PR/Award #:S330C080025
Award Amount:$773,637
Grantee: Yuma Union High School District #70 (AZ)
Contact: Tim Vlasak
Phone Number: (928) 502-4678

Yuma Union High School District and 3 neighboring elementary school districts will carry out a comprehensive plan to increase student enrollment and success in Advanced Placement (AP) and pre-AP courses at 5 high-poverty high schools and their 8 feeder middle schools. The Advancement Via Individual Determination (AVID) program will be implemented school-wide in all schools. Arizona Western College will recruit and train college students and college-educated community volunteers to provide tutoring to students twice a week. At the start of eighth grade, all students will complete the EXPLORE assessment to evaluate their academic knowledge and skills and help them explore how their interests relate to different potential career areas. Using results from EXPLORE and local benchmark assessments, middle and high school counselors will help students develop five-year plans for taking courses in high school and the first year of college. The project will establish vertical teams of middle and high school teachers in the core academic subjects who will work together to align curricula and improve the academic preparation of students for advanced coursework. AP and pre-AP teachers will receive professional development in the content areas they teach through summer institutes. Students enrolled in AP courses will be given the opportunity to enroll simultaneously in the same course online to receive additional instruction and support. A new online course in AP Chinese Language and Culture or Japanese Language and Culture will be offered to students beginning in the second year of the project.

PR/Award #:S330C080174
Amount: $983,013
Grantee: Fresno Unified School District (CA)
Contact: Linda Furnas
Phone Number: (559) 457-3186

Fresno Unified School District will carry out a comprehensive initiative to increase student enrollment and success in Advanced Placement (AP) and International Baccalaureate (IB) courses. Seven high-poverty high schools and 14 middle schools will receive services. New AP courses and sections will be offered by each high school. Two schools will add AP Chinese Language and Culture courses. New Spanish for Native Speakers courses will be introduced to prepare more native Spanish-speaking students for success in AP Spanish. The Advancement Via Individual Determination (AVID) programs at the participating schools will be expanded by increasing the number of AVID elective sections and by integrating AVID strategies into core academic courses. Teachers will receive intensive professional development through summer institutes and quarterly Saturday workshops. The Parent Institute for Quality Education will offer parent education workshops that promote postsecondary planning and preparation and enrollment in AP courses. A summer bridge program will be provided for students who will be entering their first AP/IB course the upcoming school year. Tutoring will be available to AP/IB students after school and on Saturdays. Using AP and IB exam standards as the starting point and mapping backward to lower grade levels, vertical teams of teachers will develop aligned programs of study that will provide students with the knowledge and skills necessary for success in AP and IB courses.

PR/Award #:S330C080221
Amount: $512,438
Grantee: Riverside Unified School District (CA)
Contact: Kim Coons-Leonard
Phone Number: (951) 788-7335 x80314

The Access the Advanced Placement (AP) Advantage project will provide assistance to 9 high-poverty Riverside schools, including 4 high schools and 5 middle schools, to increase the participation and success of low-income students in AP courses and tests. New online AP Computer Science and Environmental Science courses will be developed and delivered to the high schools included in the project. A classroom-based AP Chinese Language and Culture course will be introduced at one high school in the second year of the project and made available through distance learning at the other three high schools during the final year of the project. The district will develop and implement a new two-year AP Spanish Language course in middle school that will be designed for native Spanish speakers. Riverside will develop vertically aligned teacher teams in grades 7 through 12 in English language arts, mathematics, and science to build common expectations and skills needed by low-income students to be successful in an AP curriculum. To increase the number of students who complete Algebra I by the end of eighth grade, the project will eliminate low-level middle school mathematics courses and provide greater academic support to students who need additional assistance to succeed in grade-level courses. The Riverside Virtual School will provide an online “Re-Boot” summer camp to give students an opportunity to preview their AP course syllabus, meet their teacher and fellow students, sample lessons, and learn about the AP program and exams. Peer tutoring will be provided to AP students who need academic support. Financial incentives will be offered to AP teachers for completing an AP certificate program that the district designed in collaboration with the University of California at Riverside.

