STATUS AND PROCESS ASSESSMENT: ADVANCED …...SCPS where students complete a subject area concen-tration within AP offerings. The program has also ... the only brief dip in growth

STATUS AND PROCESS ASSESSMENT: ADVANCED PLACEMENT PROGRAMMING

Status & Process Evaluation: AP | Stafford County Public Schools 3

TABLE OF CONTENTSExecutive Summary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4

Literature Review . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

Issues of Equity and Access in AP . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6

Expansion of Access . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8

Potential Benefits of AP . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9

Educational Quality and Consistency . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10

AP Programming in Virginia. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12

AP Programming in Comparision Divisions. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13

Methodology . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15

Overview & Findings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18

Staffing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18

AP Culture . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25

Finances. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27

Recommendations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36

Appendices . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40

Appendix A - College Credit . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40

Appendix B - Virtual Virginia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41

Appendix C - Interview Protocols. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42

Appendix D - Teacher Survey. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44

Appendix E - Parent Survey. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47

Appendix F - Student Survey . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57

Appendix G - VASS Grant Letter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59

Appendix H - Division AP Offerings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .60

Appendix I - APPX Statement of Intent. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 95

Appendix J - Demographic Breakdown. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 104

Appendix K - Textbooks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .105

References . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 107

4 Status & Process Evaluation: AP | Stafford County Public Schools

Advanced Placement programming has existed for well over fifty years in the United States. A test based pro-gram, participants do not have to take an AP course in order to take the exam, but many school divisions across the country provide AP specific coursework to facilitate student preparation for the AP exams. The exams are graded on a score of 1-5, with a three con-sidered qualifying.

The Advanced Placement Programs of Excellence (APPX) is a program created by and unique to the Stafford County Public School System. The program offers two different types of locally awarded diploma distinctions that students can choose to pursue: the Advanced Placement International Diploma (APID) and the Advanced Placement Distinguished Scholars (APDS). The APID is a College Board created diploma

option, which is embedded as one option under APPX with some additional SCPS specific requirements. The APDS is a distinct diploma recognition generated by SCPS where students complete a subject area concen-tration within AP offerings. The program has also historically included a service-learning component and final project. As of last year, that project was em-bedded into the AP Capstone, a two-course research sequence developed by the College Board.

Based on the qualitative and quantitative data collected during this status and process assessment, the Office of Assessment, Accountability, and Program Evaluation (OAAP) recommends continuing to offer AP program-ming in SCPS, with consideration given to whether or not to continue the APPX program as a part of those offerings. The office also recommends the following:

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

1. Set division-wide goals for Advanced Placement programming. 2. Strategize Advanced Placement offerings across the five high schools. 3. Consider how and if the division wants to continue utilizing the APPX program. 4. Adopt transparency in communicating about different AP curricular options.5. Improve data collection and analysis for AP programming.6. Ensure that teachers receive adequate training and support for providing instruction for AP

coursework. 7. Ensure AP coordinators receive specific division-led training and guidance to undergird AP

programming in Stafford County. 8. Carefully consider the most appropriate person or persons to handle AP and APPX coordina-

tion at each high school. 9. Consider altering the approach to how weighted credit is assigned for AP coursework. 10. Consider adopting division-wide means of monitoring student preparation for AP exams. 11. Evaluate and strengthen recruitment efforts, ensuring all students have the opportunity to take

the rigorous prerequisites necessary to prepare for AP and other rigorous coursework. 12. Consider the impact of the school calendar in light of AP coursework and alternative access to

AP coursework. 13. Consider pursuing additional grant opportunities, such as the NMSI sponsored grant, to help

facilitate student participation in AP coursework and provide support and incentives for AP educators.

14. Consider adopting division-wide policies to ensure that students with varying life circumstanc-es are not discouraged from pursuing AP programs in SCPS by test fees and the lack of study halls.


History

In the early 1900s, education went through the same industrialization occurring elsewhere in the country, in which schools consolidated into factory models of education with administrators as factory managers and teachers as the assembly line workers, producing edu-cation (Tyack and Cuban, 1995). As schools consoli-dated and one-room school houses declined, America witnessed the rise of the comprehensive high school. A subsequent gap grew between secondary and ter-tiary education. As access to high school expanded during the Progressive Era with the advent of manda-tory school laws, the transition between high school and college appeared to grow more awkward, with some students over prepared for the introductory level classes at the college level and some underprepared (Tyack and Cuban, 1995; Rothschild, 1999). Academic preparation intensified following the end of World War II and the advent of the Cold War.

One response to concerns about the synchronization of secondary and tertiary education emerged from the Ford Foundation. Rothschild (1999) notes that in 1951 the Ford Foundation established a Fund for the Advancement of Education (FAE) that sought out tal-ented high school students who would graduate early following their sophomore year in high school and begin attending colleges and universities. The program provided scholarships to the University of Chicago, Columbia University, University of Wisconsin or Yale University to sixteen-year-olds who had shown immense promise. The program aimed to create a smoother transition between high school and college for advanced students, while also ensuring they com-pleted at least two years of college before turning 18 and registering for the draft. For many administrators at the high school and district level, however, losing some of their best students for their final two years of high school was not desirous; they responded with vocal opposition through the National Association of Secondary School Principals (Rothschild, 1999). The FAE ultimately moved support away from this initia-tive.

Rothschild (1999) explains that over the course of the same year, the FAE shifted support in favor of a pro-posal put forth by university leaders and professors from Harvard University, Princeton University, and Yale University, who had met with leaders and teachers from the elite boarding schools of Andover, Exeter, and Lawrenceville to generate a plan to bridge the divide between secondary and tertiary education. Ultimately, they drafted what became the Advanced Placement program, now simply known as AP. They generated a plan by which gifted and advanced students would be able to sit and test out of the introductory level course-work based on advanced work done in high school, minimizing the amount of repetition being done between secondary school and college, particularly for students at elite independent schools with rigorous academics.

Seven schools introduced what would become AP courses in the fall of 1953, with another ten schools adding the courses during the course of that first school year. The following spring, the participating schools asked ETS to administer the first AP exams, which, from the outset were graded on a scale of 1 to 5, where a three is considered passing (Rothschild, 1999, Andrews, 2003). As of 1955, the program had expand-ed to twenty-seven schools; oversight of the program moved from ETS to the College Board. The College Board subsequently continued the expansion of the program and began providing professional develop-ment for teachers who would be preparing students for the AP exams (Andrews, 2003).

Since its inception, AP has grown exponentially, with the only brief dip in growth occurring during the counterculture era of the late 60s (Rothschild, 1999). Schools can choose to offer any number of the thir-ty-eight AP courses that currently exist, ranging from Calculus to English Literature to Chinese. The follow-ing chart provides a listing of all the AP courses that schools can offer:

LITERATURE REVIEW


Students do not have to take an AP course in order to register and participate in an AP exam. In addition, for most AP courses, teachers do not have to have AP specific training, although many school divisions will send their teachers to training prior to their initial in-struction in AP coursework or when the College Board revises a subject’s curricula. Educators do have to have a syllabus approved by the College Board in order to offer an AP course, however (Byrd, Ellington, Gross, Jago, and Stern, 2007).

Participation in AP courses and exams has expand-ed exponentially since their initial offerings. College Board notes that by 2003, over 1 million students participated in approximately 1.74 million AP exams. By 2013, the Tennessee Department of Education noted that 33 percent of all U.S. students from that graduating class took a minimum of one AP exam in high school and 20 percent of students in that gradu-ating class earned a passing score. According to data

from the College Board (2016), 2,611,172 students took at least one AP class last year, and students took 4,704,980 AP tests in the spring of 2016.

Much of the growth of the AP program can be at-tributed to increased calls from the U.S. Education Department (USED) and legislation such as No Child Left Behind for school systems to increase access to AP, International Baccalaureate (IB), and dual-enrollment (DE) programs and coursework, particularly in light of Adelman’s seminal work on the importance of rigorous coursework to student success in higher education. Growth of the AP program can also be attributed to what some have deemed an “academic arms race” (Atkinson as cited in Geiser and Santelices, 2004), in which students compete to add as many highlights as possible to their resumes. The following chart illus-trates the awards and distinctions issued by College Board for which students can compete.

LITERATURE REVIEW

Subject Area AP Course OfferingAP Capstone Research, Seminar

Arts Art History, Music Theory, Studio Art: 2-D Design, Studio Art: 3-D Design, Studio Art: Drawing

English English Language, English Literature

History & Social Science Comparative Government, Euro-pean History, Human Geography, Macroeconomics, Microeconomics, Psychology, U.S. Government and Politics, U.S. History, World History

Math & Computer Science Calculus AB, Calculus BC, Com-puter Science A, Computer Science Principles, Statistics

Science Biology, Chemistry, Environmental Science, Physics C: Electricity and Magnetism, Physics C: Mechanics, Physics 1: Algebra-based, Physics 2: Algebra based

World Language & Culture Chinese Language and Culture, French Language and Culture, Ger-man Language and Culture, Italian Language and Culture, Japanese Language and Culture, Latin, Span-ish Language and Culture, Spanish Literature and Culture

National AP Scholar Award: In order to earn this distinction, students have to have a minimum average score of 4 across all AP exams taken, with scores of 4 or 5 on eight or more AP exams.

State AP Scholar: This is awarded to one male and one female student from each state and Washington, D.C. who achieve passing scores (3 or higher) on the most exams, who have the highest mean score.

AP Scholar with Distinction: Students qualify for this recognition by earning a minimum average of 3.5 on all AP Exams taken, and achieve scores of 3 or higher on at least five AP exams.

AP Scholar with Honor: Earning a minimum average of 3.25 for all AP exams taken and a 3 or higher on four or more of the exams allow students to earn this distinction.

AP Scholar Award: Students can earn this award by earning a minimum score of 3 on a minimum of three AP exams.


LITERATURE REVIEWIssues of Equity and Access in AP

From its beginnings, as a program stemming from a partnership between elite private independent schools and Ivy League universities, AP has faced those who have called for increased equity and access. The AP organization itself, over the last thirty years, has invest-ed in research to increase those underrepresented in AP courses, particularly minorities, and students from low socioeconomic (SES) backgrounds. The College Entrance Examination Board (2003) acknowledges that it worked to increase the number of students from minority and low SES in the 1980s and 1990s, developing ‘Pre-AP Initiatives’ and ‘AP Vertical Teams’ as methods to increase access to AP courses. The Vertical Teams approach is somewhat comparable to the Middle Years Program (MYP) used in IB; its goals involve increasing rigor in middle school in order to provide the scaffolding needed to complete the more advanced AP coursework in high school.

The Educational Testing Service published research in 2008 focused on continued inequity in access to AP programming. Handwerk, Tognatta, Coley and Gitomer’s (2008) report noted that while 58 percent of public high schools in the United States offer some level of AP programming, they divided that break-down into schools designated as “Low AP” schools and “High AP Schools.” High AP schools included those schools who offer at least one AP course in English, Math and AP Science/Computer Science. Low AP schools include any that do not meet this criterion. For individual schools, this means that even if they had students taking five AP history and social science ex-ams and one English exam, they would be considered a Low AP school. Handwerk et al. (2008) found that 24 percent of schools fell under the Low AP designation, while 34 percent fell under the high AP designation. There were racial/ethnic discrepancies in who had access to AP programming: 94 percent of Asians had access to schools where a minimum of one student was taking an AP exam, as opposed to 81 percent of Afri-can-Americans. A median of only five percent of high school students in schools offering AP participate, with a disparity between gender (6.1 percent of females to

4.3 percent of males) and race/ethnicity (10.3 percent of Asian-Americans, 5.3 percent of whites, 2.4 percent of Hispanics, and .5 percent of African-Americans). As a whole, a mere 2.4 percent of students attending public secondary schools achieved a 3 or more on at least one AP exam. Again, these statistics reflect the median.

Tennessee’s Board of Education (Batiwalla, 2014) ana-lyzed efforts throughout the state to expand access to AP course offerings and testing for low SES students. They found a discrepancy between students who had scored high enough on the end of course (EOC) state level assessments to be considered ‘AP ready’ and the number of students who actually had access to AP courses, enrolled in those courses, sat for the tests and passed the tests. They found that at each of those stages, the number of students decreased, with low SES students going through the entire process at a lower rate than students not identified as low SES. They also observed significant variation between schools throughout the state, prompting recommendations outlined by the individual concerns seen in various schools.

Despite attempts to increase minority and low SES student participation in AP coursework, the progress in diversifying AP coursework has had mixed results. Kyburg, Herberg-Davis and Callahan (2007) noted a substantial increase in the number of minorities participating in AP coursework in the first decade of the 2000s, but they also noted that the percentage of minority students passing those AP exams declined. In the qualitative research Hertberg-Davis, Callahan and Kyburg (2006) conducted in schools with IB and AP programs, minority students in both programs ex-pressed feeling alienated and alone in classes made up largely of white suburban students. Other minorities expressed that their motivation in taking the AP or IB coursework stemmed from a desire to disprove per-ceived stereotypes that minorities were less intelligent and would somehow not be able to successfully com-plete challenging coursework, such as that found in the AP and IB curricula.


Expansion of Access

The Kyburg et al. (2007) study found that schools that were most successful in increasing both participation and achievement from minority and/or low-SES stu-dents took a holistic approach to improving access to the accelerated programs provided by AP and IB. They noted that this approach tended to stem from the dis-trict level down to the school and classroom level with all levels involved in increasing access for historically underrepresented populations. The approach centered on providing a rigorous curriculum prior to actually enrolling in AP or IB coursework. The College Board also shifted the way it reported statistical information in its Advanced Placement Report to the Nation in the early 2000s, to deter schools from excluding stu-dents from AP offerings for fear that they would be negatively impacted by the College Board’s reporting methodology (Kaye, 2006). The new reporting sche-ma included (1) the percentage of graduating seniors who had participated in at least one AP test and (2) the percentage of graduating seniors who had earned a passing score (a 3, 4 or 5) on at least one AP test (Kaye, 2006).

Three separate College Board studies (Haag, 1983 as cited in Camara and Millsap; Camara and Millsap, 1998; Ewing, Camara, and Millsap, 2006) have noted the correlation between student PSAT/NMSQT and success in AP coursework and exams. The studies note the potential of using PSAT scores for identifying additional students who might be good candidates for Advanced Placement Coursework, while also caution-ing against using them exclusively.

The Southern Regional Education Board has also examined AP access (Andrews, 2003; Kaye, 2006). An-drews (2003) noted that SREB states as of 2003 offered AP at a rate of 74 percent, a rate nine percentage points higher than the 65 percent nationally. The number of students taking AP exams in SREB states doubled between 1992 and 2003, and the author notes gains in minority participation, noting that the number of African-American students participating in AP exams through public schools “increased from 9,004 in 1993

to 23,691 in 2002” (Andrews, 2003, p. 7). The increase in the number of Hispanic students participating in AP in SREB states was even larger: in 1993, 7,058 Hispan-ics participated in AP exams in SREB states, by 2002 that number had increased to 34,676. While the per-centage of students passing the exams had decreased as access had expanded to more students nationally, the “numbers of black students in SREB states who passed AP exams more than tripled between 1993 and 2002 – from 3,492 to 10,623. Hispanic students made an even more dramatic gain – from 5,926 to 26,023 in 2002” (Andrews, 2003, p.9). The SREB also sought to increase access to AP coursework to students of low socio-economic status in schools without AP offerings through AP Nexus, which used federal funds to pro-vide AP coursework on-line. The program took place in Georgia, South Carolina and Tennesssee (Andrews, 2003).

Despite the progress noted in the 2003 SREB report, a subsequent SREB report from 2006 noted the contin-ued need to expand access, citing gaps in the percent-age of AP participants from different segments of the population (Kaye, 2006). The report noted that despite African-American students constituting 22 percent of the population in SREB states in 2005, the made up only 11 percent of AP test takers. This paralleled na-tional statistics in which African-Americans made up thirteen percent of the overarching school population yet six percent of AP test takers.

A number of federally and philanthropy funded pro-grams have also sought to increase access to AP pro-grams. The Advanced Placement Incentive Program in Texas is one such initiative. Jackson’s (2010) study of the Advanced Placement Incentive Program (APIP) in Texas found positive results after the third year of implementation. The APIP couples teacher training, curriculum provision, and vertical alignment and training, with cash incentives for teachers and students based on AP test scores. Jackson found significant gains for minorities on subsequent SAT performance, after the third year of APIP implementation.

Byrd, Ellington, Gross, Jago and Stern (2007) also

LITERATURE REVIEW


noted the involvement of philanthropists in expanding AP access. The National Math and Science Initiative (NMSI), initially supported largely by ExxonMobil provided $13 million to see increases in the number of school divisions offering AP coursework in math-ematics, science and English content areas. The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation provided $16 million to fund expansion of the College Board’s EXCELerator program in Chicago, Illinois, Washington, D.C., and Duval County, Florida; the program aimed to increase access to historically underrepresented populations.

Potential Benefits of AP

Adelman’s seminal Tools in the Toolbox works (1999, 2006) drew significant attention to the need to increase the availability of rigorous curricula in preparation for college, noting that those students who did not have access to rigorous curricula such as that used by AP and IB, had higher attrition rates. Kyburg et al. (2007) note four key perceived benefits to school systems and students which they believe account for the dramatic growth in both AP and IB curricula. First, they note that each program provides clear curricula and teacher training. There is also the perception that students will be able to finish college more quickly, thereby decreas-ing the cost of college. Third, there is the perception that taking AP or IB coursework will result in students better prepared for college. Finally, there is an under-lying belief that taking AP and IB courses will facilitate acceptance into top tier colleges and universities. An earlier Hertberg-Davis (2006) study identifies similar benefits that motivate students to take (and divisions to offer) either AP or IB coursework.

AP’s popularity stems partially from its easily replica-ble status. The College Board creates the curriculum framework for each course, and there are numerous resources available from the College Board or other private suppliers for designing curriculum. A vast net-work of AP teachers and established AP conferences further facilitates the communication of teaching strat-egies, course content and other facets of the AP curric-ulum and exams. Teachers can easily obtain training in whichever AP course they will be teaching, from a

number of different sources. Since AP courses are of-fered individually, schools can pick and choose which AP courses they would like to offer, depending on stu-dent and community interest. This ‘a la carte’ approach facilitates adoption by many schools, as teachers do not have to have specific training, and there are no fees levied for offering AP coursework. May, Rodriguez, Sirinides, Perna, Yee and Random (2013) argue that schools will not consider offering programs such as IB, AP and dual enrollment (DE) without a minimum number of students who they believe would participate in these curricular options. As a result, historically small, rural districts are less likely to offer accelerat-ed programs such as AP where the numbers may not support the program. That being said, some divisions have used creative strategies, such as acquiring grants, to facilitate the development of accelerated program-ming.

Students have noted the belief that taking AP and IB classes will facilitate entrance to better colleges and universities (Kyburg et al, 2007; Hertberg-Davis et al, 2006). Geiser and Santelices (2004) research ac-knowledged that in the University of California (UC) system, students who had taken AP, IB or other honors coursework were allotted an additional ‘point’ as part of their admissions calculations. Other colleges and universities have similar approaches, trying to in some way give ‘credit’ to students who take more ambitious schedules. In adopting an AP or IB program, schools are essentially adopting programs with brand recog-nition. A course that is ‘honors’ or ‘gifted and talent-ed’ might vary tremendously from school to school, division to division, and state to state in the United States’ decentralized education systems; AP provides a label that is easily recognized by major colleges and universities.

Hertberg-Davis et al. (2006) further identify the stu-dent held perception that taking AP classes would en-able a head-start on a college education, putting them in a better position for their long term academic and career goals. Despite the opportunity to earn college credit, there is mixed evidence that earning AP credit actually results in students completing college more

LITERATURE REVIEW


quickly. Kyburg et al. (2007) note that while there are anecdotal stories of students graduating early, no actu-al research has confirmed statistically significant early graduation rates. This is an area that warrants contin-ued monitoring but will likely consistently vary on a student by student basis depending on performance on the AP exams, major selected, level of financial pres-sure to complete college early, and other variables.

Kyburg et al. (2007) note that many students believe that they will be “better prepared for college” (p. 178) by taking AP or IB coursework. Students believe that participation in AP or IB coursework will help them develop the academic skills they need to be successful in the world of higher education. They cite research from Paige and Marcus (2004) that suggests this view-point is particularly true for students who will be first generation college attenders or who have a peer group that does not value attaining higher education. The Hertberg-Davis (2006) study further identifies that for many students in AP or IB classes, the increased rigor found in AP and IB classes; seen as a relief to students frustrated with being bored in regular and, at times, even honors classes. Whether AP (or IB) coursework provides the best option for gifted secondary students is debatable for the Hertberg-Davis research team, but the curricula provides enough challenging content to keep many gifted and high achievers more engaged.

