AP/IB Boosters Newsletter, June 2, 2004

Hello AP/IB Boosters!

Contents

• UW Health Sciences Open House Recap

• UW School of Engineering Open House Recap

• Neuroscience for Kids Newsletter

• The State of State Standards (Washington's Essential Academic Learning Requirements scores an F)

• The Bellevue School District's Stated Mission

• Required Summer Reading in the Bellevue School District

• Seattle Library

• Jeanie Yocum: Guest Author: The International Baccalaureate International Exams

• National History Day

• The SAT II Subject Exams

• Garfield High School wins Essentially Ellington Competition

• Mary Ann Stine: Guest Author: Everett School District's Algebra 1 Mathematics Program

• Mary Ann Stine: Guest Author: New Everett School District Math Text Books

• Jackson High School Pre-Registration Statistics for the 2004/2005 School Year

UW Health Sciences Open House Recap

The 2004 UW Health Sciences Open House was held in April. Teachers, middle school students, high school students, and their families had a great opportunity to learn about bioengineering, nursing careers, dentistry, cancer research, medical assistant careers, Harborview, Internal Medicine, Pathology, Pharmacy, Urology, Northwest Kidney Center, smoking prevention, Neurobiology and other interesting Health topics.

Look for this great event again in 2006.

http://www.washington.edu/hsoh/index.html

UW School of Engineering Open House Recap

The annual UW School of Engineering Open House was held on April 30^th and May 1^st. School age kids had a chance to learn about the UW Wind Tunnel, fuel cell research, hybrid cars, robotics, Nanotechnology and Biological Systems, chemical engineering, Magnetic Levitation Cars, SeaTac Airport Simulation, and the Paul Allen Center for Computer Science among a myriad of other exciting exhibits.

Look for this event again in April of 2005.

http://www.engr.washington.edu/openhouse/

Neuroscience for Kids Newsletter

"Neuroscience for Kids" is maintained by Eric H. Chudler, Ph.D, Research Associate Professor in the Department of Anesthesiology at the University of Washington.

This newsletter is recommended for students, parents, and teachers interested in learning more about neuroscience.

http://faculty.washington.edu/chudler/neurok.html

The State of State Standards (Washington's Essential Academic Learning Requirements scores an F)

The Thomas B. Fordham Foundation, based in Washington DC, concentrates on elementary and secondary education reform.

http://www.edexcellence.net/foundation/global/index.cfm

In one of the foundation's recent reports, "Effective State Standards for U.S. History: A 2003 Report Card," Washington's Essential Academic Learning Requirements was given an "F."

http://www.edexcellence.net/foundation/publication/publication.cfm?id=320#991

The Washington specific section of the report is reprinted, with permission, below.

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(Assessment based on Washington's Essential Academic Learning Requirements, 1998 (refined April 2002); Social Studies Frameworks: K-5, 6-8, 9-12, June 2002, Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction)

The introduction to Washington's Essential Academic Learning Requirements declares that "Growing numbers of citizens who care about education have been working together to create what will be the driver of reform—higher academic standards." After much public debate, standards were written with the goal of providing "clear targets for teachers and students across the state" by defining "the specific academic skills and knowledge students will be required to meet in the classroom."

After reading these claims, it is quite a letdown to read the Washington "essential" K-12 social studies academic learning standards. The entire section for history, geography, civics and economics is just over twenty pages long, and the history portion totals barely six pages. History begins in fourth grade with Washington State history and continues in fifth grade with a U.S. survey (from the pre-Columbian period to the middle of the nineteenth century). Students are asked to "describe and compare patterns of life over time" in the following historical periods: Indian cultures (prehistory to 1492); Worlds Meet: Western Europe, West Africa, the Americas; Settlement and Colonization (1607-1776); Revolution and Constitution (1754-1789); and U.S. Expansion (1776-1850). Students are also supposed to "describe life in the early U.S. both before and after European contact" and "Explain how an idea has affected the way people live" (e.g., free speech and separation of church and state). The reader of this very thin outline is tempted to ask: How? Based on what?

Eighth-grade U.S. history, from the Revolution to 1900 (after additional Washington State history in the seventh grade), does not raise the bar at all. Students will presumably "Identify and analyze major issues, people, and events in U.S. history," from the Revolution, Constitution and New Nation (1763-1820) through Expansion and Reform (1801-1861), Civil War and Reconstruction (1850-1877), and Industrialization, Immigration, Urbanization (1870-1900). Despite the lack of specific historical content in these standards, students will somehow put "particular emphasis on change and continuity, for example, revolution, the emergence of sectional differences, and the Civil War" [emphasis in original].

