The Study Of Advanced Placement Program In The USA

The Advanced Placement Program is an important educational program which is used to promote the excellence of education in the USA. Its implementation has strengthened the communication between high schools and universities as well as colleges, which also made a reasonable and effective transfer from secondary education to tertiary ones. Students who participate in the program can have opportunity to learn the knowledge with college level, and also receive credit in university in advance. The study about this program will bring some illumination and suggestion to our education in China.The paper includes five parts which are introduction, general idea of Advanced Placement Program, its support system, its features and achievement, as well as the debate and the illumination of this program.The first part poses the origin of the study, relevant studies, and study methodology, which give a foundation for following study.The second part mainly introduces the Advanced Placement Program with the cases of Pacific Collegiate Charter and Stanford University.The third part explores the support system for the program through four aspects of regulations, programs, culture and human resource.The fourth part analyses the features of this program through curriculum and instruction, teachers' professional development, and educational equity. And also studies the achievements the program has made through the cooperation between high school and university, the university graduation rate and GPA of AP students.The last part discusses the debates about the program, and explores the illumination the program can bring based on the merit of this program and the problems existing in our education.