AP Environmental Science
Encyclopedia
Advanced Placement Environmental Science
(AP Environmental Science, AP Enviro, AP Environmental, AP Env. Sci., or APES) is a course offered by the College Board
as part of the Advanced Placement Program
to high school
students interested in the environmental
and natural science
s. This course is designed to provide students with scientific principles, concepts, and methodologies necessary to comprehend the relationships abundant within the natural world, to identify and analyze environmental problems, to evaluate relative risks associated with these identified problems, and to examine alternative solutions for resolving and/or preventing similar problems facing the global environment. The percentage of students scoring a grade of "5" was only 10.4% in the 2009 testing administration. It remains one of the lowest "5" scoring AP Exams to this date right under AP Art History, AP English Literature & Composition, AP English Language & Composition, and AP World History.
The grade distribution for 2009 was:
Environmental science
Environmental science is an interdisciplinary academic field that integrates physical and biological sciences, to the study of the environment, and the solution of environmental problems...
(AP Environmental Science, AP Enviro, AP Environmental, AP Env. Sci., or APES) is a course offered by the College Board
College Board
The College Board is a membership association in the United States that was formed in 1900 as the College Entrance Examination Board . It is composed of more than 5,900 schools, colleges, universities and other educational organizations. It sells standardized tests used by academically oriented...
as part of the Advanced Placement Program
Advanced Placement Program
The Advanced Placement program is a curriculum in the United States and Canada sponsored by the College Board which offers standardized courses to high school students that are generally recognized to be equivalent to undergraduate courses in college...
to high school
High school
High school is a term used in parts of the English speaking world to describe institutions which provide all or part of secondary education. The term is often incorporated into the name of such institutions....
students interested in the environmental
Environmental science
Environmental science is an interdisciplinary academic field that integrates physical and biological sciences, to the study of the environment, and the solution of environmental problems...
and natural science
Natural science
The natural sciences are branches of science that seek to elucidate the rules that govern the natural world by using empirical and scientific methods...
s. This course is designed to provide students with scientific principles, concepts, and methodologies necessary to comprehend the relationships abundant within the natural world, to identify and analyze environmental problems, to evaluate relative risks associated with these identified problems, and to examine alternative solutions for resolving and/or preventing similar problems facing the global environment. The percentage of students scoring a grade of "5" was only 10.4% in the 2009 testing administration. It remains one of the lowest "5" scoring AP Exams to this date right under AP Art History, AP English Literature & Composition, AP English Language & Composition, and AP World History.
The exam
- Section I: Multiple Choice (100 questions, 90 minutes).
- Section II: Free-Response (one data-set question, one document-based question, and two synthesis and evaluation questions, 90 minutes).
Grade distribution
In the 2009 administration, 73,576 students took the AP environmental science exam worldwide. The mean score was a 2.6.The grade distribution for 2009 was:
| Score | Percent |
|---|---|
| 5 | 10.4% |
| 4 | 20.7% |
| 3 | 18.9% |
| 2 | 18.5% |
| 1 | 31.5% |
| 3 or Higher | 50% |
| Mean Grade | 2.6 |
| Standard Deviation | 1.38 |