|
Advanced Placement (AP)
The College Board
(Piloted First AP Exams in 1956)
AP Courses Offered in Metro Schools for 2012-13
From USA Today: How AP courses can help prepare students
for college - even without passing the test
2012 AP Score Report *
*Students may take AP exams without taking the corresponding AP course. Students may enroll in AP courses and not take the AP exams. In many schools, AP courses are open to any student.
“The College Board is a not-for-profit membership organization whose mission it is to connect students to college success and opportunity” (2007).
College Board Association
- 5,000 schools, colleges, universities
Annual Services
- 7,000,000 students
- 23,000 high schools
- 3,500 colleges
Best-known programs
- SAT
- PSAT
- Advanced Placement
Advanced Placement Courses
- 34 Courses
- Variety of Subjects
- MNPS Courses authorized through the College Board Audit
- Exams created by Development Committees
- $89 Fee for Each Exam in May 2013
National AP Scores
“While more American public school students are taking Advanced Placement tests, the proportion of tests receiving what is deemed a passing score has dipped, and the mean score is down for the fourth year in a row, an Education Week analysis of newly released data from the College Board shows.”
Cech, Scott J. “AP Scores Fall as Test-Taking Rises.” Education Week 27 (2008): 1, 13.
AP News from MNPS Schools!
| Janet Swandol (Senior Education Manager, College Board Southern Regional Office) presented AP updates at the August 2012 AP Advisory Council meeting. |
Mary Kroeger, Subject area teachers on the AP Advisory Council are establishing electronic discussion groups for their AP colleagues across the district. |
| Christian Sawyer, former social studies teacher at Hillsboro High School and current principal of Bailey STEM Magnet Middle School, authored an AP Student Interest Survey that could be used by schools prior to spring course registration. The survey is available for use by schools. |
Carol Crittenden, MNPS VP Arts Coordinator, is working with colleagues to develop a proposal and course description for a new AP Music Performance course. |
| Adam Taylor, science teacher at Overton High School, trained volunteer AP teachers to conduct Inclement Weather Online Classes (IWOC) for the 2011-12 school year. Teachers will use an online video streaming program to create a video "channel" for their instruction. Students can interact and ask questions through a built-in chat room. |
| During the fall semester 2012, AP and IB teachers are completing Blended Learning training (developed by Tischann Nye, MNPS Blended Learning Instructional Designer), filling master course templates with course content, and preparing to go live with Blended Learning classrooms in January 2013. |
AP Goals for MNPS Schools
- Increase the number of AP subject offerings at MNPS schools:
- strengthening vertical teams
- using AP Potential data to encourage and inform more students
- Increase the number of students taking AP courses:
- surveying students about courses they want
- using data from PLAN and other assessments to recruit students
- Increase the number of students taking AP tests:
- increasing student content and confidence for taking tests
- informing and training honors teachers about AP material and strategies
- Increase AP test scores:
- offering and promoting out-of-class tutoring
- providing meaningful AP training and professional growth opportunities
- identifying and training strong AP teachers
- encouraging AP teachers to read AP exams in the summer
|
