Hi Maggie
I teach AP Art History, which I love. I wrote the curriculum but it is
based on the AP Standards. The pacing is brutal, and I have to teach
everything from the caves to the moderns from Sept. to Mid May. If you are
considering teaching any of the AP courses you MUST backward design your
course, which is to say find out what the AP Exam is like (you can "buy" old
ones), and then design your course to get your students "there". As for AP
Studio Art, I have not had any students that could sustain the level of work
they are asking for. Perhaps it is the "culture" of the town in which I
teach, perhaps it is the "time and place". I would also recommend that you
take an AP course for teachers (they are everywhere at certain times), and
that is where you find out the nuts and bolts of teaching a course. At our
school if students are in an AP course they MUST take the exam (or send in
the portfolio for grading in the case of AP Studio art). That is not the
case in all schools. Our school feels that if the course has the AP
designation that students will perform at that level. Some schools have AP
Studio Art for example, but only 1 or 2 students actually get their
portfolios evaluated (the same with AP Art History, only a few might
actually take the exam). But in our school everyone takes the exam and your
grades become public knowledge to your supervisors.
San D
-----Original Message-----
From: MWhite [mailto:mwhite139@cox.net]
Sent: Wednesday, January 09, 2008 8:46 PM
To: TeacherArtExchange Discussion Group
Subject: [teacherartexchange] AP classes
I've heard a lot about AP classes and how stringent the requirements
are. How much autonomy does the teacher have in designing the curric?
