Summer Homework Data and AP Scores

This is the companion data for the article What Summer Vacation?

This is the anonymous survey that The Cougar distributed to all AP/Honors classes that assigned summer homework.

Anonymous AHS AP/Honors Student Survey

The Cougar Newspaper will feature an article about summer homework in our first issue. We would like you to answer the following questions to help us gain insight into how AHS AP/Honors students feel about summer homework. Your anonymity is 100% guaranteed. Please answer these questions honestly; we cannot begin to truly discuss this issue if we cannot trust our data.

1. Did you feel that this assignment helped prepare you for the class or enriched your educational experience?
2. Did you use alternative resources such as someone else’s finished homework, Sparknotes, etc. to complete your summer assignments? What resource(s)?
3. What other AP/Honors classes are you taking?
4. How did summer homework affect your summer vacation?
5. Why are you taking this AP/Honors class?
6. Do you have any other comments/questions/concerns about the issue of summer homework?

Below is the complete data that The Cougar collected about AP scores and AP/Honors summer homework. The numbered quotes under “Sample Responses to anonymous survey” correspond with the questions in the survey above.

AP Art History

Summer 2006 Homework: None

• Percent of students enrolled in 2005/6 class who took the AP test: 66.7%
• Percent of students who took and passed the 2005/6 AP test: 53%
• AHS average section score for 2005/6 AP test: 2.559
• California average section score for 2005/6 AP test: 3.04

AP Biology

Summer 2006 Homework: Read four letters/ sets of instructions, organize notebook, read introductory chapter in textbook, read and take notes on 11 chapters from AP Bio textbook, complete study guides for all 11 chapters

• Percent who took AP test: 71.2%
• Percent who passed AP test: 67%
• AHS average score: 3.114
• California average score: 3.00
• Sample responses to anonymous student survey:
  1. “Someone else’s HW.”
  2. “Yeah, I copied all the summer work from other kids and I used the internet.”
  3. “Made summer annoying. HW shouldn’t be allowed during the summer.”

AP Chemistry

Summer 2006 Homework: Complete 13 assignments that include doing approximately 300 practice problems, reading six chapters and defining extensive vocabulary

• Percent who took AP test: 90.9%
• Percent who passed AP test: 73%
• AHS average score: 3.550
• California average score: 2.78
• Sample responses to anonymous student survey:
  1. “No, I bullshitted the whole damn thing!”
  2. “Yes, someone’s hw.”
  3. “Vacation? HAHAHA No such thing as summer vacation.”

AP Computer Science A and AB

Summer 2006 Homework: Download Java, complete first three lessons, compile two programs, write a solution to the given program

• Percent who took the AP test: 64% (28 students took AP Comp Sci A, 4 took AP Comp Sci AB)
• Percent who passed AP Comp Sci A test: 71%
• Percent who passed AP Comp Sci AB test: 100%
• AHS average score (AP Comp Sci A): 3.429
• California average score (AP Comp Sci A): 2.85
• AHS average score (AP Comp Sci AB): 4.529
• California average score (AP Comp Sci AB): 3.48
• Sample responses to anonymous student survey:
  1. “Didn’t affect, created a balanced schedule.”
  2. “I didn’t go on vacation.”

AP English Literature and Composition

Summer 2006 Homework: Read four books (1984, King Lear, Moby Dick, and One Hundred Years of Solitude), write essays on all four books, compose vocabulary lists of 30-40 words for three of the four books

• Percent who took AP test: 73.8%
• Percent who passed AP test: 100%
• AHS average score: 3.774
• California average score: 2.85
• Sample responses to anonymous student survey:
  1. “I don’t think anyone does summer homework indipendantly. Why should they.”
  2. “I had to stay in my hotel in Vancouver and work wile my family went sightseeing. (They saw belugas! I did French!)”
  3. “I believe summer hw is necessary b/c we forget over a third of what we learn during the summer if we just watch TV.”
  4. “Not being able to access a teacher for help meant that confusing assignments stayed confusing, which led to a much crappier quality of work.”

AP French Language

Summer 2006 Homework: Memorize 15-stanza poem Les Djinns to recite on first day, read 13-page fairy tale and answer 105 short corresponding questions, complete one 24-page chapter with exercises

• Percent who took AP test: 100%
• Percent who passed AP test: 73%
• AHS average score: 2.727
• California average score: 2.70
• Sample responses to anonymous student survey:
  1. “I had the knowledge that I needed to complete some questions and memorize a 15-stanza poem hanging over my head! I had to dedicate a week to this task, and as it turned out I started the year out stressed b/c I hadn’t memorized the poem on Day 1.”
  2. “I felt that the idioms packet hindered a good part of my free time, but overall, the homework was essential.”
  3. “I am not going to take 3 years of Selvin and not go on to AP.”