PR/Award #:S330C080027
Amount: $966,580
Grantee: San Diego Unified School District (CA)
Contact: Donald Mitchell
Phone Number: (619) 764-2033

San Diego Unified School District will seek to eliminate achievement gaps in student participation and success in Advanced Placement (AP) and International Baccalaureate (IB) courses and exams by implementing a comprehensive program that will serve 6 high schools with high concentrations of poverty. Each school will add at least 2 new AP or IB courses in English language arts, mathematics, or science in each year of the project. Critical need foreign language courses, including Arabic, Chinese, and Japanese, also will be developed and offered by the 6 schools. To improve student preparation for advanced coursework in the upper grades, the project will establish and train teams of high school and middle school teachers who will work together to align the core academic curriculum across grade levels. An AP/IB summer bridge program will give students who are registered for AP and IB courses in the fall an introduction to the pace and rigor of these courses, assistance in improving their writing skills, and the opportunity to begin their studies early. Incoming ninth graders will have the opportunity to participate in a similar, pre-AP summer bridge program. Seniors who have completed AP courses will provide tutoring to younger students who are new to AP before, during, and after school. Over the course of the project, pre-AP, AP, and IB teachers at the 6 schools will complete 150 or more hours of professional development. In addition, the schools’ principals will participate annually in professional development based on the College Board’s Leadership Institute for Principals.

PR/Award #:S330C080009
Amount: $667,158
Grantee:Weld County School District 6 (CO)
Contact: Mary Jones
Phone Number: (907) 961-5273

Weld County School District 6 will carry out a comprehensive initiative to increase the successful participation of low-income students in Advanced Placement (AP) courses and exams. Eight high-poverty schools, including 3 high schools and 5 middle schools, will be served. Distance learning will be used to give students access to AP courses that are not currently offered at their high schools, or that are not available to them due to scheduling conflicts. A new AP Chinese Language and Culture course also will be developed. Advancement Via Individual Determination (AVID) programs will be implemented in all 8 schools. Teams of core academic high school and middle school teachers will be established to develop and implement a vertically aligned curriculum that prepares students to succeed in advanced coursework. AP students will be given additional academic support through tutoring offered on Saturdays and after school, as well as through online AP exam review courses. The University of Northern Colorado will sponsor summer institutes to provide AP teachers with intensive professional development in the content areas they teach. The project also will reward teachers for the success of non-traditional students in AP courses and exams. During the first year of the project, teachers will receive a stipend for each non-traditional student who earns a passing grade in an AP course; in subsequent years, they will receive a stipend for each non-traditional student who earns a passing grade and scores 3 or higher on an AP exam (year 2) or 4 or higher on an AP exam (year 3).

PR/Award #:S330C080019
Amount: $243,690
Grantee: Weld County School District RE-8 (CO)
Contact: Scott Graham
Phone Number: (303) 857-3213

Weld County School District RE-8 will seek to increase the successful participation of low-income students in AP courses and exams at Fort Lupton High School. New online AP courses will be offered to students. The district’s implementation of the Advancement Via Individual Determination (AVID) program will be expanded to serve students in grades 11 and 12 to support these students as they participate in AP courses and to provide counseling related to applying for and enrolling in postsecondary education. AP teachers will receive intensive training during AP summer institutes at the University of Northern Colorado. AP teachers will be added to the district’s vertical teacher teams to develop a comprehensive, aligned program of study that prepares students for AP courses.

PR/Award #:S330C080004
Award Amount:$798,694
Grantee: Connecticut State Department of Education (CT)
Contact: Jeanne Purcell
Phone Number: (860) 713-6745

The Connecticut State Department of Education (CSDE), in collaboration with the Connecticut Business and Industry Association (CBIA), will implement a comprehensive initiative to increase student participation and success in Advanced Placement (AP) and pre-AP courses in 53 high-poverty schools across the State, including 17 high schools and 36 middle schools. Project Access for All will double the number of AP courses available in the high schools included in the project by providing teachers and administrators with assistance in creating and delivering new AP courses, developing new online AP courses that will be provided by the Connecticut Virtual Learning Center, and ensuring that all Early College Experience courses offered through the University of Connecticut provide AP credit. To strengthen the preparation of students for advanced coursework, pre-AP and AP teachers will improve the alignment of academic courses and eliminate curriculum gaps by working together in vertical teams. In addition, Algebra I will be offered to all students in grade 8 in the middle schools included in the project. Teachers will receive intensive and sustained professional development in the content areas in which they teach through summer institutes provided by Eastern Connecticut State University and workshops throughout the year. Teacher mentors will provide additional support to first- and second-year AP teachers. Project Access for All also will develop a sequence of courses and enrichment activities to prepare students for success in AP Chinese Language and Culture courses. AP Chinese Language and Culture teachers also will receive financial incentives for the successful performance of their students on the AP exam; $100 will be awarded to teachers for each student who scores 3 or higher on the exam.

