A Note from Southern Region VP Jenny Krugman
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 VP Jenny Krugman |
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| Raphael Curtis, SRO educational manager for K–12, and Earlean Smiley, deputy superintendent for Broward County Public Schools in Florida at the AP Summer Institute for Administrators. |
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| SRO Enrollment Management presentation team: Tony Pace, senior director for Higher Education, and Mary Harshaw, senior educational manager for Higher Education |
We are all back in the swing of running our admission, enrollment and educational “houses.” Even though summer brought warm weather and reading-a-good-book-in-the-hammock vacations, your College Board team was hard at work on your behalf.
The Higher Education team offered several strategic enrollment management workshops that highlighted a focus on enrollment planning and detailed how our services might support universities as they search for students who will best fit their institutions. Increasing efficiencies in enrollment offices across the region, supporting deans of admission and building a cadre of young enrollment officers were the ultimate goals of these workshops. Feedback from our colleagues indicated that these opportunities for outreach yielded broad applause and thanks.
On the K–12 side, the Southern Region’s 2009 annual AP® Summer Institute for Administrators was also a major success. This event, constructed and developed in response to issues and challenges encountered by school- and district-level administrators across the country, is the region’s preeminent summer professional development opportunity. Practitioners from all levels of school and district leadership gathered to learn and share best practices regarding the support, growth and maintenance of successful AP programs. The keynote speaker for this year’s event, Earlean Smiley, deputy superintendent for curriculum and instruction for Broward County [Fla.] Public Schools, shared her district’s vision and her personal experiences in creating a successful model that ensures that all students have equitable opportunities to receive a high-quality, rigorous education. Other session titles included “Developing a Framework for AP Student and Teacher Success,” “I Don’t Think My Students Want to Be in AP,” “Key Administrative Decisions,” and “How to Enhance and Expand Your AP Calculus Program.”
So do take in a football game or a fine movie this fall, but know that your College Board team is working in the interest of your goals and mission.
NMSI Boosts Student Achievement in Alabama, Kentucky and Virginia
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| Pictured at the A+ College Ready Alabama announcement are (from left) Paul Dieffenthaller, Mobile Bay Operations superintendent for ExxonMobil Production Company; Alabama Gov. Bob Riley; Alabama State Superintendent of Education Joe Morton; and John Winn, chief program officer of NMSI. |
Two years ago, grants of up to $13.2 million each were awarded to A+ College Ready in Alabama, Kentucky Science and Technology Corp., Virginia Advanced Study Strategies, and programs in three other states from the National Math and Science Initiative (NMSI) to provide training and incentive programs to teachers of AP® courses in their respective states over the next six years. Today, results from the first cohort of 67 program schools confirm dramatic increases in student achievement in rigorous math and science courses. For the 2008-09 school year, there was a 51 percent increase in AP Exams passed in math, science and English — more than nine times higher than the national average.
AP students in math, science and English took more than 13,000 exams in 2008-09, an increase of 80.1 percent over 2007-08. These results suggest that NMSI is helping to close the achievement gap in math and science. The program has demonstrated impressive increases in participation and performance for underrepresented students, especially African American and Hispanic students. The number of AP math, science and English exams taken by African American and Hispanic students in 2008-09 increased 134.3 percent, while the percentage of these exams passed increased 71.2 percent. Female students, who are traditionally underrepresented in math and science, increased their pass rate by 54.7 percent in math, science and English for 2008-09.
In Alabama, AP math and science enrollment for African Americans and Hispanics increased 201 percent in the 12 Alabama program schools, from 162 to 487. The Kentucky program, which has received two federal grants and local school contributions in addition to the NMSI support, will be adding 15 schools next year and have 27 schools in the AP Training and Incentive Program (APTIP), with an early 2009-10 estimate of more than 5,000 enrollments in math, science and English AP courses. In Virginia’s 14 NMSI program schools, AP math and science enrollment for African Americans and Hispanics increased 164 percent, from 55 to 145.
The scores were officially announced by NMSI in conjunction with the A+ College Ready Program,
which administers the AP Training and Incentive Program (APTIP)in Alabama, at a press conference
held at Clay-Chalkville High School in Pinson, Ala. Alabama Gov. Bob Riley and Alabama Superintendent of Education Joe Morton participated in the announcement. Additional announcement events were held in Arkansas and Kentucky.
The increase in student participation in AP college-level course work in the NMSI program schools is changing the culture of expectations. These initial results indicate that enhanced teacher training, teacher incentives, student scholarships, more time on task for students and master teacher mentoring can dramatically increase the number of students succeeding in many areas of college-level work.
"These first-year results demonstrate that more rigorous and effective math and science programs can be replicated successfully nationwide. This program is going to open the doors to college for many more students," said Tom Luce, CEO of NMSI.
The results were achieved by replicating APTIP in six states: Alabama, Arkansas, Connecticut, Kentucky, Massachusetts and Virginia. This successful replication, when expanded across multiple states and school districts, is expected to deliver results in a rapid, cost-effective, efficient and self-sustaining manner. This kind of national effort is essential to improve the capacity of our public education system.
This fall, NMSI will be implementing the program in 142 public high schools, more than twice as many
as last year.
To see a more comprehensive summary of NMSI's first-year program results for the Advanced Placement Training and Incentive Program, click here.
Upcoming Southern Region
2009 Fall Counselor Workshops
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Each fall, thousands of educators come together at dozens of workshops across the country for the College Board’s Fall Counselor Workshops. This year, we have a new way for you to participate: |
LIVE – ON DEMAND –
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Check back often, live sessions are updated regularly. |
Attend a free workshop in your region.
Register online at www.collegeboard.com/meetings
| 9/23 | Pensacola Junior College, Pensacola, Fla. |
| 9/23 | University of New Orleans, New Orleans, La. |
| 9/23 | Roanoke College, Salem, Va. |
| 9/25 | University of Louisville, Louisville, Ky. |
| 9/29 | Florida International University, Miami, Fla. |
| 9/29 | University of North Carolina at Charlotte, Charlotte, N.C. |
| 9/30 | Birmingham Southern College, Birmingham, Ala. |
| 10/1 | Ernst Community Cultural Center, Annandale, Va. |
| 10/2 | Loudoun County Public Schools, Ashburn, Va. |
Events & Workshops
Click here to see events and workshops in the Southern Region.
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During this pivotal time in our nation, the College Board invites you to join us for two special opportunities to connect with education professionals dedicated to impacting change and increasing college readiness.
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