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)