Kyburg et al (2007) note that these perceived benefits have “resulted in a reduction in the number of alterna-tive options for meeting the academic needs of talent-ed students at the secondary level. These pressures, combined with Federal government assertions that AP courses can help reduce the achievement gap, suggest an urgent need to examine whether students with high potential from diverse backgrounds are, in fact, well served by these AP and IB programs” (p.180).

AP programming is also viewed as one option for providing services to students identified as gifted at the secondary level (Hertberg-Davis et al., 2006; Kyburg et al., 2007; Virginia Department of Education, 2013). A number of researchers (Van Tassel-Baska, 2001; Ble-ske-Rechek, Lubinski and Benbow, 2004; Hertberg-Da-

vis et al., 2006) have pointed out the potential benefits to gifted students from the accelerated and more intense curriculum frequently associated with AP coursework. The Hertberg-Davis study (2006) notes that both AP and IB students find their coursework in these classes to be an improvement over mainstream coursework as a result of “(a) the opportunity to learn with students of similar ability, motivation, and aca-demic interests; and (b) the adult-like relationships they had with their AP and IB teachers” (Hertberg-Da-vis et al, p.54). However, the authors caution that neither AP nor IB was designed to meet the holistic educational needs of gifted students, and recommend that schools utilizing those offerings as the only meth-od of providing services to students identified as gifted consider the use of scaffolding and differentiation to ensure students’ needs are met.

Educational Quality and Consistency

While AP coursework has received numerous acco-lades, research is still exploring the level of educational quality provided by AP curricula. In the Hertberg-Da-vis (2006) study, AP quality (like other course quality) had direct ties to the quality of the educators teaching the classes. While students reported that AP and IB courses tended to have some of the best teachers in the school, students also reported significant variation amongst AP teachers. Teachers sometimes taught AP coursework without having formal training, or they had received training from different sources and in different approaches resulting in different instruc-tional practices. Occasionally, AP teachers might even be teaching outside of their content area (Klop-fenstein, 2003), or their endorsement in that subject area stemmed from passing a subject based Praxis exam (one way to add content area endorsements at the secondary level in several states, including Virgin-ia). While students emphatically praised some of the AP teachers for being the best in the school, students noted other AP teachers who did not seem prepared to teach the content of a course, or who used a course framework that was not actually at the academic level required for success on the AP exam. Vanderbrook (2006) conducted a qualitative study of gifted females

LITERATURE REVIEW


LITERATURE REVIEWand AP and IB coursework also note that while the stu-dents praised some of the teachers in both programs as excellent, others were found wanting either because of content gaps (in the school with AP) or attitudes that hindered the learning process (in the school with IB).

The study also notes that AP coursework tends to focus on extensive breadth of content knowledge, without an emphasis on depth, a characteristic also noted by Byrd et al. (2007) in their analysis of IB and AP coursework. This likely fits the historical role of AP coursework in creating a bridge between secondary and higher education, as well as the role of the AP course as a potential substitute for an introductory, survey level college course in various subjects. As a result of the quantity of material teachers need to cover in an AP course, both teachers and students noted the reliance on lecture by AP educators. While neither teachers nor students preferred lecture for learning, both felt it was necessary with the amount of content that needs to be covered during the school year.

Nevertheless, Byrd et al. (2007) view both AP and IB curricular options as superior to most of the state standards currently guiding much of school account-ability across the nation under the last two iterations of the Elementary and Secondary Act: The No Child Left Behind and Every Student Succeeds Acts. They note: “It’s difficult to understand why more states don’t emulate these programs rather than paying twice: once to develop their own standards and assessments that don’t function effectively, and again to fund these inde-pendent programs because they do a better job” (Byrd et al., 2007, p.18).

College Acceptance, Persistence and PerformanceAdelman (1999, 2006) note the urgency of student ex-posure to rigorous coursework in secondary education in order to be prepared for the rigor of tertiary educa-tion upon enrollment. His research notes both AP and IB coursework as options to achieve this. According to the SREB (Kaye, 2006), students who participate in AP courses do better academically in their first year of college than those who do not, regardless of how they perform on the AP exams. Byrd et al. (2007)

argue that students in AP and IB coursework “devel-op knowledge and skills that better prepare them for college” (p. 6).

However, other researchers note that simply taking AP coursework does not seem to have any correlation to college performance. Klopfenstein (2010, as cited in Warne et al, 2015), observes that simply earning good grades in AP classes did not result in students gradu-ating from college more quickly. Geiser and Santelices (2004) also note a lack of correlation between AP participation and GPA during the freshman year or persistence in college after freshman year. They exam-ined college attendees through the University of Cali-fornia system, and found that simply taking Advanced Placement, Honors or IB coursework did not result in either higher college grades or increased persistence in college. Level of performance on the corresponding AP exams did demonstrate an impact on both college grades and persistence, as did level of performance on the subject area tests with the SAT II. According to their research, taking numerous AP courses has no im-pact on students’ performance in college, while taking AP courses in which one achieves high scores on the corresponding AP exam has been shown to have a pos-itive correlation, at least in the UC system. Adelman’s Toolbox Revisited (2006) argues that the rigor needed to be successful in higher education was found largely through scores achieved on AP exams than on the AP courses themselves.

The College Board has also conducted research com-paring the performance of participants in AP and dual enrollment coursework (Wyatt, Patterson and DiGia-como, 2015). They observe that students who achieve a 3 or higher on a minimum of one AP exam have higher persistence and performance rates than stu-dents who participate in dual enrollment coursework at either two year or four year tertiary institutions. For students who score lower than a 3 on at least one exam, the comparison with students who have partici-pated in dual enrollment varies by whether the tertiary institution is a two or four year institution. Students who score lower than a 3 on at least one AP exam still demonstrate higher performance and persistence than


students who have participated in a dual enrollment course at a two-year institution, but not more than those students who participated in a dual enrollment course at a four year institution. The study’s authors do acknowledge some limitations to the study, such as the inability to control for student motivation in their statistical modelling.

Like IB, AP provides the opportunity for students to earn college credit. Colleges and Universities vary in the minimum scores they require from students to re-ceive college credit. Some Ivy League schools will not give college credit at all for AP exams, while others will provide credit for scores of 3, 4, and 5. Legislation put into effect by the Virginia General Assembly stipulates: “The State Council of Higher Education for Virginia (Council), in consultation with the governing board of each public institution of higher education, shall establish a policy for Advanced Placement, Cambridge Advanced (A/AS), College-Level Examination Pro-gram (CLEP), or International Baccalaureate examina-tions. The policy shall:

1. Outline the conditions necessary for higher educa-tion’s course credit or other academic requirements that the student satisfies by achieving the minimum required scores on such examinations; and

2. Identify each public institution of higher education’s course credit or other academic requirements that the student satisfies by achieving the minimum required scores on such examinations; and

3. Ensure, to the extent possible, that the grant of course credit is consistent across each public institu-tion of higher education and each such examination. B. The Council and each public institution of higher education shall make the policy available to the public on its website” (Virginia Code 23.1-906, 2015, as cited by State Council for Higher Education for Virginia). Appendix A provides a guide for credit offered for IB students at Virginia Tech and the University of Vir-ginia to provide examples of how varying institutions assign credit.

Appendix A provides a guide for credit offered for AP students at Virginia Tech and the University of Vir-ginia to provide examples of how varying institutions assign credit.

AP Programming in Virginia

Virginia routinely ranks among the top AP performing states in the nation. The Southern Regional Education Board has twice noted Virginia’s top performance in the country (Andrews, 2003; Kaye, 2006). Andrews (2003) notes that in 2002 Virginia had the highest number of AP exams taken by juniors and seniors in a nation-wide comparison. Kaye (2006) notes that in 2005, Virginia ranked in the “top ten nationally in the percentage of graduates who had taken at least one AP exam” (p. 2). The state has also rated in the top ten for “percentage of graduates who had passed at least one exam” (p. 2). That same report, however, also notes the gap in black student participation in AP examinations in various states. As of 2005, Virginia had a sixteen percent participation gap between the percentage of black students in the state and the percentage of black students taking AP exams.

One way Virginia has facilitated participation in AP exams of its overarching population has been through the Early Scholars Program and Virtual Virginia (VDOE, 2017). Early Scholars enables high school students to earn a minimum of fifteen hours, or one semester, of college credit for their participation in col-lege level coursework, including Advanced Placement (AP), dual enrollment (DE), International Baccalau-reate (IB) or Cambridge coursework. Virtual Virginia provides access to students to participate in AP course-work through on-line instruction in partnership with a student’s base school. This allows students who are interested in AP courses that cannot be supported by their division for one reason or another the opportu-nity to take a broader range of AP offerings. Appendix B illustrates the AP courses offered through Virtual Virginia across the state.

LITERATURE REVIEW


LITERATURE REVIEWAP Programming in Comparison Divisions All of Stafford County Public School’s comparison divisions offer AP programming as part of their high school programming options, albeit with variations from division to division in terms of specific courses offered, policies on weighted credit, and coordination of testing. Like SCPS, all the comparison divisions have access to additional AP coursework through Vir-tual Virginia. The following provides a brief overview of some of the characteristics of AP programming in each of SCPS’ comparison divisions, as information was available:

Albermarle County Public SchoolsAlbermarle offers AP coursework at all three of its high schools. There is a specialty center at each of its high schools, but none of those use an AP based curricula; some use dual enrollment courses. Students receive weighted credit for completing the AP course, regard-less of whether or not they participate in the corre-sponding AP exam. Students and/or their families pay the corresponding AP test fees, with some funds available for students who demonstrate financial need. Chesapeake City Public SchoolsAll of Chesapeake’s seven high schools offer AP offer-ings, with variation depending on high school char-acteristics. Students receive a weighted credit of .05 for AP course work (.025 is given for accelerated and honors courses). The weight is given regardless of whether students participate in the corresponding AP exam. Students are responsible for paying the fees for AP exams.

Chesterfield County Public SchoolsChesterfield County offers AP coursework within its nine high schools as well as through its specialty cen-ters, which frequently incorporate AP coursework as part of their curricular continuum. Weighted credit is given for completion of an AP course only if students complete the corresponding AP exam.

Fauquier County Public SchoolsFauquier County also offers AP coursework at its four

high schools. Students can also participate in AP coursework through the regional governor’s school in which Fauquier participates, the Mountain Vista Gov-ernor’s School for Science, Math and Technology. All students participating in AP coursework are required to take the corresponding AP exam, however the divi-sion covers the cost of the AP exam. Students receive a weighted credit of 1.0 for AP coursework provided they complete the exam. Certain courses are offered as both AP and dual enrollment, through partnerships with Lord Fairfax Community College, Richard Bland College, and James Madison University.

Hanover County Public SchoolsHanover County offers AP courses as well as the IB Diploma Programme at each of its five high schools. Students do not receive weighted credit for their com-pletion of AP coursework, regardless of whether they take the exam. Students are responsible for paying the fees for AP exams.

Henrico County Public SchoolsHenrico County also offers AP options at all nine of their high schools, with variation from one high school to another. Each high school houses a specialty center, and while no specialty center has a curricula that is solely based on AP curricula, all include AP course-work as part of the overarching program. There is no one coordinator for AP at the division level, however the Research and Planning Department typically an-alyzes division performance and participation for AP exams. At the school level, there is a site coordinator, typically the head counselor. When educators first begin teaching AP courses the division sends them to the College Board training offered in Williamsburg. The division noted that due to the timing during the school year of the College Board’s offering of training for experienced AP teachers, that few are able to attend subsequent training. Counselors at each high school allocate funds to those students who need financial assistance for AP exams according to free and reduced meal status, however, the division notes that frequently available funds do not cover all of the financial need demonstrated. Students receive weighted credit for their AP coursework, regardless of whether or not they


LITERATURE REVIEWcomplete the corresponding AP test. Students taking AP, dual enrollment (DE) and IB Diploma courses all receive 1.0 quality points, and honors and Middle Year IB courses receive 0.5 quality points.

Loudoun County Public SchoolsIn Loudoun County, all sixteen high schools offer AP course offerings. There are no specialty or magnet pro-grams that utilize an AP focused curriculum. Testing fees are covered by the students and their families. Co-ordination for AP is handled by school counselling at both the individual school and division level. Students receive 1.0 quality points for the AP course, regardless of whether the students take the corresponding AP exam. The division earned placement on the College Board’s honor roll in 2011 and 2016 for simultaneously increasing the number of students enrolled and pass-ing AP coursework (Nadler, 2016).

Prince William County Public SchoolsAll twelve of Prince William County’s high schools offer AP curricular options with variation based on the school. The two high schools hosting IB programs, for example may not offer the same AP options as other high schools. The division offers an in-house AP specialty program, the Advanced Placement Scholars Specialty Program (AP Scholars), at two high schools: Patriot High School and Woodbridge High School. The program requires that students participate in two or more pre-AP or AP courses annually, complete six AP courses prior to graduation, sixty hours of com-munity service and a senior research project. Like all its specialty programs, Prince William provides trans-portation to students who wish to participate through their system of express bus stops. The division covers the costs of AP fees for students. Students receive weighted credit for participating in AP courses regard-less of whether they take the AP exam. Prince William also recently began offering the AP Capstone.

Spotsylvania County Public SchoolsSpotsylvania County offers AP course offerings at five of its high schools. They also offer the AP capstone, and participate with Stafford County, King George and Caroline counties in the regional Commonwealth Governor’s school, which utilizes a primarily AP based

curriculum. The division provides weighted credit to students for completing the AP course, regardless of whether the student participates in the AP exam. AP offerings can vary from school to school, depending on other offerings at a particular school.


The Office of Assessment, Accountability and Program Evaluation (OAAP) carried out a mixed-methods study as part of the evaluation of the Advanced Placement Programming in Stafford County Public Schools. This approach couples quantitative and qualitative methodologies to provide a richer review of a program. Babbie (2008) and Patton (2010) have both noted that utilization of both quantitative and qualitative methodologies can be used to complement and confirm the results that each approach generates. This evaluation is a status and pro-cess evaluation, as outlined in Program Evaluation in Stafford County Public Schools: Refocusing Our Efforts. A comprehensive evaluation will be scheduled at a later time.

Initial work for the evaluation involved carrying out a literature review of national and international research on the Advanced Placement program. Using available databases, such as JStor, ERIC and SAGE Journals, the OAAP accountability specialist for program evaluation curated peer-reviewed research articles on the AP program. Ad-ditional literature reviewed included reports from educational organizations and state level education research departments.

Based on common threads that emerged in the literature review, the OAAP drafted initial evaluation questions on the AP programs in SCPS:

METHODOLOGY

• How many students are currently enrolled in AP classes at each school? What is the breakdown of participation per

specific classes over the last five years? What is the demographic breakdown?

• Which AP courses are offered where?

• What do the AP scores look like across the county?

• How many students have participated in the APPX program and/or graduated with the APPX seal?

• How is recruitment for the AP program carried out at each school?

• What is the interest level from parents and students in the AP program?

• What is the cost of AP/APPX? What are the associated funding streams?

• What is the experience of a student participating in AP?

• What kind of training do teachers receive to teach in the AP program?

• How does the AP program in SCPS compare to other AP programs in comparison divisions?

• To what extent are SCPS students taking AP classes through Virtual Virginia? Which courses? How do scores compare

between courses taken through Virtual Virginia versus in person?

• What does retention look like for AP teachers?

• What are the goals of AP in Stafford County? What are the expected outcomes? What is the logic model behind AP?

Do the goals vary across sites? How so?


METHODOLOGYDue to time constraints and available data, not all of these questions were able to be answered as part of this Status and Process Assessment. These areas are addressed in the Recommendations section.

Qualitative Data

In examining the AP programming in Stafford quali-tatively, the OAAP developed semi-structured inter-view protocols based on the qualitative work of Rubin and Rubin (2005). The OAAP also obtained insight for the interview protocols from the Hertberg-Davis et al. (2005) qualitative study of AP and IB programs, the culture elements of the Towery and Duffie (2010) study of freshmen academies in Louisville, Kentucky, and the status and process assessments conducted thus far of the Commonwealth Governor’s School (CGS) and International Baccalaureate (IB) programs. The OAAP carried out qualitative interviews with prin-cipals, AP coordinators, and APPX coordinators at all five high schools. The interview protocols can be found in Appendix C. During interviews, the OAAP took detailed notes, identifying common themes across multiple interviews and stakeholders. Ideally, qualitative interviews would have been held with a wider array of stakeholders, however, time constraints prohibited qualitative interviews with teachers, par-ents and students. The OAAP did utilize Qualtrics to send a survey consisting predominately of qualita-tive questions to all AP teachers in the division. The survey questions administered to teachers are found in Appendix D. The OAAP sent the largely qualita-tive teacher survey or questionnaire to 98 teachers, of whom 39 completed the questions asked. In addition, the OAAP administered surveys including qualitative components to current parents of students partici-pating in AP coursework, and AP students who were given permission to participate in the survey.

Quantitative Data

In gathering quantitative data, the OAAP worked with the Department of Instructional Technology and Student Information Systems to compile data, match-

ing available division-wide data with data from the College Board on AP test participation and student performance. The OAAP used descriptive statistics to analyze the available data. The OAAP also worked with the Department of Finance, Department of Human Resources, and Department of Learning and Organizational Development to analyze the financial impact of the AP programs.

The OAAP coupled the descriptive statistics and fi-nancials with the survey administered via Qualtrics to parents and guardians of AP students. Those surveys can be found in Appendices E and F. There were 272 parents and guardians of AP students who partici-pated in the survey. As noted in the bar graph below, most parents and guardians reported having one stu-dent involved in the program. Two hundred eighteen parents and guardians noted having one student in AP programming, fifty parents and guardians noted hav-ing two students in AP programming, three selected having three AP students, and one noted having more than four.

When asked the grade level of their AP students, parents and guardians reported having 41 students in 9th grade, 78 students in 10th grade, 105 students in 11th grade, and 94 students in twelfth grade who were participating in AP programming in SCPS, as seen in the bar graph below.

Number of Students Currently Involved in AP (Parent/Guardian Survey)1

2

3

4more


METHODOLOGY

Grade Level of Students in AP Coursework (Parent/Guardian Survey)

Parents and guardians whose AP students were attend-ing certain high schools participated at higher rates than others. As seen in the chart below, 101 parents and guardians noted their student(s) participating in AP attended Colonial Forge High School, 58 reported Stafford High School, 48 reported North Stafford High School, 45 reported Brooke Point High School, and 34 reported Mountain View High School.

High School that AP Student(s) Attend (Parent Survey)

The end of the AP parent and guardian survey provid-ed an opportunity for parents to give permission for students to participate in a corresponding AP survey for students. From those parents and guardians who completed the survey, 131 students received permis-sion to complete the AP survey. Of those 131 students, 31 students completed the AP survey. Students re-sponded from all five high schools to varying degrees, as illustrated in the bar graph below.

Number of Student Respondents from Each High School

Over seventy percent of student respondents were upperclassmen, as illustrated in the bar graph below.

Self-Reported Grade Level of Student Respondents

Brooke Point high School Colonial Forge High School Mountain View High School North Stafford High School Stafford High School

58

48

34

45

101

7

7

2

4

13

Brooke Point high School Colonial Forge High School Mountain View High School North Stafford High School Stafford High School

9th Grade (3) 10th Grade (6) 11th Grade (12) 12th Grade (11)

9th Grade

10th Grade

11th Grade

12th Grade


AP Adoption

Stafford County Public Schools began offering its first AP classes during the 1979-1980 school year. That year the division offered AP English. Over time, the num-ber of AP offerings has expanded both as the division has grown, College Board AP offerings have grown, and alternative access routes, such as Virtual Virgin-ia, have emerged. In addition, the division secured a grant from 2012-2015 that provided incentives to students and teachers for AP participation and qualify-ing scores.

Expansion with NMSI Grant

From 2012 to 2015, SCPS had a grant for North Stafford, Colonial Forge and Stafford High Schools through the Virginia Advanced Studies Strategies (VASS) organization in partnership with the National Math and Science Institute (NMSI) and funded by the Department of Defense. Appendix G illustrates the letter provided to parents the first year of the grant explaining the grant’s benefits to students. The NMSI grant provided funding for students and teachers to incentivize AP participation. The grant off-set the cost of tests for students, covering fifty percent of the test fee for AP exams in English, Math and Sci-ence courses. In addition, students who scored a 3, 4, or 5 on their AP exams could earn $100 cash for their performance on the exams in those subject areas. The grant also provided access to Saturday study sessions in partnership with other school divisions participating in the grant.

