Digital Format for Many AP Tests Ahead in May: A Fort Worth Educator's Strategy for Student Readiness
Here's a whip-smart rundown on the shift to digital Advanced Placement (AP) exams:
Starting this May, most AP exams will be completely digital, taking place on the Bluebook platform, the same software used for the SAT. English, history, social sciences, and several other subjects will undergo this digital transformation.
Travis Arnold, a seasoned AP World History teacher, has already been gearing up for the change by familiarizing himself and his students with the software and keyboard usage, as many pupils are more accustomed to tablets and smartphones.
Over 9 million students are slated to sit for the digital or hybrid digital exams from May 5-16. The College Board, the organization responsible for administering these tests, views the move as a "safer, smoother, and student-friendly experience." Fort Worth Independent School District has been testing the software and computers to ensure smooth sailing on exam day, district officials report.
According to Trevor Packer, head of the AP Program for the College Board, students today, often referred to as 'digital natives,' effortlessly adapt to user-friendly interfaces like Bluebook.
Here's the lowdown on which subjects will be fully digital by 2025:
- AP African American Studies (U.S. schools only)
- AP Art History
- AP Comparative Government and Politics
- AP Computer Science A
- AP Computer Science Principles
- AP English Language and Composition
- AP English Literature and Composition
- AP Environmental Science
- AP European History
- AP Human Geography
- AP Latin
- AP Psychology
- AP Seminar
- AP United States Government and Politics
- AP United States History
- AP World History: Modern
Science and math subjects will offer a hybrid option in both paper and digital formats in 2025, while foreign language and music theory tests will remain on paper but are poised to transition digitally in the future.
Students will have access to free online practice exams, quizzes, and teacher-created assessments ahead of the exams.
Want to dig deeper into the details? The College Board is rolling out a multi-year plan to completely digitize all AP exams. A timeline reveals that by 2025, most AP exams will be digital, with select subjects offering a hybrid digital-paper option. The remaining subjects, like languages and Music Theory, are set to transition to the digital realm in the near future, although exact timelines have yet to be announced.
Stay tuned as we herald the dawn of the digital age in AP exams and help guide tomorrow's trailblazers to success!
Shomial Ahmad is a higher education reporter for the Fort Worth Report, in partnership with Open Campus. Contact her at [email protected].
The Report's higher education coverage is supported by major higher education institutions in Tarrant County, including Tarleton State University, Tarrant County College, Texas A&M-Fort Worth, Texas Christian University, Texas Wesleyan University, the University of Texas at Arlington, and UNT Health Science Center.
At the Fort Worth Report, news decisions are made independently of our board members and financial supporters. Read more about our editorial independence policy here.
This article first appeared on Fort Worth Report and is republished here under a Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.
- The government-run Fort Worth Independent School District is preparing for the upcoming digital AP exams, ensuring smooth operation on exam day.
- The College Board attributes the digital shift in AP exams to offering a safer, smoother, and student-friendly experience, as a large portion of students are considered 'digital natives' who adapt easily to user-friendly interfaces.
- The digital AP exams will take place on the Bluebook platform, the same software used for the SAT, and English, history, social sciences, and several other subjects will undergo digital transformation starting May 2022.
- The College Board's multi-year plan includes making available free online practice exams, quizzes, and teacher-created assessments to help students prepare for the digital or hybrid digital exams.
- In the news, science and math subjects will offer a hybrid option in both paper and digital formats in 2025, while foreign language and music theory tests will remain on paper but are expected to transition digitally in the future.
- Attribution and updates on education-and-self-development topics can be found in technology news, such as the Fort Worth Report's breakdown on the shift to digital AP exams written by education reporter Shomial Ahmad.
