The Forum

A very helpful site for all WHAP students is the College Board’s AP Central website. It has all the essays from previous years posted as well as scoring rubrics and sample essays written by actual test takers.

If you are truly interested in improving your essay scores take a look at these essay questions and rubrics. Trust me, it could make a world of difference in your scores.

Bookmark or favorite the site and refer to it often. You can find the site HERE or direct your browser to…

http://apcentral.collegeboard.com/apc/members/exam/exam_information/216943.html#name07

So at this year’s WHAP grading I had the fortunate opportunity to finally be assigned the Document Based Question. I’ve now graded all three types of WHAP Exam questions (the CCOT, Compare and Contrast and now the DBQ).

A part of me dreaded having to grade the DBQ. Virtually every exam taker makes an attempt on the DBQ since it requires little or no prior knowledge. I had only two dashes the entire read. It can be a bit dis-heartening on day five to pick up a folder of exam booklets and know that you will have to read all 25 booklets in that folder. The other graders know that surely there will be some dashes on the CCOT and the C&C. Not so with the DBQ.

Students also write a lot more on the DBQ than the other essays. So it can be a bit of a slog. A fellow grader told me it was like trudging through quicksand.

But the big advantage of grading the DBQ is that it is much easier to grade than the other essays. The rubric is much clearer to understand. Students either have it or they don’t. There’s no fuzziness or confusion for the grader.

The major problem students had on the DBQ were due to simply not following the directions. The prompt and bullet point directions must be followed to the T. When the prompt requires consequences and causes make sure you notice the plurality of the terms. ConsequenceS and causeS. Both plural. A lot of students missed a thesis point because they only had one consequence.

A ton of students missed point of view. Point of view must show how the source’s position colors their analysis. Many more students fell short on the additional document. Students cannot simply mention or make up an additional document. They must show how an additional document would add another view to the analysis. It must be something different than the ten documents included with the test.

All this to say is that if a student simply reread the DBQ prompt and directions, they should get a decent score.

Tonight’s the last night of the 2011 reading. Tomorrow I get up very early to catch a 5:30 am shuttle to Denver International Airport.

No way getting around it, just about everyone here is sad to be leaving Colorado State University for good. There’s just too many readers and no facility on campus large enough to house everyone comfortably as we grade the essays anymore. This will be the last year we will be on a college campus with our own private dorm rooms. Next year we’ll be in Salt Lake City at a giant convention center like all the other AP subjects. In fact there will be five other AP subjects grading in the same convention center at the same time. We’ll no longer be in our own happy little and exclusive WHAP club.

And as cool as I’m sure SLC will be it just won’t compare to being on a campus nestled next to the mountains. Yes, there are mountains surrounding Salt Lake but we’ll be staying downtown in hotels. The vibe will definitely be different. And we will have to have a roomate unless we pony up for half the cost of a room.

This year’s grading went extremely well. The weather was perfect. Oh how I do not long to dive into the Texas humidity. My table leader was great. Our table of eight readers was collegial and friendly. The DBQ, although a much slower read than the CCOT or Compare and Contrast, had much clearer rubric and was easy to score. Of course, the DBQ is usually double the length of the other essays and every single student attempts it unlike the many dashes the other two essay questions get for “no attempt.”

Three years in a row I graded 875 essays during the week (one CCOT and two Comparisons). This year I graded 400 DBQs and that was considered good going.

We got done early and were released at 10:30 am today. That meant I could relax, pack, wander the campus, work out in the sparkling new gym and get ready for travel day. One last dinner with the Wolfpack and we said our goodbyes until next June when the crew reunites in the great state of Utah.

Stunning comeback by the Mavs! Watched the game with a bunch of Texans at Woody’s. Bad news: Woody’s, a legendary Pizza and Pool Hall is closing. Making way for apartments. Guess they heard the WHAP readers were headin’ to Utah next year and thought they might as well shut down. Too bad.

Supposed to be in the fifties tonight. Mid-70′s for a high tomorrow.

DBQ won’t be too bad to grade. Everything is fairly straightforward.

Everyone is finally accounted for. The Wolfpack is back and ready to roll.