For teachers, the NMSI grant also provided incentives and support. Through VASS, teachers received train-ing in Richmond on instructional approaches and techniques. In addition, teachers could receive mon-etary compensation based on the number of students achieving a score of 3, 4, or 5 on the AP exams in the English, Mathematics and Science subject area.

Programs Currently Utilizing AP

Currently, there are a number of programs within the division that use AP programming as part of the over-arching programming structure. The Commonwealth Governor’s School has a curriculum heavily concen-trated with AP curriculum, and the Stafford Academy for Technology (STAT) programs often use some AP courses as part of their overarching curriculum contin-uum. The Advanced Placement Program of Excellence (APPX) program, a SCPS created division program, focuses specifically on guiding students through a continuum of AP coursework, community service, and, as of last year, a research experience through AP capstone. The AP Capstone program is new to the division and students can participate through APPX or through completion of the Capstone as a standalone option.

Staffing

AP Coordinators

At each high school, there is a designated person, or persons, to coordinate the AP testing and program-ming. The role is assigned to an existing position or positions, and does not constitute a separate position. Frequently the role is assigned to a counselor, how-ever, it can also be assigned to a testing coordinator, or a small team involving an administrator, counselor and teacher or testing coordinator. Each school has a slightly different approach to who will handle the vari-ous aspects of coordinating AP testing.

In addition, some schools have the coordinator(s) work with the AP program from year to year, as long as the staff remains with the school, while other schools rotate the responsibility to different people every so many years.

Training for AP coordinators is largely left to individu-al schools. Handbooks are provided from central office for coding purposes, and some coordinators are able to learn from peers or learn about various AP trainings

OVERVIEW & FINDINGS


that they might attend. Training is inconsistent, how-ever, leaving some coordinators to feel overwhelmed when they begin the process.

APPX Coordinators

Three SCPS high schools participate in the APPX program: Colonial Forge High School, North Staf-ford High School, and Stafford High School. There is an APPX coordinator at each of those schools, who complete the APPX coordination duties in addition to their other assigned duties. At two schools this duty is assigned to a counselor, while at a third, the duty is assigned to a Focus teacher. The coordinators receive no additional compensation for the time they put into coordinating the program.

AP Teachers

Like AP coordinators, who is designated to teach AP coursework is largely determined on a school by school basis. In the survey administered by OAAP, respon-dents noted a range of experience, both in teaching as a whole and in teaching AP coursework specifically as noted in the statistical charts below.

Years of Teaching Experience Reported by AP Teacher Survey Respondents

Years of AP Teaching Experience Reported by AP Teacher Survey Respondents

Mini-mum

Maxi-mum

Mean Standard Deviation

TotalRespon-dents

Years Teaching AP Coursework

1 38 8.53 7.51 38

As seen in the response rates, of survey respondents, all of the AP teachers had taught for a minimum of

three years, with thirty-nine years representing the most experience. The average respondent had close to eighteen years of experience teaching.

The length of time the respondents had spent teaching AP coursework ranged from a minimum of one year to a maximum of thirty-eight years. The average respon-dent’s AP teaching experience level was approximately eight and a half years.

When asked whether they had received training prior to teaching AP coursework, the majority of respon-dents, approximately seventy-seven percent, noted they had received training prior to beginning teaching the AP coursework, as seen in the graph below.

Percentage of Respondents Who Attended Training Prior to Teaching AP Coursework

n=39

Of those respondents who did attend training, many noted attending during the NMSI grant, while others noted attending summer College Board training of various sorts, such as those held at William and Mary. Respondents had varied responses when asked wheth-er they felt prepared to begin teaching AP coursework. A number noted the benefits of attending a three to five day training, although this was not universal. There were some AP teachers who felt the training they had attended was inadequate preparation for teaching the AP course. Those teachers who expressed feeling the most prepared when they started teaching AP usually did so crediting a combination of factors, such as attending training, mentorship, having an advanced

OVERVIEW & FINDINGS

Mini-mum

Maxi-mum

Mean Standard Deviation

TotalRespon-dents

Number of Years Teaching

3 39 17.74 9.91 39

23.08%

76.92%

yes no


degree in the subject area, and PLC support. Those teachers who expressed feeling unprepared, frequently began teaching multiple AP courses at once, lacked peer or mentor support, and had not attended training or the training they received was inadequate, due to short duration or quality of facilitator. A number of teachers noted that regardless of preparation, the first couple years teaching AP definitely involved a learning curve, one that they themselves did not fully recognize until after their first few years teaching the coursework. Structure of AP Programming and ComponentsWhile all five high schools offer AP programming to some degree, each school has tailored the AP offerings and programming based on (1) other programming offered at the school and (2) stakeholder demand.

Across the county, there are 28 different AP courses being offered in the division this school year (2017-2018). The following chart illustrates the distinct AP courses being offered at a minimum of one of the five high schools, through traditional means.

Traditional AP Offerings Across All Five High Schools in 2017-2018AP Art History (Non-Studio Elective)AP Biology (and Lab)AP Calculus ABAP Calculus BCAP Chemistry (and Lab)AP Computer Science AAP Computer Science PrinciplesAP English 11: Language/CompositionAP English: Literature/CompositionAP Environmental ScienceAP European HistoryAP FrenchAP GermanAP Human GeographyAP Latin (Virgil)AP MacroeconomicsAP MicroeconomicsAP Music TheoryAP Physics 1AP Physics 2AP PsychologyAP SpanishAP StatisticsAP Studio Art AP U.S. Government and Politics/Comp GovernmentAP United States GovernmentAP United States HistoryAP World History

Appendix H includes a complete listing of AP offerings at each high school over the last five years. For each school, the sections of traditional classroom AP op-tions, Virtual Virginia AP courses, and courses avail-able through the Commonwealth Governor’s school are designated by distinct charts. AP courses that are part of the STAT program, are included in the over-arching listing of traditional AP offerings, but include the STAT identifier in the course title.

There is variation at this time across the division in the AP courses offered through traditional means. Some of this is due to other alternatives such as IB and DE at different schools. It is uncertain at this time whether the differences are due to variation in demand, recruit-ment strategies, or other factors.

APPX

The APPX program was created by Stafford County Public Schools to facilitate students completing AP courses in academic concentrations of their choice, and to encourage service learning. The program is offered at Colonial Forge High School, North Staf-ford High School, and Stafford High School, the three schools not offering the IB Diploma Programme. These three high schools also host the Commonwealth Governor’s School sites in the division.

The stated goals of the program are as follows:

• “To increase student exposure to college level materials and skills; and to provide students oppor-tunities to achieve success in Advanced Placement courses with academic support and guidance from administrators, teachers, and counselors

• To provide individualized learning experiences that capitalize on the student’s unique interests, abili-ties, and future goals

• To provide students additional opportunities to be recognized for their outstanding academic efforts and achievements

• To create an opportunity for students to achieve qualifying scores for colleges that help reduce the financial costs associated with higher education”

OVERVIEW & FINDINGS


OVERVIEW & FINDINGS(SCPS, 2017).

The program offers two different diploma options to students. The first, created by the College Board, but delegated to the APPX program in SCPS, is the Advanced Placement International Diploma (APID). In order to earn this diploma, College Board (2017) notes that students must do the following:

• Score a three or higher on five or more distinct AP exams.

• Designate on their AP coursework that their scores be sent to a university outside of the U.S.

• Complete AP exams in the following areas: • Two world language and culture exams (different

languages) or one world language and culture exam and one English course.

• One exam emphasizing a global outlook (can include Art History, Comparative Government and Politics, Environmental Science, Human Geography, Macroeconomics, or World History).

• One AP exam in math, science or computer science.

• One additional AP exam in a chosen content area.

The above requirements will allow a student to earn the APID from College Board. To be considered for the APPX APID distinction at graduation, however, students also need to complete the state and county graduation requirements, have participated in six AP courses and their corresponding AP exams, and the AP Capstone, which includes the two course se-quence of AP Seminar and AP Research to complete the service-learning portfolio/project designated under the APPX requirements.

The second APPX diploma option, designated the Advanced Placement Distinguished Scholars (APDS) was created within SCPS, and encourages students to follow a course progression in an academic content area of their choice. The following curricular con-centrations for students are as specified:

(James Farmer Global Studies Scholar) – A concen-tration in Social Studies courses with a research paper/project that reflects a theme/concept of that nature. AP exam scores in Social Studies courses must be 3 or higher. (Sir Isaac Newton Science/Mathematics (STEM) Scholar) – A concentration in the areas of Science and Math (STEM) with a research paper/project that reflects a theme/concept of that nature. AP exam scores in Science and Math courses must be 3 or higher. (Thomas Jefferson Renaissance Scholar) – A concen-tration in the areas of English, World Language and Humanities courses with a research paper/project that reflects a theme/concept of that nature. AP exam scores in English, World Language and Hu-manities courses must be 3 or higher. (Palmer Hayden Arts, Humanities, and Linguis-tics Scholar) – A concentration in, Fine and Per-forming Arts, World Language, and Humanities courses with a research paper/project that reflects a theme/ concept of that nature. AP exam scores in the Fine and Performing Arts, Linguistic, and AP Capstone courses must be 3 or higher.”

To complete the APDS, students need to complete all state and county graduation requirements, com-plete six AP courses and the corresponding AP exams according to the content specializations above. Students need to earn scores of three or higher in three of their content specialization courses and two AP exams of their choice. Students will also need to complete the AP Capstone as part of the AP course-work to meet the service-learning portfolio/project component of APPX.

The inclusion of the AP Capstone to largely fulfill the service-learning component of the APPX pro-gram began last year, when SCPS first began offering the Capstone progression, although the two course research based experience is also available to students not participating in the APPX program.


The following chart illustrates the number of students who have participated at some point in the APPX pro-gram. The specific concentrations were not available for all schools, so that information has been left out of the analysis.

Number of APPX Participants Since Fall 2013

APPX School Total ParticipantsCFHS 153NSHS 120SSHS 160Grand Total 431

While a number of students have participated in the program at some point in their progression through high school since its inception, SCPS has had very few students who have fully completed the APPX program.

The following chart illustrates the number of graduates since 2015:

Number of APPX Graduates by School

APPX School 2015 2016 2017 Grand Total

CFHS 3 3

NSHS 4 6 4 14

SSHS 1 2 3

Grand Total 4 7 10 21

North Stafford High School has had the highest num-ber of APPX graduates each year, with fourteen stu-dents graduating having completed the APPX program over the last three years. Stafford Senior High School has had three students graduate having completed the program over the last two years, and Colonial Forge High School had its first three APPX graduates last year. Based on 431 participants, the 21 graduates the division has had from the program represent a comple-tion rate of 4.8 percent.

It is unknown at this time all of the factors that have led to low completion rates of the program. In inter-

views, some mentioned the challenge of dedicating time to following up with students in the program, as the APPX coordination duties are assigned as an additional area for APPX coordinators to handle in addition to the duties their other jobs might require. Others mentioned the challenge of completing the service-learning component of the program. Anoth-er challenge mentioned stemmed from the fact that APPX is a program created in-house that lacks exter-nal recognition beyond Stafford County, with the ex-ception of the APID portion aligned with the College Board. These represent three distinct challenges the program has faced in generating graduates, but there could be additional factors that this status and process evaluation did not unearth.

Community Partnerships

Partnerships with various community organizations vary according to class and sub-program as AP pro-gramming does not constitute a singular program in and of itself. Establishing community partnerships is largely left up to individual teachers and individual AP courses.

The APPX program has historically included a service learning component that students complete as part of their continuum of studies, which includes 50 hours of community service and the completion of a final proj-ect. Designated the Community Leadership and Ser-vice above Self (CLASS), this combined service-learn-ing and research project/paper combines elements of the Creativity, Activity, Service (CAS) component of the IB Diploma with the creation of a final product or paper akin to the Extended Essay in the IB Diploma Programme or the Culminating Experience in Gov-ernor’s School, with its own character embedded in inclusion of the service-learning to the final product. Beginning last year, the program began embedding the creation of the final product within the umbrella of the AP Capstone, a two course sequence that focuses on the academic research process.

While the APPX coordinators expressed mixed opin-ions about this requirement, its inclusion does lead

OVERVIEW & FINDINGS


to students getting involved in the community with various organizations through the service-learning component. Some vocalized that it was the strongest aspect of the program. Other interviewees, however, believed that the service-learning component led to high attrition rates in the program.

Incorporation of Technology

Since the AP programming does not constitute a singular program in and of itself, the incorporation of technology can vary widely based on teacher instruc-tional style and/or the program within which the AP course is being taught. The CGS program uses primar-ily AP coursework, and has a vast degree of technology incorporation due to the regional nature of the pro-gram, as discussed in detail in the CGS Status and Pro-cess Assessment Evaluation from September of 2017. APPX largely focuses on guiding students through their chosen concentration in AP coursework, service component, and AP capstone and therefore does not include any direct technology components. This past year, CFHS did purchase a number of Chromebooks for the APPX program that are intended for use with the AP Capstone component, also open to students outside of the APPX program. The Chromebooks will be used by students completing the two course sequence of research courses to conduct research and writing.

Student Recruitment and Application Process

Students do not complete an application to participate in AP coursework. Certain programs utilizing AP coursework, however, do have either an application or statement of intent that students complete to partici-pate in the program. The Commonwealth Governor’s School has a full application process detailed in the CGS Status and Process Assessment from 2017. The APPX program involves a statement of intent type of application, which can be found in Appendix I. This statement of intent application is available via the divi-sion’s webpage.

In qualitative interviews with administrators and AP

coordinators, most interviewees noted a relatively informal recruitment process for AP at-large, heavily focused on counselor and teacher initiative. Counsel-ors will frequently recommend that certain students participate in AP coursework based on prior academic performance. More recently, the division-wide par-ticipation in the PSAT has enabled schools to utilize new tools from the College Board to examine student readiness for various AP courses based on the indi-vidual analysis of PSAT performance given to schools. Counselors can then use this information to identify students who might be good candidates for AP course-work in specific courses, even if their grades might indicate other-wise.

Like in other programs the OAAP has examined, indi-vidual teachers themselves also frequently play a pivot-al role in recruiting students for individual AP courses. Interviewees noted that students frequently develop relationships with teachers who teach AP coursework, and that relationship will spur students to try a more challenging AP course taught by that teacher.

Lastly, a number of interviewees noted that student interest in individual subjects also becomes an indirect recruitment tool. The interviewees noted that students will frequently try their first AP course in a content area with which they are most confident and comfort-able with the content. From that initial AP course, students may or may not continue to take additional AP coursework, depending on the experience of that first class.

For APPX, the APPX coordinator often visits middle schools for student recruitment, presenting to 8th grade students. There is also an APPX display at the Signature Programs Night held annually in the fall. In the parent and student surveys, respondents noted that students most frequently learned about AP offer-ings in the division during middle school, as illustrated in the graphs below.

OVERVIEW & FINDINGS


OVERVIEW & FINDINGSWhen Family Learned about AP (Parent/Guardian

Survey)

When Student Learned About AP Programs (Stu-dent Survey)

When asked about how they learned about the pro-gram, respondents to the parent and guardian survey noted a wide-range of ways in which they learned about the program. As seen in the following bar graph, no one category represented a majority of respondents. A plurality responded with ‘other’, representing 75 of 295 responses. The highest responses under ‘oth-er’ included (1) learning about AP through another program, such as CGS or IB, (2) common knowledge, (3) personal experience with AP, or (4) from another

person within the immediate family, such as an older sibling. After ‘Other’, parents and guardians reported learning about AP options in SCPS most frequently through a school counselor, representing 59 of 295 responses, and through open-house events, such as the Signature Programs Night, representing 57 of 295 responses.

Ways Families First Learned about Advanced Place-ment in Stafford County (Parent Survey)

On the student survey, respondents also noted having learned about AP offerings in a wide range of ways, as seen below.

Ways Students First Learned about AP in Stafford County (Student Survey)

Students reflected a range of methods by which they learned about the program, as seen above. School counselors, classroom teachers, other families repre-sented the most frequently selected options, but with

when my student(s) were in elementary when my student(s) were in middle school when my student(s) were in high school

25.08%17.63%

57.63%

17.65%

64.71%

17.65%

when I was in elementary school when I was in middle school when I was in high school

Open-House event (for example: signature programs night)

School counselor

Gifted resources/Focus teacher

Schooladministrator

Classroomteacher

Anotherfamily

Other

Open-House event (for example: signature programs night)

School counselor

Gifted resources/Focus teacher

Schooladminis-trator

Class-roomteacher

Anotherfamily

Other

n=295

n=34

n=295

n=34


OVERVIEW & FINDINGSminimal differences from the other categories. Under the “other” category, students typically mentioned a family member. The wide variation in responses from students and parents could indicate a holistic approach to recruitment or a haphazard approach that SCPS may want to examine further.

In the surveys administered by OAAP, parents and students were also asked about their motivation for choosing AP programming. Parents and students consistently rated academic rigor/challenge, the op-portunity for college credit and opportunity for college preparation as their top motivating factors in pursuing AP programming options, as noted in the bar graphs below.

Motivation for Considering the AP Program (Parent/Guardian Survey)

Motivation for Considering the AP Program (Stu-dent Survey)

Parents and guardians, teachers, and students all demonstrated unfamiliarity with the APPX program.

In ranking the components of AP programming in the division, many parents noted that they did not know how to rank APPX due to a lack of familiarity with the program.

AP Culture

Since AP programming does not constitute a singu-lar program in and of itself, but a curricular option utilized by certain programs, the associated culture is fairly loosely affiliated. Students who take a high number of AP courses at a school might end up having a significant number of courses together, which might facilitate the development of community. However, there is nothing inherent about the AP programming in SCPS that fosters academic press holistically.

The same is true for the APPX program. Due to the fact that APPX coordinators are managing the pro-gram in addition to their other duties embedded in their job as a counselor or Focus teacher, there is minimal time to enable coordinators to do more than meet with students individually on a periodic basis to monitor their completion of the metrics outlined in the description of the different APPX program options. That being said, from survey responses from parents and students, most students involved in AP program-ming within the division are also involved in ex-tra-curricular activities, as seen in the graph of student responses below.

Participation in Extracurricular Activities (Student Survey)

Academic Rigor/Challenge

Opportunity for college credit

Opportunity for college preperation

Opportunity to take a class with a specific teacher

Other

Academic Rigor/Challenge

Opportunity for college credit

Opportunity for college preperation

Opportunity to take a class with a specific teacher

Other

6.67%

73.33%

16.67%

3.33%

Yes, school related Yes, non-school relatedYes, school related and non-school related No

n=663

n=73

n=30


OVERVIEW & FINDINGS

A significant percentage of student survey respondents noted participation in either school or non-school related extracurricular activities, with the highest per-centage of student respondents noting doing both.

In both parent and student surveys, the OAAP asked parents and students to note which aspects of the AP programming in SCPS they considered to be most important. Student and parent responses were very similar in this area, stressing the importance of the teachers, number of AP courses, and variety of AP course options, as seen in the graphic representations of survey responses below.

Rating of Importance Level of AP Program in SCPS (Parent/Guardian Survey)

Rating of Importance Level of AP Program in SCPS (Student Survey)

When asked if they wanted to share anything about the way they had rated different components, students and parents had a variety of rationale to share. Students and parents noted that sometimes they rated some of the components above lower based on unfamiliar-ity with those aspects of program offerings. As one student explained, “Some of the programs were rated lower than they probably should be simply because I

didn’t know what they are.” One parent noted, “De-spite meetings with counselors, the role of the capstone remained unclear. I don’t know what APPX references.” Some noted struggling to understand AP in general, as the parent who noted “Very little information was given to us about AP classes. We understand very little and do not understand the above question. We feel there is a lack of communication between families and the school system.”

In explaining the importance of teachers, one student noted, “I think the big thing is to have many options taught by excellent teachers, with students committed to learn.” Another noted, “The quality of AP teachers is a necessity as well that can be the deciding factor for how the entire year will unfold.” Parents echoed the importance of the quality of AP teachers to the program. One noted, “Trained teachers are key to the success of the kids.” Another noted, “Quality surpass-es quantity. Properly trained and knowledgeable AP teachers that prepare their students well is far better than more AP teachers who are not properly trained and do not properly teach and prepare students for the exams.”

In terms of the importance of AP course options, one student observed, “I think it is important to provide a variety of types of classes for students who want to succeed academically. For me I did not have the time to do CGS but I still wanted the same education…. It is also important to provide the AP classes that are not as common.” Another highlighted the newly introduced AP Capstone course, noting, “The AP Capstone is a necessary college prep class. Every AP student should take it as it has been one of the most useful classes I have taken.” Parents also emphasized the importance of AP curricular options. One noted, “The availability of AP courses is needed to encourage students to par-ticipate and provide a variety to choose from.”

