Options for Schools and Students

Central Carolina Regional Education Service Alliance Board of Directors Meeting

Presenters: Jenny Oren Krugman, Vice President Southern Region

Larry Brown, Executive Director, K-12Southern Region

Agenda

• Role of Rigor in Student Success

• Key Benefits of AP

• AP data in the State of NC

• How we can help?

• Conclusions

AP Mission

The College Board’s Advanced Placement Program® (AP®) enables students to pursue college-level studies while still in high school. Through more than 30 college-level courses, each culminating in a rigorous exam, AP provides willing and academically prepared students with the opportunity to earn college credit and/or advanced placement. 

AP Student Performance in Physics

Source: Gonzalez, E., O’Connor, K., & Miles, J. (2000). How well do Advanced Placement students perform on the TIMSS Advanced Mathematics and Physics Tests? Chestnut Hill, MA: The International Study Center, Lynch School of Education, Boston College.

• While the U.S. lags behind industrialized countries that participate in the TIMSS test, AP physics students who earned exam scores of 3 or higher outscore all other students.

• Students who earned a 1 or 2 on AP Physics Exams outscored students in more than half of participating industrialized countries

AP Student Performance in Math

Source: Gonzalez, E., O’Connor, K., & Miles, J. (2000). How well do Advanced Placement students perform on the TIMSS Advanced Mathematics and Physics Tests? Chestnut Hill, MA: The International Study Center, Lynch School of Education, Boston College.

• While the U.S. lags behind nearly every industrialized country that participates in the TIMSS test, AP calculus students, regardless of exam score , outscore all other students

Key Benefits of AP

• AP courses establish a college-level standard in secondary schools that is measured through a national assessment designed and scored by college faculty.

• AP courses expose college-bound students to the amounts of homework, study skills, and habits of mind essential for success in college courses.

• AP provides leverage for aligning and strengthening the grades 6-12 curriculum.

• Students who take AP Exams and score a 3 or higher typically experience greater academic success and college graduation rates than non-AP students.

• The AP course is typically the most rigorous curriculum offered in secondary schools and is designated on the student transcript.

• Because AP is widely used for college credit and/or placement, it attracts motivated students eager to double major, or engage in deeper, upper-division courses at college.

 Student DemographicAP Exam Grade of

3 or higher

African-American 28% higher

Hispanic 28% higher

White 33% higher

Low-Income 26% higher

Not Low-Income 34% higher

Source: Dougherty, Mellor & Jian, 2006

AP Participation and Likelihood of College Graduation

College Graduation Rate differences between “matched” AP and non-AP students*

*Matched students are those who have similar family backgrounds and standardized test scores

AP Report to the Nation: How Does North Carolina Compare?

Class of 2010 – NC

84,401 - HS Seniors

25,573 or 30.3% of HS students took an AP exam

18.4% earned a score of 3 or higher

Class 0f 2010 – Nation

3.01 million* - HS Seniors

853,314 or 28.3% of HS students took an AP exam

16.9% earned a score of 3 or higher

*Public school numbers (Source: WICHE, 2008)

AP Participation in North Carolina

Insert state map of AP participation by district

AP Exam Growth: Minority Students in CCRESA

Source: SDRS 2004-2008

2007 2008 2009 2010 20110

100

200

300

400

500

600

700

800

American Indian

African American

Asian

Hispanic

Time to Degree: AP vs. Dual Enrollment and Non-AP

Source: Hargrove, Godin & Dodd (2007)

Students who scored a 2 or higher on an AP

Exam were more likely than other students to

earn a bachelor’s degree within 4 years.

College Graduation Rates

• Students earning a 2 or higher on AP exams are more likely than other students to earn a bachelor’s degree within four years.

Percentage of students who graduate from college in four years

Source: Hargrove, Godin and Dodd, 2008

AP and College Success

• Research continues to suggest that AP Exam grades of 3 or higher are consistently predictive of student college success

• Emphasis should be on strong partnerships between K-12 districts, higher education, states and College Board to help more students earn grades of 3 or higher

• College Board believes that willing and academically prepared students should be encouraged and supported in taking on the challenge of college-level courses in high school

• Students may experience college success regardless of exam grade – Source: Dodd study Power of 2

Why do Students take AP Courses?

Which of these are reasons why you have decided to take AP?

Source: Crux Market Research Inc. (2006): Q310

Intrinsic Reasons Extrinsic Reasons

Credit / Placement Opportunities Remain the Strongest Drivers of the Decision to Take the AP Exam

Which are key reasons why you would take an AP Examat the end of an AP course?

Source: Crux Market Research Inc. (2006): Q630

Extrinsic Reasons Intrinsic Reasons

How can the College Board help districts

and schools?

Increase the Speed of the Train Along the Tracks: Educating NC’s Students

Achieving Equity: A 7-Point Plan

Source: AP and Traditionally Underserved Students; AP Research Brief, January 2009

1 Announce a major commitment to equity in AP.

District Launch high-profile public campaigns to increase student access to and success in AP courses.

2 Conduct an inventory of current AP offerings and capacity.

District Determine extent and rigor of AP offerings in high schools as well as effectiveness of teacher training for Pre-AP and AP courses.

3 Support teacher professional development for AP and Pre-AP teachers.

District Offer year-round training for AP and Pre-AP teachers and hands-on professional development for school and district leaders.

4 Align middle and high school curricula.

District Incorporate state, local and College Board standards to ensure that students have the opportunity to be prepared for success in an AP course through their previous course work.

5 Use AP Potential to identify prospective AP students.

District Administer the PSAT/NMSQT to all 10th and 11th graders; use the free AP Potential program to identify those students likely to succeed on AP Exams, based on those scores. (www.collegeboard.com/appotential)

6 Mandate AP course offerings.

District Require all high schools to offer AP courses in at least the four core areas: Mathematics, Science, English and Social Studies

7 Offset the AP Exam fee for low-income students.

State pays Combine federal funds and the College Board AP Fee Reduction to make the AP Exams free for all students from low-income families.

Tools

• AP Potential

• Professional Development

• Tools for Counselors

What is AP Potential?

• A web-based tool

• Free for schools that administer the PSAT/NMSQT ®

• Provided by the maker of the AP ® Exams

• Designed to ensure that no student is overlooked

• Based on proven research

Signing in to AP Potential™ :www.collegeboard.com/appotential

Signing in to AP Potentialwww.collegeboard.com/appotential

•After considering potential AP students using your school’s standard process, check AP Potential for additional students that might have been overlooked.

•Use AP Potential to make a case for professional development - more teachers will need to be trained to handle an increased number of AP courses.

•Review AP Potential for 9th and 10th graders in preparation for 11th or 12th grade AP courses and ensure that they are taking the correct preparatory courses

AP Potential Tips

Professional Development

Pre AP Workshops

• Purpose:

• Prepare students for AP classes

• Develop and strengthen Vertical Teams

• Increase teacher pedagogical and content knowledge

Professional Development

AP Workshops

• Purpose:

• Increase teacher pedagogical and content knowledge

• Increase knowledge of AP exams, including student test performance

Online Events (Hosted or On-Demand)

Purpose:

• Provide professional development to underserved constituents

• To strengthen teacher pedagogy and content knowledge

• Developed in partnership with AP and based on review of AP exam results

Questions?

Jenny Oren KrugmanRegional Vice President, Southern RegionThe College Boardjkrugman@collegeboard.org

Larry BrownExecutive Director, K-12The College Boardlbrown@collegeboard.org