ECSU holds Advanced Placement training session for area educators

Kesha Williams
June 11, 2013

Efforts are underway to increase the number of students in area schools who are taking Advanced Placement courses. On June 17th and 18th Elizabeth City State University hosted 60 education administrators and teachers from 15 counties for a two-day workshop, &quotSummer 2013, Building an AP Success Culture and Pipeline,&quot organized by the College Board. Advanced Placement staff trained local educators to prepare students for the rigorous challenge of college-level AP courses and exams. The AP Program will be introduced in these counties to help local students develop the skills they need for college and career success. Participating teachers and administrators came to ECSU from Edgecombe, Nash Counties, Northampton, Camden, Pasquotank, Perquimans, Beaufort, Northwest Halifax, Warren County, Hertford, Weldon City Schools, Bertie, Southeast Halifax, Martin, and Currituck counties. The workshop was held in the Willie and Jacqueline Gilchrist Education and Psychology Complex. The purpose of the AP workshop is to create a pipeline of involved administrative leaders and teachers who know how Advanced Placement courses and exams can be used to build a college-going culture in their schools. ECSU Chancellor Willie J. Gilchrist said his vision is to create a central location (ECSU) in northeastern North Carolina where College Board staff can gather annually to train local educators how to increase student access to AP courses and help their students to succeed on AP Exams. Trevor Packer, senior vice president of the Advanced Placement Program at the College Board, said the nonprofit organization is very grateful to Elizabeth City State University for hosting this two-day AP training. &quotWe hoped to inform local high school educators about how AP’s college-level courses and exams can help students to develop the skills they need to earn a college degree and compete in today’s highly competitive global job market.&quot According to the College Board, AP courses offer college admissions officers a consistent measure of course rigor across high schools, districts, and states- because all AP teachers, no matter where they are teaching, have to provide a curriculum that meets college standards. When college admissions officers see &quotAP&quot on students’ transcript, it demonstrates that the student has a track record of challenging themselves and performing well in college-level courses. Research consistently shows that students who earn placement into advanced college courses through their AP Exam scores perform as well as – or better than – college students who first completed the introductory course at a college or university. Students who succeed on AP Exams during high school typically experience greater overall academic success in college, and are more likely to graduate from college and earn their degree sooner than their non-AP peers. Last year, 3,308 U.S. colleges and universities received AP scores for college credit, advanced placement and/or consideration in the admission process, with 95 percent of those colleges and universities offering credit in one or more subjects based on an AP Exam score of 3 or higher on a five-point scale. # # #