I DO BELONG HERE: INCREASING MINORITY STUDENT RETENTION AND SUCCESS IN AP COURSES

University of Virginia Holly Hertberg Davis Carolyn Callahan NAGC 2011 New Orleans, LA

PROGRAM GOAL

To increase the participation and success of students from low-income and minority backgrounds in AP courses and in college 2 AP ▪ CHALLENGE ▪ PROGRAM

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PROGRAM OVERVIEW

 Three pronged system of organized support structures for minority and low-income students, including:    Summer pre-AP residential program at UVA Academic year in-class curriculum differentiation and support provided by teachers Academic year support led by school counselors:    Structured peer study and support groups Academic advising and study groups Writing and self-advocacy skills instruction AP ▪ CHALLENGE ▪ PROGRAM

AP Challenge students: Who are they?

 The program serves students who:  Show potential for success in AP courses, but do not fit the profile of “typical” AP students   Have the desire to take AP courses when provided support and opportunity Are from minority and/or low-income backgrounds

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PROGRAM OVERVIEW

 We are comparing the performance of students in the treatment schools to matched comparison students in control schools on:      AP course grades AP exam scores College applications (how many, to where?) College acceptance and attendance First-year college course grades AP ▪ CHALLENGE ▪ PROGRAM

PARTICIPANTS

 Currently,

six

high schools in one district are participating. Participants include:   

85

students from low-income and minority backgrounds

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AP teachers 6 school counselors 6 AP ▪ CHALLENGE ▪ PROGRAM

STUDENT PROFILES

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Profiles of AP Challenge Students

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Passages taken from transcripts of interviews between students and their head residential counselor at the end of the AP Challenge Summer Program week The names of the students have been changed

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STUDENT PROFILES

Transcript of Interview with Jolyssa:

“I’m a student who, at first glance, might be stereotyped as loud, boisterous, stuck up, more interested in fashion than school. People usually assume that I worry more about what the fashion for the fall semester is than my Algebra 2 class. I’m also a cheerleader, so many people assume that I am not smart and basically am an airhead looking to date a jock. I have to deal with those stereotypes all of the time, from other students and from teachers, and I guess sometimes because I am so loud and talkative, I make those stereotypes seem true. But I am extremely interested in being successful and I know as a high school student it is important to show diversity in your academic transcript as well as extracurricular activities, so I try to take hard classes. I do pretty well in school now, although some subjects are pretty hard for me. I struggled to learn to read when I was younger, so teachers and my friends always thought I wasn’t really good at school. I read pretty well now, although it takes me longer than other people to get through sometimes, so everyone else will be finished and I’ll still be reading and I think they get impatient and maybe think I can’t handle the work in my harder classes. But I remember and understand everything I read. Everyone, including my parents, was really surprised when I was chosen for this program. My parents were really happy and proud, and so was I, because I felt like for the first time I was really recognized for being smart, instead of for being a cheerleader or in fashion or whatever. I love school and apply myself because I want to go to college and I think this program is giving me a great opportunity to do so.” AP ▪ CHALLENGE ▪ PROGRAM

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STUDENT PROFILES

Transcript of an Interview with Jonquil:

“When I take tours of colleges, I very rarely see me. It’s rare, and if I do see people who look like me, it’s because we are directed to a certain group of students and the university or college wants me to see people that look similar. Then when I watch television all I see on the news are different ways to make people that look like me seem like terrible people. The stereotypes are numerous, wetback, illegal, Mexican (all Hispanic people are not Mexican), users, exotic, criminal, etc. We all know the statistic, there are just as many minorities in jail as there are in college. I want to be a statistic! A positive statistic! The media images very rarely show the positive sides of Hispanic people…hardworking, dedicated, loyal, you know? We are very capable of success and living the American dream like everybody else. I have many interests…even though I work after school and on weekends, I know that school is important and it is a way to improve myself. I like to step and dance and I am very motivated to succeed. I want to go to college and experience something that nobody in my family has experienced. I am not going to be the negative statistic or stereotype that the public imagines. I am going to use this program to be successful and use my success to improve my family because at the end of the day it’s about me and my family!” AP ▪ CHALLENGE ▪ PROGRAM

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STUDENT PROFILES

Transcript of Interview with Tyler:

“I’m [a young man who is] really into sports. I am quiet in class and in life. I am not a big guy but I look athletic. When I tell people that I love sports many start to stereotype me as somebody who is hoping to get a scholarship to college because that is the only way that I will make it. I am a leader in my athletic event and I study my craft like no other. My quietness sometimes is mistaken for being lost or that I am having a hard time understanding the information. I do not voluntarily participate, even though most of the time I know the answer, because I just do not like talking in front of people. I find it funny to see people’s reactions when I tell them how successful I am in school. I proudly let them know that I work hard in school because I know it will lead to a better life. I find even greater joy when I tell them I am the #1 golfer in Virginia Beach. I work extremely hard at both and if I am not studying school then I am studying Tiger. What I like about this program is that it is going to make sure I succeed and give me peers who are like-minded.” AP ▪ CHALLENGE ▪ PROGRAM

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AP CHALLENGE TEACHERS: WHO ARE THEY?

