Is AP Physics 1 -- such low pass rates?

[Anonymous]

Why does AP Physics 1 (algebra based physics) have low scores and low pass rates?

Is it the lack of teachers who can actually teach it well? (I'm in FCPS and even here the pass rates are quite low compared to other APs).

Are there kids taking this AP exam without taking the class?

It seems like most of the kids taking AP Physics 1 would be the more math-capable, science-interested students (those looking at STEM college degrees). And it's based on algebra... so why such trouble getting 4's and 5's on this particular subject test?

[Anonymous]

Sorry for the messy title -- I initially was thinking of asking "Is AP Physics really hard" and then changed my question in my mind to "why so low".

[Anonymous]

If I recall, it's a combination of things, one of which is the course itself. I can't remember the substance of the criticisms, just that it is not well-done and doesn't align well to a college course.

At high schools that offer honors courses, AP Physics 1 replaces that as a first physics course.

Physics C has a reputation for being "easier" than Physics 1, though of course those students have already had calc and/or are taking calc, and accordingly, tend to be good students.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If I recall, it's a combination of things, one of which is the course itself. I can't remember the substance of the criticisms, just that it is not well-done and doesn't align well to a college course.

At high schools that offer honors courses, AP Physics 1 replaces that as a first physics course.

Physics C has a reputation for being "easier" than Physics 1, though of course those students have already had calc and/or are taking calc, and accordingly, tend to be good students.

A lot of Physics C students already took HS Physics / AP Physics 1

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Why does AP Physics 1 (algebra based physics) have low scores and low pass rates?

Is it the lack of teachers who can actually teach it well? (I'm in FCPS and even here the pass rates are quite low compared to other APs).

Are there kids taking this AP exam without taking the class?

It seems like most of the kids taking AP Physics 1 would be the more math-capable, science-interested students (those looking at STEM college degrees). And it's based on algebra... so why such trouble getting 4's and 5's on this particular subject test?

Physics 1 is taken by students who haven't taken calculus yet.

AP US History doesn't even have algebra at all, but some people fail it.

[Anonymous]

I took the course 20 years ago and got straight As and got a 3 on the exam --- because my teacher didn't make it through all the material. There were two questions where I simply hadn't been taught the material. On the questions where I was taught, I'm sure I got them right.

None of us got more than a 3.

So that might be one reason!

[Anonymous]

I'm PP -- I also got a 5 on AP BC Calc that year and was a great math student. If it had been the sort of thing I could have figured out, I would have. But the problems required using formulas I had never seen before.

[Anonymous]

My kid had a lousy physics teacher. She got 5’s on all her AP tests, (including calc bc) except a 4 in physics 1.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Why does AP Physics 1 (algebra based physics) have low scores and low pass rates?

Is it the lack of teachers who can actually teach it well? (I'm in FCPS and even here the pass rates are quite low compared to other APs).

Are there kids taking this AP exam without taking the class?

It seems like most of the kids taking AP Physics 1 would be the more math-capable, science-interested students (those looking at STEM college degrees). And it's based on algebra... so why such trouble getting 4's and 5's on this particular subject test?

Just knowing algebra isn't enough. Physics requires learning and memorizing and knowing when to apply new formulas (velocity, acceleration etc etc), so if you don't know those formulas, you are stuck.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My kid had a lousy physics teacher. She got 5’s on all her AP tests, (including calc bc) except a 4 in physics 1.

Sometimes the teacher is stuck -- in my case, anyone who wanted could take the class so it was huge and full of kids who weren't really good at math. So the teacher couldn't move through the material that quickly.

[Anonymous]

Here’s another perspective: my (humanities-focused) kid just got a 3 on the AP Physics 1 exam and is over the moon. His teacher was fantastic but didn’t teach to the test, so he learned the subject and managed to pass the exam. For a kid who was terrified about taking AP physics, this feels like a win-win!

(Meanwhile, he got a 5 on APUSH, which was completely taught to the test; they rushed through certain things to ensure they were prepared for the test, which feels backward to me in terms of subject mastery.)

[Anonymous]

Generally because of who takes it; a broader swath of students and those who are not far enough ahead in math to be in calculus and physics at the same time. So more who will get lower scores. The most capable students will take Physics C with or after calculus instead, which is a harder test, but usually is taken only by only the most capable students.

[Anonymous]

Kids take it freshman year when they are not ready for it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Generally because of who takes it; a broader swath of students and those who are not far enough ahead in math to be in calculus and physics at the same time. So more who will get lower scores. The most capable students will take Physics C with or after calculus instead, which is a harder test, but usually is taken only by only the most capable students.

+1 it's this, per my just graduated senior.

More students take the "easier" AP exams, like APUSH, Gov, and Physics 1, including those who are not prepared for it, which leads to a higher % of failure rate.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Generally because of who takes it; a broader swath of students and those who are not far enough ahead in math to be in calculus and physics at the same time. So more who will get lower scores. The most capable students will take Physics C with or after calculus instead, which is a harder test, but usually is taken only by only the most capable students.

+1 it's this, per my just graduated senior.

More students take the "easier" AP exams, like APUSH, Gov, and Physics 1, including those who are not prepared for it, which leads to a higher % of failure rate.

I don't think this is true in FCPS. My understanding is that AP Physics I is usually taken prior to AP Physics C. It's commonly done as a sequence, not as an alternative. But, I agree that a broader pool would be taking AP Physics I, and a smaller pool would go on to AP Physics C.

It's just a surprising low pass rate in all FCPS schools.