District Administration - April 2006 - (Page 60)

ADVANCED PLACEMENT in high schools and to do that we students to take the $82 exam. Fee for students and labeled courses AP have to align the academic standards reductions can make the exam free that do not follow the AP course to the AP criteria, he says. And for low-income students in most states; descriptions, Trevor says. Admin- there are many good strategies and other states require the student to con- ist rators eventually realized that teaching techniques from the AP pro- tribute about $5 to $10 per exam. many students were not passing or g ra m from which all teachers can The College Board also set up even taking the end-of-year National benefit, Hairston says. regional officers to connect teachers to Advanced Placement Exam, mean- workshops and provide scholarships. i ng they'd get no college credit. But Just the Facts The board develops, prints, ships and many seniors who took so-called scores the exams using student exam AP courses in the fall could use A P was born in 1955 when a hand- fees, Packer says. The board also that information when applying to f u l of secondary schools and colleges underwrites the costs of teacher pro- competitive colleges, essentially get- wanted to ensure high school par- fessiona l development and for teachers t i ng their foot in the door due to the t ic u la rly senior year was meaningful in the years leading up to AP. AP reputation for rigor, and they'd and to ensure that freshman year in Results are mixed but some stud- be accepted to certain universities college was not about learning what ies show that taking AP in high before ever having to take the $82 should have been taught in high school will give students an edge AP exam in May. school, according to Packer. So they in college to think more critically, But all that should change. The write better, and have more compre- College Board now calls for check- hensive study habits even if they ups on individual courses in schools This was more don't pass the exam. In the latest worldwide, Packer says. Beginning Advanced Placement Report to the with the 2007-08 year, teachers must of a good Nation, released in February, all 50 submit a syllabus for review by col- states and the District of Columbia lege professors that teach the particu- thing than a saw an increase last year in the per- la r course in college, providing each cent age of high school students earn- teacher with a mentor and helping bad thing. i ng a 3 or higher since 2000. The to ensure that students signing up number of students taking AP has for AP in Kansas and in New York Ann Barr, coordinator, more than doubled in 10 years. receive the same learning. Schools Advanced Learner We must encourage our kids to must also submit a list of college-level Program, Guilford County take more challenging courses and textbooks and resources they use and the Advanced Placement program must fulfi ll minimum content criteria Schools, N.C. has been proven to make a difference for courses. in student performance, according An annual ledger, naming the to Secretary of Education Margaret schools authorized to offer AP, will developed rigorous exams, with a Spellings. Under President Bush's be available to the public on the passing score being 3 or higher on a AP Incentive program, she says, we Web and sent to every college and 1-5 scale, to ensure high school stu- will increase the number of students university admission office prior to dent s had learned at the college level. taking AP math and science exams early admissions decisions every fall, T he program started with 104 high from 380,000 today to 1.5 million Packer says. schools, 130 colleges, and about by 2012. Severa l years ago, Baltimore 1,000 students taking 10 different Fou r teen percent of public school County Public School District saw courses. Now, about 15,000 high students in the class of 2005 earned some AP courses watered down, schools, or about half of the nation's a 3 or higher on one or more AP which Superintendent of Schools high schools, and 3,600 colleges and exams, up from 13 percent for the Joseph A. Hairston correlates to universities participate with 1.2 mil- class of 2004 and 10 percent for teacher quality. But when he came in l ion students taking 35 courses. the class of 2000, according to the 2000, he crafted for the entire dis- The U.S. Department of Education report. At the same time, the public t r ic t a Blueprint for Progress, which plans to provide about $4.8 million in high school population has increased outlines the vision, mission, beliefs, new funding this year to help pay all by more than 100,000 students in performance goals and key strategies or part of the AP test fees. The AP Test the last five years, so schools have for the district and changed all that. Fee Program offers states a chance to done more than maintain the pro- We are encouraging principals at make it more affordable for low-income por t ion of students who succeed on this time to increase the level of rigor 60 April 2006 District Administration APstory.w.indd 60 3/20/06 10:55:39 AM

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of District Administration - April 2006

Contents
Editor's Letter
Letters
Update
Inside the Law
Curriculum Update
Administrator Profile
District Profile
Measuring Value
Budget Talk
Underfunded
Are Your Schools Competitive?
Back from the Brink
Rigorous Expectations
Getting Connected
How to Get Your Bond Passed
The Online Edge/Odvard Egil Dyrli
Speaking Out/Gary Stager
Research Corner
Problem/Solution
Leadership Books
New Products
By the Numbers

District Administration - April 2006