When asked about what they liked best about AP programming in SCPS, most parents noted the prepa-ration their students were receiving for college, op-portunity for college credit, the rigor of coursework, and degree of challenge for their students. One parent


OVERVIEW & FINDINGSobserved the best aspect was “the rigor that requires her to actually study and WORK to achieve the goals set out.” Another parent noted, “Challenging students then rewarding them when it’s finished is a great incen-tive for students to push themselves during the high school years. Preparing them for college and to expose them to college level classes can only benefit them now and in the future.” College credit also frequently made it into parent comments in this area. One parent ob-served, “My eldest, currently a freshman in college, will complete his B.S. in Computer Science in 3 years and his M.S. in Computer Science in his 4th year. He’s able to do this because he completed so many AP courses while in SCPS high school.” Parents frequently men-tioned teacher quality here as well: “...in order to teach students at the AP level, the teachers tend to be experts in their field…The impact of having teachers who have worked in industry and are subject matter experts who can share their love of an area and their knowledge is in my opinion what makes the difference.” A few par-ents also highlighted CGS or the AP Capstone as being pivotal for their students.

For students, the best aspects of AP routinely men-tioned included enjoying their coursework, the teachers (including content knowledge, quality of instruction, and feeling treated more like an ‘adult’), peer support, the challenge/rigor, and opportunity for college credit. As one student summarized, “I enjoy learning at an accelerated pace and being in classes in which my classmates do not judge me for being an overachiever.”

In terms of what they would change, a number of par-ents mentioned issues of access, such as with AP elec-tives in the world languages and the fine arts. Another frustration is the lack of alignment between the SCPS calendar and the Virtual Virginia calendar, coupled with students not being able to access resources and as-signments until SCPS begins, despite Virtual Virginia sometimes beginning earlier. Parents also mentioned a desire for increased opportunities for AP in IB schools, with some noting a student’s participation in CGS sole-ly for access to the AP curricula.

Students also frequently mentioned issues of equity of access, either through access to specific coursework or calendar constraints. One student noted, “Increase availability… Having the AP classes be equal across all the high schools.” Another reflected, “Starting school a month later than others gives a disadvantage, but summer homework isn’t reliable-maybe try and think of another way to make up for that month without overloading students with homework during our own school year and reliably teach/test material without physically being in a classroom.”

Finances for AP

Direct Costs

There are no fees assessed directly to schools to offer AP courses, however, there are costs associated with offering AP coursework in terms of resources, teacher training, and test fees. Divisions vary as to whether the school system or students cover the cost of the test fees. The following pivot tables demonstrate the fiscal year 2017 expenditures associated with AP program-ming in Stafford County. Each pivot illustrates the same financial breakdown, but does so either by illus-trating (1) who spent the money, (2) the location at which money was spent, or (3) the categories in which the money was spent.

Total by LocationExpenditure Site ExpendituresStafford High 137,188.39North Stafford High 115,090.59Brooke Point High 94,632.19Colonial Forge High 234,476.47Mountain View High 51,029.15Learning and Organizational Development 152.95Total Expenditures* 632,569.74Total Expenditures, less test fee reimbursement 319,235.74

*The grand total includes $327,108.55 of testing fees that are largely reimbursed by students.

Expenditures by site largely correlate with schools that offer the most AP offerings and have the highest levels of AP enrollment. The two high schools offering the


OVERVIEW & FINDINGSIB Diploma Programme have the lowest expenditures associated with AP. The number of Dual Enrollment courses offered (outside the scope of this evaluation) will also impact the expenditures associated with AP programming. This is clarified in the following pivot table that illustrates the breakdown of costs at each location:

Expenditure Type by SchoolSite and Category of Spending Total ExpendituresStafford High 137,188.39Activity And Program Fees 432.00Fees Seminars And Conference 3,935.00Textbooks And Workbooks 53,598.79Travel Seminars And Conference 2,752.78Tuition Paid - AP* 76,469.82North Stafford High 115,090.59Activity And Program Fees 576.00Fees Seminars And Conference 5,140.00Textbooks And Workbooks 42,664.50Travel Seminars And Conference 3,604.18Tuition Paid 63,105.91Brooke Point High 94,632.19Fees Seminars And Conference 1,135.00Instructional Supplies 277.20Textbooks And Workbooks 53,434.55Travel Seminars And Conference 385.62Tuition Paid - AP* 39,399.82Colonial Forge High 234,476.47Activity And Program Fees 971.00Computers, Parts, Accessories 4,737.50Fees Seminars And Conference 4,445.00Textbooks And Workbooks 100,622.26Travel Seminars And Conference 2,869.71Tuition Paid - AP* 120,831.00Mountain View High 51,029.15Fees Seminars And Conference 685.00Textbooks And Workbooks 23,042.15Tuition Paid - AP* 27,302.00Learning and Organizational Development 152.95Food And Refreshments 0.00Instructional Supplies 0.00Textbooks And Workbooks 152.95Travel Seminars And Conference 0.00Tuition Paid - AP* 0.00

Total Expenditures 632,569.74Total Expenditures, less test fee reimburse-ment

319,235.74

*The test fees equate to a total $327,108.55 that is largely reimbursed by students.

Expenditure TypeCategory Total ExpendituresActivity And Program Fees 1,979.00Computers, Parts, Accessories 4,737.50Fees Seminars And Conference 15,340.00Food And Refreshments 0.00Instructional Supplies 277.20Textbooks And Workbooks 273,515.20Travel Seminars And Conference 9,612.29Tuition Paid - AP* 327,108.55Total Expenditures 632,569.74Total Expenditures, less test fee reimburse-ment

319,235.74

*The test fees equates to a total $327,108.55 that is largely reimbursed by students. As seen in the pivot tables above, the bulk of the expenditures associated with AP revolve around the testing fees assessed for AP exams. In SCPS, schools pay the test fee for all registered students, and then students reimburse the schools. As a result, the vast majority of this money is returned to the school sys-tem, as illustrated in the two distinct total lines. The other major category of spending from this past year involved textbooks, which is a variable figure from year to year based on textbook adoption cycles. For com-parison purposes, the schedule of projected textbook acquisition for two school years is provided in Appen-dix G. Last year, history and social studies textbooks were adopted across the division, which accounts for the significant expenditures associated with Advanced Placement programming and textbooks. The Depart-ment of Learning and Organizational Development (LOD) spent $152.95 on a textbook for a Virtual Virginia offered AP course. The text will be utilized across high schools as needed. The third largest category of expenditures for AP related programming involves conferences and train-ings. Not all teachers attend a conference or training prior to beginning to teach AP coursework, however, a significant number attend a College Board training or


OVERVIEW & FINDINGSconference prior to beginning AP instruction, to gain familiarity with the curriculum.

Spending for the APPX program has not been tracked separately from the broader AP spending in the divi-sion so it is impossible to know how much money the division has spent directly on that program. As an in-house program that largely involves a progression of course work, the APPX primarily involves indi-rect costs, although some funds have been set aside for trainings in years past. In addition, this past year Colonial Forge spent $4,737.50 on Chromebooks for the APPX program, primarily for the AP Capstone courses that have been recently embedded into APPX. The courses are also available to non-APPX students. Overall, the vast majority of the costs associated with APPX are indirect.

Indirect Costs

There are also indirect costs associated with the broad-er AP and APPX programs. Time is the most perti-nent, as AP and APPX coordinators can both expend significant time on AP related duties. For AP coordi-nators, the time spent at exam time is significant, par-ticularly if those duties fall to one person. For APPX, the amount of time most coordinators can dedicate in light of other duties is minimal. Each coordinator es-sentially determines how much time they can sacrifice form other assigned duties to coordinate the program. Demographics and Performance Data

The OAAP worked with the Department of Instruc-tional Technology and Information Services to compile data on AP test participation and performance as well as APPX participation.

AP Testing

Students both in and out of AP coursework can opt to take AP tests. For SCPS students enrolled in AP coursework, students must take the corresponding AP exam in order to receive weighted credit. In the stu-dents’ survey administered by OAAP, students received

a question asking about how they decided which AP exams to take. A significant number of students noted taking all exams corresponding to the AP coursework in which they are enrolled. Other students noted that they chose which AP exams to take based on how prepared they felt for the exam. A few noted taking a non-AP accelerated course corresponding to an AP course, and choosing to try to prepare for the AP exam independently.

The following pivots illustrate the number of AP exams taken by different segments of the SCPS population, as well as the number of tests with scores achieving a qualifying score of a 3 or above.

Number of AP Exams Taken by GenderSchool Year Female Male Grand

Total2013 2091 1628 37192014 2263 1730 39932015 2233 1734 39672016 2127 1637 37642017 2077 1800 3877Grand Total 10791 8529 19320

Number of AP Exams Where Students Scored a 3 or Higher by GenderSchool Year Female Male Grand

Total2013 1142 1040 21822014 1320 1055 23752015 1315 1081 23962016 1225 990 22152017 1178 1129 2307Grand Total 6180 5295 11475

As seen in the pivot tables above, there are higher numbers of AP exams being completed and being completed with passing scores by female students in SCPS. In the pivot tables below, one can see the varia-tion in participation across racial and ethnic groups in the division.


OVERVIEW & FINDINGS

School Year American Indian/Alaska Native

Asian Black Hawaiian/Pacific Islander

White Two or More

Hispanic Total

2013 7 211 364 10 2615 254 258 37192014 12 223 381 16 2795 241 325 39932015 11 202 396 13 2653 283 409 39672016 11 229 403 6 2409 269 437 37642017 10 248 396 11 2465 275 472 3877Total 51 1113 1940 56 12937 1322 1901 19320

Year American Indian/Alaska Native

Asian Black Hawaiian/Pacific Islander

White Two or More

Hispanic Total

2013 5 136 146 2 1631 122 140 21822014 5 146 157 5 1731 127 204 23752015 6 121 160 5 1699 174 231 23962016 8 130 163 4 1505 168 237 22152017 8 145 161 6 1565 176 246 2307Total 32 678 787 22 8131 767 1058 11475

The number of AP exams in which students from additional demographic groups were completed and complet-ed with threes or above can be found in Appendix J. There are clear disparities across demographics in AP exam participation.

It is worth noting the increase in Hispanic participation over the course of the three years during which SCPS had the NMSI grant. While the number of AP exams completed by Hispanics has consistently increased over the last three years, the greatest increases were seen during the period in which SCPS had the additional support through the NMSI grant for students completing AP exams.

The following pivot provides the average AP scores of SCPS AP test participants over the last five years, broken down by subject.

SCPS Average AP ScoresAP Subject 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 Grand Total Art History 2.00 2.36 2.92 2.83 3.15 2.67 Biology 2.79 2.85 3.03 3.10 3.16 2.98 Calculus AB 2.84 2.99 3.05 3.20 2.72 2.95 Calculus BC 3.12 2.85 3.09 3.08 3.31 3.10 Calculus BC: AB Subscore 3.65 3.20 3.63 3.50 3.66 3.54 Chemistry 2.57 2.39 2.94 2.64 2.58 2.59 Chinese Language and Culture 5.00 5.00

Number of AP Tests Taken by Students Across Ethnic and Racial Groups

Number of AP Tests Where Students Scored a 3 or Higherby Students Across Ethnic and Racial Groups


OVERVIEW & FINDINGS Comparative Government and Pol-itics

2.73 2.80 2.67 2.71 2.90 2.76

Computer Science A 2.28 2.38 2.45 2.47 2.36 2.41 Computer Science Principles 3.11 3.11 English Language and Composition 2.94 2.92 3.05 2.96 2.90 2.95 English Literature and Composition 3.11 3.12 3.25 3.31 2.98 3.15 Environmental Science 2.71 3.03 3.09 3.07 3.21 3.04 European History 3.22 2.78 2.87 2.56 2.99 2.91 French Language and Culture 2.75 2.56 2.55 5.00 2.40 2.62 German Language and Culture 2.80 3.20 3.00 4.00 3.00 3.10 Human Geography 3.00 3.03 3.23 2.85 3.11 3.05 Japanese Language and Culture 5.00 5.00 5.00 Latin 2.60 2.46 3.50 2.50 3.00 2.69 Macroeconomics 3.38 2.58 3.20 2.92 3.54 3.06 Microeconomics 3.63 3.27 2.99 3.09 3.22 3.17 Music Aural Subscore 2.36 2.58 2.00 3.00 2.48 Music Non 2.93 2.33 1.33 2.57 Music Non-Aural Subscore 2.52 2.52 Music Theory 2.57 2.52 2.00 2.33 2.46 Physics 1 2.31 2.11 2.50 2.33 Physics 2 2.63 2.00 2.00 2.50 Physics B 3.43 3.05 3.25 Physics C: Electricity and Magne-tism

3.00 3.00

Physics C: Mechanics 4.00 3.00 3.50 Psychology 3.55 3.48 3.71 3.43 3.12 3.45 Seminar 3.02 3.02 Spanish Language and Culture 3.21 3.85 3.54 3.31 3.47 3.47 Statistics 2.69 2.74 2.81 2.64 2.59 2.70 Studio Art: 2 3.75 3.10 3.50 3.00 3.29 Studio Art: 2 D Design Portfolio 4.20 4.20 Studio Art: 3 2.00 2.00 Studio Art: Drawing Portfolio 3.18 3.43 3.88 3.56 3.45 3.47 United States Government and Politics

2.67 2.63 2.67 2.73 2.84 2.71

United States History 2.51 2.52 2.56 2.65 2.48 2.54 World History 2.58 2.71 2.60 2.50 2.76 2.64Grand Total 2.86 2.85 2.91 2.87 2.87 2.87


OVERVIEW & FINDINGS

The following pivots illustrate the number of AP exams completed by APPX participants, as well as the number of tests where APPX participants scored a three or higher.

Number of AP Tests Taken by APPX Participants*Year Tests Taken2013 1072014 2912015 5002016 5652017 479Grand Total 1942

*An APPX participant includes any student who at some point in their high school career was a participant in the APPX program. The length of participation is unspecified due to lack of available data.

Number of AP Tests Where Students Scored a 3 or Higher by APPX Participants*Row Labels Grand Total2013 702014 1992015 3462016 4012017 341Grand Total 1357



OVERVIEW & FINDINGSThe following pivot table illustrates the average scores of APPX participants across AP subjects over the last five years.

Average APPX Participant AP ScoresAP Subject 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 Grand Total Art History 3.00 3.00 2.00 2.67 Biology 2.50 3.20 3.08 3.52 3.37 3.24 Calculus AB 4.00 3.40 2.79 3.28 2.43 2.85 Calculus BC 4.00 3.63 2.62 3.46 3.85 3.39 Calculus BC: AB Subscore 4.00 3.88 3.31 3.54 4.14 3.72 Chemistry 2.00 2.75 2.40 2.58 2.67 2.56 Comparative Government and Politics 2.00 3.00 2.85 2.89 3.40 3.06 Computer Science A 1.00 2.93 2.43 2.50 2.56 Computer Science Principles 3.50 3.50 English Language and Composition 3.80 2.97 3.40 3.04 3.18 3.21 English Literature and Composition 4.00 3.43 3.49 3.25 3.44 Environmental Science 3.00 3.29 3.43 3.21 3.94 3.40 European History 3.53 2.64 3.33 2.78 3.50 3.10 French Language and Culture 2.00 2.50 2.25 2.33 German Language and Culture 1.00 1.00 Human Geography 2.89 3.05 2.69 3.35 3.10 3.01 Latin 3.00 2.50 2.67 Macroeconomics 3.00 3.33 4.17 3.83 3.70 Microeconomics 3.00 3.89 3.88 4.00 3.79 Music Aural Subscore 2.00 2.00 2.00 Music Non-Aural Subscore 2.00 1.00 1.50 Music Theory 2.00 2.00 2.00 Physics 1 2.20 2.35 2.64 2.42 Physics 2 2.00 2.00 Physics B 4.00 3.00 3.67 Psychology 5.00 4.55 4.42 3.96 3.94 4.14 Seminar 3.10 3.10 Spanish Language and Culture 3.40 2.75 2.50 2.92 Statistics 4.00 3.09 3.40 2.98 2.67 3.00 Studio Art: 2 3.00 3.00 Studio Art: Drawing Portfolio 3.50 4.00 3.67 United States Government and Politics 3.00 3.53 2.92 2.98 3.23 3.11 United States History 3.80 2.79 2.94 2.98 2.95 2.96 World History 2.64 3.04 2.83 2.94 3.00 2.92Grand Total 3.08 3.15 3.14 3.17 3.17 3.15


OVERVIEW & FINDINGSThe following pivots illustrate the average SAT scores of APPX participants and graduates as compared with the SCPS average.

Average SAT Scores in SCPS School Year Critical Reading Evidence Based Read-

ing & WritingMathematics Writing Skills Grand

Total2012/2013 513.97 511.39 491.64 505.672013/2014 517.79 514.59 488.39 506.922014/2015 518.38 518.82 490.74 509.322015/2016 518.87 572.64 532.48 482.33 525.072016/2017 547.22 528.17 537.70Grand Total 517.04 554.46 521.09 489.02 515.26

Average SAT Scores of APPX Participants*School Year Critical Reading Evidence Based Reading

& WritingMathematics Writing Skills Grand

Total2012/2013 625.56 628.89 597.78 617.412013/2014 568.36 566.23 532.46 555.682014/2015 583.89 583.17 555.33 574.132015/2016 564.35 608.67 584.55 533.80 573.002016/2017 619.64 611.31 615.47Grand Total 576.12 615.50 589.36 545.65 579.94


Average SAT Scores of APPX GraduatesSchool Year Critical Reading Evidence Based Read-

ing & WritingMathematics Writing Skills Grand

Total2013/2014 638.00 656.00 608.00 634.002014/2015 623.57 614.29 618.57 618.812015/2016 594.67 610.00 624.58 590.00 607.142016/2017 645.56 672.22 658.89Grand Total 612.94 627.78 633.08 604.41 620.36


OVERVIEW & FINDINGSData Collection and Evaluations

While routine data collection was a part of the NMSI grant, there have been no other external evaluations done of AP programming in Stafford County, as far as the OAAP is aware. The division-wide Evergreen eval-uation did examine all curricular offerings in the divi-sion, of which AP programs are a part. That evaluation did not include any AP specific recommendations, but did suggest that SCPS consider the way in which it determines which courses to offer across high schools.

The College Board provides annual data to the division identifying the performance of individual students on the AP exams.

APPX has been tracked through a combination of the Synergy database and more informal Microsoft Word and Excel charts and spreadsheets.


The OAAP recommends continuing to offer AP pro-gramming in Stafford County. As a widely recognized set of college preparatory curricula, the College Board’s AP options provide students in all five high schools exposure to rigorous academic programming as noted by Adelman (1999, 2006). The OAAP does have the following recommendations, based on the qualitative and quantitative data collected for this report:

Set division-wide goals for Advanced Placement programming.

At present, Stafford County does not have any stated, division-wide goals for the use of AP programming. Identifying what the division most wants to achieve by offering AP courses in preparation for AP exams will help the division to better make decisions about which AP coursework to offer, where to offer it, and how to increase access. Kyburg et al. (2007) noted the impor-tance of a holistic division-led approach to increasing access to rigorous academic programming and increas-ing minority participation.

Strategize Advanced Placement offerings across the five high schools.

The OAAP does recommend considering how SCPS, as a division, can best offer AP curricular options across the five high schools in the midst of other pro-gramming options available, such as Dual Enrollment and International Baccalaureate. In schools focused on other programming, consideration might be giv-en to how students can gain access to AP coursework through a variety of options. Since the College Board does not require students to take an AP course to take the AP test, the division could also consider potential provision of test preparation for students where stu-dents might be participating in a different program or curricular option but remain interested in having the AP test option.

Consider how and if the division wants to continue utilizing the APPX program.

Unlike the other programs examined by the OAAP thus far, there was no strong vocalization of the impor-tance of the APPX program to the division. One staff member noted that the program did help provide a push for students who demonstrated academic poten-tial, but perhaps needed additional motivation to push them to the next level of academic achievement. An-other staff member felt that the service-learning com-ponent of the program was the most valuable, while another felt like the service-learning piece contributes to high attrition rates from the program. The program could have the potential to serve as a way to provide more academic press (Lee and Smith, 1999; Lee and Ready, 2007) for students participating in AP course-work outside of programs such as STAT and CGS, but this would require more intentional attention given at the division level to coordination for the program. In addition, the division would likely want to give some attention to garnering better recognition for the pro-gram, at least at a state level, to provide some broader recognition to students who complete the program, something mentioned by some stakeholders.

Adopt transparency in communicating about different AP curricular options.

