The document discusses the importance of offering more Advanced Placement (AP) courses to 21st century students. It argues that students need to be challenged and prepared to compete globally for jobs and careers. While the Verona school district is meeting standards, it could enhance AP course offerings compared to other similar districts. The document examines whether Verona is offering the most popular AP courses and maximizing student enrollment and achievement in AP. It suggests the district could improve by offering additional in-demand AP courses to better prepare diverse students for their futures.

1. WHY OFFERING MORE AP CLASSES ARE ESSENTIAL TO 21 ST CENTURY STUDENTS Tracey L. Cooper-Singleton Midterm ELAD540

2. Relevant and rigorous curriculum requires courses that pique the interest of diverse learners, who are preparing to be contributors to our ever-growing global society. Students today will be competing on a global scale for jobs and/or careers. Therefore, schools are charged with CHANGING to provide adequate exposure to the academic, social and technical skills students will need to be viable and competitive citizens. A wide array of AP courses is one of many solutions that would challenge today’s students. AP courses provide challenging and unique experiences for students who wish to accelerate their course load with college preparatory classes. According to test results Verona, is meeting AYP and NCLB standards; however, when comparing and contrasting Verona to other comparable “I” District Factor Groups (DFGs); AP course offerings is an area that can be enhanced. The following questions will lead as a premise for professional development and/or questions to explore further: IS VERONA PROVIDING ENOUGH AP COURSES TO MAXIMIZE STUDENT ACHIEVEMENT? ARE WE OFFERING THE AP COURSES THAT YIELD THE BEST RESULTS FOR OUR STUDENTS’ FUTURE? WHAT CAN WE DO TO IMPROVE STUDENT ENROLLMENT IN AP COURSES ? Click test results

3. IS VERONA OFFERING “ALL” OF THE 10 MOST POPULAR EXAMS 10 MOST POPULAR AP EXAMS IN NJ.docx Click

4. The following excel spreadsheet compares and contrast the AP classes being offered by other “I” - District Factor Groups (DFGs). I GROUP DFG COMPARISON AP COURSES singleton.xlsx THERE ARE MORE THAN 30 AP COURSES OFFERED WITH SOMETHING FOR EVERYONE…ARE WE MISSING SOMETHING FOR SOMEONE WITH ONLY 14 COURSES BEING OFFERED? The following chart is a snapshot of how many courses out of 30 are being offered by each “I” group NOTE: Verona’s number of student participants 27.7% is higher than the state’s average of 19%; but lags behind Glenridge (42.9%), Livingston (34.5%), Montclair (35.8%), West Essex (28.6%) and South-Orange Maplewood (34%) when it comes to number of students participating in AP courses. CEDAR GROVE VERONA CALDWELL GLENRIDGE WEST ESSEX MONTCLAIR S.ORANGE LIVINGSTON 10 out of 30 33% 14 out of 30 47% 15 out of 30 50% 16 out of 30 53% 21 out of 30 70% 26 out of 30 87% 26 out of 30 87% 28 out of 30 93% Click

5. We all may have differing philosophies of education and/or purposes for working in a school; however, one of the ultimate goals of secondary learning is to prepare students for college and/or careers. Hopefully, our students will find a VOCATION that makes them productive citizens of the WORLD. As a result, are we NOT providing AP COURSES that are in great demand for the future? THE CHART BELOW SHOWS MISSING COURSES AND OBJECTIVES/GOALS OF EACH AP COURSE COURSES NOT OFFERED IN VERONA.docx US DEPARTMENT OF LABOR LINK TO THE “ FASTEST GROWING OCCUPATIONS” http://www.bls.gov/emp/ep_table_103.htm

9. GOAL: By the end of June 2014, VERONA High should be offering 5 additional AP courses; with student participants that are capable of scoring a 3 or greater on the corresponding AP exam. ACTION ITEMS TIMELINE RESPONSIBLE PARTY OUTCOME Formation of Y-AP committee; including students, parents, teachers who will create a timeline of implementation ,administer and analyze surveys that assess student/parent interest in AP courses currently NOT offered. Also, seek community partners, donors, and/or sponsors – including possible federal aid initiatives/incentives SAMPLE TIMELINE 3-6 months Y-AP committee Seek grants to implement more AP courses; share survey findings info. with school; RECRUIT DIVERSE , INTEREST STUDENTS, regardless of race, culture, creed, and/or disabilities…PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT PLAN FOR TEACHERS TEACHING AP Teacher training and/or recruiting of teachers capable of teaching AP courses NOT offered 1-year Principal/Superintendent Increase staff teaching AP and/or hire staff capable of teaching AP Onsite PD from Collegeboard trainers & and/or collaborations with neighboring schools On-going Teachers/Principal/Superintendent Increased capacity to teach AP courses and higher rate of students scoring 3 or greater on AP exams Annual AP conference July 14-18, 2010 – Y-AP committee enlist interested teachers/staff - provided and fill out necessary PD paperwork 3-4 months Y-AP committee Professional networking/increased understanding of AP courses; turnkey information to student body Click sample

10. The following questions are things to consider: How many students in AP classes versus general education classes score proficient and advanced proficient on test? Is there a correlation between AP classes and students performing advanced proficient on HSPA ? What cluster areas need improvement? What cluster areas are strong? Analyze students meeting minimum requirements on HSPA; and students exceeding (advanced proficient) Cost analysis of instituting more AP courses – teachers, teaching materials, resources, training, etc. Does Verona have an AP Coordinator and/or Counselors, who can properly promote new AP courses and initiatives?