PR/Award #:S330C080144
Amount: $641,558
Grantee: School Board of Palm Beach County (FL)
Contact: Alison Adler
Phone Number: (561) 982-0900

The School District of Palm Beach County will implement a College Success program that will assist 5 high-poverty high schools and their 12 feeder middle schools in increasing the enrollment and success of low-income students in Advanced Placement (AP) courses. The program will increase the number of AP English language arts, mathematics, and science courses offered by the high schools. After-school tutorials and summer academic enrichment activities will be provided to support students enrolled in pre-AP and AP courses. Lower-achieving ninth and tenth grade students will be enrolled in a College Success course that will use the CollegeEd academic and career planning program to address study skills, critical thinking, goal-setting, career exploration, and other work- and college-readiness skills. Students enrolled in this course will receive additional academic support and guidance from school counselors and mentoring from first-generation college students. Efficacy training will be provided to middle and high school students and their parents to promote greater student motivation and effort to excel academically. The project also will add more advanced courses, including AP Chinese Language and Culture, to a Chinese language program the district currently offers through distance learning course.

PR/Award #:S330C080187
Amount: $339,631
Grantee: Atlanta Public Schools (GA)
Contact: Kelly Walton
Phone Number: (404) 802-2867

Atlanta Public Schools will implement an initiative to increase the participation and success of low-income students in Advanced Placement (AP) courses and tests at two high-poverty high schools. Additional AP courses in English language arts, mathematics, and science will be offered during a new ninth period that will be added to the end of the school day. Both schools will implement the Springboard English language arts and mathematics curriculum. Teachers will participate in College Board workshops and summer institutes to enhance their expertise. To improve the preparation of students for advanced coursework in the upper grades, the project will establish and train vertical teams of core academic teachers from the high schools and their feeder middle schools. These teams also will collaborate with faculty who teach first-year English language arts, mathematics and science courses at local institutions of higher education. To strengthen the schools’ Advancement Via Individual Determination programs, the project will recruit additional tutors from among area college students.

PR/Award #:S330C080110
Amount: $497,002
Grantee: Lowndes County Board of Education (GA)
Contact: Sharon Flythe
Phone Number: (229) 316-1828

Lowndes County Schools and Valdosta City Schools will form a consortium to implement a series of activities to increase student access to, and success in, Advanced Placement (AP) courses. Six high-poverty schools, including 2 high schools and 4 middle schools, will be served. New AP courses in English language arts, mathematics and science will be offered at the two high schools. Using a computer-assisted language instruction program, the project also will add new foreign language course offerings. The Springboard English language arts and mathematics curriculum will be implemented in grades 6 through 12. New Advancement Via Individual Determination programs will be established at the two high schools. Intensive academic assistance will be offered during the summer for rising ninth and tenth grade students who need additional support. To improve curricular alignment, the project will establish and train vertical teacher teams across the middle and high schools. AP and pre-AP teachers will receive professional development through 30-hour summer institutes offered by the College Board.

PR/Award #:330C080031
Amount: $593,528
Grantee: Kansas State Department of Education (KS)
Contact: Kent Reed
Phone Number: (785) 296-8109

The Kansas State Department of Education will implement a comprehensive initiative to help high-poverty and predominantly rural high schools throughout the state increase student access to and success in Advanced Placement (AP) courses and tests. The project will provide eligible high schools in 97 counties with the opportunity to compete for $15,000 subgrants that may be used to develop AP courses, pay for students to enroll in online AP courses through approved online vendors, and provide professional development for teachers. Schools will be required to provide a 25 percent match from non-Federal funds. To improve the preparation of students for advanced coursework, the project will provide professional development opportunities for districts wishing to initiate either the traditional vertical teaming strategies or implement the Springboard English language arts and mathematics curriculum. Teachers also will have the opportunity to attend summer institutes, workshops, and AP test rater trainings. An online Advanced Placement Resource Center will be created to give students, teachers, and other school staff access to information, instructional resources, tutoring, training, and technical assistance related to AP courses. In addition, the project will make available to eligible schools online AP Chinese Language and Culture and Japanese Language and Culture courses.

PR/Award #:S330C080211
Amount: $519,156
Grantee: Kentucky Department of Education (KY)
Contact: Elaine Farris
Phone Number: (502) 564-5130

The Kentucky Department of Education, in collaboration with Kentucky Science and Technology Corporation, will support AdvanceKentucky, a new statewide initiative to accelerate students’ preparation for, participation and success in rigorous Advanced Placement (AP) courses in English language arts, mathematics, and science. The program is based on the highly successful model created by AP Strategies, Inc. in Texas and endorsed by the National Math and Science Initiative (NMSI). The model includes ongoing teacher training for both AP and pre-AP teachers, extensive academic supports for students, and vertical teams of middle and high school teachers who collaborate to improve the preparation of students for AP courses. AP teachers will receive financial incentives for the successful performance of their students on the AP exam; $100 will be awarded for each score of 3 or higher on the exam. Students also will receive an incentive award of $100 for earning a 3 or higher on the exam. The Kentucky Department of Education also will expand the availability and quality of Chinese language instruction, including through the development and delivery of online Chinese IV and AP Chinese Language and Culture courses by Kentucky Virtual High School. Grant funds will support services to 6 high-poverty high schools. Matching funds will support services to an additional 18 high schools over the project period.

