CollegeBoard
AP Central®
Students
AP® U.S. Government and Politics
No. 13, January 2009
Dear AP U.S. Government and Politics 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.

AP Annual Conference

AP Annual Conference 2009
Henry B. Gonzalez Convention Center and Grand Hyatt, San Antonio, TX
July 15–19, 2009

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 U.S. Government and Politics. The conference also offers sessions in Pre-AP® strategies.

Seeking AP Readers

The AP Program is now accepting applications for AP teachers to serve as Readers at the annual AP U.S. Government and Politics Reading to be held June 2–8, 2009 in Daytona Beach, Florida. Click here to apply today!

The AP Reading is an energizing opportunity—an intensive collegial exchange with over 10,000 highly skilled AP teachers and college faculty. AP Readers consistently tell us that the time spent reading, discussing, and evaluating student work alongside accomplished educators at the Reading represents the best professional development experience of their teaching careers.

Readers are paid an honorarium of $1,555, provided with housing and meals, and reimbursed for travel expenses. Readers who teach at the high school level also receive certificates awarding professional development hours and Continuing Education Units (CEUs) for their participation in the AP Reading.

Update on the AP Course Audit

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.

Resources for AP United States Government and Politics Teachers

Visit the AP U.S. Government and Politics course home page for a variety of free resources related to teaching the course, including:
Practice exams, first released in spring 2008, are available to authorized AP teachers through their AP Course Audit accounts.
The 2008, 2009 AP U.S. Government and Politics Course Description (.pdf/2.1MB)
The new 2010, 2011 AP Government and Politics Course Description will be available as a free download on AP Central in May.
The 2007 AP U.S. Government and Politics Teacher's Guide (.pdf/713KB)
Special Focus: The Incorporation Doctrine (.pdf/252KB)
Special Focus: Interconnections—Teaching Across the Field (.pdf/586KB)
Special Focus: Mastering the Core Skills (.pdf/274KB)
Visit the AP U.S Government and Politics exam questions page on AP Central for the 2008 multiple-choice and free-response questions, scoring guidelines, samples of student work with scoring commentary, student performance Q&As, scoring statistics, and grade distributions.

From the College Board's online store, teachers can purchase the following materials:

2002 AP U.S. Government and Politics Released Exam and its corresponding packet of 10 exams
2008, 2009 AP U.S. Government and Politics Course Description
2007 AP U.S. Government and Politics Teacher's Guide

Professional Development Opportunities

The College Board offers IACET-certified professional development in hundreds of locations across the United States and around the world. All participants in AP U.S. Government and Politics workshops for experienced teachers will receive materials focused on a specific instructional theme, "Special Focus: Balance of Power Between Congress and the President."

To find an AP U.S. Government and Politics or related Pre-AP strategies workshop in your area, visit Institutes & Workshops. The College Board also provides professional development opportunities for international teachers worldwide. Visit International Professional Development Events for more information.


To unsubscribe from this newsletter, go to your Personal Profile on AP Central and select the "Do not send" option next to "Send me email news . . ." On the Personal Profile page, you may also choose to receive other AP Central newsletters, as well as change the format (HTML or plain text) in which newsletters are sent to you. To make a comment or suggestion about this newsletter or AP Central, go to Contact AP.

To ensure that collegeboard.com email is not incorrectly identified as spam, please add Collegeboard@reply.collegeboard.com to your address book.

© 2009 The College Board, 45 Columbus Avenue, New York, NY 10023-6992. All rights reserved. View a complete list of College Board trademarks.
Highlights
AP Annual Conference
Seeking AP Readers
AP Course Audit Information
Resources for AP Teachers
Professional Development Opportunities

Also at AP Central
Shop for AP U. S. Government and Politics Resources in the College Board Store
Pre-AP for U. S. Government and Politics Teachers' Corner
AP U. S. Government and Politics Electronic Discussion Group


CONTACT |  CAREERS |  ABOUT US |  PRIVACY |  TERMS OF USE |  PRESS