A training exercise in which teachers "unpack embedded assessments" helps them determine how a student successfully acquires desired skills and concepts.

Hillsborough is the same school district that has implemented the College Board’s EXCELerator™ program in all of its schools. After introducing SpringBoard to select schools in the district last year, Hillsborough plans this year to implement SpringBoard in every middle and high school in its district.

As this was the district’s second year of SpringBoard training, it was decidedly more ambitious. Hillsborough Superintendent MaryEllen Elia and the district’s key administrators provided critical support of this massive implementation. Executing six weeks of solid training for all district administrators, language arts teachers and math teachers in grades six through 12 — more than 2,300 teachers in 40 middle schools and 20 high schools — requires tremendous planning. Two Hillsborough employees — Eric Bergholm, general director for Advanced Academic Access, and Jorma Young, supervisor for Academic Programs — have been invaluable to SpringBoard as partners in mapping out all three levels of training: initial training, advanced training and Jump Start training. Additionally, Young and Bergholm were trained to work alongside SpringBoard coaches, delivering two workshops that prepared district-level administrators to support implementation. Elizabeth Brown and Mike Smith — district ELA coordinator and math coordinator, respectively — provided critical support throughout the six weeks of training by responding on the spot to any content-related issues.

“This is a model for the positive synergy that can be achieved when supported by an entire district,” said Lola Greene, director of SpringBoard Professional Development at the College Board, who executed the training. “The district has been extremely involved with every aspect of this effort.”

Linda Guidry, from the College Board’s EXCELerator program, was also instrumental in the planning phase, meeting with district language arts and math teachers to determine the critical units of instruction for SpringBoard training and for the teachers to implement during the school year to match curricula. SpringBoard math and language arts are key curricula in EXCELerator. The Institute for Curriculum Coherence and Planning, an EXCELerator effort, brought a select group of SpringBoard teachers to map and integrate the curricula into the yearly curricula.

Additionally, a cadre of SpringBoard teachers from across Florida were recruited to train teachers to become national trainers.

As the first district to implement EXCELerator and SpringBoard programs in all schools, the state of Florida — indeed, the entire nation — is watching what’s happening in Hillsborough.

VP Jenny Krugman

States, higher education institutions and school districts in the Southern Region are pursuing a powerful equity and excellence agenda, mirroring
that of the College Board. In challenging
economic times, this resolve to produce
high-quality instruction is propelling institutions
across the South toward just the college success
for students that we trumpet.

Our region’s council chair and Biloxi (Miss.) High School counselor, Libby Brookshire, reports that this summer the 10 representatives from the Southern states reported progress in AP® initiatives. Several common themes emerged.
AP Test Fee Grants for students from low-income backgrounds are making a big difference in student AP Exam participation. Many states are incorporating some version of a virtual school, which often includes AP courses. Louisiana, North Carolina, South Carolina and Virginia boast robust virtual AP offerings. As many of our states consider a redesign of their high school curriculum, there is continued emphasis on finding a way for students to earn college credit before arriving on college campuses. We are pleased to see the AP culture in the Southern Region expanding, as evidenced by an increase of more than 62,000 AP Exams ordered in 2008.

Beyond AP, a lively discussion across the region’s higher education landscape led to our providing three key university admissions leaders — who are members of the College Board’s task force for implementation of SAT® score-reporting opportunities — an option that will give students control of their score-reporting opportunities. Also, dialogue continues with leaders from more than 30 colleges who have been involved in the Southern Regional Forum annual ad hoc SAT advisory panel. How-tos for the new SAT/ACT concordance tables and applause for the results from the validity study of freshmen at 110 colleges who took the SAT with writing echoed across our higher education community.
           
Finally, we want to highlight the important work being done through the Florida Partnership. Since its creation in 2000, the partnership has focused on teacher professional development, student enrichment and test preparation. A culture of rigor is sweeping the state as the number of AP Exam takers in Florida’s public schools grew from 34,607 in 1999 to 103,547 in 2007. And for the third year in a row, Florida had the greatest one-year increase in the number of public school AP Exam takers when compared with all other states. During the same time period, the number of 10th-grade PSAT/NMSQT® takers in Florida public schools increased 280 percent. These increases are built on a foundation of teacher training and counselor advocacy that supports Florida’s dramatic gains in student achievement.

Keep up the good work!

As of the July 1 deadline, the CollegeKeys Compact™ had 475 institutions on the final roll of charter members for this important initiative. This number includes 137 colleges, 311 schools, 18 non-profits and nine agencies. One hundred and nineteen of the charter institutions are from the Southern Region. The number continues to grow and, currently, there are 492 institutions that have signed the Compact.

The Hilton Riverside in New Orleans, La., was the setting for a breakfast hosted jointly by the College Board’s Government Relations team, the National Black Caucus of State Legislators and the National Hispanic Caucus of State Legislators on July 24. The event, held during the annual National Conference of State Legislatures Summit, offered state policymakers ideas of how they can help create and sustain a college-going culture.

Tom Rudin, senior vice president of advocacy, government relations and development, welcomed the group, and Joyce Elliott, director of state and legislative outreach, introduced the topic and discussions. Mike Riley, senior vice president of college readiness systems, led the lively discussion, with Maryland state delegate Ana Sol Gutierrez moderating. Participants explored how policymakers can partner with educators, students, families and communities in a process to create a culture that values a rigorous curriculum and support for students, resulting in college/career readiness for all students.

Plans for a College Board partnership with both national caucuses are currently underway.

Click here to see events and workshops in the Southern region.