Post on 21-Jan-2016
University High School, September 1, 2015, 6-7pm
Building Bridges to Post-Secondary Success
Session 1: Preparing for College Rigor: Success in PreAP/Advanced
Placement and Dual Credit Courses
Goals
To increase understanding of the rigor of and types of advanced academic classes in Waco ISD, the common problems experienced by students in these classes, and ways to avoid these obstacles.
Essential Questions
What are PreAP and AP classes? What is dual credit? How are they different?
How are we doing in WISD with these offerings to prepare our students for college readiness?
What needs to change and how are we doing it?
How can you help?
Introduction of Guests
Ms. Ashley Duncan, Assistant Director, Office of Advanced Academic Studies, WISD
Ms. Isabel Lozano, College and Career Readiness Counselor, University High
Ms. Shawntee Reed, College and Career Readiness Counselor, Waco High
Ms. Marlayna Botello, Project Coordinator, ProjectLINK, University High
Dr. Kathryn Hopkins, AP and PreAP teacher, Waco High
Mr. Dan Pfleging, AP and Dual Credit teacher, University High
Ms. Gil Hall, Executive Secretary, Office of Advanced Academic Studies, WISD
Advanced Placement Designed by the College Board Encapsulate the curricula of similar college courses Driven by a final mastery examination Elicit potential college credit at accepting universities Audited by the College Board, if entitled “AP”
PreAP Equip students with strategies and tools for higher-
level learning Develop habits of mind Introduce concepts for success in AP
What is PreAP/Advanced Placement?
Overseen by the credit-granting institution Offered to high school students for both high school
graduation credit and college credit Administered in multiple ways
On college campus On the high school campus by college instructor On the high school campus by a high school
instructor who is certified by the college Online at the high school campus in a dual credit
lab that is supervised by a certified teacher
What is Dual Credit?
Is one better than the other?Not really. Both have their benefits and drawbacks.
Benefits Drawbacks
Advanced
Placement
Nationally normed Considered rigorous Cost effective, if passing
scores are achieved Impactful, even if students
fail the AP test
One chance to display learning
Inconsistently accepted by colleges
Difficult for weak test-takers, readers or writers
Challenging for English language learners due to time constraints
Dual Credit
College credit earned for passing grade
Performance-dependent
rather than test-dependent Cost effective, if classes are
passed
Considered less rigorous than AP by some
Implementation can be inconsistent, depending upon teacher and method of instruction
Inconsistently transferrable
Strengths of both AP and Dual Credit
Viewed by post-secondary schools as the two most rigorous course selections
Weighted courses in GPA calculations so that lower grades do not punitively effect students who take higher-level courses
Where are we in Waco ISD?
In 2014-15, Waco ISD students passed 19.3% of the 661 AP tests taken. Although this is a six-year high passing rate within WISD, this rate is low compared to the national and Texas averages.
In 2014-15, Waco ISD offered 22 Advanced Placement classes between the two high schools. Additionally, native Spanish-speakers at Tennyson Middle School took AP Spanish Language.
In 2014-15, Waco ISD students passed 97% of the dual credit courses for which they registered.
In 2014-15, Waco ISD offered 8 academic dual credit courses between the two high schools.
So what are we doing about these results?
The Department of Advanced Academic Services has implemented the following plan of action for greater success in these areas:1. Increasing dual credit. In 2015-16, WISD students will
have the opportunity to enroll in 24 academic dual credit courses between the two high schools.
2. Increasing access to these courses by removing financial barriers by covering the cost of all dual credit courses for juniors and seniors who do not qualify for a tuition waiver. Given that the Tax Rate Election passes in November, this would begin in Spring 2016.
3. Raising rigor in all Advanced Placement, PreAP, and Dual Credit classes through syllabi audits, teacher training, vertical alignment between courses, and teacher coaching.
4. Eliminating historically unsuccessful AP courses in favor of Dual Credit courses in those same subjects to allow students greater chances to earn college credit, while adding AP arts courses in Music Theory, Art History, and Studio Art.