High school U.S. history (in grade 11) continues the same scheme, asking students to "Identify and analyze major concepts, people, and events in the [sic] 20th century U.S. History," from the Emergence of America as a world power (1898-1918); through reform, prosperity and depression [no dates], WWII, the Cold War and International Relations (1939-present); and Post-World War II domestic, political, social, and economic issues (1945-present). This time around, again without clear historical content, students are expected to put "particular emphasis on growth and conflict, for example, industrialization, the civil rights movement, and the information age"[emphasis in original].

The Washington U.S. history standards seem to demand little more of high school students than of fifth graders. All the "topics" are uselessly general, and the high school topics in particular are often carelessly written. It is inconceivable that parents would conclude that these standards, which mention only a few actual people and very few specific events, provide effective historical knowledge or clear targets for teachers or students.

In 2002, perhaps in response to consistently low national ratings, Washington State produced three additional "Social Studies Frameworks" for grades K-5, 6-8, and 9-12. The fifth-grade framework does add useful study points about encounters between native peoples and Europeans, the motives for European settlements, why "enslaved Africans" were brought to the colonies, "how African people were imported as slaves to the colonies" [nothing in the framework suggests that teachers or students will explore the whole story of the African slave trade], the perspectives of loyalists and patriots, and the "grievances and infractions [sic] imposed on the colonists." But there is also a presentistic undercurrent; students are instructed, for example, without any apparent reference to the larger historical context, to recognize "the inconsistencies stated in the Declaration of Independence and the conditions of the time (e.g., slavery, women [sic] rights)."

The eighth-grade framework is also chronologically slipshod and badly written. It jumps from the causes of the Revolution and the strengths and weaknesses of the Articles of Confederation to the War of 1812, inaccurately described as "the first test of [sic] new nations [sic] ability to survive," before going back to the origins of political parties in the 1790s. Students are also asked to "Describe the growing influence of [sic] common man under Jacksonian democracy."

Parents will not find much relief from this pattern in the eleventh-grade framework. Some of the historical benchmarks are blatantly biased: "Analyze the reasons the United States is an imperialist nation;""Explain reasons that African American pride and militancy replaced assimilation and accommodation of an earlier age." Others are either tendentious and/or marginally literate:"Examine the impact of nuclear power on political, social, and cultural arenas;" "Evaluate the global impact of the growing power of multinational and supranational corporations on global economy and overwhelming independence;" "Compare and contrast the rise of the suburban affluent middle class with groups left out of the American dream."

It is ironic and revealing that the state named for one of the most important figures in American history does not appear to mention his name in its "Essential Requirements" and "Social Studies Frameworks." Washington State's race to achieve reform and higher academic standards is stuck at the starting gate.

The Bellevue School District's Stated Mission

The Bellevue School District is recognized as one of the best school districts in our state and in our country. The BSD's official stated mission is simple and to the point.

http://www.bsd405.org/index.html

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Provide every student in the Bellevue School District with the kind of education typically reserved for America's elite.

Provide a top-of-the-line college preparatory program to all students.

Required Summer Reading in the Bellevue School District

http://www.bsd405.org/SummerReading/index.html

The Bellevue School District has required summer reading for every 6^th - 12^th grader including Special Education students and English Learning students. This program is funded by the Bellevue Schools Foundation. Here are some of the details:

12^th GRADE

Public libraries in the Bellevue vicinity are also in on the act. They have special discussions throughout the summer.

The following sessions are scheduled for the Bellevue Regional Library:

Tuesday, August 17, 2004, 7pm-8pm, Lord of the Flies

Monday, August 23, 2004, 3pm-4pm, Fahrenheit 451

Wednesday, August 25 2004, 7pm-8pm, Brave New World

Seattle Library

Over 25,000 people attended the grand opening of the new Seattle Central Library. A great place to visit this summer.

http://www.spl.org/images/slideshow/NewCentralSlideshow.asp

Jeanie Yocum: Guest Author: The International Baccalaureate International Exams

The 2004 IB Exams were held from 5/4/2004 through 5/25/2004. Jeanie Yocum is the IB Coordinator at Inglemoor High School.