SCPS offers a wide-range of programming in high school. Many of the signature programs in the division utilize AP coursework as part of the overarching pro-gram, such as CGS, STAT, and the APPX program. It is important that the division communicates clearly in the recruitment for these programs what the program’s goals are, how AP coursework is utilized. Some of the programs utilizing AP coursework are recognized at the state or national level, while others are recognized at a division level. It is important that SCPS does its best to ensure that stakeholders understand those differences. For example, APPX is a program that was created within the division and is recognized at a division level. Some stakeholders noted confusion

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RECOMMENDATIONSabout this, and how at one point they thought it was a state or national level program, only to find out that it was not. In the teacher survey, there were AP teach-ers who expressed the belief that APPX was a College Board sponsored program. As a division, SCPS needs to ensure steps are taken to be transparent about the different characteristics of various signature programs offered.

Improve data collection and analysis for AP programming.

The OAAP recommends improving coordination across the division amongst AP coordinators, the OAAP, and the Office of Instructional Technology and Information Services to facilitate accurate data collec-tion before, during and following the testing process. Data collection and analysis occurs at multiple stages during the AP process. Coordinators help fill out initial paperwork and input data, the OAAP receives score reports and analysis from the College Board, and the Office of Instructional Technology and Informa-tion Services inputs the College Board data into the Synergy database. Increased collaboration and coor-dination between these three areas will improve more accurate longitudinal data collection and analysis to better understand AP programming in Stafford County.

Ensure that teachers receive adequate training and support for providing instruction for AP course work.

In the literature, nationally, one challenge of Advanced Placement coursework can be maintaining consistent quality (Hertberg-Davis et al., 2006). Since the College Board only requires that a syllabus be submitted and approved in order for a teacher to teach an AP course, there is little accountability externally to ensure that teachers providing instruction in AP coursework have been prepared to adequately prepare students for the AP tests in corresponding subjects. The exception to this includes the AP Capstone, for which teachers are required to attend training. SCPS had significant sup-port with providing AP training through the duration

of the NMSI grant, but upon the grant’s end, many of the training opportunities have faded. Many SCPS teachers still attend College Board training, but others start teaching the class without training. In surveys, AP teachers noted not receiving any training could make the transition to teaching AP very challenging. Re-gardless of whether or not a teacher has the opportu-nity to attend training, support during the first couple years of teaching AP within and across schools in the division will facilitate teacher development, if AP teachers are able to work with others who have experi-ence in teaching the subject. Many AP teachers noted in the survey the importance of having (1) strong con-tent knowledge, (2) AP training, and (3) professional peer network to facilitate their development as an AP teacher.

Ensure AP coordinators receive specific division-led training and guidance to undergird AP program

ming in Stafford County.

In qualitative interviews, most AP coordinators ex-pressed receiving little guidance from the division when they began their AP coordination duties. Most noted that they learned via others who had previously had the role, or heard via word of mouth about College Board training they could attend. This led to some feeling overwhelmed when they first assumed their duties. Careful coordination between the OAAP and LOD could facilitate division-wide preparation for AP coordinators and teachers, as needed, to ensure that all involved in the AP testing process understand and are utilizing division-wide procedures.

Carefully consider the most appropriate person or persons to handle AP and APPX coordination at

each high school.

Frequently, AP coordination is assigned to coun-selors at each high school, pulling counselors from their actual duties as counselors. Occasionally, the counselor is one part of a broader team involving an assistant principal and teacher or testing coordinator working together to coordinate the AP testing process at a school, which alleviates the work load falling to

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any one person. In addition, having an administra-tor involved in some capacity helps minimize any complications that might arise if the AP coordinator needs to provide directives for who is overseeing, what rooms will be used, etc., that might lead to tension or questioning of someone in a non-administrative role. Other schools utilized their testing coordinator for the AP process, which also seemed to work well to facili-tate the AP process.

Regular rotation of AP coordination can also cause complications, as there is a learning curve involved, and a person might just be mastering what needs to be done through the testing process when the role is shifted to a new person who then begins learning the process all over again. While rotation does allow multiple people to become familiar with the AP testing process, it inhibits people from becoming truly adept at the coordination process.

For APPX, schools currently use a mix of counselors and FOCUS teachers or dedicated gifted teachers to facilitate the APPX program. If the division wants to foster greater community and academic press in the APPX program, it might be beneficial to consider which of these roles would enable the best facilitation of the development of the program, or if there is an al-ternative professional in the school building who could best facilitate the development of the program.

Consider altering the approach to how weighted credit is assigned for AP coursework.

During the course of this evaluation, discussions have begun to consider whether or not to decouple a stu-dent’s completion of the AP test from the receipt of weighted credit. Through this school year, weighted credit for AP coursework will be granted only for those students who take the AP test, however this is not the case in the CGS program. The OAAP recommends considering whether the division’s approach to award-ing weigted credit should be aligned with the approach used in most of our comparison divisions and by the regional CGS program. Creating a consistent policy across the division could potentially expand access

to AP programming and provide consistency across AP programming in the division. At present, the cost involved in taking AP exams could be deterring stu-dents from challenging themselves with more rigor-ous coursework. In qualitative interviews, some did express concerns that a change in policy could have some unintended detrimental effects. Some concerns mentioned included methods of monitoring how well teachers were preparing students for AP exams, whether student participation in AP exams would significantly dip, and whether school rankings could be impacted. As a result of these concerns, the OAAP recommends that various stakeholders conduct some logic model-ing to consider the potential impacts of such a policy change, both positive and negative. If the division makes the decision to eliminate the requirement for students to take the AP exam in order to receive weighed credit, the OAAP recommends adopting monitoring metrics to evaluate the policy change.

Consider adopting division-wide means of monitor-ing student preparation for AP exams.

Regardless of the decision made in regards to the divi-sion’s policy towards weighted credit for AP exams, the OAAP recommends that the division consider some alternative ways to determine AP teacher effectiveness other than pass rates on the College Board’s AP exam. Using previously released AP exams could be one way to help gauge student preparation in AP coursework. Careful consideration should also be given to consider how AP educators provide scaffolding and carry out recruitment.

Evaluate and strengthen recruitment efforts, ensur-ing all students have the opportunity to take

the rigorous prerequisites necessary to prepare for AP and other rigorous coursework.

Most students and their families are learning about the AP programming available to SCPS in middle school. Like other programs the accountability specialist for program evaluation has examined, the OAAP rec-ommends considering expanding awareness of AP

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programming earlier, even into elementary school, to avoid students and their families making curricular decisions that would preclude participation in more academically rigorous programming such as Advanced Placement. In addition, ensuring that students are exposed to rigorous academic curricula in elementary and middle school will facilitate student preparation for AP level course work in high school.

Consider the impact of the school calendar in light of AP coursework and alternative access to AP

coursework.

In the parent surveys, a number of parents noted the impact of the misalignment that can occur with AP courses and the Stafford County school calendar. This was particularly emphasized for students taking their coursework through Virtual Virginia, who did not ob-tain access to the materials and course when the course started on-line, due to the later school year start-date in SCPS. This also could impact students in CGS, who work in partnership with schools in King George and Spotsylvania counties who have earlier start dates, or will in the upcoming school years. Due to AP testing in May, students in all AP courses are crunched for time to cover all of the curriculum area in the time allotted. If SCPS continues to use a post-Labor Day calendar start date, it might consider options to ensure that students accessing AP through CGS or Virtual Virginia are able to access the materials, webpage and other critical aspects of the course to prevent students from starting the course behind.

Consider pursuing additional grant opportunities, such as the NMSI sponsored grant, to help

facilitate student participation in AP coursework and provide support and incentives for AP educators.

In interviews and surveys, the impact of the NMSI grant on SCPS’ AP programming was distinct. Nu-merous AP coordinators, administrators and educators mentioned the impact of the program on AP offerings in Stafford County. Jackson’s (2010) research on the APIP in Texas, another incentive based program for

students and educators, led to increased access to AP coursework for minorities and other underrepresented groups in those divisions. Seeking additional funding opportunities that would facilitate off-setting the cost of AP to families, provide incentives for educators, provide academic support for students, and/or provide professional support for educators could help off-set some of the training costs associated with AP pro-gramming, allow more students to participate in AP programming, and improve the overarching quality of AP programming in the division.

Consider adopting division-wide processes to ensure that students with varying life circumstances are

not discouraged from pursuing AP programs in SCPS by test fees and the lack of study halls.

For students with varying life circumstances, there can be a number of obstacles to participating in AP coursework. The test fees, while frequently covered by schools for students who qualify for free and reduced meals (FRM), can be a burden, particularly if students are taking more than one AP course. SCPS needs to consider how to support families trying to access AP coursework in light of the requirement that students cover test fees. Students in the division have varying levels of social and cultural capital as well (Bourdieu, 1977; Coleman, 1988; Lareau, 1989), which can make accessing AP coursework and programming difficult in areas ranging from learning about the program, to participating due to time constraints such as working to contribute to supporting the family. Consideration should be given to how the division can utilize its re-sources to facilitate student participation.

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APPENDICES APPENDIX A - COLLEGE CREDIT

AP Credit Given at Virginia Tech and the University of Virginia Virginia Tech

Students can earn credit for AP coursework. Examples of credit earned include the following: Course Score Credits EarnedBiology 3 6 (For biology electives, not for

life science majors)Biology 4,5 6 (Can apply to life science

majors)English Language and Composition or Literature and Composition

3 3

English Language and Composition or Literature and Composition

4,5 6

Statistics 3-4 3Statistics 5 6Comparative Government and Politics 3-5 3 (Political Science Majors

must have at least a 4 to receive credit.)

University of Virginia

The University of Virginia will provide either advanced standing credit, which provides course exemption and credit hours, or advanced placement, which provides course exemption alone for AP scores they deem qualifying if they are taken prior to a student’s senior year in high school. Students have to apply for credit on a case by case basis.


Virtual Virginia AP Options across the State

Advanced Placement Art History Fall Block, Full Year, Spring Block 1Advanced Placement Biology Fall Block, Full Year, Spring Block 1Advanced Placement Calculus AB Full Year 1Advanced Placement Calculus BC Full Year 1Advanced Placement Chinese Language and Culture Full Year 1Advanced Placement Computer Science A Full Year 1Advanced Placement English Language and Composition Fall Block, Full Year, Spring Block 1Advanced Placement English Literature and Composition Fall Block, Full Year, Spring Block 1Advanced Placement Environmental Science Fall Block, Full Year, Spring Block 1Advanced Placement European History Fall Block, Full Year, Spring Block 1Advanced Placement French Language and Culture Full Year 1Advanced Placement Government and Politics: Comparative Fall Block, Full Year, Spring Block 1Advanced Placement Government and Politics: US Fall Block, Full Year, Spring Block 1Advanced Placement Human Geography Fall Block, Full Year, Spring Block 1Advanced Placement Latin Full Year 1Advanced Placement Macroeconomics Fall Semester, Spring Semester .5Advanced Placement Microeconomics Fall Semester, Spring Semester .5Advanced Placement Music Theory Full Year 1Advanced Placement Physics 1 Fall Block, Full Year 1Advanced Placement Physics 2 Full Year, Spring Block 1Advanced Placement Psychology Fall Block, Full Year, Spring Block 1Advanced Placement Spanish Language and Culture Full Year 1Advanced Placement Spanish Literature and Culture Full Year 1Advanced Placement Statistics Fall Block, Full Year, Spring Block 1Advanced Placement US History Fall Block, Full Year, Spring Block 1Advanced Placement World History Fall Block, Full Year, Spring Block 1

APPENDICES APPENDIX B - VIRTUAL VIRGINIA


APPENDIX C - INTERVIEW PROTOCOLS

Potential Questions for the AP Coordinator Interview Protocols:

Personal Background

1. How did you come to work in education? a. Original plan/Career switcher? b. How did you come to work with SCPS? With your current school? 2. How did you first get involved with the AP program? (Training?)3. How would you describe your role with AP?

AP Recruitment, Structure and Implementation

4. How would you describe the AP program at [specific high school]? In SCPS as a whole?5. What do you see as the goal of the AP program? 6. Can you describe how a student decides to get involved with the AP program? 7. What have been some challenges and successes with coordinating AP?

Academic Rigor/Press

8. Do you feel students are prepared for AP coursework? a. How so/not? b. What, if anything, do students typically do to prepare for AP? 9. How do students decide what AP classes to take as part of AP? . Does anyone help them decide what to take? Who? 10. Do you think students are challenged through the AP program? How so/not?11. If a student started to struggle in an AP class, is there anyone he or she would go to? Who?

Program Culture

12. What has it been like working with the AP program? 13. What are some influencing factors on the AP program in SCPS? 14. What do you think is the best thing, if anything, about the AP program in SCPS? What would be the worst thing/thing you’d most want to change, if anything?

15. Is there anything else you would like to add?

APPENDICES


Potential Questions for the APPX Coordinator Interview Protocols:

Personal Background

1. How did you come to work in education? a. Original plan/Career switcher?b. How did you come to work with SCPS? With your current school? 2. How did you first get involved with AP and the APPX program? 3. How would you describe your role with APPX? (Schedule? Interaction with teachers/students/parents?)

APPX Recruitment, Structure and Implementation

4. How would you describe the APPX program? 5. What do you see as the goal of the APPX program? 6. Can you describe how a student gets involved with the APPX program? What’s the recruitment process like? 7. What have been some challenges and successes with implementing APPX?

Academic Rigor/Press

8. Do you feel students are prepared for AP coursework and the other requirements of the APPX program? a. How so/not? b. What, if anything, do students typically do to prepare for the APPX requirements? 9. How do students decide what classes to take as part of the APPX program? Does anyone help them decide what to take? Who? 10. Do you think students are challenged through APPX? 11. If a student started to struggle with the APPX requirements or in an AP class, is there anyone he or she would go to? Who?

Program Culture

12. What has it been like working with the APPX program? 13. How has APPX impacted the AP program in Stafford? 14. What do you think is the best thing, if anything, about the APPX program? What would be the worst thing/thing you’d most want to change, if anything?

15. Is there anything else you would like to add?

APPENDICES APPENDIX C - INTERVIEW PROTOCOLS


APPENDIX D - TEACHER SURVEY APPENDICES

AP Teacher Survey

Start of Block: Default Question Block

Q3 The following questions are designed to help SCPS better understand the teacher experience with the AP pro-gram. Your time and input are greatly appreciated.

Q1 How many years have you been teaching? Years Teaching (1)

Q4 How many years have you been teaching AP coursework? Years Teaching AP Coursework (1)

Q4 Did you attend training before beginning to teach AP courses? o Yes (1) o No (2)

Q5 What type of training did you attend? ________________________________________________________________

Q6 Did you feel adequately prepared to begin teaching AP? Why or why not? ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

APPENDIX D - TEACHER SURVEY


Q9 Do you teach at a school with the APPX program? o Yes (1) o No (2) o Unsure (3)

Q7 What do you see as the goal(s) of the AP program in SCPS? Of the APPX program? ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Q8 How do students typically get involved with the AP program in SCPS? With APPX? ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Q10 Do you think students are prepared to begin their AP coursework? How so or not? ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Q11 Do you think students are challenged through the AP program in SCPS? Through APPX? How so or not? ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Q12 What do you see as influencing factors on the AP program in SCPS?________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

APPENDICES APPENDIX D - TEACHER SURVEY


________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Q13 What has it been like teaching in the AP program in SCPS? ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Q14 What do you see as the best thing about the AP program in SCPS? ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Q16 What would you change about the AP program if you could? Why? ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

End of Block: Default Question Block

APPENDICESAPPENDIX D - TEACHER SURVEY


APPENDIX D - TEACHER SURVEY APPENDICES APPENDIX E - PARENT SURVEY

AP Parent Survey

Start of Block: IB Overview Questions

Q31 The following questions are designed to help SCPS better understand the student and parent experience in the Advanced Placement (AP) program. Your time and input are greatly appreciated. Q34 In what ways does your student(s) participate in AP coursework? Select all that apply. ▢ Student takes AP courses a la carte (1) ▢ Student is working to complete the AP capstone (2) ▢ Student is in the APPX program (3) ▢ Student is in CGS (4)

Q1 How did your family first hear about the Advanced Placement (AP) programs in SCPS?o Open-House Event (For example: Signature Programs Night) (1) o School counselor (2) o Gifted Resource/Focus teacher (3) o School administrator (4) o Classroom teacher (5) o Another family (6) o Other: (7) ________________________________________________

Q3 When did your family first learn about different AP opportunities in SCPS?o When my student(s) were in elementary (1) o When my student(s) were in middle school (2) o When my student(s) were in high school (3)

Q2 How many of your students are currently involved in AP?o 1 (1) o 2 (2) o 3 (3) o 4 (4) o More than 4 (5)

Q24 What grade(s) are your AP student(s) in high school? Select all that apply. ▢ 9th grade (3) ▢ 10th grade (4) ▢ 11th grade (1) ▢ 12th grade (2)


Q26 Which high school(s) does your student(s) attend? ▢ Brooke Point High School (1) ▢ Colonial Forge High School (3) ▢ Mountain View High School (2) ▢ North Stafford High School (4) ▢ Stafford High School (5)

Q33 What motivated your family to consider the AP program? Please select all that apply. ▢ Academic rigor/challenge (3) ▢ Opportunity for college credit (2) ▢ Opportunity for college preparation (1) ▢ Opportunity to take a class with a specific teacher (6) ▢ Other (5) ________________________________________________

Q35 Do/Did your student(s) participate in any of the other types of coursework/programming with SCPS in addition to AP? Select all that apply. ▢ Dual Enrollment (DE) (1) ▢ International Baccalaureate (IB) (2) ▢ Stafford Academy for Technology (STAT) (4) ▢ Other (5) ________________________________________________

Q44 If you selected one of the options above, which specific courses did your student(s) choose? Why? ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

End of Block: IB Overview Questions

Start of Block: First Student Questions

Q10 Please indicate the number of AP courses in the following subject areas in which your first, and or only student has participated.

Fine and Performing Arts (3)

World Languages (2)

English (4)

History and Social Sciences (5) Mathematics (6)

Sciences (7)

APPENDICESAPPENDIX E - PARENT SURVEY


Q27 Does your first or only student in AP participate in extracurricular activities? o Yes, school related. (1) o Yes, non-school related. (2) o Yes, school related and non-school related. (3) o No (4)

Q37 What are your first or only AP student's post high school plans? ▢ Four-year college or university (1) ▢ Military enlistment (2) ▢ Two-year college (3) ▢ Vocational Training (Please specify) (4) ________________________________________________▢ Work/Career (Please specify) (5) ________________________________________________

End of Block: First Student Questions

Start of Block: Second Student Questions

Q35 Please indicate the number of AP courses in the following subject areas in which your second student has participated.


World Languages (2)

English (4)

History and Social Sciences (5) Mathematics (6)

Sciences (7)

Other Electives (8)

Q38 Does your second student in AP participate in extracurricular activities? o Yes, school related. (1) o Yes, non-school related. (2) o Yes, school related and non-school related. (3) o No (4)

Q38 What are your second AP student's post high school plans? ▢ Four-year college or university (1) ▢ Military enlistment (2) ▢ Two-year college (3) ▢ Vocational Training (Please specify) (4) ________________________________________________▢ Work/Career (Please specify) (5) ________________________________________________

APPENDICES APPENDIX E - PARENT SURVEY


End of Block: Second Student Questions

Start of Block: Third Student Questions

Q36 Please indicate the number of AP courses in the following subject areas in which your third student has participated.


World Languages (2)

English (4) History and Social Sciences (5) Mathematics (6) Sciences (7)

Q41 Does your third student in AP participate in extracurricular activities? o Yes, school related. (1) o Yes, non-school related. (2) o Yes, school related and non-school related. (3) o No (4)

Q39 What are your third AP student's post high school plans? ▢ Four-year college or university (1) ▢ Military enlistment (2) ▢ Two-year college (3) ▢ Vocational Training (Please specify) (4) ________________________________________________▢ Work/Career (Please specify) (5) ________________________________________________

End of Block: Third Student Questions

APPENDICESAPPENDIX E - PARENT SURVEY


Start of Block: 4th Student Questions

Q40 Please indicate the number of AP courses in the following subject areas in which your fourth student has participated.


World Languages (2)

English (4) History and Social Sciences (5) Mathematics (6) Sciences (7)

Q42 Does your fourth student in AP participate in extracurricular activities? o Yes, school related. (1) o Yes, non-school related. (2) o Yes, school related and non-school related. (3) o No (4)

Q41 What are your fourth AP student's post high school plans? ▢ Four-year college or university (1) ▢ Military enlistment (2) ▢ Two-year college (3) ▢ Vocational Training (Please specify) (4) ________________________________________________▢ Work/Career (Please specify) (5) ________________________________________________

End of Block: 4th Student Questions

APPENDICES APPENDIX F - STUDENT SURVEY


Start of Block: Program Components

Q11 Please rate the level of importance you place on the following aspects of the AP program on a scale of 1 to 5, where 1 signifies that the particular aspect is not important at all and 5 signifies a particular aspect is integrally important to the program. We welcome any commentary you might wish to provide as to your selection.

