1 What the AP Course Audit is NOT: An audit of teacher quality An audit of teacher credentials An audit of teacher pedagogy An audit of teachers

The AP Course Audit Trevor Packer (212)

3 So what IS the AP Course Audit? An audit of course content An audit of AP teachers’ understanding of college and university expectations for AP courses An audit of administrators’ support for AP teachers An audit that results in license to use the “AP” label on student transcripts and inclusion of the school in the official, public ledger of authorized AP courses.

4 What value does the AP Course Audit provide for new or inexperienced AP teachers? A clear definition of elements required in a college-level course Support materials for development of an AP syllabus Validation of the new teachers’ curriculum through external review by college faculty

5 What value does the AP Course Audit provide for experienced as well as new AP teachers? Creation of a pipeline from the College Board to each AP teacher, for communication of updates, new materials, and course/exam changes Leveraging of support for AP teachers among school administrators Defense of college/university admissions benefits for AP students Reminders of exam security requirements

6 The likelihood of such an occurrence is: 1 in 73,000,000,000,000, 000,000,000,000.

7 Background The AP Course Audit was created at the request of secondary school and college members of the College Board who sought a means for the College Board to: Provide teachers and administrators with clear guidelines on curricular and resource requirements that must be in place for AP courses. Help colleges and universities better interpret secondary school courses marked “AP” on students’ transcripts.

8 The AP Course Audit: Overview The College Board will audit all courses that schools wish to label “AP” on students’ transcripts. Each AP teacher submits 2 elements: an AP Course Audit form and a syllabus for review by college/university professors Qualifying courses will receive authorization to use the “AP” designation. Schools may: list courses they plan to offer as “AP” in course selection materials before participating in the audit. order and administer exams without participating in the audit.

9 Define Standards and Parameters Course Audit will: Specify common, essential elements of corresponding college courses and define resources, such as college- level textbooks, necessary for the course. Require teachers and principals to attest to the inclusion of these elements in the course. Preserve the flexibility individual teachers and schools can and should have to create their own curriculum and syllabus for an AP course. Course Audit will NOT: Prescribe a set curriculum nor specify particular delivery models for courses. Mandate particular teacher credentials, professional development, or certification.

10 Sample Curricular and Resource Requirements Curricular Requirements English Language and Composition: The course teaches students to analyze how graphics and visual images both relate to written texts and serve as alternative forms of text themselves. Calculus AB: The course teaches students how to use graphing calculators to help solve problems, experiment, interpret results, and support conclusions. Resource Requirements U.S. History: The school ensures that each student has copies of primary sources and other instructional materials used in the course for individual use inside and outside the classroom.

11 Timeline Course Audit materials may be submitted beginning January 2007 Deadline to request authorization for : June 1, 2007 Materials received after this date will be reviewed, but the College Board cannot guarantee inclusion in the first edition of the ledger. Ledger of schools with their authorized courses will be made available to colleges and universities in November of each year. Colleges and universities will be informed of courses authorized after June 1, 2007 via updates to the ledger.

12 Process Web-based process: Principals, AP Coordinators, teachers, and district officials will receive instructions for accessing the Web site in January 2007 (via mail). Teachers create an account and do two things: Print the subject-specific AP Course Audit form and fax it with teacher and principal signatures Submit an electronic version of a syllabus for review Within two months of receiving both the AP Course Audit form and syllabus, the teacher will receive notification that the course has been authorized or that further dialogue is required before authorization can be given. Schools and districts will have the ability to track the status of their courses through the Web site.

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21 Syllabus Review Syllabus corroborates what the teacher and principal indicated is occurring in the classroom on the AP Course Audit form. Each curricular requirement, or an alternative approach to a requirement, must be clearly evidenced on the syllabus. Reviewers will be selected from among college/university professors and recently retired AP teachers.

22 Additional Reviews If more information is needed to grant authorization, the teacher and principal are notified via and letter, respectively. The opportunity will be given to all teachers to supply more materials/explanation about the course. If determination can still not be made, a College Board- appointed senior reviewer will work with the school to define what needs to be in place before the school can label the course “AP.”

23 Syllabus Preparation Resources Available on apcentral.collegeboard.com/courseaudit Syllabus self-evaluation checklist (Oct. 2006) The checklist helps ensure that the syllabus includes everything required and helps teachers avoid simple mistakes. Annotated sample syllabi (Oct. 2006) Syllabi for each AP subject with annotations showing how the curricular requirements are evidenced. These syllabi will illustrate that there are multiple ways that any given AP course can be taught. Teachers can use these sample syllabi as examples as they craft their own syllabi.

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26 Additional AP Course Audit Resources AP Central articles written by district officials who have conducted district-wide professional development activities to facilitate syllabi development (September) Free online events –11/30, 12/14 apcentral.collegeboard.com/onlineevents AP Course Audit Web site demo (December)

27 Textbooks Non-exhaustive lists of example textbooks that fulfill AP Course Audit curricular requirements appear on AP Central. Reviewers will consider textbooks and classroom resources listed on the syllabus holistically to confirm that the items collectively provide students with the course content delineated in the curricular requirements of the AP Course Audit. The Teacher's Resource Catalog at apcentral.collegeboard.com/resourcereviews includes reviews of a wide variety of instructional materials that teachers may wish to use in their courses.

28 Online AP Course Providers Online AP courses provided by an online provider, such as a virtual school, may be listed as “AP” on the transcript providing the online provider has been approved to label its courses “AP” by the College Board. Online providers offering authorized AP courses will be listed on AP Central. Schools will have the opportunity to indicate which online courses they are providing their students through the Course Audit Web site.

29 Renewal Process Teachers will not be asked to resubmit approved syllabi each year. Syllabi need only be submitted if the College Board makes significant changes to the course requirements or if the teacher changes schools. In subsequent years, principals may request renewal of the authorization through a form that will be provided by the College Board.

30 More Information For complete information about the AP Course Audit, including curricular requirements, resource requirements, syllabus preparation guidelines, and example textbooks visit: apcentral.collegeboard.com/courseaudit