“or whether the scores are a result of the College Board changing its grading criteria for AP exams”
Between 2022 and early 2024, the College Board adjusted how it scores AP subject exams using a data- and numbers-based approach aimed at eliminating some of the subjectivity and inconsistency that had previously been part of AP exam scoring.
The “recalibration” resulted in a higher percentage of students getting the 3’s, 4’s, and 5’s that qualify them for college credit in nine subjects.
“When we see these numbers of increasing exam taking and increasing scores, I think it’s important to know that we don’t think that it’s just that Wisconsinites are suddenly doing a lot better on AP exams,” Shaw said. “Although that would be wonderful news. I think there’s a degree to which some of that may be happening. But it seems like the larger factor here is this recalibration that the College Board did.”
Libby Wissing has taught AP math classes at Divine Savior Holy Angels, a private girls school in Milwaukee, for 12 years. She said last year, for the first time, it was clear what the free response questions, or non-multiple choice questions, on the AP pre-calculus test were going to be.
AP statistics was revamped this summer, so Wissing will know what those questions will be next school year.
“It does feel like there’s more direct expectations, which then makes it easier as a teacher — if the goal is to get students to do well on this exam,” Wissing said.
But Wissing doesn’t believe this is a good thing:
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Moving the goal posts is not a new tactic:
Wisconsin Act 20 requires the use of early literacy screeners for 4k to 3rd grade students. The aimsweb screener by Pearson changed their “cut scores” for the 2025-2026 version. This tactic makes it difficult to evaluate programs, progress and rigor over time.
29% of all Madison 3rd graders [Report] scored lower than 75% of the students in the national comparison group during the fall of 2025, while 46.1% of 2nd graders scored lower than 75% of the students in the national comparison group during the 2024-2025 school year.
And, taxpayer funded Wisconsin DPI often changes cut scores.
