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2 ADVANCED PLACEMENT:

3 An Open Invitation

4 Evanston Township High School is making sure that advanced placement classes reflect the rich diversity of its student body.

5 Pete Bavis, Beth Arey, and Dale Leibforth

6 At a Saturday event at Evanston Township High School, prospective advanced placement (AP) students explore their academic horizons. The students start out timidly but gain enthusiasm as they build balloon towers together, masking tape in

7 hand. When time runs out, teams reflect on the task, reinforcing the similarities between constructing a tower with balloons and

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11 tape and being an AP student. By the end of the event, students have connected with others who share their hopes for the future, and they’ve gained new insight about the commitment and resilience it will take to succeed in AP courses. After all, we’re a team.

12 How did we get here?

13 Not too long ago, our high school, located just north of Chicago, had a typical highly selective advanced placement program. The program was steeped in tradition; Evanston Township was one of seven high schools selected as a beta site for AP courses in 1952. To enroll, students had to have the

14 prerequisite grades, and ‘‘ some AP courses were by invitation only. The result? Although the percentage

15 of AP students who suc-ceeded was high, partici-pation and diversity in AP courses were low. The makeup of these courses did not match the school’s diverse student population, which was 30 percent black, 16 percent Latino, 43 percent white, and

16 11 percent other eth-nicities.

17 Today, advanced placement enrollments and success rates at Evanston Township High School have risen dramatically. But even more important, the diversity of those classes has increased, adding new richness to the class experience. The following numbers show the progress made from 2011 to 2014:

18 n The number of advanced placement exams taken increased from 1,551 to 2,086.

19 n The total number of AP students increased from 681 to 888.

20 n The percentage of black 11th and 12th graders enrolled in AP courses rose from 29 to 38 percent. n The percentage of Latino 11th and 12th graders

21 enrolled in AP courses rose from 28 to 51 percent. n The percentage of all Evanston Township stu-dents who took at least one AP course by graduation

22 rose from 65 to 73 percent.

23 n The increase in enrollment was accompanied

24 by an increase in success. The number of AP exam scores of 3 or higher (enough to earn college credit) rose from 1,008 (65 percent of exams) to 1,480 (71 percent).

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26 n In 2014, we had more scores of 3 or higher on AP exams (1,480) than we had total exams adminis-tered in 2010 (1,384).

27 Our teachers deserve much of the credit for these accomplishments, but it’s important to consider three other factors that have contributed to the success of our AP program: school board policy, restructuring of 9th grade core classes, and student mobilization.

44 board also established that two of the measures to determine progress would be AP enrollment and success on AP exams. Having a guiding principle articulated by the school board has been essential in expanding our advanced placement program.

45 To get started, we created the Increasing Awareness, Access, and Success in Advanced Placement Committee with broad representation of faculty, staff, and administration. The committee’s goals are to increase the number of black and Latino students enrolled in AP courses and to help ensure their success in those courses.

46 College-readiness research provides a compelling argument for expanding advanced placement enrollment opportunities for all students. In fact, there is an emerging consensus in the scholarly lit-erature that even attempting an AP class increases a student’s academic trajectory (Bowen, Chingos, & McPherson 2009; Jackson, 2010; Keng & Dodd,

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50 ‘‘Ifound myself supported and understood by my friends in teamASAP and decided to follow through

51 with what I had signed up‘‘for.

52 2007). For example, research shows that students achieving an AP exam score of 2 (which means “possibly qualified” and is not high enough to earn college credit) are likely to have better college per-formance and higher four-year college graduation rates than are students who did not take an AP course (Hargrove, Godin, & Dodd, 2007). Research findings like this made us even more determined to expand AP enrollment until all college-bound stu-dents at Evanston Township High School have com-pleted at least one AP course so that they are better prepared for college and career success.

53 Challenge Learners from the Start

54 The board of education also approved restructuring the freshman year, linking AP skills in history, English, and biology to high expectations in a real and sustainable way. We stopped tracking 9th graders into honors and regular-level sections. Instead, we created diverse classrooms with high expectations for all students and adopted an earned honors credit model.

55 All students in these classes have a rigorous, honors-level curriculum. Throughout the semester, all students take a series of assessments aligned to AP skills, which account for 20 percent of their grade. To receive honors credits for the semester, students must earn 80 percent of the earned honors credit points on these assessments and earn a C or

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58 better in the course. Because the assessments are highly challenging, not all freshmen earn honors credit. But all freshmen have the chance to try.

