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	National Science Foundation Awards $1.8 Million to College Board to Redesign AP Science Courses Partnership announced as nation's leaders call for increased access to AP science. NEW YORK - The National Science Foundation (NSF) has awarded a $1.8 million grant to the College Board to redesign Advanced Placement Program (AP) courses in biology, chemistry, physics, and environmental science. The NSF funds will be used to develop a process for making ongoing changes in the courses and exams to incorporate the latest science developments and leverage best practices in the teaching of science. "The College Board is grateful to the National Science Foundation for this grant, which will enable us to draw on expertise from the scientific research community to make an excellent program even stronger," said Gaston Caperton, president of the College Board. "Education is the key to our ability to maintain our nation's competitive edge, and high school science instruction is crucial to our country's economic growth. Improved AP science courses, exams, and labs will do a better job of training the next generation of scientists and engineers, while driving overall academic reform by raising standards and achievement for all students." The College Board's AP redesign plan will draw on the recommendations of Learning and Understanding: Improving Advanced Study of Mathematics and Science in U.S. High Schools, issued by the National Research Council in 2002. The grant is especially timely in light of recent calls by President Bush and Congress to train 70,000 new AP science and math teachers and to triple the number of students who successfully complete AP science and math courses within five years. "The challenge is not to find better ways of teaching facts," said Arden Bement, director of the National Science Foundation. "Rather, it is to find better ways of teaching students how to observe, imagine, frame questions, and learn by experimentation. These are the fundamentals of science - the principles that can prepare students for a world in which change comes faster than any course or test could ever change." Studies have shown that U.S. high school students continue to slip further behind other nations in their ability to apply scientific concepts and skills, and the percentage of American undergraduates earning degrees in science and engineering is far below other competitive nations. According to America's Pressing Challenge - Building a Stronger Foundation, the National Science Board's companion policy report to Science and Engineering Indicators 2006, K-12 elementary and secondary school indicators show that average mathematics scores on national assessments rose during the last two decades, but performance in science has not improved. AP students are an important exception. Research indicates that AP math and science courses enable American students to achieve a level of proficiency that exceeds that of students from all other nations. These students are also much more likely to major in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) disciplines than students whose first exposure to college-level math and science courses is in college. Changes to the AP science program will reflect the latest research on how students learn. The redesign will emphasize depth of understanding so that students will be better equipped to navigate complex content and to transfer their knowledge during assessments. A "less is more" principle, or the notion that it is better to "uncover material than to cover it," will guide the selection of content. The long-term goal is to increase scientific literacy and encourage more students, especially those from groups traditionally underrepresented in the sciences, to pursue advanced-level study in high school and college and, eventually, to pursue science-related careers. "This grant aims to give students a better sense of the inquiry process in science and how to reason using scientific evidence. It will promote a more interdisciplinary approach to the study of science, as some of the most important scientific advances, such as biotechnology and nanotechnology, are happening at the intersection of different disciplines," said James Pellegrino, distinguished professor of psychology and education at the University of Illinois at Chicago, who serves as principal investigator on the grant. "This redesign is an opportunity not only to build the AP Program, but to set a benchmark for science education in high school and middle school and to further integrate assessment with the processes of teaching and learning." The redesign work, which will begin this summer, will be carried out by commissions appointed for each of the four AP science disciplines. The work will be completed in December 2007, providing several years for professional development prior to the launch of the new AP science courses in fall 2009. The project will be led by Dr. Pellegrino. Mark Reckase, professor of measurement and quantitative methods at Michigan State University, and Jeanne Pemberton, John & Helen Schaefer Professor of Chemistry at the University of Arizona, will serve as co-principal investigators. The National Science Foundation, an independent federal agency that supports fundamental research and education across all fields of science and engineering, has an annual budget of about $5.5 billion. NSF funds reach all 50 states through grants to nearly 1,700 universities and institutions. Each year, NSF receives more than 40,000 competitive requests for funding, and makes nearly 10,000 new funding awards. The NSF also awards over $400 million in professional and service contracts yearly. The College Board is a not-for-profit membership association whose mission is to connect students to college success and opportunity. Founded in 1900, the association is composed of more than 5,000 schools, colleges, universities, and other educational organizations. Each year, the College Board serves seven million students and their parents, 23,000 high schools, and 3,500 colleges through major programs and services in college admissions, guidance, assessment, financial aid, enrollment, and teaching and learning. Among its best-known programs are the SATÂ®, the PSAT/NMSQTÂ®, and the Advanced Placement ProgramÂ® (APÂ®). The College Board is committed to the principles of excellence and equity, and that commitment is embodied in all of its programs, services, activities, and concerns. For further information, visit www.nsf.gov or www.collegeboard.com. 1.Eugenio J. Gonzalez, Kathleen M. O'Connor, and Julie A. Miles. How Well Do Advanced Placement Students Perform on the TIMSS Advanced Mathematics and Physics Tests? (Chestnut Hill, MA: The International Study Center, Lynch School of Education, Boston College, 2001.) 2. Morgan, Rick, and Behroz Maneckshana. AP Students in College: An Investigation of Their Course-Taking Patterns and College Majors. Report No. SR-2000-09. (Princeton, NJ: Educational Testing Service, 2000.)

