Hello AP/IB Boosters!
Contents
Seattle National College Fair, October 7th and 8th, 2005
Friday, October 7, 2005
9:00am - 12:00pm
Saturday, October 8, 2005
12:00pm - 4:00pm
Washington State Convention and Trade Center
Hall 4 AB
800 Convention Place
Seattle, WA 98101
206/694-5000
http://www.nacacnet.org/MemberPortal/Events/seattleexhibitormanual.htm
The largest northwest college fair for the school year takes place this week. Over 300 colleges from around the country will be represented.
Students/teachers/parents might want to print and display the following poster to help inform students and families about this event.
http://www.nacacnet.org/NR/rdonlyres/E31F1735-6416-465A-92B6-9D6A1A056514/0/05NCFPoster_Seattle.pdf
Besides being able to talk directly to college admissions representatives, students (and parents) can attend free workshops throughout both days.
Friday, October 7
The Admissions Process at Selective Colleges
Room 4C-4
9:15 a.m.
Financing Your Education
Room 4C-2
9:15 a.m., and 10:15 a.m.
The NCAA and the Student Athlete
Room 4C-3
9:15 a.m.
Preparing an Effective Admissions Application
Room 4C-4
10:15 a.m.
SAT or ACT? What Tests Must I Take?
Room 4C-3
10:15 a.m.
Writing the College Essay
Room 4C-4
11:15 a.m.
College Admissions - General Information
Room 4C-2
11:15 a.m.
The Importance of the Campus Visit
Room 4C-3
11:15 a.m.
Saturday, October 8
Writing the College Essay
Room 4C-4
12:30 p.m.
Financing Your Education
Room 4C-2
12:30 p.m., and 2:30 p.m.
The Importance of the Campus Visit
Room 4C-3
12:30 p.m.
The Admissions Process at Selective Colleges
Room 4C-4
1:30 p.m.
College Admissions - General Information
Room 4C-2
1:30 p.m.
The NCAA and the Student Athlete
Room 4C-3
1:30 p.m.
Preparing an Effective Admissions Application
Room 4C-4
2:30 p.m.
SAT or ACT? What Tests Must I Take?
Room 4C-3
2:30 p.m.
We, AP/IB Boosters, recommend this college fair for students in 8th 12th grade and their parents.
Seattle Performing and Visual Arts College Fair
Tuesday, October 25, 2005
7:00 p.m. - 9:00 p.m.
Fisher Pavilion at Seattle Center
http://www.nacacnet.org/MemberPortal/Events/05pse.htm
"The Performing and Visual Arts College Fairs are designed for students interested in pursuing undergraduate and graduate study in the areas of music, dance, theater, visual arts, graphic design, and other related disciplines. Attendees learn about educational opportunities, admission and financial aid, portfolio days, audition and entrance requirements, and much more by meeting with representatives from colleges, universities, conservatories, festivals and other educational institutions with specialized programs in the visual and performing arts."
Everett School District 2005 AP Exam Report
We would like to thank the Everett School District administrators for providing the 2005 AP Exam data.
Cascade High School School Code - 480383
|
AP Class Title |
Course Code |
Number Enrolled (Sem. 2) |
Number Tested |
|
Biology |
N/A |
N/A |
2 |
|
Calculus AB |
MTH462 |
36 |
4 |
|
English Lang & Comp. |
ENG362 |
64 |
49 |
|
English Lit & Composition |
Eng 462 |
42 |
2 |
|
Statistics |
MTH250 |
7 |
4 |
|
Studio Art: Drawing |
FAA462 |
18 |
5 |
|
Studio Art: 2D Design |
FAA462 |
18 |
4 |
|
US History |
SOC362 |
21 |
17 |
|
World History |
SOC504 |
94 |
74 |
Everett High School School Code - 480385
|
AP Class Title |
Course Code |
Number Enrolled (Sem. 2) |
Number Tested |
|
Biology |
N/A |
N/A |
1 |
|
Calculus AB |
N/A |
N/A |
3 |
|
English Lit & Composition |
ENG461 |
32 |
14 |
|
Physics B |
N/A |
N/A |
2 |
|
Spanish Language |
N/A |
N/A |
1 |
|
Statistics |
MTH250 |
14 |
2 |
|
US History |
SOC362 |
18 |
18 |
Jackson High School School Code - 480711
|
AP Class Title |
Course Code |
Number Enrolled (Sem. 2) |
Number Tested |
|
Calculus AB |
MTH462 |
29 |
6 |
|
Calculus BC |
MTH462 |
29 |
14 |
|
Computer Science A |
CIS462 |
3 |
1 |
|
English Lang & Comp |
ENG461 |
16 |
3 |
|
English Lit & Composition |
ENG362 |
64 |
49 |
|
Government and Politics |
SOC463 |
36 |
3 |
|
Physics B |
SCI464 |
21 |
7 |
|
Physics C: Mechanics |
SCI464 |
21 |
1 |
|
Psychology |
N/A |
N/A |
1 |
|
Spanish Language |
N/A |
N/A |
5 |
|
Statistics |
MTH250 |
19 |
4 |
|
Studio Art: Drawing |
FAA462 |
11 |
3 |
|
Studio Art: 2D Design |
FAA462 |
11 |
6 |
|
