The current research examined whether theory-driven examinations that expand the range of cognitive skills assessed allow individual students to better demonstrate content knowledge and decrease achievement gaps between ethnic and sex groups. Two hundred and eighty one students enrolled in AP Physics courses in the 2006-2007 school-year took an augmented version of the AP Physics exam that included items measuring creative and practical thinking in addition to analytic and memory skills. Employing such a framework reduced achievement differences in ethnic groups compared to standard estimates. It further revealed distinct profiles of achievement across cognitive processes, suggesting that traditional tests, which tend to emphasize memory and analytic skills, may not allow all students to fully demonstrate their content mastery. This research points to a need to integrate theories of cognitive processing into the design of new tests. Augmenting exams in AP Physics 4 Using modern theories of cognitive processing to augment assessments in Advanced Placement Physics Although achievement testing can be traced back to about 150 BC as a means of selecting government employees in China (Bowman, 1989), the testing boom that is so evident today got its start in the early 20 th century. E.L. Thorndike is often considered the father of the educational testing movement as he was involved in the development of many of the first standardized achievement tests (e.g., Thorndike's Scale of Handwriting for Children) when previously testing had been highly subjective (Ross & Stanley, 1954). Over the course of the century, the use of objective, standardized testing increased as researchers became more aware of the poor reliability of teachers' assessment (e.g., Starch & Elliot, 1913 as cited in Wiliam, 2006). Indeed, in 1926 the Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) replaced the essay tests that had previously been required of college applicants (Donlon, 1984). The prominence of standardized testing continued to rise over the rest of the century: the Advanced Placement (AP) program was introduced in 1955 (College Board, 2008a) and the ACT, an alternative to the SAT, was introduced in 1959 (ACT, 2008). These tests represent some of the largest, richest, and most consequential in the field of educational testing. Today standardized tests are frequently used in the United States and abroad as a basis for making decisions about the educational opportunities, placement, and diagnosis of students. Each year, millions of students across the country take highstakes achievement tests that will have an important influence on their academic and professional futures (Heubert & Hauser, 1999). Much as the birth of the modern Augmenting exams in AP Physics 5 standardized testing movement came about because of the shortcomings of subjective assessment, standardized achievement tests are frequently used to make important decisions (e.g., college admissions or school funding) when other criteria are more subjective or less easily comparable (e.g., teacher ev...