AP Capstone (1) APPX (2) Commonwealth Governor's School (3) Number of AP Courses Available (4)

Variety of AP Course Options (5) AP Teachers (9) Other (8)

Q29 Is there anything you would like to share about the way you rated the program components above?________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Q15 What, if anything, has been the best thing about the AP programs in SCPS for your student(s)? ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

APPENDICESAPPENDIX F - STUDENT SURVEY


Q16 What, if anything, would you as a parent most like to change about the AP programs in SCPS? ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Q17 Is there anything else you would like to add about your family's experience in with AP programming? ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Q34 We would also like to survey AP students to better understand their experience with the AP programming in SCPS. Do you give consent for your student to participate in a survey on AP? o Yes (1) o No (2)

Display This Question:If We would also like to survey AP students to better understand their experience with the AP progra... = Yes

Q32 If you give your permission for your student(s) to take a survey on their experience with AP programs, please provide your student(s)' e-mail below. Participation is voluntary. o Student E-mail (1) ________________________________________________o Second Student's E-mail (2) ________________________________________________o Third Student's E-mail (3) ________________________________________________o Fourth Student's E-mail (4) ________________________________________________

End of Block: Program Components




AP Student Survey

Start of Block: IB Overview Questions

Q31 The following questions are designed to help SCPS better understand the student experience in the Advanced Placement (AP) program. Your time and input are greatly appreciated.

Q34 In what way do you participate in AP coursework? Select all that apply. ▢ AP courses a la carte (1) ▢ AP Capstone program (2) ▢ APPX program (3) ▢ CGS program (4)

Q1 How did you first hear about the Advanced Placement (AP) programs in SCPS?o Open-House Event (For example: Signature Programs Night) (1) o School counselor (2) o Gifted Resource/Focus teacher (3) o School administrator (4) o Classroom teacher (5) o Another family (6) o Other: (7) ________________________________________________

Q3 When did you first hear about the Advanced Placement (AP) programs in SCPS?o When I was in elementary (1) o When I was in middle school (2) o When I was in high school (3)

Q32 What motivated you to participate in the AP program? Please, select all that apply. ▢ Academic rigor/challenge (3) ▢ Opportunity for college credit (2) ▢ Opportunity for college preparation (1) ▢ Opportunity to take a class with a specific teacher (6) ▢ Other (5) ________________________________________________


Q24 What grade are you in high school? o 9th grade (3) o 10th grade (4) o 11th grade (1) o 12th grade (2)

Q26 Which high school do you attend? ▢ Brooke Point High School (1) ▢ Colonial Forge High School (3) ▢ Mountain View High School (2) ▢ North Stafford High School (4) ▢ Stafford High School (5)

Q33 Do you or did you participate in any of the other types of coursework/programming with SCPS in addition to AP? Select all that apply. ▢ Dual Enrollment (DE) (1) ▢ International Baccalaureate (IB) (2) ▢ Stafford Academy for Technology (STAT) (4) ▢ Other (5) ________________________________________________

Q20 If you selected one of the options above, which specific courses did you choose? Why? ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

End of Block: IB Overview Questions

Start of Block: First Student Questions




Q36 Please indicate the number of AP courses in the following subject areas in which you have or are participat-ingFine and Performing Arts (3)

World Languages (2) English (4)

History and Social Sciences (5) Mathematics (6) Sciences (7) Other Electives (8)

Q17 How many AP exams have you taken? o 1 (1) o 2 (2) o 3 (3) o 4 (4) o 5 (5) o 6 (6) o 7 (7) o 8 (8) o 9 (9) o 10 (10) o Other: (12) ________________________________________________

Q18 How do you determine which AP exams you will or will not take? ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________



Q27 Do you participate in extracurricular activities? o Yes, school related. (1) o Yes, non-school related. (2) o Yes, school related and non-school related. (3) o No (4)

Q38 What are your post high school plans? ▢ Four-year college or university (1) ▢ Military enlistment (2) ▢ Two-year college (3) ▢ Vocational Training (Please specify) (4) ________________________________________________▢ Work/Career (Please specify) (5) ________________________________________________

End of Block: First Student Questions

Start of Block: Program Components

Q40 Please rate the level of importance you place on the following aspects of the AP program on a scale of 1 to 5, where 1 signifies that the particular aspect is not important at all and 5 signifies a particular aspect is integrally important to the program. We welcome any commentary you might wish to provide as to your selection.

AP Capstone (1) APPX (2)

Commonwealth Governor's School (3) Quantity of AP Courses Available (4)

Variety of AP Course Options (5) AP Teachers (9) Other (8)

Q29 Is there anything you would like to share about the way you rated the program components above?________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________



Q15 What, if anything, has been the best thing about the AP programs in SCPS for you as a student? ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Q16 What, if anything, would you as a student most like to change about the AP programs in SCPS? ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Q17 Is there anything else you would like to add about your experience with AP programming in SCPS? ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

End of Block: Program Components


APPENDICESAPPENDIX G - VASS GRANT LETTER

STAFFORD COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOLS31 Stafford AvenueStafford, Virginia 22554-7246Phone: 540-658-6000http://www.staffordschools.net

Dear Parents,

Stafford County Public Schools is pleased to announce the selection of Colonial Forge, Stafford Senior, and North Stafford High Schools to receive the Virginia Advanced Studies Strategies (VASS) grant! This grant is sponsored by the National Math and Science Initiative (NMSI) with monies provided by the Department of Defense over the next three years beginning summer of 2012. Its objective is to increase the number of students both enrolled and excelling in Advanced Placement (AP) math, science and English courses.

Through Advanced Placement’s college-level courses and exams, students can earn college credit and distinguish themselves in the college admission process. Courses being offered at these three schools include the following:

AP Calculus (AB and BC)AP StatisticsAP Computer ScienceAP BiologyAP ChemistryAP Physics CAP Environmental ScienceAP English Language & CompositionAP English Literature & Composition

Students who elect to take one or more of the above AP classes will receive the following incentives:VASS will pay for half the fee for any AP math, science or English exam.Students will receive $100 for a score of 3, 4, or 5 on every AP math, science or English exam taken.AP teachers will be available for four hours of tutoring monthly for each AP math, science, or English course.VASS will provide opportunities for students to participate in AP Prep-Sessions: (three Saturday study sessions) for each AP mathemat-ics, science and English course. These prep sessions will be held with neighboring VASS schools throughout the year.VASS will work with North Stafford, Stafford Senior, and Colonial Forge High Schools to identify and acquire necessary resources and equipment.

In order for AP teachers and Pre-AP (Honors and Advanced) teachers to be prepared for the coming year, they will be trained by VASS instructors in the Richmond metro area this summer. Not only will teachers receive initial training, they will also have ongoing sup-port from VASS. VASS instructors will work alongside teachers, administrators, and guidance counselors to improve student achieve-ment through best practices in curriculum, instruction, and assessment. Financial incentives will also be provided to teachers, teacher teams, and designated administrators to compensate them for their extra time.

AP courses are challenging, to be sure, but they are also highly engaging and recent research has shown they are the best predictors for your child’s success in college. An Advanced Placement course is more than just a class; it’s a community of students and educators who are passionate, curious, and committed to academic excellence. In AP classrooms, the focus is not solely on memorizing facts and figures. Instead, students engage in intense discussions, solve problems collaboratively, and learn to write clearly and persuasively. For more information on AP course requirements and prerequisites, or to determine which AP course is appropriate for your student, please contact the counseling department at your child’s school.

For more information on the VASS grant, please visit the “VASS Grant” under Instructional Programs on the Stafford County Public Schools website. Any additional questions should be directed to Dr. Lisa Martin, Assistant Superintendent for Secondary Schools, or Kenya Wallach, Supervisor of Math and Science, at 540-658-6000.

RANDY BRIDGES, Ed.D.Superintendent


APPENDICESAPPENDIX H - DIVISION AP OFFERINGS

AP Offerings (Traditional Classroom) Course Title Course Length Total EnrolledAP United States History YR 20AP United States History YR 19AP United States History YR 18AP United States History YR 17AP World History YR 30AP World History YR 31AP World History YR 26AP United States Government YR 28AP United States Government YR 18AP U.S. Government and Politics/Comp Government YR 29AP U.S. Government and Politics/Comp Government YR 26AP Calculus AB YR 21AP Calculus AB YR 15AP Computer Science A YR 7AP Computer Science A STAT YR 9AP Statistics YR 19

AP Offerings (Virtual Virginia)Course Title Course Length Total EnrolledAP English: Literature/Composition YR 0AP English: Language/Composition YR 0AP Human Geography S2B 0AP Human Geography YR 1AP Human Geography YR 1AP Human Geography YR 1AP Human Geography YR 0AP Human Geography YR 0AP U.S. Government and Politics/Comp Government YR 0AP Microeconomics S1B 1AP Microeconomics YR 0AP Macroeconomics YR 0AP Macroeconomics S2B 1AP Psychology YR 2AP Psychology YR 2AP Psychology YR 0AP Calculus BC YR 2AP Calculus BC YR 1AP Calculus BC YR 0AP Calculus BC YR 0AP Calculus BC YR 1AP Computer Science A YR 0

BPHS AP Offerings 2015-16


APPENDICES APPENDIX H - DIVISION AP OFFERINGS

AP Statistics YR 0AP Statistics YR 0AP Environmental Science YR 1AP Environmental Science YR 0AP Environmental Science YR 1AP Environmental Science YR 0AP Environmental Science YR 1AP Physics B YR 1AP Physics B YR 0AP Spanish YR 1AP Art History (Non-Studio Elective) YR 1

AP Offerings (CGS)Course Title Course Length Total EnrolledAP English 12 - CGS YR 4AP English: Language/Composition - CGS YR 2AP Human Geography - CGS YR 4AP U.S. History - CGS YR 2AP European History - CGS YR 6AP U.S. Government - CGS YR 8AP Calculus BC - CGS YR 1AP Calculus BC - CGS YR 0AP Statistics - CGS YR 3AP Environmental Science-CGS YR 6AP Biology - CGS YR 8AP Physics B YR 0AP Physics 1 - CGS YR 4



AP Offerings (Traditional Classroom) Course Title Course Length Total

EnrolledAP English: Literature/Composition YR 13AP English: Literature/Composition YR 11AP United States History YR 23AP United States History YR 25AP United States History YR 28AP United States History YR 19AP United States History YR 1AP World History YR 29AP World History YR 25AP World History YR 27AP World History YR 21AP United States Government YR 20AP United States Government YR 29AP U.S. Government and Politics/Comp Government YR 34AP U.S. Government and Politics/Comp Government YR 28AP U.S. Government and Politics/Comp Government YR 1AP Calculus AB YR 24AP Calculus AB YR 27AP Computer Science A YR 5AP Computer Science A YR 4AP Computer Science A STAT YR 17AP Computer Science A STAT YR 16AP Computer Science Principles YR 16AP Computer Science Principles YR 18AP Statistics YR 14AP Computer Science Principles YR 0AP Computer Science Principles YR 0AP Computer Science Principles YR 0

AP Offerings (Virtual Virginia)Course Title Term Code Total StudentsAP English: Literature/Composition YR 1AP English: Literature/Composition YR 1AP English: Literature/Composition YR 0AP English 11: Language/Composition YR 0AP English 11: Language/Composition YR 2AP English 11: Language/Composition S1B 0AP Human Geography YR 1AP Human Geography YR 1




AP Human Geography YR 0AP Human Geography YR 0AP United States Government YR 0AP Microeconomics YR 0AP Microeconomics S1B 1AP Macroeconomics S2B 1AP Calculus AB YR 1AP Calculus BC YR 0AP Computer Science A YR 1AP Environmental Science YR 1AP Environmental Science YR 1AP Biology YR 1AP Biology YR 1AP Biology YR 0AP Biology YR 1AP Spanish YR 1AP Spanish YR 0AP Spanish S2B 0AP Art History (Non-Studio Elective) YR 1AP Art History (Non-Studio Elective) YR 1AP Art History (Non-Studio Elective) YR 0

AP Offerings (CGS)Course Title Course Length Total EnrolledAP English 12 - CGS YR 2AP English: Language/Composition - CGS YR 9AP Human Geography - CGS YR 2AP U.S. History - CGS YR 9AP European History - CGS YR 6AP U.S. Government - CGS YR 6AP Calculus BC - CGS YR 2AP Calculus BC - CGS YR 7AP Statistics - CGS YR 0AP Environmental Science-CGS YR 6AP Biology - CGS YR 6AP Physics 1 - CGS YR 2



AP Offerings (Traditional Classroom) Course Title Course Length Total EnrolledAP United States History YR 28AP United States History YR 28AP United States History YR 22AP United States History YR 24AP United States History YR 27AP World History YR 27AP World History YR 28AP World History YR 23AP United States Government YR 30AP United States Government YR 29AP United States Government YR 19AP U.S. Government and Politics/Comp Government YR 24AP U.S. Government and Politics/Comp Government YR 19AP U.S. Government and Politics/Comp Government YR 24AP Calculus AB YR 22AP Calculus AB YR 27AP Computer Science A YR 7AP Computer Science A YR 2AP Computer Science A STAT YR 18AP Computer Science Principles YR 3AP Statistics YR 17AP Physics 1 YR 4

AP Offerings (Virtual Virginia)Course Title Course Length Total EnrolledAP English 11: Language/Composition YR 1AP Human Geography YR 1AP European History YR 1AP United States Government YR 1AP United States Government YR 0AP Microeconomics S1B 1AP Macroeconomics S2B 1AP Macroeconomics YR 1AP Psychology YR 1AP Psychology YR 0AP Computer Science A YR 1AP Statistics YR 0AP Statistics YR 1




AP Statistics YR 1AP Environmental Science YR 1AP Environmental Science YR 1AP Environmental Science YR 1AP Biology YR 1AP Physics B YR 1AP Physics B YR 1AP Art History (Non-Studio Elective) S2B 1AP Art History (Non-Studio Elective) S1B 0AP Art History (Non-Studio Elective) YR 1

AP Offerings (CGS)Course Title Course Length Total EnrolledAP English 12 - CGS YR 8AP English: Language/Composition - CGS YR 5AP Human Geography - CGS YR 8AP U.S. History - CGS YR 5AP European History - CGS YR 15AP U.S. Government - CGS YR 4AP Calculus BC - CGS YR 5AP Statistics - CGS YR 8AP Environmental Science-CGS YR 15AP Biology - CGS YR 4AP Physics 1 - CGS YR 8



AP Offerings (Traditional Classroom) Course Title Course Length Total EnrolledAP English: Literature/Composition YR 22AP English: Literature/Composition YR 23AP English: Literature/Composition YR 23AP English 11: Language/Composition YR 30AP English 11: Language/Composition YR 24AP English 11: Language/Composition YR 26AP Human Geography YR 30AP United States History YR 28AP United States History YR 25AP United States History YR 1AP United States History YR 29AP United States History YR 29AP United States History YR 30AP United States History YR 26AP United States History YR 2AP World History YR 28AP World History YR 26AP World History YR 32AP World History YR 27AP World History YR 27AP World History YR 2AP World History YR 1AP U.S. Government and Politics/Comp Government YR 19AP U.S. Government and Politics/Comp Government YR 16AP U.S. Government and Politics/Comp Government YR 21AP U.S. Government and Politics/Comp Government YR 18AP U.S. Government and Politics/Comp Government YR 1AP Microeconomics YR 1AP Microeconomics YR 30AP Macroeconomics YR 24AP Psychology YR 29AP Psychology YR 27AP Psychology YR 25AP Psychology YR 27AP Psychology YR 22AP Psychology YR 24AP Psychology YR 1AP Calculus AB YR 19AP Calculus AB YR 21

CFHS AP Offerings 2015-16



AP Calculus BC YR 16AP Calculus BC YR 13AP Computer Science A YR 19AP Computer Science A YR 13AP Computer Science A STAT* YR 2AP Statistics YR 27AP Statistics YR 27AP Statistics YR 24AP Computer Science Principles YR 18AP Computer Science Principles YR 12AP Environmental Science YR 23AP Environmental Science YR 20AP Environmental Science YR 21AP Environmental Science YR 1AP Environmental Science YR 1AP Biology YR 23AP Biology YR 20AP Biology Lab YR 23AP Biology Lab YR 20AP Chemistry YR 16AP Chemistry Lab YR 16AP Physics 1 YR 22AP French YR 1AP German YR 1AP Latin (Virgil) YR 6AP Spanish YR 5AP Studio Art (2-D Design Portfolio) YR 2AP Studio Art (Drawing Portfolio) YR 0AP Art History (Non-Studio Elective) YR 4

AP Offerings (Virtual Virginia)Course Title Course Length Total EnrolledAP Human Geography YR 0AP World History YR 0AP Latin (Virgil) YR 0AP Latin (Virgil) YR 0



AP Offerings (CGS)Course Title Course Length Total

EnrolledAP English 12 - CGS YR 14AP English: Language/Composition - CGS YR 14AP English: Language/Composition YR 1AP Human Geography - CGS YR 14AP U.S. History - CGS YR 14AP European History - CGS YR 32AP U.S. Government - CGS YR 21AP Calculus BC - CGS YR 5AP Calculus BC - CGS YR 9AP Statistics - CGS YR 9AP Environmental Science-CGS YR 32AP Biology - CGS YR 21AP Physics 1 - CGS YR 14



AP Offerings (Traditional Classroom) Course Title Course Length Total EnrolledAP English: Literature/Composition YR 23AP English: Literature/Composition YR 20AP English: Literature/Composition YR 26AP English: Literature/Composition YR 14AP English 11: Language/Composition YR 26AP English 11: Language/Composition YR 24AP English 11: Language/Composition YR 21AP Human Geography YR 32AP United States History YR 21AP United States History YR 26AP United States History YR 23AP United States History YR 19AP United States History YR 21AP United States History YR 24AP World History YR 27AP World History YR 25AP World History YR 26AP World History YR 27AP World History YR 26AP World History YR 25AP U.S. Government and Politics/Comp Government YR 21AP U.S. Government and Politics/Comp Government YR 21AP U.S. Government and Politics/Comp Government YR 14AP Microeconomics YR 33AP Microeconomics YR 33AP Macroeconomics YR 19AP Psychology YR 31AP Psychology YR 30AP Psychology YR 26AP Psychology YR 30AP Psychology YR 25AP Psychology YR 28AP Psychology YR 2AP Psychology YR 1AP Calculus AB YR 24AP Calculus AB YR 22AP Calculus BC YR 23AP Computer Science A YR 24




AP Computer Science A YR 1AP Computer Science A YR 1AP Computer Science A STAT YR 0AP Computer Science Principles YR 28AP Statistics YR 34AP Statistics YR 28AP Statistics YR 24AP Computer Science Principles YR 0AP Environmental Science YR 27AP Environmental Science YR 19AP Biology YR 18AP Biology YR 12AP Biology Lab YR 18AP Biology Lab YR 12AP Chemistry YR 10AP Chemistry Lab YR 10AP Physics 1 YR 24AP Physics 1 YR 25AP French YR 6AP German YR 3AP Spanish YR 13AP Studio Art (2-D Design Portfolio) YR 4AP Studio Art (2-D Design Portfolio) YR 1AP Studio Art (3-D Design Portfolio) YR 1AP Studio Art (Drawing Portfolio) YR 1AP Art History (Non-Studio Elective) YR 4

AP Offerings (Virtual Virginia)Course Title Course Length Total

EnrolledAP European History YR 1AP Calculus AB YR 1AP Computer Science A YR 0AP Computer Science A YR 0AP Computer Science A YR 0AP Computer Science A YR 1AP Latin (Virgil) YR 0AP Latin (Virgil) YR 0AP Latin (Virgil) YR 0



AP Offerings (CGS)Course Title Course Length Total Students EnrolledAP English 12 - CGS YR 8AP English: Language/Composition - CGS YR 5AP Human Geography - CGS YR 8AP U.S. History - CGS YR 5AP European History - CGS YR 15AP U.S. Government - CGS YR 4AP Calculus BC - CGS YR 5AP Statistics - CGS YR 8AP Environmental Science-CGS YR 15AP Biology - CGS YR 4AP Physics 1 - CGS YR 8