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With AP, it is easy: students take an AP class, take the test at the end, and earn an AP score based on the results from that exam (1 – 5). IB is much more complex. During the IB course, of one or, most often, two years, students are involved in the internal assessment portion of their grade. This might be portfolio assignments in math, of which three go into the students portfolio to be scored for internal assessment. Or labs in science, which have the most complicated grading scheme, a world literature paper (a comparative study on at least two world literature works studies in class) in English – written in the junior year and re-worked and completed the senior year, formal oral commentary in English – an oral recording of 15 minutes taken from a detailed study of a Shakespeare play, poetry or a prose work. This description goes on for each IB subject area for the Internal assessment. The teacher grades the work. These scores are sent to IB. At that point, based on those scores, IB requests 5 – 10 sample works, or in some cases the work from the entire class. In this way, IB judges if the teacher is on track with what IB expects in the curriculum and if the teacher is grading according to the IB rubrics.

Then, there are the final exams. IB History HL, for example, is a total of 5 hours. They have three papers (tests), spread over two days. Each paper is scored separately. ALL these grades from internal assessment and from each exam paper are part of the equation to come to a final IB grade, 1 – 7. 7 is the top score.

These comprehensive exams are held in May of each year. The exam techniques include written long and short responses, data-based questions, essays, and multiple choice questions. The exam papers are sent to examiners somewhere in the world – yesterday I mailed papers to the Netherlands, Australia, and Saudi Arabia! We find out the results in July.

National History Day

"NHD is a year-long education program that engages students in grades 6-12 in the process of discovery and interpretation of historical topics. Students produce dramatic performances, imaginative exhibits, multimedia documentaries and research papers based on research related to an annual theme. These projects are then evaluated at local, state, and national competitions."

http://www.nationalhistoryday.org/

With the expanding advanced level history course options in the Everett School District, we want to promote the awareness of the National History Day effort. Students could use this as a base for their CE project and enter a national contest at the same time.

The SAT II Subject Exams

The SAT II Subject tests are required for many top universities such as the University of California campuses. SAT II Subject Tests are one-hour, mostly multiple-choice tests. They measure how much students know about a particular academic subject and how well they can apply that knowledge.

The 22 Subject Tests include:

Writing

Literature

U.S. History

World History

Math Level IC

Math Level IIC

Biology E/M

Chemistry

Physics

French

French with Listening

German

German with Listening

Spanish

Spanish with Listening

Modern Hebrew

Italian

Latin

Japanese with Listening

Korean with Listening

Chinese with Listening

English Language Proficiency Test

For more information, see the following:

http://www.collegeboard.com/student/testing/sat/about/SATII.html

Garfield High School wins Essentially Ellington Competition

Garfield High School (one of the best if not the best high school in Washington State) is one of our favorite schools to watch. Garfield's Jazz Band, for the second year in a row, won the prestigious 2004 Essentially Ellington Competition in New York.

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/education/2001937780_ellington25.html

Mary Ann Stine: Guest Author: Everett School District's Algebra 1 Mathematics Program

Mary Ann Stine is the Math Specialist for Everett Public Schools.

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Everett Public Schools is proud to announce the addition to the Algebra 1 mathematics program at the high schools for the upcoming school year. It is a research-based approach to improving students' understanding of higher order mathematical concepts. Developed at Carnegie Mellon University, more than 20 years have been spent researching the strategies students use to solve the problems presented in Algebra classes. This research is the foundation of Carnegie Learning’s Cognitive Tutor curricula. This approach uses engaging, interactive software for students in personalized computer sessions. This curriculum also emphasizes collaborative student activities and projects. In class, students really talk about Algebra and practice expressing algebraic concepts orally and in writing. Using the Cognitive Tutor, students immerse themselves in the possibilities of mathematics beyond the classroom. For more information please refer to www.carnegielearning.com

Mary Ann Stine: Guest Author: New Everett School District Math Text Books

Mary Ann Stine is the Math Specialist for Everett Public Schools.

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Everett Public Schools’ school board has approved the following materials for use in the upper level mathematics courses beginning this Fall. The district is extremely excited with the selection of these materials and firmly believes these programs will support our students in their pursuit of challenging, rigorous coursework in mathematics. For further information please visit: www.keypress.com

Statistics in Action: Understanding a World of Data.

Being offered in Everett Public Schools this fall is an AP Statistics course. This is the perfect course to prepare students for the Advanced Placement statistics exam. Scheaffer and Watkins wrote the course description and teacher’s guide for the AP exam, and served on the College Board’s planning committee. With Cobb, they served on the National Science Foundation’s Focus Group on Statistics.

Statistics in Action is a modern, data-analytic approach that allows students to uncover, display, and explore patterns in data. Most data sets are real—based on up-to-date research, historical case studies, and student-collected data. Students use tools systematically, to build a coherent description of data-set patterns and to describe patterns in the language of their applied contexts.

