Chemistry Prof Named National Chief Reader for AP Exams

In that position, also known as the chief reader, Beran will be responsible for overseeing the scoring of more than 150,000 AP Chemistry exams submitted annually by high school students nationwide. He will begin serving a four-year term in July 2021.

The AP Program enables academically prepared high school students to pursue college-level studies with the opportunity to earn college credit, advanced placement or both. In 2020, over 2.5 million students took more than 4.5 million AP exams.

Dr. Kyle Beran Chief readers are college faculty considered experts in their fields. As chief reader for AP Chemistry, Beran will oversee more than 350 other AP readers as they score student exams, ensuring that students receive fair and valid scores. He will also serve in a leadership capacity on his subject’s Development Committee, where new tasks and questions are developed for future exams.

Each June, high school AP teachers and college faculty members from around the world gather for the AP Reading, a forum to evaluate and score the free-response sections of the AP exams. Beran will be one of just 32 chief readers, who are responsible for overseeing scoring activities for over 18,000 AP readers across 38 different subjects.

His selection as a chief reader is just the latest step for Beran, who has been involved in the AP Reading forum for 19 years and has served in various leadership positions for 14 years.

Terry Redican, vice president of AP Program delivery, said, “The AP Program is grateful for the immeasurable ways Professor Beran, and the institution he represents, has positively impacted the lives of so many students, teachers, and college faculty over his many years of service with AP. We look forward to his continued leadership as the next chief reader for AP Chemistry.”

A 1989 ASU graduate, Beran joined the ASU faculty in 2018. He currently teaches general chemistry, possesses expertise in physical and descriptive inorganic chemistry, and is an advisor for ASU’s pre-pharmacy program. Prior to arriving at ASU, he taught 16 years at the University of Texas of the Permian Basin, advancing from assistant professor to chair of the Department of Physical Sciences. He holds a Bachelor of Science in chemistry from Angelo State and a Ph.D. in physical chemistry from the University of Kansas.