AP Offerings (Traditional Classroom) Course Title Course Length Total EnrolledAP English: Literature/Composition YR 17AP English: Literature/Composition YR 18AP English: Literature/Composition YR 17AP English: Literature/Composition YR 15AP English 11: Language/Composition YR 29AP English 11: Language/Composition YR 30AP English 11: Language/Composition YR 30AP Human Geography YR 24AP United States History YR 24AP United States History YR 26AP United States History YR 1AP United States History YR 30AP United States History YR 28AP United States History YR 26AP United States History YR 27AP World History YR 27AP World History YR 25AP World History YR 27AP World History YR 29AP World History YR 28AP United States Government YR 17AP United States Government YR 30AP United States Government YR 30AP U.S. Government and Politics/Comp Government YR 28AP Microeconomics YR 27AP Microeconomics YR 27AP Macroeconomics YR 16AP Macroeconomics YR 25AP Psychology YR 26AP Psychology YR 29AP Psychology YR 21AP Psychology YR 30AP Psychology YR 25AP Psychology YR 25AP Psychology YR 30AP Calculus AB YR 31AP Calculus AB YR 26AP Calculus BC YR 15



AP Computer Science A YR 21AP Computer Science A YR 1AP Computer Science A YR 4AP Computer Science A STAT YR 0AP Statistics YR 31AP Statistics YR 28AP Statistics YR 22AP Computer Science Principles YR 22AP Environmental Science YR 25AP Environmental Science YR 18AP Environmental Science YR 23AP Biology YR 29AP Biology YR 27AP Biology Lab YR 29AP Biology Lab YR 27AP Chemistry YR 24AP Chemistry Lab YR 24AP Physics 1 YR 1AP Physics 1 YR 0AP Physics 1 YR 16AP Physics 1 YR 21AP Physics 1 YR 15AP Physics 1 YR 9AP French YR 1AP German YR 3AP Latin (Virgil) YR 8AP Spanish YR 10AP Studio Art (2-D Design Portfolio) YR 1AP Studio Art (Drawing Portfolio) YR 1AP Studio Art (Drawing Portfolio) YR 0AP Studio Art (Drawing Portfolio) YR 2AP Art History (Non-Studio Elective) YR 13AP Music Theory YR 4

AP Offerings (Virtual Virginia)Course Title Course Length Total EnrolledAP U.S. Government and Politics/Comp YR 1AP Computer Science A YR 0AP Spanish YR 1AP Spanish YR 0



AP Offerings (CGS)Course Title Course Length Total Students EnrolledAP English 12 - CGS YR 14AP English: Language/Composition - CGS YR 26AP Human Geography - CGS YR 14AP U.S. History - CGS YR 26AP European History - CGS YR 31AP U.S. Government - CGS YR 0AP U.S. Government - CGS YR 26AP Calculus BC - CGS YR 3AP Calculus BC - CGS YR 20AP Statistics - CGS YR 11AP Environmental Science-CGS YR 31AP Biology - CGS YR 26AP Physics 1 - CGS YR 14



MVHS AP Offerings 2015-16AP Offerings (Traditional Classroom) Course Title Course Length Total EnrolledAP United States History YR 203AP United States History YR 203AP United States History YR 203AP United States History YR 203AP United States History YR 203AP European History YR 207AP European History YR 207AP United States Government YR 205AP U.S. Government and Politics/Comp Government YR 205AP U.S. Government and Politics/Comp Government YR 205AP U.S. Government and Politics/Comp Government YR 205AP U.S. Government and Politics/Comp Government YR 205AP U.S. Government and Politics/Comp Government YR 205AP U.S. Government and Politics/Comp Government YR 205AP U.S. Government and Politics/Comp Government YR 205AP Calculus AB YR 405AP Calculus AB YR 405AP Computer Science A YR 411AP Computer Science A YR 411AP Studio Art (Drawing Portfolio) YR 109

AP Offerings (Virtual Virginia)Course Title Course Length Total Students EnrolledAP Human Geography YR 1AP World History YR 2AP European History YR 1AP U.S. Government and Politics/Comp Govern-ment

S1B 0

AP Macroeconomics YR 0AP Psychology YR 0AP Calculus BC YR 1AP Calculus BC YR 1AP Art History (Non-Studio Elective) YR 1



AP Offerings (CGS)Course Title Course Length Total Students EnrolledAP English 12 - CGS YR 5AP English: Language/Composition - CGS YR 16AP Human Geography - CGS YR 5AP U.S. History - CGS YR 16AP European History - CGS YR 6AP U.S. Government - CGS YR 8AP Calculus BC - CGS YR 14AP Statistics - CGS YR 5AP Environmental Science-CGS YR 6AP Biology - CGS YR 8AP Physics B YR 5



AP Offerings (Traditional Classroom) Course Title Course Length Total EnrolledAP United States History YR 1AP United States History YR 20AP United States History YR 23AP United States History YR 23AP United States History YR 21AP European History YR 12AP European History YR 1AP U.S. Government and Politics/Comp Government YR 26AP U.S. Government and Politics/Comp Government YR 25AP U.S. Government and Politics/Comp Government YR 21AP U.S. Government and Politics/Comp Government YR 13AP U.S. Government and Politics/Comp Government YR 26AP U.S. Government and Politics/Comp Government YR 27AP Calculus AB YR 25AP Computer Science A YR 14AP Computer Science A STAT YR 1AP Computer Science A STAT YR 2AP Computer Science Principles YR 0AP Computer Science Principles YR 0AP Computer Science Principles YR 13AP Computer Science Principles YR 12AP Computer Science Principles YR 3AP Statistics YR 1AP Statistics YR 17AP Computer Science Principles YR 2AP Computer Science Principles YR 0AP Computer Science Principles YR 0AP Studio Art (Drawing Portfolio) YR 3

AP Offerings (Virtual Virginia)Course Title Course Length Total Students EnrolledAP Calculus BC YR 1AP Calculus BC YR 0AP Calculus BC YR 1AP Art History (Non-Studio Elective) YR 1

MVHS AP Offerings 2016-17



AP Offerings (CGS)Course Title Course Length Total EnrolledAP English 12 - CGS YR 16AP English: Language/Composition - CGS YR 6AP Human Geography - CGS YR 16AP U.S. History - CGS YR 6AP European History - CGS YR 7AP U.S. Government - CGS YR 7AP Calculus BC - CGS YR 2AP Statistics - CGS YR 16AP Environmental Science-CGS YR 7AP Biology - CGS YR 7AP Physics B YR 16



MVHS AP Offerings 2017-18

AP Offerings (Traditional Classroom) Course Title Course Length Total EnrolledAP United States History YR 19AP United States History YR 23AP United States History YR 22AP United States History YR 22AP European History YR 11AP U.S. Government and Politics/Comp Government YR 31AP U.S. Government and Politics/Comp Government YR 31AP U.S. Government and Politics/Comp Government YR 31AP U.S. Government and Politics/Comp Government YR 20AP U.S. Government and Politics/Comp Government YR 20AP U.S. Government and Politics/Comp Government YR 25AP Calculus AB YR 11AP Calculus AB YR 11AP Calculus AB YR 1AP Computer Science A YR 27AP Computer Science A STAT YR 1AP Computer Science Principles YR 19AP Statistics YR 18AP Biology YR 1AP Physics 1 YR 6AP Studio Art (Drawing Portfolio) YR 1

AP Offerings (Virtual Virginia)Course Title Course Length Total Students En-

rolledAP Calculus AB YR 1AP Biology YR 1AP Physics 2 YR 1AP Spanish YR 0AP Art History (Non-Studio Elective) S2B 0AP Art History (Non-Studio Elective) YR 1



AP Offerings (CGS)Course Title Course Length Total Students En-

rolledAP English 12 - CGS YR 5AP English: Language/Composition - CGS YR 6AP Human Geography - CGS YR 5AP U.S. History - CGS YR 6AP European History - CGS YR 11AP U.S. Government - CGS YR 5AP Calculus BC - CGS YR 6AP Statistics - CGS YR 5AP Environmental Science-CGS YR 11AP Biology - CGS YR 5AP Physics 1 - CGS YR 5



NSHS AP Offerings 2015-16

AP Offerings (Traditional Classroom) Course Title Course Length Total EnrolledAP English: Literature/Composition YR 28AP English 11: Language/Composition YR 24AP English 11: Language/Composition YR 28AP English 11: Language/Composition YR 25AP Human Geography S2B 1AP Human Geography YR 12AP United States History YR 30AP United States History YR 25AP United States History YR 1AP World History YR 30AP U.S. Government and Politics/Comp Government YR 25AP U.S. Government and Politics/Comp Government YR 26AP Psychology YR 1AP Psychology YR 31AP Psychology YR 32AP Psychology YR 30AP Psychology YR 31AP Calculus AB YR 20AP Computer Science A YR 3AP Computer Science A STAT YR 0AP Computer Science A YR 15AP Statistics YR 29AP Statistics YR 28AP Environmental Science YR 16AP Biology YR 15AP Spanish YR 4

AP Offerings (Virtual Virginia)Course Title Course Length Total EnrolledAP Human Geography YR 1AP Human Geography YR 0AP World History YR 1AP Microeconomics S1B 1AP Microeconomics S1B 2AP Microeconomics S1B 0AP Microeconomics S1B 5AP Microeconomics S2B 1AP Macroeconomics S1B 1



AP Macroeconomics S2B 1AP Macroeconomics S2B 0AP Macroeconomics S2B 2AP Macroeconomics S2B 0AP Macroeconomics S2B 5AP Psychology YR 1AP Psychology YR 0AP Psychology YR 1AP Psychology YR 1AP Environmental Science YR 1AP Environmental Science YR 1AP Environmental Science YR 1AP Environmental Science YR 1AP Environmental Science YR 1AP Biology S2B 1

AP Offerings (CGS)Course Title Course Length Total EnrolledAP English 12 - CGS YR 18AP English: Language/Composition - CGS YR 24AP Human Geography - CGS YR 17AP U.S. History - CGS YR 24AP European History - CGS YR 18AP U.S. Government - CGS YR 19AP Calculus BC - CGS YR 21AP Statistics - CGS YR 23AP Environmental Science-CGS YR 18AP Biology - CGS YR 19AP Physics B YR 27



AP Offerings (Traditional Classroom) Course Title Course Length Total EnrolledAP English: Literature/Composition YR 19AP English: Literature/Composition YR 27AP English: Literature/Composition YR 1AP English 11: Language/Composition YR 25AP English 11: Language/Composition YR 23AP United States History YR 20AP United States History YR 26AP United States History YR 25AP World History YR 21AP U.S. Government and Politics/Comp Government YR 25AP U.S. Government and Politics/Comp Government YR 24AP Psychology YR 22AP Psychology YR 25AP Psychology YR 27AP Psychology YR 27AP Calculus AB YR 25AP Calculus AB YR 22AP Computer Science A STAT YR 1AP Computer Science Principles YR 20AP Statistics YR 27AP Computer Science Principles YR 0AP Environmental Science YR 15AP Biology YR 24AP Chemistry YR 6AP Physics B YR 17AP Spanish YR 5

AP Offerings (Virtual Virginia)Course Title Course Length Total EnrolledAP English: Literature/Composition YR 1AP Human Geography YR 1AP Human Geography YR 1AP Human Geography YR 2AP Human Geography YR 1AP Human Geography YR 2AP World History YR 1AP World History YR 0AP United States Government YR 1




AP Calculus AB YR 0

AP Calculus AB YR 0AP Calculus AB YR 0AP Calculus BC YR 1AP Calculus BC YR 0AP Statistics YR 0AP Environmental Science YR 1AP Environmental Science YR 0AP French YR 1AP French YR 1AP Art History (Non-Studio Elective) YR 1

AP Offerings (CGS)




AP Offerings (Traditional Classroom) Course Title Course Length Total EnrolledAP English: Literature/Composition YR 15AP English: Literature/Composition YR 17AP English 11: Language/Composition YR 31AP English 11: Language/Composition YR 23AP Human Geography YR 18AP United States History YR 26AP United States History YR 16AP United States History YR 26AP World History YR 14AP U.S. Government and Politics/Comp Government YR 27AP U.S. Government and Politics/Comp Government YR 20AP U.S. Government and Politics/Comp Government YR 21AP Psychology YR 29AP Psychology YR 30AP Psychology YR 29AP Calculus AB YR 24AP Calculus AB YR 23AP Computer Science Principles YR 27AP Statistics YR 26AP Statistics YR 19AP Environmental Science YR 23AP Biology YR 25AP Biology YR 24AP Chemistry YR 12AP Physics 1 YR 24AP Physics 1 YR 17AP Spanish YR 2AP Music Theory YR 3

AP Offerings (Virtual Virginia)Course Title Course Length Total EnrolledAP English: Literature/Composition YR 0AP Human Geography YR 1AP Human Geography YR 1AP World History YR 0AP World History YR 1AP Microeconomics YR 0AP Microeconomics S1B 1



AP Microeconomics S2B 1AP Microeconomics YR 1AP Microeconomics S1B 1AP Microeconomics S1B 1AP Macroeconomics S1B 1AP Macroeconomics S2B 2AP Macroeconomics YR 0AP Macroeconomics S2B 1AP Macroeconomics YR 1AP Macroeconomics S2B 1AP Calculus BC YR 1AP Environmental Science YR 1AP Environmental Science YR 1AP Biology YR 1AP Art History (Non-Studio Elective) YR 0

AP Offerings (CGS)Course Title Course Length Total EnrolledAP English 12 - CGS YR 18AP English: Language/Composition - CGS YR 13AP Human Geography - CGS YR 16AP U.S. History - CGS YR 13AP European History - CGS YR 32AP U.S. Government - CGS YR 19AP Calculus BC - CGS YR 15AP Statistics - CGS YR 17AP Environmental Science-CGS YR 32AP Biology - CGS YR 18AP Physics 1 - CGS YR 17



SHS AP Offerings 2015-16

AP Offerings (Traditional Classroom) Course Title Course Length Total EnrolledAP English: Literature/Composition YR 19AP English: Literature/Composition YR 0AP English 11: Language/Composition YR 24AP English 11: Language/Composition YR 25AP English 11: Language/Composition YR 25AP English 11: Language/Composition YR 19AP English 11: Language/Composition YR 21AP English 11: Language/Composition YR 19AP English: Language/Composition YR 1AP English: Language/Composition YR 2AP English: Language/Composition YR 2AP Human Geography YR 26AP Human Geography - CGS YR 17AP Human Geography YR 2AP United States History YR 18AP United States History YR 20AP United States History YR 14AP United States History YR 25AP United States History YR 19AP United States History YR 0AP United States History YR 1AP United States History YR 4AP United States History YR 1AP World History YR 22AP World History YR 21AP World History YR 2AP European History YR 5AP European History YR 1AP United States Government YR 15AP United States Government YR 14AP United States Government YR 21AP Psychology YR 21AP Psychology YR 14AP Psychology YR 23AP Psychology YR 4AP Psychology YR 1AP Calculus AB YR 25AP Calculus AB YR 21



AP Calculus AB YR 16AP Calculus BC YR 14AP Computer Science A YR 23AP Computer Science A YR 25AP Computer Science A YR 1AP Computer Science A STAT YR 0AP Statistics YR 12AP Statistics YR 12AP Statistics YR 12AP Statistics YR 1AP Statistics YR 4AP Statistics YR 1AP Environmental Science YR 17AP Environmental Science YR 11AP Environmental Science YR 2AP Biology YR 20AP Biology YR 21AP Biology YR 16AP Biology Lab YR 23AP Biology Lab YR 16AP Biology Lab YR 20AP Biology YR 2AP Chemistry YR 15AP Chemistry YR 13AP Chemistry Lab YR 15AP Chemistry Lab YR 13AP Physics 1 YR 22AP Physics 1 YR 19AP Spanish YR 17AP Studio Art (Drawing Portfolio) YR 9

AP Offerings (Virtual Virginia)Course Title Course Length Total EnrolledAP Human Geography YR 1AP Microeconomics S1B 1AP Microeconomics S2B 1AP Macroeconomics S2B 1AP Macroeconomics S1B 1AP Calculus BC YR 1AP Physics 2 YR 1



AP Offerings (CGS)Course Title Course Length Total EnrolledAP English 12 - CGS YR 17AP English: Language/Composition - CGS YR 26AP U.S. History - CGS YR 26AP European History - CGS YR 24AP U.S. Government - CGS YR 18AP Calculus BC - CGS YR 5AP Calculus BC - CGS YR 16AP Statistics - CGS YR 12AP Environmental Science-CGS YR 23AP Biology - CGS YR 18AP Physics 1 - CGS YR 17




AP Offerings (Traditional Classroom) Course Title Course Length Total EnrolledAP English: Literature/Composition YR 19AP English: Literature/Composition YR 4AP English 11: Language/Composition YR 21AP English 11: Language/Composition YR 19AP English 11: Language/Composition YR 23AP English 11: Language/Composition YR 26AP English 11: Language/Composition YR 23AP Human Geography YR 24AP Human Geography YR 4AP United States History YR 23AP United States History YR 25AP United States History YR 25AP United States History YR 22AP United States History YR 1AP United States History YR 1AP United States History YR 3AP World History YR 18AP World History YR 25AP World History YR 19AP World History YR 24AP World History YR 1AP World History YR 0AP World History YR 0AP World History YR 0AP European History YR 0AP United States Government YR 27AP United States Government YR 27AP Psychology YR 24AP Psychology YR 16AP Psychology YR 26AP Psychology YR 1AP Psychology YR 1AP Psychology YR 0AP Calculus AB YR 22AP Calculus AB YR 15AP Calculus AB YR 14AP Calculus BC YR 18AP Calculus BC YR 1


AP Calculus BC YR 1AP Computer Science A YR 25AP Computer Science A YR 1AP Computer Science A YR 1AP Computer Science A STAT YR 4AP Computer Science A STAT YR 6AP Computer Science Principles YR 0AP Statistics YR 19AP Statistics YR 2AP Computer Science Principles YR 6AP Environmental Science YR 24AP Environmental Science YR 2AP Biology YR 24AP Biology YR 24AP Biology Lab YR 24AP Biology Lab YR 25AP Biology YR 1AP Chemistry YR 15AP Chemistry Lab YR 16AP Chemistry YR 1AP Physics 1 YR 13AP Physics 1 YR 13AP German YR 1AP Spanish YR 13AP Studio Art (Drawing Portfolio) YR 12

AP Offerings (Virtual Virginia)Course Title Course Length Total Students EnrolledAP English: Literature/Composition YR 1AP Human Geography YR 0AP United States Government YR 1AP United States Government YR 1AP U.S. Government and Politics/Comp YR 1AP U.S. Government and Politics/Comp YR 1AP Microeconomics S2B 0AP Microeconomics S2B 1AP Microeconomics S1B 0AP Microeconomics S1B 1AP Microeconomics S1B 1AP Macroeconomics S2B 1AP Macroeconomics S2B 0




AP Macroeconomics S1B 1AP Macroeconomics S2B 0AP Macroeconomics S2B 1AP Psychology YR 0AP Psychology YR 1AP Psychology YR 1AP Statistics YR 0AP Physics B YR 1AP Physics 2 YR 1AP LATIN (Virgil) YR 1AP Art History (Non-Studio Elective) YR 1AP Art History (Non-Studio Elective) YR 2AP Art History (Non-Studio Elective) YR 0AP Art History (Non-Studio Elective) YR 1

AP Offerings (CGS)Course Title Course Length Total Students EnrolledAP English 12 - CGS YR 26AP English: Language/Composition - CGS YR 15AP Human Geography - CGS YR 26AP U.S. History - CGS YR 15AP European History - CGS YR 21AP U.S. Government - CGS YR 21AP Calculus BC - CGS YR 6AP Calculus BC - CGS YR 10AP Statistics - CGS YR 20AP Environmental Science-CGS YR 21AP Biology - CGS YR 21AP Physics 1 - CGS YR 26


AP Offerings (Traditional Classroom) Course Title Course Length Total EnrolledAP English: Literature/Composition YR 13AP English 11: Language/Composition YR 17AP English 11: Language/Composition YR 23AP English 11: Language/Composition YR 23AP English 11: Language/Composition YR 19AP Human Geography YR 30AP Human Geography YR 1AP Human Geography YR 27AP United States History YR 17AP United States History YR 17AP United States History YR 22AP United States History YR 26AP United States History YR 24AP World History YR 20AP World History YR 21AP World History YR 24AP World History YR 1AP United States Government YR 27AP United States Government YR 19AP Psychology YR 17AP Psychology YR 14AP Psychology YR 19AP Calculus AB YR 28AP Calculus AB YR 22AP Calculus AB YR 21AP Computer Science A YR 27AP Computer Science A STAT YR 2AP Statistics YR 13AP Statistics YR 12AP Environmental Science YR 13AP Biology YR 23AP Biology YR 18AP Biology Lab YR 23AP Biology Lab YR 18AP Chemistry YR 21AP Chemistry Lab YR 21AP Physics 1 YR 4AP Physics 1 YR 22





AP Physics 1 YR 14AP Physics 2 YR 8AP French YR 0AP German YR 4AP Spanish YR 21AP Studio Art (Drawing Portfolio) YR 4

AP Offerings (Virtual Virginia)Course Title Course Length Total Students EnrolledAP English 11: Language/Composition YR 2AP Human Geography YR 0AP United States History YR 1AP United States Government YR 1AP Microeconomics S1B 1AP Microeconomics S1B 1AP Macroeconomics S2B 1AP Macroeconomics S2B 1AP Psychology YR 1AP Psychology YR 1AP Calculus AB YR 0AP Calculus BC YR 1AP Physics 2 YR 1AP French YR 1AP French YR 1AP Art History (Non-Studio Elective) YR 1

AP Offerings (CGS)Course Title Course Length Total Students EnrolledAP English 12 - CGS YR 13AP English: Language/Composition - CGS YR 21AP Human Geography - CGS YR 13AP U.S. History - CGS YR 21AP European History - CGS YR 26AP U.S. Government - CGS YR 19AP Calculus BC - CGS YR 21AP Statistics - CGS YR 10AP Environmental Science-CGS YR 26AP Biology - CGS YR 19AP Physics 1 - CGS YR 13


APPENDICESAPPENDIX I - APPX STATEMENT OF INTENT

A SCPS Signature Program“Scaling New Heights ... Achieving New Dreams”

Dear Student and Family:

Thank you for your interest in the Advanced Placement Programs of Excellence (APPX), a Stafford County Public Schools Signature Program. APPX includes the Advanced Placement International Diploma (APID) and the Advanced Placement Distinguished Scholars Program (APDS). The most unique aspect of APPX is that each student will also complete a service-learning research project through the Advanced Placement (AP) Capstone Program to fulfill the goal of achieving Community Service Leadership and Service Above Self (C.L.A.S.S.). We are excited to offer these programs in Stafford County, and we look forward to your participation in an All Cen-tury, Signature Program that prepares students for future success in the world.

