Interested in increasing rigor, and building a pipeline for acceleration for all students, in your middle school or high school?  If so, the June 20-22 Advanced Placement Pre-AP Conference in Astoria is a "must" for your counselors and teachers.  The conference begins with a Wednesday afternoon session for administrators and their teams, and continues Thursday and Friday with sessions aimed at teachers and counselors.

This creates a perfect opportunity for administrators, who can participate in Astoria Wednesday, then attend the COSA Seaside Conference Thursday and Friday.  As a bonus, districts may qualify for grant funding for the Astoria conference, which means that some expenses for administrators to travel to the Coast may be paid for by Pre-AP Conference grant.

The Advanced Placement Pre-AP Conference is presented by COSA, ODE and the College Board, and it is described this way:

"Each year thousands of Oregon high school students find themselves intellectually capable but academically unprepared for rigorous advanced placement coursework.  Middle school and early high school classes many times lack the rigor that prepares students for entry and success in Advanced Placement, International Baccalaureate, and community college or college dual credit courses.  How can course rigor be increased?  How can more students benefit from that coursework?  What attitudes and strategies must counselors and administrators develop to assist teachers in “building the pipeline” that leads to more students achieving at higher academic levels? 

"The Astoria Conference is designed to provide administrators, counselors, and teachers with strategies and skills to:

• Remove barriers to access and participation in advanced coursework,
• Increase the rigor of middle school and early high school coursework,
• Enhance communication between middle school and high school teachers about content and performance expectations,
• Increase the number of students, from all socio-economic and ethnic groups, prepared and able to participate in accelerated courses."

The conference, which will be held at Clatsop Community College, begins at 1 p.m. on Wednesday, June 20, and continues until 3 p.m. Friday, June 22. 

The session for administrators, set for 1-5:30 p.m. Wednesday, is entitled "Pre-AP: Instructional Leadership Strategies—Promoting Excellence and Equity in AP Courses," and is presented by Barbara Prichard & Tommie Sue Anthony.:

"This half-day workshop is designed for administrators, counselors, and teachers interested in examining issues related to the development of instructional programs that reflect excellence and equity. The activities and discussions in this workshop are designed to help participants identify excellence and equity concepts that apply to all subject areas and further prepare students for AP courses. At the end of the workshop, participants will understand how to create high-achievement classrooms accessible to all students and how to make curricular decisions to increase student achievement and access to AP courses."