Over the past two decades, AP's emergence as a nationally recognized program of academic excellence has led to its rapid growth in the nation's schools. With growth have come challenges: How can the high quality of AP be maintained during a period of rapid growth? How can the existing educational inequities in student access to high-quality AP opportunities be diminished?
In the school year, only 57 percent of the nation's schools offered AP courses. The committee chose, therefore, to define low-level courses as those that leave a student unprepared for further study in the discipline.
Because science and technology progress rapidly, frequent review of course content is essential. Curricula should be focused on a reasonable number of concepts that can be studied in depth during the time allotted. Integration of the advanced study curriculum with earlier courses is essential, because building on earlier experiences can contribute to achieving both breadth of knowledge and depth of understanding over a period of years.
It may sometimes make sense for advanced courses to extend over multiple school years to allow sufficient time for this process, as occurs in the IB program. Identifying organizing principles and structuring them appropriately for advanced learners is labor-intensive and requires varied expertise. Therefore, effective curriculum development must be a collaborative effort conducted by teams of experienced teachers working with curriculum specialists and experts in the disciplines, in cognitive theory, and in pedagogy.
The teams need to use a systematic approach to the development process that is aligned with the principles of learning set forth in this report and that involves repeated cycles of design, trial teaching with students, evaluation, and revision. Instruction in advanced courses should engage students in inquiry by providing opportunities to experiment, analyze information critically, make conjectures and argue about their validity, and solve problems both individually and in groups. Instruction should recognize and take advantage of differences among learners by employing multiple representations of ideas and posing a variety of tasks.
While the quality of instruction depends on the knowledge, creativity, and sensitivity of teachers, program developers can do much to suggest possible strategies, and school administrators need to provide both material resources and opportunities for professional development if high-quality teaching is to be achieved.
Effective ways to use the Internet and other electronic resources should be encouraged and evaluated. Teachers of advanced study courses should employ frequent formative assessment of student learning to guide instruction and monitor learning. External, end-of-course examinations have a different purpose: they certify mastery.
Both types of assessment should include content and process dimensions of performance and evaluate depth of understanding, the primary goal of advanced study see Recommendation 1. Programs should report the results of their end-of-year assessments in sufficient detail so the results are useful to students in evaluating what they have learned, to colleges in advising students accurately on their course options, and to schools and teachers in improving their advanced study courses and programs.
Combining the results of several different indicators instead of relying solely or primarily on the results of a single high-stakes examination can provide a more accurate picture of student achievement.
Program staff should assist teachers in developing formative assessments that measure student progress toward desired learning outcomes. While classroom assessment is primarily the responsibility of teachers, programs can favorably affect student progress and increase teacher effectiveness by suggesting appropriate strategies and providing examples.
Schools and districts offering advanced study must provide frequent opportunities for continuing professional development so teachers can improve their knowledge of both content and pedagogy. National programs for advanced study should clearly specify and monitor the qualifications expected of teachers.
Professional development activities must be adequately funded and available to all teachers throughout their teaching careers. Professionals in most demanding fields require continuing education to maintain and improve their knowledge over time.
The same applies to teachers. It should treat teachers as active learners,. Many groups can contribute effectively to teacher professional development. Discipline-based professional associations should help identify the knowledge and skills required for excellent teaching. Researchers should investigate the effects of different levels of teacher professional development on student learning and achievement in advanced study. University and college science and mathematics departments and schools of education must work collaboratively to develop discipline-specific approaches to teacher preparation and continuing professional development.
States, in monitoring the quality of local education, should collect and report data on the qualifications of teachers of advanced study. National programs of advanced study should assume greater responsibility for assisting schools, districts, and states in developing professional development programs and in upgrading their own programs in the ways suggested in this report.
Approaches to advanced study other than AP and IB should be developed and evaluated. Such alternatives can help increase access to advanced study for those not presently served and result in the emergence of novel and effective strategies. Some small-scale alternatives are described in Chapter 5. However, there is much room for new ideas.
Funding and research agencies should encourage the development of additional advanced study options and should collect and disseminate information about existing alternatives that might become national models. Little has been said in this report about the special needs of very high-ability students the top few percent in mathematics and science.
However, the committee urges funding agencies to sponsor research related to the learning needs of these exceptional students and to support educators in the development of innovative strategies for meeting those needs.
National examination scores alone are generally insufficient for these purposes. Legislatures should avoid imposing laws or regulations requiring public colleges and universities to award credit for specified minimum scores on AP or IB examinations. Offices of college admissions should emphasize that taking advanced study courses without doing well in them or without taking the exams is insufficient.
Program developers should clearly discourage any-one from using their programs and assessment results to draw inappropriate inferences about teachers, schools, and communities. Departments should carefully advise undergraduates about the benefits and costs of bypassing introductory courses.
Model core organizational values and beliefs; communicate openly and effectively within and across teams; and manage resources effectively to support district goals. Support commitment to equity to close the achievement and opportunity gaps for under-represented students. Provide accountability, maintain district data, gather feedback and make recommendations for continuous improvement of our advanced programs.
Direct budget appropriations for supplies and resources while monitoring operating expenses for all impacted programs.
Monitor compliance with policy and legal requirements. Promote positive public relations with community agencies serving advanced program students.
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