59 The use of rubrics that communicate high stan-dards provides students with clear expectations regarding honors-level work. Claude Steele (2010) asserts that this combination of high standards and constructive feedback reduces stereotype threat, enabling students to focus on meeting the standards instead of doubting their intellectual abilities.

60 We recognized that along with increased rigor, we needed to provide abundant supports. Therefore, we make academic support available throughout the school year. Our Academic Success Center is open before, during, and after school Monday through Friday. Students are able to receive help from their teachers Monday through Friday before school starts. Our AVID (Advancement Via Individual Determination) and STAE (Steps Toward Academic Excellence) programs also support many freshmen. In addition, Evanston Township offers an academic intervention team of trained professionals to identify and assist students who are struggling.

61 Freshman year restructuring helped create a growth mind-set (Dweck, 2006) because students were given opportunities to work toward earning honors credit throughout the semester. Rather than being labeled as honors students at the start of the course, our students in 9th grade history, English,

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64 sup•por•tive

65 When there is a supportive environment, staff and students are willing to take risks to become better.

66 I have been so fortunate to be able to work with a staff who takes this to heart in every sense of the word!

67 —Heidi Kegley, principal, Delaware City Schools, Delaware, Ohio

68 and biology courses are in the process of becoming honors students through their own efforts, which mirrors our philosophy of treating all students as potential AP students.

69 Show Learners the (Path)Way

70 Early on, we met informally with diverse groups of students in the college and career center. When we engaged our students of color in casual conversa-tions about their academic experiences, common themes emerged.

71 The students said that Evanston Township High School was not doing enough to inform students of color about advanced courses and how taking these courses would affect their college and career achievement. Once students of color enrolled in AP courses, they struggled to feel they belonged in an academic culture that appeared to favor white stu-dents. Many students spoke about the challenge of being the only student of color in their AP class.

72 One of our goals, therefore, was to put enough students of color in AP classes to ameliorate stereotype­ threat and signal that they belonged in that space. Although restructuring the freshman year was significant, we needed a champion

73 for awareness, access, and success in advanced placement courses—someone to rally students, teachers, and parents. We needed an individual who could coach students and connect AP coursework with post-secondary success. In the end, we found a calculus teacher and a college counselor to serve in this capacity; together they helped mobilize students in developing several long-term awareness, access, and success initiatives to support current and pro-spective AP students.

74 Our first awareness initiative, the annual Pathways to AP forum, included a diverse panel of nine current AP students and sought to inform the community, 10th and 11th grade students, and their families about the importance of taking chal-lenging courses, the benefits of successfully com-

75 pleting those courses, and the supports available to help students reach their goals. The forum has since expanded to include 7th–11th graders and a breakout question-and-answer session to address students’ and families’ common concerns, such as the appropriate number of AP courses to take and how to manage course expectations.

76 After All, We’re a Team!

77 Stemming from the success of the first forum, AP students who had appeared on the panel formed teamASAP (Access and Success in Advanced Placement) to empower all students with the belief that they can successfully navigate the most chal-lenging coursework and give them the tools they needed to do so. The team is composed of past, current, and future AP students, as well as faculty and staff members. What began with nine students in 2011 is now a team of more than 250 AP stu-dents of diverse backgrounds, who play a significant role in supporting their peers. Around school, it

78 is well known that ASAP also stands for as soon as possible—which is when we plan to accomplish our goals!

79 Students involved with teamASAP share their AP experiences with faculty, staff, and administrators in monthly meetings, as part of panels, and through fishbowl activities. One of teamASAP’s black female seniors, Indyia, sees these activities as

80 a perfect breeding ground for trust. TeamASAP not only helps us, the students, but teachers as well because they get to hear our thoughts and improve based on our feedback.

81 Tanya, a Latina 12th grader, describes how teamASAP has supported her:

82 After having almost convinced myself to quit one of my AP classes due to mental exhaustion and feelings of inadequacy, I found myself supported and ­understood by my friends in teamASAP and decided to follow through with what I had signed up for.

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84 ‘‘ Evanston Township High School has transformed its‘‘ AP program to one of expanded access and success.

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