will be given 45 minutes to do this question. The last section, Part B, contain two 30 minutes thematic essays. Students will choose one essay from each group of three essays.
"Students takes the multiple-choice section first, followed by the DBQ and then the standard essay question.
The multiple-choice section consists of 80 questions designed to test the students' factual knowledge, breadth of preparation, and knowledge-based analytical skills. One half of the questions deal with the period through 1789, one half with the period 1790 to the 1970’s.
The essay section includes two questions:(1) a document-based essay question (DBQ) required of all students and (2) two standard (non-document-based) essay questions chosen by students. Together the multiple-choice and essay sections cover political institutions and behavior and public policy, social and economic change, diplomacy and international relations, and cultural and intellectual developments.
Whereas the multiple-choice section may include a few questions on the period since 1970, neither the DBQ nor the any of the five essay questions in the last part will deal exclusively with this period.
Typically, the standard essay questions may require students to relate developments in different areas (e.g., the political implications of an economic issue); to analyze common themes in different time periods (e.g., the concepts of the national interest in United States foreign policy): or to compare the experiences of different social, ethnic, racial, or occupational groups (e.g., social mobility, assimilation, and cultural pluralism). Although no essay questions are explicitly historiographical, some may ask students to assess critically ideas and assumptions that shape historical debate, e.g., the position of American business toward governmental regulation. When questions based on literary materials are included, emphasis will not be on literature as art but rather on its relation to politics, society, or related cultural and intellectual movements.
Essay questions are designed to make it possible for students from widely differing courses to demonstrate their mastery of information, ideas, and skills. Answers will be judged on the quality of the historical argument and the relevance of examples rather than coverage per se. Some questions will best be answered with illustrations selected from a broad chronological period to demonstrate historical change. Others will be answered equally well by considering representative events, interests, or individuals in depth. Unless a question specifically calls for all inclusive treatment of a period, or the examination of a specific event, students will not be penalized for omitting one or another specific illustration.
The required DBQ, although confined to no single mode, differs significantly from the standard essays. Whereas standard essay questions are, in part, measures of the extent to which students have studied a particular topic and the degree to which they remember what they have studied, the DBQ tends to reduce the importance of these factors. In formulating the DBQ, the Committee's intention is to focus on significant issues in a context not immediately familiar to the student. Background knowledge would be valuable but not essential in answering the question. Thus the Committee chooses subjects that are proximate, but not identical, to major events or issues the student will probably have studied. The documents vary in length and are unlikely to be the familiar classics (The Emancipation Proclamation or Declaration of Independence, for example). Rather, they are chosen to illustrate interactions and complexities within the material. Emphasis is placed on the students' skill in historical analysis and synthesis.
The multiple-choice section, the DBQ, and the standard essay question written by a student are weighted in the ratio 4:3:3 in determining his or her examination grade."
The Advanced Placement examinations are graded and reported on a five-point scale:
5 extremely well qualified
4 well qualified
3 qualified
2 possibly qualified
1 no recommendation
Most colleges honor grades of 3 or higher, some colleges will not give you the credits but will wave certain course or level requirements.
More information is available at www.collegeboard.com/ap
UCONN COOPERATIVE PROGRAM
“In 1955, the University of Connecticut initiated the High School Cooperative Program.” The UCONN program is designed to allow outstanding high school students an opportunity to pursue college-level courses for which they will receive full college credit at UCONN.
Therefore a Weston student entering the University of Connecticut could have already completed several of his freshman requirements. If the student chooses to enter another university, UCONN will provide an official transcript of all of the courses taken and credits earned in the University program. There are no fees or charges for participation, and the student may continue to pursue his normal high school program of activities.
Students for this program ARE SELECTED on the basis of grades, class rank, PSAT and SAT scores, and recommendations from their schools.
To be accepted, a student should excel in all academic subject areas, have a record of high academic achievement, and thus have many A's on the high school transcript. Generally, a student who excels in only one subject area and does average work in other areas will not be accepted.
Students accepted are usually in the upper 15% of their class. They also score between 1100 and 1260 on PSAT and SAT examinations. This range of scores represents the average scores for entering freshmen and Honors Program freshmen at the University.
Because each student is actively enrolled at the University, the University Undergraduate Registrar reserves the right to reject any and all applications which in his judgment fail to meet the entrance requirements of the University.
Successful completion of all course work requirements will earn for the student full college credit at UCONN, along with the usual high school credit. No permanent grade lower than a C will be recorded on a student's University record by the Registrar's office. Therefore, any student receiving a grade of less than C will be forced to withdraw from that course and/or the entire program. High school credit will continue to be determined following the usual policies.
All credits earned under the UCONN Cooperative are accepted at UCONN. If a student accumulates 30 credits prior to graduation from high school, he may be accepted into the University of Connecticut as a sophomore. In general, transfer of UCONN credits to other institutions creates almost no problem for the student. It is recommended that the student always contact his college or university prior to making arrangements for transfer of credits from UCONN. Transfer of credits from UCONN is not automatic and acceptability of such credits rests with the receiving school.
UCONN courses will be divided into two one-semester courses. Each semester course will be graded as a separate course; each is worth 3 credits. The first is called “Roots of the Western Experience” (HIST 100), while the second is called “Modern Western Traditions” (HIST 101). Grades from the two semester courses will not be averaged at the end of the year.
More information is available at www.hscoop.uconn.edu.