Offering greater student support for advanced academic courses through the following means: Administering mock AP exams (for available
subjects), scored by College Board readers to provide early performance information;
encouraging students to re-test on failed AP examinations to have a second attempt to gain credit;
examining alternative ways students can receive credit, such as through CLEP;
working with teachers to ensure students possess test-taking and writing strategies required for passing the AP tests;
providing dual credit lab facilitators to verify student work prior to submission for online courses; and
offering informational sessions (such as this one) about how students, parents, teachers and administrators can work together to increase success.
Continuing…So what are we doing about these results?
Through this plan, we are confident we will see increased success in advanced academic classes.
So what are YOUR responsibilities?
Commit to Success!The PreAP/AP Contract expresses your commitment to success for your child. • “Successful completion of each PreAP/AP course
requires approximately six hours of individual study time per week,” so please ensure that you plan appropriately.
• “If a student falls below a grade of 75 in a PreAP/AP class at the end of any grading period, upon communication among the student, teacher, parent, counselor, and/or administrator, the student will be placed on academic probation.” This policy protects students from harming their grade point averages too severely through an incorrect course placement.
• If the grade is not brought up by the end of the subsequent grading period, the student can be removed from the class.
WISD PreAP and AP Grading Policy
Middle and High School PreAP Courses/AP Courses:
In averaging grades for each reporting period, the following formula shall be used in all subject areas:
1. Daily work = 40% of grade. No more than 20% of the daily grades in each grading period shall be for homework.
2. Major assignments and/or tests – 60% of grade. This category must include a minimum of three unit, chapter, or skills tests and/or major assignments addressing the essential elements, such as projects, major reports/compositions, journals, notebooks, and portfolios.
For Science: Tests shall be assigned a value of 40% laboratory assignments which are derived and performed solely by the students shall be assigned a value of 20%.
Notebooks as major assignments cannot be simply a compilation of previously graded material.
No more than 1 major grade in each grading period shall be home projects.
Dual Credit Grading Policy
Because credit and grades are assigned through the sponsoring school assigning college credit, these courses do not follow the standard Waco ISD grading policies.
Grades for dual credit classes shall be published in the syllabus of the teacher of record. These can vary from the district policy mentioned above; therefore, students should carefully read and understand course syllabi so that they understand the grading policies of each Dual Credit course.
WISD Credit Weighting Policy
WEIGHTED GRADE The District shall categorize and weight eligible courses SYSTEM as Tier 3, Tier 2, and Tier 1 in accordance with
provisions of this policy and as designated in
appropriate District publications. CATEGORIES
TIER 3 Eligible Advanced Placement (AP) courses, dual credit courses, and courses locally designated as advanced
shall be categorized and weighted as Tier 3 courses.
TIER 2 Eligible Pre-AP courses and other courses locally designated as college readiness courses shall be
categorized and weighted as Tier 2 courses.
WEIGHTED NUMERICAL Category Weight
GRADE AVERAGE Tier 3 multiplied by 1.15Tier 2 multiplied by 1.10
We all have our part to play!
Parents, remain in PAC Students, adjourn outside the PAC to your
session
A Dozen Actions Parents Can Take to Increase Success
1.Monitor your child’s grades.
2.Encourage your child to communicate with his or her teachers when you see a problem.
3.Check in with your child about his or her learning, assignments, tests, or projects.
4.Help your child establish good study habits.
5.Examine your child’s binders and folders periodically.
6. Support good sleeping, eating, and time management.
A Dozen Actions Parents Can Take to Increase Success
7. Review the syllabi for dual credit courses so that you know what is due.
8. Talk about course material with your child.
9. Remind students of available resources when they struggle.
10.Encourage students to make good scheduling decisions.
11.Remind students to cite sources when writing papers for class.
12.Watch for appropriate reviewing from late April to mid May.
Thank you for joining us!
Please remember to attend our upcoming sessions! Next
session:Session 2: Dual Credit? What is Dual Credit and why would I want to do that? This session will cover the basics of dual credit, what it is, why it is beneficial, how to enroll, and key deadlines to ensure that students have the opportunity to participate. Summer dual credit versus regular school year dual credit will be discussed.
Target audience: Sophomores, Juniors and their parents. Date: October 13, 2015 Time: 6:00-7:00pm Location: Waco High School, 2020 N 42nd St. Speakers: Scott McClanahan, Londa Carriveau (MCC), Donna
McKethan (WISD-CTE), Shawntee Reed (WHS)