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Dear AP French Teacher:
We want to thank you again for all that you do to help your students be successful. AP students owe much to the expertise and commitment you bring to your classroom every day. As you prepare your students for this last half of the year and for the AP Exam in May, we wish you all the best, and hope you find the information in this newsletter helpful.
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March 5–7, 2009: Southern Conference on Language Teaching (SCOLT) 2009 Conference, held in Atlanta. The theme is "Empowerment through Collaboration." On March 6th, AP French Development Committee member Eliane Kurbegov will present, "Tips for Success on the AP French Language Examination."
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March 19–21, 2009: Central States Conference on the Teaching of Foreign Languages (CSCTFL) 2009 Conference, held in Chicago. The theme is "Diversity by Design." Former AP French Development Committee member Margaret Gray will present "Strategies for Animating Discussion in the AP Classroom." |
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April 2–4, 2009: Southwest Conference on Language Teaching (SWCOLT) 2009 Conference, Norman, Oklahoma. The theme is "Language Cultivated." Eliane Kurbegov will present, "Preparation, Goals, and Content of the AP French Language Program." |
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April 16–18, 2009: 56th Annual Northeast Conference on the Teaching of Foreign Languages (NECTFL), New York City. The theme is "Engaging Communities: The World Is Our Classroom." AP French Development Committee member Katherine Fair will present "Literature As an Expression of Culture in the AP French Language Program." |
Register Now for the 2009 AP Annual Conference and take advantage of the Early Bird Savings.
This conference is the centerpiece of the AP Program's professional development efforts. The AP Annual Conference is our annual opportunity to come together from across the world to share our experiences. Each year, more than 3,000 AP professionals attend, taking advantage of relevant and engaging sessions for teachers of all AP courses, including AP French Language and Culture. The conference also offers sessions in Pre-AP ® strategies.
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Update on the AP Course Audit
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Administrators at your school are responsible for renewing any courses that were authorized last year through the AP Course Audit process and are being offered again this year. If your course was authorized in 2007–08, and you are teaching the course in 2008–09 but it has yet to be renewed, alert your school administrators immediately. If you are new to teaching the AP course at your school, and haven't yet submitted your course audit materials, you must do so no later than January 31, 2009. The AP Course Ledger now includes courses authorized for the 2008–09 academic year.
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Resources for AP French Language and French Literature Teachers
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Visit the AP French Language and AP French Literature course home pages for a variety of free resources related to teaching the course, including:
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Professional Development Opportunities
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The College Board offers IACET-certified professional development in hundreds of locations across the United States and around the world. All participants in College Board AP French Language and French Literature workshops for experienced teachers will receive materials focused on a specific instructional theme. French Language offers "Special Focus: Reading Skills," and French Literature offers "Special Focus: Le théâtre: Méthodes d'enseignement et d'analyse."
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AP Course and Exam Review
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Every five to seven years, the College Board reviews the content of AP courses and exams to ensure their continued alignment with the standards and expectations of colleges and universities, which in turn grant credit for qualifying AP scores. Currently, the suite of AP science, history, and world language courses is undergoing such a review. The AP Program has conducted dozens of committee meetings, presentations, and conversations with educators in each discipline to determine how best to keep the AP courses and exams up to date and supportive of best practices
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For science, the discussion has focused on ways to reduce breadth, increase depth, and foster increased emphasis on inquiry-based laboratory experiences. The conversations have encouraged us to focus exam questions on the integration and application of knowledge and skills, rather than simple recall of memorized facts. |
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For history, the conversation has emphasized the importance of changing the exam so that teachers have greater flexibility to teach topics of their choice in depth. The input we have received has also stressed the need to help students develop historical thinking skills and enduring understanding of key concepts in history (skills measured by exam items like Document-Based Questions (DBQs)), rather than memorization, so that students enter further college history coursework with the skills and abilities essential to further historical scholarship. |
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For world languages, we have revised the curricula to align with 21st century practices focused on the three modes of communication: Interpersonal, Interpretive and Presentational. Also, we are seeking consistency across the suite of AP Exams with regard to the types of assessment tasks. |
AP teachers deserve much appreciation for participating in surveys, focus groups, and committee meetings that have helped define possible changes to AP courses and exams. Now our task is to listen to that feedback and to structure the launch of any changes so that we are focusing on the highest needs for change first, recognizing that it would not be wise to change all AP science, history, and world language courses in the exact same year, as doing so would limit our ability to focus resources and support on each subject area.
We will be ready by September 2009 to announce the 3–4 AP subjects that we'll be focusing on enhancing for the 2011–12 academic year. In September, the AP Program will also provide teachers with a wide array of information about how to structure the revised courses, what knowledge, skills, and abilities students will be expected to demonstrate on the AP Exam, and the types of professional development and instructional resources that will be available prior to the changes. We anticipate announcing several other courses' changes in September 2010 for a 2012–13 academic year implementation. As a matter of practice moving forward, the AP Program will announce any changes, updates, or enhancements to AP courses in the September two years preceding any changes taking effect.
The AP Program applauds the tremendous work classroom teachers do to create powerful curricula that prepare your students for placement and further university studies in your discipline, and we thank you for your ongoing contributions to AP's future.
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