PR/Award #:S330C080043
Amount: $563,543
Grantee: Maryland State Department of Education (MD)
Contact:Jeanne Paynter
Phone Number: (410) 338-1131

Project 3+3 will assist 9 high-poverty high schools and 21 middle schools in developing a comprehensive, systemic approach for increasing access, acceleration, and achievement in pre-Advanced Placement (AP) courses and AP courses and exams. Greater access to AP courses and exams for low-income students will be achieved by increasing AP course offerings in the target schools, providing high quality professional development, and implementing student recruitment and outreach strategies. Online AP courses from the Maryland Virtual School (MVS) catalog will enable schools to offer additional AP courses immediately, while professional learning communities for teachers, counselors, and principals will help expand high quality AP course offerings on site. Students also will have access to the study of Chinese through the College Board’s Chinese Language and Culture Initiatives and new MVS Chinese Language online courses. Project 3+3 schools will accelerate student preparation for advanced courses through summer academic bridge programs in grades 9 through 11 that are articulated with AP courses and exams. To support and motivate students, schools will develop Young Scholars student learning communities, which will provide students with an opportunity to build relationships with like-minded peers. AP teacher specialists will serve as professional development coaches who will be responsible for introducing new teaching strategies and training teachers to use them, as well as for supporting the development of vertical teacher teams in English language arts, mathematics, and science in each school.

PR/Award #:S330C080224
Award Amount:$775,474
Grantee: Rochester City School District (NY)
Contact: Linda Stagles
Phone Number: (585) 262-8682

Rochester City School District will seek to increase student enrollment in Advanced Placement (AP) courses by 45 percent over the 3-year project period and ensure that 80 percent of these students complete the courses successfully. The project will principally target the district’s 14 neediest secondary schools, many of which now offer few or no AP courses. Each of these schools will develop and offer at least one new AP course in English language arts, mathematics, and science in each year of the project. Three other high-poverty secondary schools will introduce AP Chinese Language and Culture courses. AP teachers will receive intensive professional development in their content areas through 4-day institutes that will be held each summer. Students who are enrolling in AP courses for the first time will have the opportunity to participate in a 4-day summer readiness workshop that will familiarize them with AP expectations and the content of the courses in which they have enrolled. Pre-AP summer camps also will be offered to improve the academic preparation of students for AP mathematics and science courses. Students enrolled in AP courses will complete an AP Skills Seminar that will help them improve their writing, develop good study habits, and learn note-taking, critical thinking, and time management skills. Tutoring will be offered three days a week for students enrolled in AP mathematics and science courses. Vertical teacher teams will be established to align curricula and improve the preparation of students for advanced courses in the upper grades. To help students plan and prepare for high school and postsecondary education, the CollegeEd academic and career planning curriculum will be introduced in the eighth grade. Using its own funds, the district also will implement Advancement Via Individual Determination (AVID) programs and the Springboard English language arts curriculum in all secondary schools.

PR/Award #:S330C080012
Amount: $906,330
Grantee: Yonkers Public Schools (NY)
Contact: Fern Eisgrub
Phone Number: (914) 376-8213

Yonkers Public Schools will implement a set of programs and initiatives to increase student enrollment and achievement in Advanced Placement (AP) and International Baccalaureate (IB) courses. The project will serve students enrolled in grades 6 through 12 at 17 high-poverty schools, including 6 high schools, 3 middle schools, and 8 PreK-8 schools. New AP and IB courses in English language arts, mathematics, and science will be offered at the high schools. Two of the high schools also will add AP Chinese Language and Culture courses. Using the College Board’s CollegeEd curriculum, a trained advisor will work with the same small group of 15-20 students throughout their years at that school to provide them with guidance, academic support, and assistance in planning and preparing for postsecondary education and careers. To improve students’ preparation for AP and IB courses, the Springboard English language arts and mathematics curriculum will be implemented in grades 6 through 12. Individual and small group tutoring will be offered to students after-school, on Saturdays, and during the summer. A Scholastic Assessment Test (SAT) Readiness program will be implemented to assist students who recently exited English Language Learner classes in preparing for the writing section of the SAT.