AP French Literature

Summer 2006 Homework: Class doesn’t exist this year

• Percent who took AP test: 60%
• Percent who passed AP test: 100%
• AHS average score: 4.333
• California average score: 3.29

AP Calculus AB

Summer 2006 Homework: None

• Percent who took AP test: 73.3%
• Percent who passed AP test: 82%
• AHS average score: 3.364
• California average score: 3.01

AP Calculus BC

Summer 2006 Homework: Complete three worksheets with a total of 68 problems

• Percent who took AP test: 100%
• Percent who passed AP test: 100%
• AHS average score: 4.500
• California average score: 3.73
• Sample responses to anonymous student survey:
  1. “It weighed down my mind bc I knew I had so much to do, took up my free time.”
  2. “I can’t go anywhere.”
  3. “The math summer HW for AP Calc BC was seriously the most reasonable of any summer HW I’ve ever had.”

AP Physics

Summer 2006 Homework: None

• Percent who took AP test: 76.7%
• Percent who passed AP test: 97%
• AHS average score: 4.303
• California average score: 2.67

AP Statistics

Summer 2006 Homework: None

• Percent who took AP test: 60%
• Percent who passed AP test: 81%
• AHS average score: 3.381
• California average score: 2.75

AP Spanish

Summer 2006 Homework: None

• Percent who took AP test: 23.2%
• Percent who passed AP test: 61.5%
• AHS average score: 3.231
• California average score: 3.40

English 3 Honors

This course does not directly correlate to any AP test, but many students choose to take the AP Language and Composition test at the end.

Summer 2006 Homework: Read four books (Scarlet Letter, Death of a Salesman, Woman Warrior or China Boy, In the Time of the Butterflies or Tortilla Curtain), two essays (one on Scarlet Letter and one on Woman Warrior/ China Boy and In the Time of the Butterflies/ Tortilla Curtain)

• Percent who took AP test: 54.8%
• Percent who passed AP test: 94%
• AHS average score: 3.824
• California average score: 2.67
• Sample responses to anonymous student survey:
  1. “hell yes, other people, its way too much.”
  2. “I think that we work so hard throughout the year that we should be able to unwind. A little summer hw would be fine but with mountains of hw there’s no time to mentally prepare for the year. As honors and AP students, most of us do challenging things over the summer anyway. I think it’s more important for us to learn about things we want to pursue in our life and have fun than work on summer homework. Summer is a time to enrich our minds in ways other than busy work.”

Pre-Calculus Honors

Summer 2006 Homework: Complete 12 worksheets with a total of 272 problems

• Sample responses to anonymous student survey:
  1. “It didn’t allow me to relax – felt like I was still in school.”
  2. “We need to lessen the amount, by a lot! Or we’ll come to school one day and bomb it.”

Algebra 2 Honors

Summer 2006 Homework: Complete 12 worksheets with a total of 237 problems

• Sample responses to anonymous student survey:
  1. “Yes, someone else’s finished HW.”
  2. “It KILLED my vacation!!! The Alg hw wasn’t so bad, but the AP Bio hw was terribly long.”
  3. “It was an excuse to get together with people.”
  4. “They should tone it down a bit.”

AP Comparative Government

Summer 2006 Homework: Read 100 pages of articles about globalization and democratization in developing countries, write one four-page essay

• New class, no AP score data
• Sample responses to anonymous student survey:
  1. “Hell yah. I split up my map assignment with a friend.”
  2. “It did but not a lot, I did enjoy my summer.”
  3. “I had to write my essay while on vacation in San Diego while my friends were doing fun stuff.”
  4. “People should stop complaining, it’s not such a bad thing.”

4 Responses

1. 8:08 PM on October 17th, 2006french scholar:

   The last AP french comment is so true.

2. 12:05 AM on November 3rd, 2006i agree:

   summer hw is really too much. we need time to relax. all work and no play makes jack a dull boy, and we dont’ want to be dull, do we? besides, it causes stress, and encourages cheating

3. 11:41 PM on March 18th, 2007anonymous:

   wow. . .very surprising. . .i thought in Ms. Selvin’s career, only one person did not pass the AP French Lang test. . .(according to her)

4. 9:03 AM on March 22nd, 2008bb:

   please post one for 2007! i need to know about ap physics
   ap bio killed my summer

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