George Ewonus, director of the Advanced Placement Program® in Canada

McGill University of Montreal, Quebec, joined the College Board in 1952, becoming the first member located outside the United States. But it was not until 37 years later that the College Board opened an office within Canada. In 1989, the College Board established a presence in British Columbia specifically to promote and support the Advanced Placement Program®, which was virtually unknown in Canada. Until that time, the primary interaction Canadian students had with the College Board, if any, was through the SAT®. This was almost exclusively to meet entrance requirements for U.S.-based universities to which they planned to apply.

This year, more than 14,000 Canadian students will write more than 20,000 AP Exams, representing more than 500 Canadian high schools from every province. AP participation within Canadian high schools is far greater than that of any other global academic program, including the United Kingdom's International General Certificate of Secondary Education (IGCSE) or Switzerland's International Baccalaureate Organisation's Diploma Programme.  

Recognition of AP in Canada is now all but ubiquitous. Every Canadian university recognizes the AP Program. Twelve of Canada’s largest universities are members of the College Board, and Canada is the largest user of the AP Program, after the United States, and the second largest user of the College Board’s SAT program. Between 80,000 and 100,000 Canadians visit the College Board's Web site monthly; that is more users than from any other country outside the United States.

Canadian universities highly value the Advanced Placement Program. To highlight this, in 2007-2008, the College Board created the “Presidents’ Series” of AP professional development events held across Canada. The presidents of Canada’s major universities were invited to participate at the provincial AP Teachers’ Conferences to provide the welcome address and to interact with teacher participants. 

Stephen Toope, president of the University of British Columbia, addressed the annual AP Conference in Vancouver, British Columbia. A College Board member since 1994, UBC receives the largest number of AP grades among all universities outside the United States, and it exceeds all but 140 universities in the United States. Toope articulated how the inspired AP teachers in Canada contribute to the vision of his university. Indira Samerasekera, president of the University of Alberta, addressed the annual AP Conference in Edmonton, Alberta. The University of Alberta has been a College Board member since 1995 and recently added a full-time national recruitment officer for AP students. David Johnston, president of the University of Waterloo, addressed the annual AP Conference in Toronto, Ontario, thanking teachers for their outstanding efforts on behalf of their students and noted that “AP stretches the mind; it broadens the world.” The University of Waterloo accepts all AP courses for credit. It is the only university in Canada that receives an annual recruiting visit from Bill Gates in search of talented graduates for Microsoft. We are looking forward to next year’s “Presidents’ Series” addresses.

The Advanced Placement Program is emerging as an integral part of Canadian education. All AP partners — from high school to university — work hard to ensure that students succeed. This success is evident by the performance within the AP Program. British Columbia’s students achieved a mean score of 3.65 on AP Exams in 2007, while Alberta’s students attained a mean score of 3.46 — both topping all provinces and states within North America. Ontario is in the top 5 with a mean score of 3.30 on AP Exams. 

While the vast majority of Canadian AP students go on to university in Canada, many Canadian AP students do attend university in the United States and across the globe. In return, Canada's universities absorb more and more international students, ranking eighth in the world as a destination for students attending higher education institutions outside their host country. And Canadian universities are increasingly using the SAT for admitting international students. 

College Board programs continue to grow across Canada and assist Canadian students in developing their role in the world.

Students at Daewon Foreign Language High School play the janggu in a traditional music class



The success of the elite, bilingual secondary schools in Korea that enable their students’ admission to the most selective North American universities has been a regular news topic recently. An article in The New York Times, “Elite Korean Schools, Forging Ivy League Skills,” highlights two of these schools — Daewon Foreign Language High School and Korean Minjok Leadership Academy — and documents how College Board programs like AP® contribute to their success.

