An accomplished educator, Abbot Giles Hayes previously served as chairman of the Department of History and Social Studies at the Delbarton School, located in Morristown, New Jersey. During that time, Abbot Giles Hayes played an integral role in creating the document-based question of the College Board’s Advanced Placement (AP) American History exam.
Standard AP US History exams ask students to utilize outside knowledge when composing their responses to an essay prompt. Contrastively, the document-based question (DBQ) calls for a combination of the students’ preparation and information provided at the testing site, such as charts, graphs, and various historical writings. To achieve a high score, students must leverage their grasp of the subject to effectively incorporate the given test documents in their arguments.
Since the 1970s, the College Board has expanded its number of readers to accommodate an ever-rising volume of test takers, and has added the DBQ format to several other AP exams, including European and World History. The AP Science testing committee also plans to adapt the inquiry aspect of the DBQ to its assessments.
Standard AP US History exams ask students to utilize outside knowledge when composing their responses to an essay prompt. Contrastively, the document-based question (DBQ) calls for a combination of the students’ preparation and information provided at the testing site, such as charts, graphs, and various historical writings. To achieve a high score, students must leverage their grasp of the subject to effectively incorporate the given test documents in their arguments.
Since the 1970s, the College Board has expanded its number of readers to accommodate an ever-rising volume of test takers, and has added the DBQ format to several other AP exams, including European and World History. The AP Science testing committee also plans to adapt the inquiry aspect of the DBQ to its assessments.