There are many aspects of the program that make it special including a wide range of course offerings. The unique requirement of the AP Capstone Program, which includes the C.L.A.S.S. research project, enables an in-dividual’s work to differentiate their application to colleges and universities. This program is open to all students interested in pursuing AP coursework offered at their respective schools and willing to demonstrate responsible citizenship through a service-learning component. Please be sure to include the following information in your registration agreement:

Advanced Placement Program Registration Agreement (page 6)Statement of Intent and Signatures (page 7)Early College Scholars Agreement (page 8)Completed Essay (pages 9 - 11)All required signatures in designated areas of the registration agreement

If you have questions or need assistance, please contact your school counselor or the APPX coordinator at your high school.

Best Wishes!




APPX - Advanced Placement Programs of Excellence

Overview:

The Advanced Placement Programs of Excellence (APPX) is aligned with the nationally and internationally recognized Advanced Placement Program, which is a part of the College Board’s partnership with high schools, colleges and universities. This Signature Pro-gram is designed to provide students with instruction in a variety of college level courses, taught by College Board trained instructors, ensuring that every student has the opportunity to achieve at an advanced level. The AP Capstone Program is a requirement for all stu-dents to complete the Community Leadership and Service Above Self (C.L.A.S.S.) component. The AP Capstone Program is comprised of both the AP Seminar and AP Research courses, typically taught in the 11thand 12th grades.

It is recognized that Advanced Placement (AP) courses challenge students with a rigorous, academic focus on content knowledge, and challenge students to exercise analytical reasoning skills and disciplined study habits. In alignment with the development of these academic skills and our school division’s continued commitment to excellence and equity, one intended outcome of the APPX is to provide enhanced preparation of our students in their quest to compete for admissions and scholarships from prestigious universities in Virginia and across the nation.

Participants who successfully complete the APPX requirements will be recognized at graduation with an APPX Diploma Seal and an APPX cord distinction. Additionally, students may earn the AP Capstone Diploma or AP Capstone Certificate based on their success on their AP test scores.

Goals/Objectives of APPX:To increase student exposure to college level materials and skills; and to provide students opportunities to achieve success in Advanced Placement courses with academic support and guidance from administrators, teachers, and counselors

To prepare all students for future success in college courses and compliment the culture of academic excellence within our high school Signature Programs

To develop the potential for leadership in all students in the program and provide All Century opportunities to develop their own po-tential as student leaders through service-learning

To provide individualized learning experiences that capitalize on the student’s unique interests, abilities, and future goals

To provide students at all high schools that offer APPX an opportunity to pursue an internationally recognized diploma

To provide students additional opportunities to be recognized for their outstanding academic efforts and achievements

To create an opportunity for students to achieve qualifying scores for colleges that help reduce the financial costs associated with higher education

To provide students an opportunity to earn either an AP Capstone Diploma or AP Capstone Certificate



APID Recognition

The Advanced Placement International Diploma (APID) is a globally recognized certificate issued by the College Board for students with an international outlook. The APID challenges a student to display exceptional achievement on AP Exams across several disci-plines. Universities worldwide utilize the APID as a criterion for consideration in admissions. The APID is available to students attend-ing secondary schools outside the United States and for U.S. resident students applying to universities outside the country. APID is not a substitute for a high school diploma; however, it does provide students with an additional certification for their outstanding academic excellence. Students successfully completing the APID requirements, as well as the required AP Capstone courses, in which students fulfill the Community Leadership and Service Above Self (C.L.A.S.S.) requirement, can be recognized in their senior year as an APPX Advanced Placement International Diploma candidate by Stafford County Public Schools.

In order to earn the AP International Diploma (APID) recognition, students in the APID Program must:1. Meet all state and county requirements for graduation, as well as requirements for APID program designation2. As a part of their participation over a four year period, take at least six AP courses and the corresponding AP tests3. Earn scores of three or higher on at least five AP Exams in the following content areas: Two AP Exams from two different languages selected from English and/or World Languages One AP Exam designated as offering a global perspective (World History, Human Geography, and/or Government and Politics: Comparative) One exam from the Sciences or Mathematics content areas One (or two) additional exam(s) from any content areas except English and World Languages *It is suggested that students complete pre-requisite courses in 9th grade and beyond; these courses are referred to as “Honors” or “Advanced” in the High School Program of Studies.4. As a U.S. resident student, indicate on at least one AP Exam answer sheet that the results should be sent to a university outside the

United States5. End of year grades of “C” or better in all required AP classes.6. Complete the AP Capstone requirement consisting of AP Seminar and AP Research courses, which encompasses the 50 hour

C.L.A.S.S. research service-learning project.

APDS Content Concentration Scholar Recognition:Students successfully completing six or more AP courses within their selected concentration area, including the required AP Capstone, in which students fulfill the C.L.A.S.S. component, can be recognized in their senior year as a content-related APPX Advanced Place-ment Distinguished Scholar (APDS) by Stafford County Public Schools. The AP Capstone requirement, C.L.A.S.S., consists of AP Semi-nar and AP Research courses which encompasses a 50 hour research service-learning project.

Content Related - Concentration Areas:• James Farmer Global Studies Scholar – A concentration in Social Studies courses with a research project through the AP Cap-

stone program that reflects a theme/concept of that nature. The completion of one additional AP Course of choice. The comple-tion of the AP Capstone program. AP exam scores in Social Studies and AP Capstone program courses must be 3 or higher.

• Sir Isaac Newton Science/Mathematics (STEM) Scholar – A concentration in the areas of Science and Math (STEM) with a research project through the AP Capstone program that reflects a theme/concept of that nature. The completion of one additional AP Course of choice. The completion of the AP Capstone program. AP exam scores in Science, Math, and AP Capstone program courses must be 3 or higher.

• Thomas Jefferson Renaissance Scholar – A concentration in three of the core academic areas, English, Math, Science, and History. A research project through the AP Capstone program that reflects a theme/concept in their area of interest. The completion of one additional AP Course of choice. The completion of the AP Capstone program. AP exam scores in the selected core areas and AP Capstone program courses must be 3 or higher.

• Palmer Hayden Arts, Humanities, & Linguistics Scholar – A concentration in the areas of English, World Language, Fine & Performing Arts, and Humanities courses with a research project through the AP Capstone program that reflects a theme/concept of that nature. The completion of the AP Capstone program. AP exam scores in English, World Language, Humanities, and AP Capstone courses must be 3 or higher.

APPX Program Specifics: Advanced Placement International Diploma (APID)

APPX Program Specifics: Advanced Placement Distinguished Scholars (APDS)



In order to earn AP Distinguished Scholars (APDS) recognition, students in the APPX program must:1. Meet all state and county requirements for graduation, as well as requirements for AP Distinguished Schol-

ars (APDS) program designation2. Take at least six AP courses and the corresponding AP test (four required and two AP Capstone courses). It

is suggested that students complete pre-requisite courses in 9th grade and beyond; these courses are re-ferred to as “Honors” or “Advanced” in the High School Program of Studies.

3. Earn scores of three or higher by the beginning of the 12th grade year on at least four AP Exams in the following areas:

One Required Content Concentration Courses Three (or more) additional exam(s) from among any courses within their content areas *Students participating in the Palmer Hayden Arts, Humanities, & Linguistics Scholar program will be required to earn a score of 3 or higher on all four of the core subject areas.4. End of year grades of “C” or better in all required AP classes.5. Complete the AP Capstone requirement consisting of AP Seminar and AP Research courses, which encom-

passes the 50 hour C.L.A.S.S. research service-learning project.

SCPS – AP Program of Excellence (APPX):AP Distinguished Scholars (APDS) Concentration Areas

Courses for APPX Concentration Areas

James Farmer Global Studies

Sir Isaac Newton Math/Science (STEM)

Palmer Hayden Arts, Humanities, andLinguistic Scholar

Thomas Jefferson Re-naissance Scholar**

Required Courses Specific Content

AP World History AP US HistoryAP Government/AP Comparative Govern-ment-OR-AP US Government

AP Statistics AP Calculus (AB or BC)AP Physics-OR-[Physics and AP Science Choice]

AP English 11AP English 12 AP Art History-OR-AP Music Theory-OR-AP World Language

(3 Areas Required)

AP Core Subject Area (English)AP Core Subject Area (Math)AP Core Subject Area (Science)AP Core Subject Area (Social Studies)

Required for stu-dents beginning2016-2017(Optional for cur-rent APPX students)

[AP Seminar and AP Research]*




Select 2 (For stu-dents inprogram prior to 2016- 2017)

Two AP Core Subject Areas(English, Math, Sci-ence)

Two AP Core Sub-ject Areas(English or Social Studies)

Two AP Core Sub-ject Areas(Social Studies, Sci-ence, Math)

AP Course Selection of Interest



Select at least 1

AP English 11AP English 12 AP StatisticsAP Math Choice AP Science Choice AP Psychology[AP Macro Economics andAP Micro Economics] AP European History AP Human Geogra-phy

AP English 11AP English 12 AP Social Studies ChoiceAP Biology AP ChemistryAP Environmental ScienceAP Computer Sci-ence AP Computer Science Principles

AP Math Choice AP Science ChoiceAP Social Studies Choice AP Music TheoryAP Art 2-D AP Art 3-DAP DrawingAP World Language AP Psychology AP Art HistoryAP Computer Sci-ence AP Computer Science Principles

AP Course Selection of Interest

*Successful completion of the AP Capstone Diploma Program courses, AP Seminar and AP Research, are re-quired to fulfill the requirement for the APPX distinction.

**Thomas Jefferson Renaissance Scholars must select 3 different subject areas to fulfill the AP required courses specific content component.

Please Note: Students beginning the APPX program during the school year 2016-2017 will be required to com-plete both the AP Seminar and AP Research courses. Students currently enrolled in the APPX program may elect to complete the C.L.A.S.S. requirement through the traditional track of a 50 hour independent service-learning project or the AP Capstone program.

(See Program of Studies for more information about concentration areas and course suggestions)

NOTE: Pages 1-5 do not have to be returned.




Advanced Placement Program Registration Agreement(Please print neatly)

Last Name: First Name: Middle Initial:

Date of Birth: / / Gender: M F Graduation Year: Current Grade Street Address: City: State: ZIP: Home Phone: ( ) Cell Phone: ( ) Parent Email

Current Middle or Previous School: Student Email:

First Language: English Other:

Last Name: First Name:

Daytime Phone: ( ) Family Email:

Please Select an APPX Program Please Select an APPX – APDS Scholar Concentration Area

AP International Diploma Program (APID): Check this box if the student intends to enroll in select pre- requisite cours-es in preparation for pursuing AP International Diploma recognition.

AP Distinguished Scholars Content Certificate Program: Check this box if the student intends to enroll in select pre-requisite courses in preparation for pursuing AP Distin-guished Scholars recognition.

James Farmer Global Studies

Sir Isaac Newton/Mathematics (STEM)

Thomas Jefferson Renaissance

Palmer Hayden Arts, Humanities, & Linguistics

Parent/Guardian:



SCPS Signature Program“Scaling New Heights ... Achieving New Dreams”

Statement of Intent:

The AP Programs of Excellence (APPX) requires its students to engage in the following endeavors in order to participate in the program. Students and their families should read over the list carefully. Both signatures indi-cate your understanding of the program recommendations and requirements.

Recommendations:• Completion of at least two Honors or Advanced/AP courses in 9th and two Honors or Advanced/AP courses

in 10th grades, and• Completion of two or more AP courses in 11th and two or more AP courses in 12th grades.

Requirements:





Page | 8 Updated: 3.8.17


APPENDICES APPENDIX J - DEMOGRAPHIC BREAKDOWN

Test Year Identified as Gifted FRM Qualifying Receiving Special Education Services

EL Status

2013 1341 50 9 442014 1600 166 17 952015 1563 338 27 1262016 1454 357 16 1382017 1430 454 34 182Total 7388 1360 103 585

Test Year Identified as Gifted FRM Qualifying Receiving Special Education Services

EL Status

2013 1067 28 4 252014 1216 79 11 582015 1211 160 9 522016 1121 172 6 622017 1129 206 17 83Total 5744 645 47 280

Number of AP Tests Taken by Student Population Subsets

Number of AP Tests Where Students Scored a 3 or Higher by Students Identified as Gifted


APPENDICES APPENDIX K - TEXTBOOKS

SY2015-2016Subject Number

of Books

Price per Book

Total

Health 1-3

The Healthy Eating and Active Time Club Curriculum

300 $42.00 $ 12,600.00

Health 4-5

Eat Well and Keep Moving 205 $69.00 $ 14,145.00

Health 6-8

Teen Health 800 $93.54 $ 74,832.00

Five for Life 40 $290.00 $ 11,600.00

Fitness for Life 800 $49.00 $ 39,200.00

Health 9-10

Comprehensive Health 500 $114.98 $ 57,490.00

Reproductive & Sexual Health 500 $9.00 $ 4,500.00

Driver’s Education

VADETS Student Workbook 2,306 $1.95 $ 4,496.70

Art K-5

Explorations in Art, K 17 $820.95 $ 13,956.15

Explorations in Art, 1 425 $69.44 $ 29,512.00





Art 6-8

The Visual Experience 240 $99.44 $ 23,865.60

Exploring Visual Design 240 $115.44 $ 27,705.60

Art 9-12

The Visual Experience eBook 10 $1,873.95 $18,739.50

Beginning Sculpture 125 $63.95 $7,993.75

5 $86.95 $434.75

Communicating Through Graphic Design

125 $96.96 $12,120.00

5 $1,573.95 $7,869.75

Experience Printmaking 125 $63.95 $7,993.75

5 $86.96 $434.80

Experience Clay 125 $93.96 $11,745.00

5 $1,573.95 $7,869.75

Discovering Art History 10 $1,799.95 $17,999.50

Gardner’s Art Through the Ages: A Global History

150 $174.00 $26,100.00

Exploring Art: A Global, Thematic Approach

125 $185.75 $23,218.75

Communicating Through Graphic Design

30 $93.96 $2,818.80

Photography 30 $106.47 $3,194.10

AP Computer Science

Invitation to Computer Science 120 $148.95 $17,874.00

IB Bus Management

Business Management 80 $99.00 $7,920.00

IB History

History and Conflict Intervention 200 $46.00 $9,200.00

Authoritarian States 200 $35.00 $7,000.00

Causes and Effects of 20th Century Wars

200 $35.00 $7,000.00

The Cold War: Superpower Tensions and Rivalries

200 $35.00 $7,000.00

Independence Movements 200 $33.00 $6,600.00

US Civil War - Causes, Course and Effects 1840-77

200 $35.00 $7,000.00

Emergence of the Americas in Global Affairs 1880-1929

200 $35.00 $7,000.00

The Second World War and the Americas 1933-1945

200 $35.00 $7,000.00

IB Math

Mathematics Higher Level for the IB Diploma

120 $65.00 $7,800.00

IB Theory of Knowledge

Theory of Knowledge 130 $62.00 $8,060.00

Total for SY2015-2016 $ 679,937.25


APPENDICESAPPENDIX K - TEXTBOOKS

Textbooks to Purchase (2016-2017 School Year)Subject Number of

BooksPrice per Book Total

Social Studies K-5 Our World: Our Community 2,000 $56.50 $ 113,000.00 Our World: Our State Virginia 2,000 $56.50 $ 113,000.00 Our World: Our United States 2,000 $58.50 $ 117,000.00 Our World: Ancient World Cultures 2,050 $58.50 $ 119,925.00 Our Virginia: Past & Present 2,200 $78.50 $ 172,700.00 Our America to 1865 2,250 $78.50 $ 176,625.00 Social Studies 6-8 Our America: 1865 to Present 2,250 $78.50 $ 176,625.00 Our State and Nation: Civics 2,200 $57.50 $ 126,500.00 Discovering World Geography 2,300 $100.98 $ 232,254.00 Social Studies 9-12 World History and Geography 2,300 $102.00 $ 234,600.00 World His & Geo: Modern Times 2,400 $101.25 $ 243,000.00 US History and Geography 2,300 $119.16 $ 274,068.00 US Government: Our Democracy 2,200 $117.45 $ 258,390.00 AP World History Ways of the World 400 $140.29 $ 56,116.00 AP US History America’s History for the AP 520 $157.29 $ 81,790.80 American History: Connecting (CGS) 105 $156.00 $ 16,380.00 AP European History The Western Heritage Since 1300 50 $121.97 $ 6,098.50 (CGS) 105 $121.97 $ 12,806.85 AP Human Geography The Cultural Landscape: An Intro 100 $146.47 $ 14,647.00 (CGS) 100 $146.47 $ 14,647.00 AP Economics Krugman’s Economics for AP 130 $190.44 $ 24,757.20 AP US Government Government in America 2014 150 $137.97 $ 20,695.50 American Government (CGS) 105 $156.25 $ 16,406.25 AP Comparative Gov’t/Politics AP Comparative Gov’t/Politics 350 $14.95 $ 5,232.50 Psychology Understanding Psychology 550 $98.25 $ 54,037.50 Total for SY2016-2017 $ 2,681,302.10


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State Council of Higher Education for Virginia. Virginia public higher education policy on course credit for AP, Cambridge, CLEP and IB. Retrieved from http://www.schev.edu/docs/default-source/institution-sec tion/GuidancePolicy/policies-and-guidelines/vapolicyoncoursecredit.pdf

Towery, R. and Duffie, B. (2010). Louisville freshmen academies: Merging academics and community. Unpublished doctoral dissertation, Vanderbilt University.

Tyack, D., and Cuban, L. (1995). Tinkering toward utopia. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.

Vanderbrook, C. (2006). Intellectually gifted females and their perspectives of lived experience in the AP and IB programs. The Journal of Secondary Gifted Education. 17(3), 5-20. Retrieved from ERIC (EJ746051).

VanTassel-Baska, J. (2001). The role of Advanced Placement in talent development. Journal of Secondary Gifted Education. 12(3), 126-128. Retrieved from http://www.sagepub.com

Virginia Department of Education (2013). Educational opportunities for gifted students at the high school level. Retrieved from http://www.doe.virginia.gov/instruction/gifted_ed/opportunities_for_gifted_at_high_ school.pdf.

Wyatt, J., Patterson, B., and DiGiacomo, F. (2015) A comparison of the college outcomes of AP and dual enroll ment students. College Board. Retrieved from https://research.collegeboard.org/publications/compari son-college-outcomes-ap-and-dual-enrollment-students.


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STATUS AND PROCESS ASSESSMENT: ADVANCED …...SCPS where students complete a subject area concen-tration within AP offerings. The program has also ... the only brief dip in growth