"AP has given our students an easy way to demonstrate their academic excellence,” touts Eric Cho, head counselor of Daewon Foreign Language High School. “A score of 5 on the AP French language exam validates and amplifies an A in French on the transcript. As a foreign language high school, certain courses like calculus or advanced physics aren't available to our students in the humanities track. Thanks to the AP Exams, our students are able to apply to college programs that require advanced math or science courses. For instance, our students are able to apply to the Wharton School with a 5 on the AP Calculus BC Exam, even though calculus is missing from their transcripts."

It is widely known that South Korean schools send more undergraduate students to the United States than any other country. The Institute for International Education reports that 28,228 students from South Korea were enrolled in undergraduate programs in the United States in academic year 2006-07, approximately 6,000 more students than the next largest contributor, Japan, and almost 15,000 more than Canada.

Korean undergraduates in the United States exceed the total of those originating from India and China, combined. 

However, the exchange of students between North America and Korea works in both directions. Many students from the United States, as well as elsewhere within the Western Hemisphere, are beginning to use College Board programs to access opportunities at prominent Korean universities. Among these institutions attracting international students to Korea is Underwood International College in Seoul, a ground-breaking liberal arts program within Yonsei University and a College Board member. Underwood aims to rival the top liberal arts colleges throughout the world. Underwood recruits faculty and students globally, offers instruction exclusively in English and accepts both SAT® and AP.

More than 30 secondary schools within Korea currently participate in the AP Program, offering more than 12,000 AP Exams in 2008.

And many more schools in Korea are expected to move toward the AP model of inquiry-based learning and critical thinking. In addition, global perspectives and instruction in English at the secondary level are widely promoted in Korea.

In an effort to support schools in Korea more effectively, the College Board is collaborating with the Fulbright Commission in Korea to conduct an AP Summer Institute in Asia, the first to be held in Korea. The institute, hosted by Yongsan International School in Seoul, will be held
July 28–Aug. 1, 2008.

Five distinct tracks will be offered for educators teaching in specific AP-level disciplines. These intensive five-day pedagogical sessions include AP Calculus, AP English Language and Literature, AP Economics (Macro & Micro), AP U.S. History/World History (combined) and Skills and Strategies for AP Science Courses. Highly experienced, College Board-endorsed faculty representing U.S. institutions will conduct each session. 

In addition, Fulbright and the College Board will coordinate a two-day session for counselors and administrators, entitled Topics in International Admissions for AP Coordinators, Counselors and Administrators. This workshop will provide an overview of recent trends in international university admissions. Representatives from the College Board, the Fulbright Commission and prominent universities in Korea will coordinate a series of discussions on strategies and best practices to support students and to match them with “right fit” institutions.

The AP Summer Institute in Asia represents a confluence of the missions of the College Board and the Fulbright Commission.

“Education and intercultural exchanges lie at the heart of the relationship between South Korea and the United States, and also account for Korea’s ever-broadening ties with other nations and regions of the world,” says Dr. James F. Larson, Deputy Director of the Fulbright Commission, Korea. “These exchanges are one of the globalizing influences that enabled South Korea to become one of the world’s most ‘networked societies.’ Educational exchange and student mobility promises to be even more important in the future era of the information society and the knowledge-based economy.  It is now possible to imagine Korea, ultimately unified, as an information and education hub of Northeast Asia, serving both the region and the world.”

(Left to right) Peter Negroni, Juan Aponte and
Rafael Rangel




The Puerto Rico and Latin America Office of the College Board convened its 12th annual Latin American Congress April 16-19 in Monterrey, Nuevo León, Mexico. The conference — entitled Current Situation and Future Projection of Educational Assessment: A Reflection on 45 Years of the College Board’s Presence in Latin America — was hosted by Tecnológico de Monterrey, a College Board member since 1968. This institution, with its 33 campuses throughout Mexico, was the first in Latin American to use the Prueba de Aptitud Académica (PAA™)outside of Puerto Rico, where it was designed. President Rafael Rangel Sostmann welcomed participants and offered opening remarks in a session entitled “Assessment and Accreditation: Requisites for Quality Achievement.”