11. The following questions are things to consider: Shared services – can AP courses be shared with neighboring “I” groups and/or can AP courses be implemented virtually? Are there in house teachers capable of teaching AP course – after receiving proper training? Is there need to recruit more teachers with AP teaching credentials? How can we make AP course more accessible for ALL learners, especially students that are traditionally underrepresented in AP courses (i.e. blacks, hispanics, low-income, etc.)? How do we increase number of students taking exams that enrolled in AP courses? What are useful strategies for scoring a 3 or above on AP exams? How can we assist students in seamlessly transferring credits to colleges/universities once they successfully complete AP courses? WHAT PRE-AP courses are we offering to middle school students to prepare them as good candidates for AP courses in high school?

12. The goal of Advanced Placement Strategies - APS is to maximize the number of students who pass AP exams. Launched in August 2000 by an individual donor, APS develops and manages AP Incentive Programs ™ throughout the State of Texas. An AP Incentive Program is a partnership between Texas schools, businesses, and the philanthropic community, whereby a private donor provides incentives for students, teachers and schools to strengthen AP participation. These programs are modeled after a successful similar program designed and implemented by the O'Donnell Foundation in the Dallas area. http://www.apstrategies.org/about/ Advanced Placement Strategies™, Inc. (APS) is a section 501(c)(3) non-profit corporation that works with Texas schools and the private sector to manage Advanced Placement™ (AP ® ) and Pre-AP ® incentive programs for students, teachers, and schools

13. The Advanced Placement Training and Incentive Program (offered by the National Math and Science Initiative – NMSI): The Advanced Placement Training and Incentive Program (APTIP) is a comprehensive approach that increases teacher effectiveness and student achievement in rigorous math and science courses through training, teacher and student support, vertical teaming, open enrollment, and incentives. The program increases dramatically the number of students taking and passing AP math, science, and English exams, and expands access to traditionally under-represented students. OTHER NMSI HIGHLIGHTS “ If our NMSI high schools were a state, it would have the 33rd largest student enrollment and the 28th largest African American and Hispanic student enrollment. ”

14. “ Indiana University High School offers online advanced placement (AP) courses in English, social studies, and calculus. The courses are written and taught by licensed, certified teachers, and they are approved by the College Board.” AP courses are designed to give you a head start on college-level work. sharpen your writing and analytical skills. make you stand out in the college admissions process. allow you to study subjects in greater depth and detail. The courses are available in a self-paced online format (12 months), as well as a semester-based online format (four months). Students are invited to select the format that best suits their needs. Retrieved from: http://iuhighschool.iu.edu/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=50&Itemid=906

15. SAMPLE LETTER : KANSAS ADVANCED PLACEMENT INCENTIVE PROGRAM “ Public schools are ranked according to a ratio devised by Jay Mathews: the number of Advanced Placement, Intl. Baccalaureate and/or Cambridge tests taken by all students at a school in 2008 divided by the number of graduating seniors” http://www.newsweek.com/id/201160/?q=2009/rank/101 “ Failure rate for AP tests climbing [State by State breakdown]" http://www.usatoday.com/news/education/2010-02-04-1Aapscores04_ST_N.htm “ Maryland leads the nation in the percentage of public high school students who have taken and passed at least one AP exam (Maryland: 23.4%; USA: 15.2%). In 2008, it surpassed New York for the first time. Since 2003, it has been third, behind Vermont and Maine, in expanding the percentage of kids who pass AP test. What's perhaps more significant: In 2009 it was one of only three states in the South, along with Virginia and Delaware, in which at least 60% of AP tests scored a 3 or above” http://www.usatoday.com/news/education/2010-02-04-apscoresbl04_st_N.htm “ Obama announces teacher training initiative” http://www.usatoday.com/news/education/2010-01-06-Obama-education_N.htm “ Many Teachers in Advanced Placement Voice Concern at Its Rapid Growth” http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/29/education/29class.html “ The study found that the teachers were generally satisfied with the program’s quality. But when they were asked to explain the growing allure of A.P. classes and tests, 90 percent attributed it largely to “more students who want their college applications to look better.” “Advanced Placement and International Baccalaureate: Do They Deserve Gold Star Status?” Click sample

16. Implementation of more AP course can not be a bandwagon initiative in Verona. It must be rooted in best practices and quality long-term training for teachers. The goal for students enrolled in AP courses must be to PASS the AP exams with a score of 3 or greater. Consistent audits of coursework and curriculum alignment to appropriate resources must be consistently analyzed to ensure progress. A budgetary commitment should be made to hire ongoing trainers for teachers of AP courses. Providing students with rigorous coursework should lead to students being capable of passing with a 3 or higher on the exams. Students should not just be enrolled for the namesake of taking AP nor should teachers just brandish the label of being an AP teachers without yielding good results. If AP courses are the “gold standard” for secondary education than students should excel on the exams. Overall, increasing AP offerings is worth it because it prepares students for college and motivates them to receive credits toward college. It also prepares them for advanced careers in technical fields of study where they can be leaders because of the academic edge they have obtained early on in high school.

17. Did I address the following questions in this presentation? IS VERONA PROVIDING ENOUGH AP COURSES TO MAXIMIZE STUDENT ACHIEVEMENT? ARE WE OFFERING THE AP COURSES THAT YIELD THE BEST RESULTS FOR OUR STUDENTS’ FUTURE? WHAT CAN WE DO TO IMPROVE STUDENT ENROLLMENT IN AP COURSES ?