US History |
SOC362 |
25 |
18 |
|
World History |
SOC504 |
73 |
69 |
Sequoia High School School Code - 480390
|
AP Class Title |
Course Code |
Number Enrolled (Sem. 2) |
Number Tested |
|
English Lang & Comp. |
N/A |
N/A |
1 |
|
English Lit & Composition |
ENG461 |
6 |
2 |
|
US History |
N/A |
N/A |
1 |
District Totals
|
AP Class Title |
Number Enrolled (Sem. 2) |
Number Tested |
|
Biology |
N/A |
2 |
|
Calculus AB |
65 |
13 |
|
Calculus BC |
N/A |
14 |
|
Computer Science A |
3 |
1 |
|
English Lang & Composition |
80 |
53 |
|
English Lit & Composition |
144 |
67 |
|
Government and Politics |
36 |
3 |
|
Physics B |
21 |
9 |
|
Physics C: Mechanics |
N/A |
1 |
|
Psychology |
N/A |
1 |
|
Spanish Language |
N/A |
6 |
|
Statistics |
40 |
10 |
|
Studio Art: Drawing |
14 |
8 |
|
Studio Art: 2D Design |
|
10 |
|
US History |
64 |
54 |
|
World History |
167 |
143 |
|
Totals |
619 |
395 |
*N/A indicates classes not offered during the 04/05 school year.
U.S. Dept. of Education Webcast
Responding to Traumatic Events: Keeping Students Safe and Secure - Tuesday, October 18, 2005
Time: 8:00 PM - 9:00 PM ET
http://registerevent.ed.gov/index.cfm?fuseaction=viewer.description&intEventID=190
Maine Officials May Adopt SAT As Their High School Exit Exam
While we all know and love the WASL, a few states are dumping their homegrown high school exit exam in favor of either the SAT or ACT.
http://www.boston.com/news/education/k_12/articles/2005/08/31/maine_officials_may_adopt_sat/
"The proposal is winning support from Maine principals who agree that it could persuade more Maine students to think about college, said Dick Durost, executive director of the Maine Principals Association."
College Board Events
The following College Board events are primarily for teachers:
AP Art History Online Event
Contextual Analysis of Works of Art and Architecture
October 8, 11:00 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. (ET)
AP Biology Online Event
Chief Reader's Update for AP Biology
October 25, 6:30 to 8 p.m. (ET)
AP Calculus Online Events
Introductory Workshop in AP Calculus
Two Sessions: October 22 and 29, 11 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. (ET)
AP Computer Science Online Event
Chief Reader's Update for AP Computer Science A
October 19, 6:30 to 8 p.m. (ET)
AP English Language and Literature Online Events
Teaching the Book: African Fiction
October 18, 6:30 to 8 p.m. (ET)
AP Government and Politics Online Events
Chief Reader's Update for AP United States Government and Politics
October 11, 6:30 to 8 p.m. (ET)
AP Spanish Language and Literature Online Event
Chief Reader's Update for AP Spanish Literature
October 26, 6:30 to 8 p.m. (ET)
Additional info on these events can be found at:
http://apcentral.collegeboard.com
Washington State PTA Priority Issues
Be sure to join and contribute to your local PTA or PTSA - even if you dont or no longer have kids in school. PTAs welcome community members to continue to be involved in our public schools. Your tax dollars at work after all.
The Washington State PTA is in the process of determining the top issues to focus on this year. We are kind of partial to the PTA issue of providing support for Advanced Placement Courses and the International Baccalaureate Program.
http://www.wastatepta.org/programs/Legislation/issues_book2005.pdf
"Title: Advanced Placement and International Baccalaureate Programs
Issue Statement: The Washington State PTA shall initiate and/or support legislation and/or policies that provide identified funding for Advanced Placement (AP) and International Baccalaureate (IB) honors programs.
Rationale: As Washington State students rise to the higher standards that have been set, more and more students each year must be able to enter the most challenging honors programs we can provide. Students need the financial support necessary to test in the programs, especially low income students. Currently, funding for AP and IB programs must come out of existing general funds, thereby shortchanging other programs and potentially diluting the honors curriculum. Staff members must be able to access professional development opportunities in order to become skillful in the methodologies and appropriately deliver the curriculum of these highly regarded honors programs.