The conference brought together educators from throughout Latin America representing various educational levels, and they were greeted by College Board representatives, including Peter Negroni, senior vice president for relationship development; Juan Aponte-Morales, vice president of PRLAO; and Janning Estrada, executive director of special products, PRLAO.

Among the conference highlights were the plenary address by the Colombia Minister of Education Cecilia María Vélez White and panel discussions with secretaries of education and university presidents, which offered participants the opportunity to hear and interact with education leaders in Latin America. 

Members of the secretary of education panel included Reyes Támez Guerra, secretary
of education for the Mexican state of Nuevo León; Manuel Jaime Castillo Garza,
secretary of education for the Mexican state of Coahuila; Miguel Angel Martínez Espinosa, secretary of education for the Mexican state of Jalisco; and Rafael Aragunde-Torres, secretary
of education for Puerto Rico. The panel of university presidents included Alberto Bustani Adem, Tecnológico de Monterrey (Monterrey campus); Delva Batista Chambers, chief strategic officer, Universidad Tecnológica de Panamá; Francisco Javier Azcúnaga Guerra, Universidad de Monterrey; Jesús Ancer Rodríguez, Universidad Autónoma de Nuevo León; and Raúl Antonio Santos Maldonado, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de Honduras.

Participants were treated to outstanding cultural events, including a performance of “Raíces” (“Roots”), a medley of Mexican folkloric dances presented by students from the Tecnológico de Monterrey. The gala dinner celebration drew more than 300 guests and featured a serenade by mariachis who sang “Las Mañanitas” to commemorate the 45th anniversary, making it a night to remember.

PRLAO develops programs and services similar to those offered in the United States, but specifically designed for Spanish-speaking populations. These programs are designed to facilitate and systematize the assessment and university admissions processes, strengthen academic counseling and promote educational excellence. Some of PRLAO’s best-known programs include the Assessment Program for University Admission (Programa de Evaluación y Admisión Universitaria — PEAU), which includes the Academic Aptitude Test (Prueba de Aptitud Académica – PAA), and the Academic Achievement Tests (Pruebas de Aprovechamiento — PACH); the Test of Access and Evaluation for the Secondary School Level (Pruebas de Ingreso y Evaluación para el Nivel Secundario — PIENSE); the English Language Assessment System for Hispanics — ELASH™; and the Preparatory Test of Academic Aptitude (Prueba Preparatoria de Aptitude Académica – Pre-PAA).

The College Board and its members wish to express our deepest sympathies for schools affected by natural disasters in Burma (Myanmar) and Sichuan Province in China, respectively.

Our hearts go out to educators, students, parents and their communities as they recover from these tragic events.

We are in direct contact with administrators at our schools in the regions that we support and that participate in our programs. We are relieved to report that, among the four schools with which we have been communicating, all students and staff avoided harm. In addition, our schools and their students are actively involved in relief efforts for those less fortunate.

Further information regarding provisions being made for affected students will be posted on collegeboard.com.

AP® World History Workshop World History
Association Conference
London, England
June 26, 2008
Read more


AP® Summer Institute in Toronto, Ontario, Canada
St. Clement’s School
June 30–July 4, 2008
Scheduled Sessions: Various
Read More


AP®  Summer Institute in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada St. Michaels
University School
July 7–11, 2008
Scheduled Sessions: Various
Read more


AP® International
Summer Institute in
Honolulu, Hawaii
Kamehameha Schools
July 21–25, 2008
Scheduled Sessions: Various
Read more


AP® Summer Institute
in Seoul, South Korea
Yongsan
International School
July 28 – Aug. 1, 2008
Scheduled Sessions: Calculus, Economics, English Language and Literature, Science,
Social Science
Read more

More AP
Summer Institutes


The 9th Annual
Summer Institute for
International Admissions
for international school counselors
Washington, D.C.
June 16-20, 2008
New Counselor Workshop:
June 15-16

College Fair: June 18
Read more


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