In May, the seventh Cohort of A+ College Ready high schools was announced at the Alabama State Board of Education meeting, along with a presentation of the astounding, successful results of the Advanced Placement (AP) program expansion. The collaborative efforts of A+ College Ready and the Alabama State Department of Education have been aggressively reaching more students each year, and the data that was presented is a compelling argument for keeping it going strong.
Throughout the country, reports keep coming in lauding the AP initiative, as it continues to prove that raising student and teacher expectations, and giving proper support and rigorous assessments work well in helping close the achievement gap and prepare more students for success in college. In other words, developing an AP culture in every school is a good, worthwhile investment, and the students who stick with it are praising the program, too.
One senior at a Pittsburgh high school stated to the New York Times that the year of struggling and challenge of her AP course “was definitely worth it. I realize I can do better than I thought. I know I have the ability to basically learn a ton.” (See Spreading the AP Gospel to Nurture Scientists and Engineers, published in the New York Times online, May 4, 2014)
In Alabama, A+ College Ready now works with 118 high schools implementing the successful AP initiative, which prepares more AP teachers to implement college-level content to more students every year. It also helps prepare more students for AP success by holding summer institutes and weekend sessions during the school year.
Alabama is clearly doing something right, since it has ranked at the top nationally for increasing the percentage of passing AP scores in English, math and science, as well as huge increases in passing-score percentages among minorities. The National Math & Science Initiative (NMSI) has held up Alabama as an example of how well the program can work when implemented successfully, especially as Alabama has exceeded the national average by a long shot since 2008.
But there are 365 Alabama high schools, and A+ College Ready has set a goal to be able to serve 200 by 2020. It is estimated that it will take an additional $1 million to sustain the program and serve 200 per year. Because of the program’s proven success it has continued to be supported by public and private funding. In fact, the Alabama legislature increased it’s funding by $500,000 for 2015, which helped A+ College Ready add 21 new schools this fall.
Another challenge is in developing an AP culture in every school and among all students. Many students simply do not have the confidence in themselves to take on the challenges of college-level courses.
In June, about 470 teachers went through “Laying the Foundation” training to help the students in younger grades better prepare for AP in high school, bringing the total of Alabama teachers that have been trained to about 3,000. Through this intense professional development program, middle-school teachers receive hands-on training, appropriate subject-specific content, and ongoing support in sustaining the higher rigor for their pre-AP students, despite the various student and school-resource challenges.
“This program is not just for elite, gifted students,” explains Mary Boehm, president of A+ College Ready. “We have proven over the years that students – no matter where they live or their personal challenges – can expect more from themselves and develop the will and work ethic to succeed at higher levels. Just challenging themselves by taking the AP courses better prepares them for life after high school.”
In many ways, the implementation of Alabama’s College and Career Ready Standards (ACCRS), which include the Common Core State Standards (CCSS), is a similar initiative. By raising the bar and challenging all Alabama students to develop critical thinking and problem solving skills, as well as collaboration through real-life application of what they are learning, educators can look to the successes of the AP initiative to help guide effective implementation.
https://youtu.be/zX46rcXvApc
With all Alabama students now expected to reach higher academic benchmarks, the state may continue to see big increases in the number of students from diverse backgrounds enrolling in AP courses.
“Confidence comes from persistently challenging yourself,” said Boehm. “The ACCRS are setting a strong foundation in the early grades to challenge students appropriately, and as they master each standard they become more confident and willing – and sometimes even eager to take on higher-level learning opportunities like those offered in well-taught AP classes.”