The text relies heavily on technology. And it shifts from memorizing formulas to learning concepts first through activities, then through an informal graphical approach, and then via a more formal definition. This method motivates students and increases their knowledge.

Everett Public Schools is excited to bring an appealing and effective approach to precalculus with an engaging new text from Key Curriculum Press. Paul A. Foerster, author of the acclaimed Calculus: Concepts and Applications, has crafted a precalculus text to suit any curriculum, including trigonometry.

Precalculus with Trigonometry, Paul A. Foerster

The new Precalculus course prepares students for calculus by using new developments such as technology and cooperative learning to instill the concept that variables really vary. Students use the law of cosines to model the position of an orbiting satellite, rather than simply to analyze a fixed triangle. They fit functions to data, spiraling back to recurring themes like outer space, sports, music, aviation, automobiles, and finance as their mathematical maturity develops.

Technology gives students access to new topics such as harmonic analysis of complex wave patterns, logistic functions for restricted population growth, and iterated matrix transformations for generating fractal figures. Standard topics come alive as students verify trigonometric identities graphically and numerically, as well as by traditional algebraic methods. Accurate printed graphs and Dynamic Geometry® software allow students to learn by actual measurement.

Students become comfortable with terms from calculus, such as concavity, point of inflection, critical point, asymptote, and instantaneous rate and limit, and with figures inscribed in solids of rotation. Formal treatment of calculus topics is deliberately withheld.

With a firm grasp of the concept that variables really vary, students will be well prepared to study in calculus the rate at which they vary.

Calculus: Concepts and Applications, Paul A. Foerster

The acclaimed Calculus: Concepts and Applications has been approved for use in Everett Public Schools. This new edition, has been revised to reflect important changes in the Advanced Placement curriculum, and updated to incorporate feedback from instructors throughout the U.S.

With over 40 years of experience teaching AP Calculus, Paul Foerster developed Calculus: Concepts and Applications with the high school student in mind, but with all the content of a college-level course. Like the previous edition, the second edition follows the AP Calculus curriculum for both AB and BC levels.

In Calculus: Concepts and Applications, students start off with calculus! Review of precalculus occurs at various points when it’s needed. The text combines graphing-calculator technology with a unique, real-world application approach, and presents calculus as a study of just four fundamental concepts: limits, derivatives, definite integrals, and indefinite integrals. Students learn these concepts using algebraic, numerical, graphical, and verbal approaches. As a result, students with a wider range of abilities can be successful in calculus, not just those who are strong in algebra. The accompanying set of Explorations in the Instructor’s Resource Book, designed for cooperative group work, gives students hands-on experience with new topics before they are formally introduced.

In this new edition, derivatives of transcendental functions, related rates, as well as area and volume applications of the definite integral are introduced earlier, and students will find more social science applications throughout the text. Additionally, the Instructor’s Resource Book includes projects utilizing the CBL™ and The Geometer’s Sketchpad ® software, giving students extended opportunities to explore and understand calculus in depth.

Jackson High School Pre-Registration Statistics for the 2004/2005 School Year

We just received all the statistics showing how Jackson High School students pre-registered for courses for the 2004/2005 school year. We are quite impressed and pleasantly surprised. Some of the numbers:

Course, Number of Students Pre-Registered (These are first choice numbers. Does not include alternates.), Comment

AP World History, 86, Only the second year for this course.

AP Government & Politics, 45, Another strong showing.

AP Calculus, 39, The second year for this course.

AP English Literature & Composition, 72, This class is open to students other than just seniors.

AP Statistics, 30, The first year for this course.

AP US History, 46, Third year for this course. It remains popular.

AP Physics, 37, First year offered. Looks like we have some future scientists and engineers

Psychology, 213, The first year for this course. We think there should be an AP option.

Economics, 45, We would like to see an AP option in this subject.

Guitar, 136, First year for this course. Students apparently like choices. We hope kids get a chance to experience acoustic guitar including classical, electric guitar, electric bass guitar, rock, blues, and heavy metal with ear phones for parents.

Guitar Advanced, 41, First year for this course.

Piano Lab 1, 39, First year for this course. Another music option for students.

Myths and Legends, 139, A high interest class.

In summary, JHS students have many more choices this coming school year including a growing selection of AP courses.

Summary of Academic Events

http://www.apibboosters.org/events/Events.html

Newsletter and Meeting Schedule

http://www.apibboosters.org/NewslettersSchedule.html

Thank you,

Please take time to remember those who gave so much for our country this Memorial Day.

Executive Board

AP/IB Boosters
Advanced Placement Opportunities for All Students
www.apibboosters.org
info@apibboosters.org

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