History of the DBQ
In 1973, the AP U.S. History Development Committee adopted the Document-Based Question (DBQ) for use as one of the essay questions on the exam. The intent was to assess how well students could understand, interpret, and use primary documents effectively in a historical essay. This remains the DBQ’s central purpose, and it continues to provide an important means for evaluating student performance in college-level historical analysis. </p>
<p>In 1997, the Development Committee initiated a policy of announcing the 50-year period from which the DBQ would be drawn. The Committee took this approach for a variety of reasons, including a concern that all students be assessed on a period with which they would be familiar. This part of the exam, it was hoped, would highlight the students’ DBQ skills in particular and not the relative emphasis the course may have given that period. </p>
<p>Revisiting the Policy
The Development Committee recently revisited its decision. The following is excerpted from the memo drawn up by the Committee announcing its decision to end the policy. [ul]
[<em>]The proportion of students performing at the lowest end of the score scale on the DBQ has increased, not decreased. Thus, the policy does not seem to have been successful in helping prepare students of varying ability to answer the DBQ.
[</em>]While there are certainly many factors to consider, a decade’s worth of data suggests that what is measured in the DBQ – since the introduction of the 50-year time period – may be approaching what is measured by the multiple-choice section. Students’ foreknowledge of the DBQ’s time period may be making it more difficult to assess, in a distinct way, the particular skills the DBQ intends to assess. Thus, this prior knowledge can mean that the different kinds of skills the DBQ was intended to address are not evaluated as effectively as possible.
[<em>]In the past few years, as the AP Program has grown worldwide, more students take the exam overseas and across different time zones. Meanwhile, the Internet has facilitated increased communication among students. Given the relatively limited set of general themes taught for any 50-year period, and the increased number of DBQs needed, students may have a better chance at guessing or narrowing the DBQ topic. The Committee is concerned that this policy might give an unfair advantage to some students.
[</em>]While many teachers support the announcement of the 50-year period, the information is not used uniformly. There is limited evidence to indicate that knowledge of a specified 50-year time period has led to an overall improvement in the quality of essays across the spectrum of student abilities. Indeed, the policy may not be achieving its intended goal of facilitating deeper analysis or more sophisticated arguments and may discourage some teachers from employing document analysis consistently across all time periods in the course.
[li]The designation of a 50-year period appears ahistorical to many and unduly restricts the kinds of DBQ questions that can be asked; major topics and larger themes that cross the 50-year time period cannot be pursued well, or dates are gerrymandered to conform to test organization and not historical periodization. As a result, a student may actually assign meaning to the periods in ways that are not based on any sound standards of historical interpretation. [/li][/ul]
While any single variable may be influenced by a complex array of factors, and while informed colleagues may intelligently differ on such an issue, the Development Committee’s considered and unanimous judgment is that the preponderance of evidence argues for rescinding the policy of announcing the 50-year period of the DBQ. Principally, the decision reflects a determination that the DBQ continue to assess, in an equitable and accurate manner, the skills of document analysis, interpretation and synthesis – skills critical to college-level work in U.S. history. </p>
<p>Conclusion
Beginning with the 2002-03 school year and the 2003 exam, the 50-year time period for DBQs will not be announced.
We will not guarantee that all versions of the exam (e.g., the regular exam and the alternate/make-up) will have DBQs from the same time period.
The Development Committee and the College Board are well aware of the implication of these changes for AP U.S. History teachers. The Board is taking steps to facilitate the teaching of the course in high schools through a number of measures intended to support AP teachers. The introduction of AP Central (apcentral.collegeboard.com) and the Smithsonian seminars, which focus on the teaching of artifact analysis, are examples of efforts to increase the resources available to teachers. </p>
<p>Please be assured that this decision was taken after long deliberation and consultation with the College Board, ETS content experts, our colleagues in the teaching of history, and measurement professionals. The Development Committee would like to thank the many of you who took time to respond to our survey and answered our questions. The Committee is grateful for all your efforts in continuing to make the AP U.S. History program the success it is.