National Science Foundation Awards $1.8 Million to College Board to Redesign AP Science Courses

Partnership announced as nation's leaders call for increased access to AP science.

NEW YORK - The National Science Foundation (NSF) has awarded a $1.8 million grant to the College Board to redesign Advanced Placement Program (AP) courses in biology, chemistry, physics, and environmental science. The NSF funds will be used to develop a process for making ongoing changes in the courses and exams to incorporate the latest science developments and leverage best practices in the teaching of science.

"The College Board is grateful to the National Science Foundation for this grant, which will enable us to draw on expertise from the scientific research community to make an excellent program even stronger," said Gaston Caperton, president of the College Board. "Education is the key to our ability to maintain our nation's competitive edge, and high school science instruction is crucial to our country's economic growth. Improved AP science courses, exams, and labs will do a better job of training the next generation of scientists and engineers, while driving overall academic reform by raising standards and achievement for all students."

The College Board's AP redesign plan will draw on the recommendations of Learning and Understanding: Improving Advanced Study of Mathematics and Science in U.S. High Schools, issued by the National Research Council in 2002. The grant is especially timely in light of recent calls by President Bush and Congress to train 70,000 new AP science and math teachers and to triple the number of students who successfully complete AP science and math courses within five years.

"The challenge is not to find better ways of teaching facts," said Arden Bement, director of the National Science Foundation. "Rather, it is to find better ways of teaching students how to observe, imagine, frame questions, and learn by experimentation. These are the fundamentals of science - the principles that can prepare students for a world in which change comes faster than any course or test could ever change."

Studies have shown that U.S. high school students continue to slip further behind other nations in their ability to apply scientific concepts and skills, and the percentage of American undergraduates earning degrees in science and engineering is far below other competitive nations. According to America's Pressing Challenge - Building a Stronger Foundation, the National Science Board's companion policy report to Science and Engineering Indicators 2006, K-12 elementary and secondary school indicators show that average mathematics scores on national assessments rose during the last two decades, but performance in science has not improved.

AP students are an important exception. Research indicates that AP math and science courses enable American students to achieve a level of proficiency that exceeds that of students from all other nations. These students are also much more likely to major in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) disciplines than students whose first exposure to college-level math and science courses is in college.

Changes to the AP science program will reflect the latest research on how students learn. The redesign will emphasize depth of understanding so that students will be better equipped to navigate complex content and to transfer their knowledge during assessments. A "less is more" principle, or the notion that it is better to "uncover material than to cover it," will guide the selection of content. The long-term goal is to increase scientific literacy and encourage more students, especially those from groups traditionally underrepresented in the sciences, to pursue advanced-level study in high school and college and, eventually, to pursue science-related careers.

"This grant aims to give students a better sense of the inquiry process in science and how to reason using scientific evidence. It will promote a more interdisciplinary approach to the study of science, as some of the most important scientific advances, such as biotechnology and nanotechnology, are happening at the intersection of different disciplines," said James Pellegrino, distinguished professor of psychology and education at the University of Illinois at Chicago, who serves as principal investigator on the grant. "This redesign is an opportunity not only to build the AP Program, but to set a benchmark for science education in high school and middle school and to further integrate assessment with the processes of teaching and learning."

The redesign work, which will begin this summer, will be carried out by commissions appointed for each of the four AP science disciplines. The work will be completed in December 2007, providing several years for professional development prior to the launch of the new AP science courses in fall 2009. The project will be led by Dr. Pellegrino. Mark Reckase, professor of measurement and quantitative methods at Michigan State University, and Jeanne Pemberton, John & Helen Schaefer Professor of Chemistry at the University of Arizona, will serve as co-principal investigators.

The National Science Foundation, an independent federal agency that supports fundamental research and education across all fields of science and engineering, has an annual budget of about $5.5 billion. NSF funds reach all 50 states through grants to nearly 1,700 universities and institutions. Each year, NSF receives more than 40,000 competitive requests for funding, and makes nearly 10,000 new funding awards. The NSF also awards over $400 million in professional and service contracts yearly.

The College Board is a not-for-profit membership association whose mission is to connect students to college success and opportunity. Founded in 1900, the association is composed of more than 5,000 schools, colleges, universities, and other educational organizations. Each year, the College Board serves seven million students and their parents, 23,000 high schools, and 3,500 colleges through major programs and services in college admissions, guidance, assessment, financial aid, enrollment, and teaching and learning. Among its best-known programs are the SATÂ®, the PSAT/NMSQTÂ®, and the Advanced Placement ProgramÂ® (APÂ®). The College Board is committed to the principles of excellence and equity, and that commitment is embodied in all of its programs, services, activities, and concerns.

For further information, visit www.nsf.gov or www.collegeboard.com.

1.Eugenio J. Gonzalez, Kathleen M. O'Connor, and Julie A. Miles. How Well Do Advanced Placement Students Perform on the TIMSS Advanced Mathematics and Physics Tests? (Chestnut Hill, MA: The International Study Center, Lynch School of Education, Boston College, 2001.)

2. Morgan, Rick, and Behroz Maneckshana. AP Students in College: An Investigation of Their Course-Taking Patterns and College Majors. Report No. SR-2000-09. (Princeton, NJ: Educational Testing Service, 2000.)