Kickin It AP Style Making APLevel Instruction Accessible

Kickin’ It AP Style: Making AP-Level Instruction Accessible to All Lori Elkins Solomon Lead Teacher – Honors Program East Brunswick Technical HS Middlesex County Vocational & Technical Schools

AP Task Many works of literature contain a character who intentionally deceives others. The character’s dishonesty may be intended either to help or to hurt. Such a character, for example, may choose to mislead others for personal safety, to spare someone’s feelings, or to carry out a crime. Choose a novel or a play in which a character deceives others. Then, in a well-written essay, analyze the motives for that character’s deception and discuss how the deception contributes to the work as a whole.

About Me • MA English/Teaching of Writing (Long Island University, 1996) • 20+ Years of Teaching Experience • 10 Years Teaching at EB Tech as of Sept. 2016 (6 Years Lead Teacher – Honors Program) • Teacher of the Year – 2014 Contact Information: Lori Elkins Solomon Email: Solomon. L@mcvts. net Phone: 732 -254 -8700

About EB Tech • One of 5 campuses in the Middlesex County Vocational & Technical School District • Consists of 5 smaller schools: School of Automotive & Fabrication Technology (Automotive/Machine Tool); School of Construction Technology (Architecture/HVAC/Green Construction); School of the Arts (Theater/Dance/Digital Film/Graphic Design/Multimedia Art); School of Professional & Consumer Services (Agriculture/Baking/Cosmetology); School of Career Development (Special Needs Culinary/Auto/Building Services/Business Tech/Dry Cleaning/HVAC).

Why offer Honors/AP instruction in a Vocational School? • As a 21 st century vocational school, we want to convey a message of high-expectations to incoming parents and students. As our Principal says, “This is not your father’s VOTECH. ” • Offering Honors/AP courses helps tap hidden potentials in students from all vocations. • Whether or not students actually take the AP exam, AP-level training helps prepare them for college-level work.

How Successful Is the Program? Approximately 8 students at our campus take the AP English Literature & Language exam each year. • Year 1 (2016): 1 student passed (Grade: 3) • Year 2 (2015): 3 students received a 3 -5 • Year 3 (2016): High hopes! Our district as a whole has received a College Board Honor Roll award for increasing student access to Advanced Placement courses and improving the rate at which students earn a score of 3 or higher on AP exams.

Background • In the past, many students did not know that these courses existed, or that they could earn college credit for taking the exam. Many assumed that the test was just too hard for the average student to take. These misconceptions were reinforced by the fact that administrators and teachers reserved these courses for “elite” students.

Then & Now • New trend: open enrollment to honors and AP classes for all students who want to take them. • “An increasing number of school districts… have recently begun initiatives to expand AP course offerings and enroll more black and Hispanic students, children from low-income families and those who aspire to be the first in their generation to go to college. ” (Motoko) • In New Jersey, the Advanced Placement® (AP) Test Fee Reduction Program, provides federal grant funding to pay test fees for eligible lowincome students taking AP exams in public and non-public schools.

Advantages of Offering AP Courses • Empowers minority, low-income, and struggling students by giving them access to courses that lay the way for success in college. • One College Board research study found that: “Students who completed an AP Exam using a College Board–issued fee reduction had higher four-year college-going rates, retention rates, and FYGPA than did their non-AP peers. These results held generally even when disaggregated by demographic variables (gender, ethnicity, parental income, or parental education) or by academic variables (high school GPA or SAT score). ” Source: https: //aphighered. collegeboard. org/research-reports

More Advantages • It fosters a culture of learning in that it provides all students and opportunity to learn with peers who have high educational aspirations • Course content is easily integrated into Core Curriculum. In particular, there is strong alignment with the Reading Standards for Literature, the Writing Standards, the Language Anchor Standards, and Progressive Skills.

Cost • The cost of the exam ($92 this year). The College Board provides a $30 fee reduction for each exam taken by eligible students with financial need, depending on the student's state. • For low-income students attending public and private schools who qualify for the $30 per exam College Board fee reduction, the New Jersey Department of Education will pay $53 per AP Exam. Source: https: //professionals. collegeboard. org/testing/ap/coordinate/details-state

AP Opportunity Program • Expands access to schools in low-income areas • Provides each participating school with “startup” funding for classroom resources, educational materials and teacher professional development • Selection criteria: 1 – public high school 2 – 70% or higher of students qualify for free and reduced-price lunch 3 – 10 or more students have high potential to succeed based on their scores o the PSAT Contact: apopportunity@collegeboard. org

Teaching Strategies • • • Individual tutoring Differentiated instruction Visual learning (ex. graphic organizers) Project-based learning Peer mentoring Formative assessments Meta-cognitive tasks (honestly reflect on reading and writing processes) Normalize challenges Connect classroom skills with real life skills (workplace, political, social, self-improvement etc. ) Study Guide & Extensions Options Learning Games

MY FAVORITE STRATEGIES: Ø Provide a common theoretical framework for literary analysis Ø Use formulas and routines Ø Teach academic vocabulary Ø Flash cards (paper & electronic) Ø Interdisciplinary lessons Ø Writing portfolios Ø Study teams Ø Set expectations and routines in earlier grades Ø AP Boot Camp

Works Cited • Godley, Amanda, Terry Monroe, and Jaclyn Castma. “Increasing Access to and Success in Advanced Placement English in Pittsburgh Public Schools. ” English Journal. 1051 (2015): 28 -34. • Rich, Motoko. “Pulling a More Diverse Group of Achievers into the Advanced Placement Pool. ” New York Times. 26 Nov. 2013. http: //nyti. ms/1 gg. B 4 LX. • Winebrenner, Susan. “Effective Teaching Strategies for Open Enrollment Honors and AP Classes. ” The Journal of Secondary Gifted Education. Vol. XVII, No. 3, Spring 2006: 31 -49.