Legislation Committee Recommendation: Do Pass"
Nice to see the Washington State PTA and the AP/IB Boosters on the same page on this one.
Campus gender gap: Progress or problem?
The following is another article in the Seattle Times on the problem of boys falling further and further behind girls in preparing for college.
This issue is included in item 7 of our top 12 issues.
http://www.apibboosters.org/GoalsAndObjectives.html
Increase your chances of getting accepted to college, Seattle Times, Sunday October 2, 2005
Another recent Seattle Times article on our favorite subject. This article gives advice from the gatekeepers (college admissions officers).
"We like a person who's an academic risk-taker, someone who seeks challenges and rises to meet them," says Michael McKeon, dean of admissions at Seattle University. "We'd rather see a B in an AP class than an A in a regular class."
A weighted GPA is included in item 12 in our top 12 issues.
http://www.apibboosters.org/GoalsAndObjectives.html
The following article was written by UW Economics Professor Dick Startz. It was recently printed in the Everett Herald.
http://www.heraldnet.com/stories/05/09/21/100opi_startz001.cfm
The article is reprinted here in full with permission.
"As we hunker down into the new school year, it's worth remembering that there's a low road and high road to academic achievement.
Which teachers do you remember - the ones who challenged you, or the ones who let you slide by? No one begins a teaching career with an aim to provide a mediocre education. But teachers too often learn that upholding high standards brings trouble from parents and sometimes from school leaders, too. The result is that too many students are allowed to just get by.
One remedy is standardized tests that put a floor on acceptable performance. Washington state has created the Washington Assessment of Student Learning to enforce a floor, and now requires students to achieve at the 10th-grade level in order to graduate from high school.
The idea of requiring 10th-grade achievement for a 12th-grade diploma seems less than uplifting. Let's call it the low-road approach.
The example I'm going to cite of the high road approach is the Bellevue School District, but most of what it has done could be done by any school district in Washington, large or small, poor or rich. The Bellevue district is moderately large, moderately well-off. But it's not demographics that matter - it's the focus and attitude that make the difference.
Bellevue decided to focus on the positive, creating a challenge for its high schoolers. Every student is strongly encouraged to take at least one Advanced Placement (AP) or International Baccalaureate (IB) class, and to take the corresponding national test.
Students are pointed toward an accomplishment to achieve rather than away from a failure to avoid. Teachers are protected from pressure to dumb down their classes because the students are going to take a national test. If they dumb it down, the results will show it.
AP tests are created by committees of college professors and high school teachers to match the material and rigor of an introductory college course. The tests are graded from a top score of 5 down to 1, with 3 generally being considered a passing grade. Most American colleges give college credit for AP classes. For example, the UW economics department (my department), gives credit to students who score a 4 or 5. IB tests differ in detail, but are similarly rigorous.
Can this work for students who aren't "academically gifted?" For reasons I'll never really understand, as soon as an educator talks about tough academic material, someone objects, because they think being tough makes kids feel like failures. We needn't engage in these hypothetical arguments. The bottom line is that Bellevue pushes students to take hard AP and IB classes - and it works.
Five of Bellevue's six high schools rank in the top 1 percent of high schools in the United States as measured by AP and IB tests per student. No other Washington high school makes the top 1 percent. Seattle's vaunted Garfield High School is the only other Washington school to break into the top 2 percent.
In most high schools, only students with the best academic performance get the chance to take these college-level classes. What happens when most students, not just the especially talented few, take the tests?
Here's the answer from Bellevue Superintendent Mike Riley: "I'm very proud that while we (Bellevue) have a higher percentage of kids in AP and IB than any other district in the country, our kids still score at the national average, hitting success rates as high as many districts that keep kids out of these tough classes."
What about students from groups that are often not well served by our schools? How do they handle academic challenge? Three out of five free/reduced lunch students - students from families at the bottom end of the income distribution - take an AP or IB class. The same fraction of English-as-a-second-language students takes one of these college level classes. The fraction of African American students in these advanced classes is even higher. And, probably not coincidentally, the Bellevue dropout rate has plummeted from 18 percent to 8 percent.
The Bellevue School District says it aims to provide "all its students with the kind of education typically reserved for America's elite class." I'd rather have schools that come close to achieving this high-road goal than schools that are completely successful at providing a 12th-grade diploma for a 10th-grade education."
Gateway Middle School Meeting on Proposed High School Requirements, October 10th, 2005
7 PM at the library.
Everett Public Schools has formed a committee of community and district members to gather parent input on proposed changes to high school requirements. Most of the changes have to do with the HECB proposals that we enumerated in our last newsletter.
http://www.apibboosters.org/Newsletters20050901.html
We will see you there.