AP and Pre-AP Workshop Information
One-Day AP Workshops
AP workshops, led by College Board-endorsed consultants, guide participants through the skills students must master in the AP classroom and the most innovative teaching practices to help engage students.
Participants learn some of the best tools and techniques for helping students acquire the skills needed to excel in the AP classroom, with special emphasis on the development of critical thinking skills. Participants review AP teacher materials that include course outlines and content-related handouts as well as AP Exam information including student samples, scoring guidelines, and commentary for recently released AP Exam free-response questions; engage in discussions about appropriate classroom materials; learn specific techniques and content-specific strategies that can be incorporated into the AP classroom to help students prepare to be successful in AP course work; and become acquainted with electronic media used to support AP teachers (e.g., AP Central and electronic discussion groups). For many AP courses, new workshop materials include content focused on an important theme in the course.
Pre-AP® Professional Development
Pre-AP is a suite of K-12 professional development resources and services. The purpose of Pre-AP is to equip all middle and high school teachers with the strategies and tools they need to engage their students in active, high-level learning, thereby ensuring that every middle and high school student develops the skills, habits of mind, and concepts they need to succeed in college. Pre-AP provides professional development to help teachers prepare all students for the challenges of college-level work, such as that found in AP courses. This is done principally in three ways:
- Vertical teaming: Supporting teams of middle and high school teachers
- Classroom strategies: Supporting individual teachers with subject-specific approaches that can broaden access to college-level work
- Instructional leadership: Supporting administrators and counselors from district offices as well as high school and middle school campuses
Vertical Teaming
These workshops are designed primarily for new and experienced AP Vertical Teams® -- groups of educators from different grade levels in a given discipline who work cooperatively to develop and implement a vertically aligned program aimed at helping students acquire the academic skills and habits of mind for success in college-level work and AP courses. They are also suitable for individual teachers. Participants engage in activities that use content to introduce and illustrate the Vertical Teams concept and some of its key attributes. Each activity provides time for reflection and discussion focused on the group dynamics created by the activity.
Classroom Strategies
The classroom strategies workshops provide in-depth discussions and activities for middle and high school educators. Participants will improve their understanding of content, instructional strategies, and pedagogical methods that will help their students succeed in college and rigorous high school courses, such as those offered by the AP Program.
Instructional Leadership
Instructional Leadership workshops provide teachers, counselors, district office administrators, and campus administrators with strategies that help integrate professional development into a system-wide process for improving instructional practices and student learning. Specific topics include creating AP Vertical Teams to develop a school culture that improves the teacher's capacity to provide quality instruction in the school and the district; supporting existing practices and creating new settings where learning can occur; providing structure to support systems that transform information into knowledge; and implementing policies to provide academically challenging instruction for all students.
College Board professional development workshops are designed to ensure that participants will have a working understanding of the topics and concepts listed in each workshop description.
For more information on professional development opportunities, visit AP Central at www.apcentral.collegeboard.com.
