Baseball. Subway line. Maps. A flower. Each of these contexts involves some form of varying motion or constant change over time: the bi-directional motion of a fly ball, the speed of a subway car, or the growth of a flower until bloom. This article does not highlight students' calculus problem-solving abilities, but rather describes a set of…

Some researchers have questioned whether there is a causal connection between Advanced Placement (AP) STEM coursetaking and the choice of a STEM college major and a STEM occupation. Their research findings strongly suggest that if prior interest in STEM as well as other possible confounders are taken into account, the relationships of taking AP…

For decades, calculus has towered over the high-school math landscape, its mastery viewed as the surest marker of high academic achievement. Yet in New England as across the nation, changes are underway: Statistics and data science courses are multiplying, and state leaders are re-engineering graduation rules so students can choose the pathway…

A controversial, equity-focused mathematics reform in the San Francisco Unified School District (SFUSD) featured delaying Algebra I until ninth grade for all students. This study examines student-level longitudinal data on mathematics course-taking across successive cohorts of SFUSD students who spanned the reform's implementation. We observe…

Introduction of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) experiences to students exposes them to a variety of future career options while teaching them critical thinking and problem-solving skills. In many calculus classes, students feel that the material they are learning is abstract and not related to the real world. As a result,…

This quantitative correlational study examines school-level longitudinal outcomes of eighth-grade algebra universal acceleration in 15 U.S. school districts when compared with selective acceleration in 289 school districts. Universally accelerated school districts had higher enrollments, with large effect sizes, in geometry, algebra 2, and…

A controversial, equity-focused mathematics reform in the San Francisco Unified School District (SFUSD) featured delaying Algebra I until ninth grade for all students. This descriptive study examines student-level longitudinal data on mathematics course-taking across successive cohorts of SFUSD students who spanned the reform's implementation. We…

It is evident that more qualitative research on Advanced Placement [AP] classrooms for students from marginalized backgrounds is needed to uncover how AP practices and pedagogies might better serve students who had been historically excluded from the AP Program. I asked my former calculus students (32 total - 22 participated) from my last three…

Research on the Advanced Placement (AP) program generally shows that students scoring 4s and 5s on AP exams outperform their non-AP peers in subsequent college courses. However, faculty often advise students with AP credit to repeat prerequisite courses in college before attempting advanced coursework, and there are few studies that provide…

To prepare students for college and careers, the Common Core Mathematical Practice Standards propose teachers engage students in classroom discourse where they make sense of mathematics by working collaboratively and communicating their thinking. The purpose of this mixed methods study was to explore the relationship between a blended learning…

Females are underrepresented in all levels of physics, while a simultaneous need exists to increase the physical science workforce pipeline. A review of current literature found exposure to more advanced pSTEM courses might influence students to pursue those career-fields, however enrollment in Advanced Placement (AP) Physics remains…

While calculus remains the gold standard of academic rigor in most college admissions offices, educators and employers increasingly champion advanced statistics as critical for navigating today's data-driven workforce. So which math pathway actually shapes long-term success? To find out, we asked UT Austin Associate Professor Matt Giani, graduate…

Analyzing the test scores of more than 10,000,000 students who participated in the Advanced Placement (AP) math exams from 1997 to 2019, this study examined the direction and magnitude of the trend in gender disparity by race in participation in and top achievement on AP Calculus AB, Calculus BC, and Statistics exams. The results of this study…

This qualitative study explores the lack of African American students enrolled in AP Calculus courses in North Carolina public high schools. It considered the perception of student-counselor relationships, academic advising practices, and identity of high school counselor participants. In-depth interviews were conducted with three, African…

Previously, we had reported on the relationship between AP physics experience and exam scores, and student scores on the Force and Motion Conceptual Evaluation and in an introductory calculus-based mechanics course [E. W. Burkholder and C. E. Wieman, Phys. Rev. Phys. Educ. Res. 15, 020117 (2019)]. Two limitations to our previous work were that we…