The College Board Advanced Placement (AP) chemistry test has one of the lowest pass rates of all AP tests with an average of fifty three percent of students scoring three or above. This is in part because the test covers any aspect of chemistry, and so students and teachers spend hours, in and out of school, studying for a test that half fail. This leads students to believe that their work was pointless, and that chemistry is too hard. This is exacerbated for students of color, with only 4.3% of all passing scores achieved by black students. Graduating seniors see AP test scores as the only way to get into good schools, and colleges use these scores for admissions. However, AP scores do not help students of color get into good schools, they keep them out.<br/>Barrie Middle and Upper School is a small, progressive, private school in Silver Spring, Maryland. The student body is 61% percent people of color, with a significant LGBTQAI+ population. As an alternative to AP chemistry, a guided research based course was developed. Students were encouraged to follow the science, leading to critical thinking skills, resilience in the face of setbacks, and a desire to explore new areas. Students from this course presented their research at a variety of national and international conferences. The success these students experienced set the hook for a continued love of research and science that will keep them in chemistry through college and into graduate school.

Novel research as an alternative to college board advanced placement courses in secondary chemistry education

ACS Spring 2022

The official archive and repository for all ACS Meetings & Expositions abstracts and select posters or presentations.