PR/Award #:S330C080135
Amount: $600,510
Grantee: Black Hills Special Services Cooperative (SD)
Contact: James Parry
Phone Number: (605) 394-1876

Implemented in collaboration with the South Dakota Department of Education, South Dakota Virtual School, and other partners, this project will expand opportunities for students in rural and remote areas of South Dakota to access and succeed in face-to-face and online Advanced Placement (AP) courses. The project will serve 30 high-poverty, rural high schools and their feeder middle or junior high schools. Building on the Learning Power program funded by the National Math and Science Initiative, the project will aid these schools in developing and implementing plans to expand their AP course offerings in English language arts, mathematics, and science. Students participating in online AP courses will receive ongoing academic support and guidance from a local faculty member or other professional. The project will provide extensive training and on-site coaching for vertical teams of teachers in grades 7 through 12 to support their implementation of an aligned, rigorous curriculum that will improve student preparation for advanced courses. AP teachers and local guides who support students in online courses will receive $100 for each of their students who scores 3 or higher on an AP exam. Students, too, will receive $100 for earning a score of 3 or higher.

PR/Award #:S330C080133
Amount: $749,196
Grantee: El Paso Independent School District (TX)
Contact: Michael Cannon
Phone Number: (915) 881-2574

Through this project, El Paso Independent School District will seek to increase the successful participation of low-income students in pre-Advanced Placement (AP) and AP courses and exams at 11 high-poverty high schools. AP Student Unions will be created on each campus to provide a location for study groups and peer and teacher tutoring. A series of six district AP Test-Prep Academies will be held on Saturdays each spring to prepare students for AP exams. AP teachers and administrators will attend AP institutes and conferences to build and refine their expertise in the content areas they teach. New AP courses in Chinese Language and Culture and Japanese Language and Culture will be introduced. The project will reward teachers whose students earn a score of 3 or higher on AP exams by paying $25 for each qualifying score. Stipends also will be paid teachers who participate in student tutoring programs or test preparation activities.

PR/Award #:330C08209
Amount: $548,959
Grantee: School of Excellence in Education (TX)
Contact: Roslyn Albin-Skinner
Phone Number: (210) 431-9881

The School of Excellence in Education, an open enrollment charter school district, will implement a project to improve student achievement and access to and success in Advanced Placement (AP) courses at Saenz Junior High School and Hawkins High School. The project will increase AP course offerings at Hawkins High School from 6 to 13, establish vertical teams in core academic subjects that will meet monthly, provide intensive professional development, and implement Advancement Via Individual Determination programs at both schools. AP teachers will receive financial incentives for the successful performance of their students on AP exams, with teachers earning $200 for each score of 3 on an exam, $300 for a score of 4, and $400 for a score of 5. In addition, the project will offer students an online AP Chinese Language and Culture.

PR/Award #:S330C080122
Amount: $870,458
Grantee: Milwaukee Public Schools (WI)
Contact: Lynn Krebs
Phone Number: (414) 475-8442

Milwaukee Public Schools will implement a wide-ranging set of initiatives to improve student participation and success in Advanced Placement (AP) courses and tests at 6 high-poverty high schools. Each school will increase the number of AP English language arts, mathematics, and science courses it offers. One school also will develop and offer AP Chinese Language and Culture and AP Japanese Language and Culture courses. AP teachers will receive intensive professional development through College Board summer institutes and workshops and a graduate course in writing instruction provided by the University of Wisconsin at Milwaukee Writing Project.

PR/Award #:S330C080148
Award Amount:$716,936
Grantee: Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction (WI)
Contact: Michael Thompson
Phone Number: (608) 266-1771

The Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction will support a comprehensive initiative to improve student access to, and success in, Advanced Placement (AP) courses in 46 high-poverty schools across the state, including 19 high schools and 27 middle schools. New AP courses will be delivered through traditional, face-to-face instruction, Interactive Television, the Wisconsin Virtual School, or combinations of these approaches. Expanding access to AP Chinese Language and Culture courses will be among the project’s priorities. Trained Local Education Guides will provide support to low-income students, helping them access tutoring and utilize online resources such as the Wisconsin Virtual School’s StudentEdge, which includes AP practice tests, assistance in preparing for the PSAT, SAT, and ACT, and college information. To improve student preparation for advanced courses, the project will provide ongoing vertical and horizontal team training to the schools’ teachers, department chairs, counselors, and administrators. AP and pre-AP teachers will receive intensive professional development in the content areas they teach through annual summer institutes. The project also will provide students in the targeted schools a $300 scholarship for each score of 3 or higher they achieve on an AP exam.