  AP Challenge Teachers were selected by their building principals because of:   Assignment to a core-content AP course Principal perception of proficiency in teaching AP Courses Teachers were invited to participate– participation in the program is voluntary (although we suspect a few were “voluntold” by principals) AP ▪ CHALLENGE ▪ PROGRAM ***

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AP CHALLENGE TEACHERS: WHO ARE THEY?

 Participating AP Challenge Teachers teach:           AP Biology AP Environmental Science AP Chemistry AP English Composition AP English Literature AP Human Geography AP U.S. History AP European History AP Government AP Psychology AP ▪ CHALLENGE ▪ PROGRAM ***

AP CHALLENGE COUNSELORS: WHO ARE THEY?

 Selected by high school principals and district guidance department as those counselors whose:  Belief systems seem most aligned with program  Personalities seem appropriate for working with kids in the summer and school setting 13 AP ▪ CHALLENGE ▪ PROGRAM ***

LET’S TAKE A CLOSER LOOK…

Components of the AP Challenge Program

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AP TEACHER PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT

 AP teachers meet for five two-day sessions (two sessions are held at UVA) each year to:     Engage in dialogue about issues facing high-achieving students from low-income and minority backgrounds Discuss and learn approaches for engaging and challenging talented students from minority and low income backgrounds in AP courses Develop summer program curriculum Integrate alternative instructional sgtraAP curriculum AP ▪ CHALLENGE ▪ PROGRAM ***

UVA SUMMER AP PROGRAM

    Selected students attend a one-week, residential pre AP program at UVA Pre-AP courses taught by their AP teachers Cross-discipline sessions on writing and analytic thinking skills Residential counselor activities 16 AP ▪ CHALLENGE ▪ PROGRAM ***

IN-CLASS SUPPORT

   Teachers design engaging (culturally relevant and/or “real world connected”) curriculum Teachers seek ways to scaffold to prepare students for content of AP courses Teachers continually monitor and give feedback regarding student performance and effort 17 AP ▪ CHALLENGE ▪ PROGRAM ***

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OUT-OF-CLASS SUPPORT

 Counselors :       Host and organize peer support discussion groups Arrange structured study halls with AP teachers Provide “a listening ear” Provide tough love– Big message: You can do this. You

will do this.

Act as a liaison between students and teachers Act as student “ombudsman” AP ▪ CHALLENGE ▪ PROGRAM ***

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SOME ANECDOTES

 The student from Profile #2 came up in conversation during the last staff development, raised by a teacher new to the project who happens to have him in his class. He did not know the student was an AP Challenge Program until that day– but said that he had stood out as a great student, really dedicated and a hard worker– who wears UVa garb every day to school. AP ▪ CHALLENGE ▪ PROGRAM ***

SOME ANECDOTES

 A very traditional AP Human Geography teacher who we had LOTS of trouble convincing last year that this was worthwhile stood up during our first staff development of this year and said, “My whole mindset about teaching AP has changed as a result of teaching those kids this summer.” 20 AP ▪ CHALLENGE ▪ PROGRAM ***

SOME ANECDOTES

 An AP Biology teacher reported that her first day activity asked students to write down the thing they were most proud of in their lives. One of her AP Challenge students wrote, “Being selected to go to UVA for the AP Challenge Program.” 21 AP ▪ CHALLENGE ▪ PROGRAM ***

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SOME ANECDOTES

 During an observation of an AP English classroom, students were peer reviewing papers in groups of 4. At the end of the activity, the teacher asked students to select the best paper of the group and tell the class why it was the best. One of the groups selected Tanisha’s paper because it “had a great thesis statement and great evidence, and it just flowed.” Tanisha is an AP Challenge student.

AP ▪ CHALLENGE ▪ PROGRAM ***

Project Evaluation Categories

1. Teacher/counselor gains in providing scaffolding and support for underrepresented students in AP courses (classroom observations, teacher & counselor interviews, student surveys & interviews) 2. Impacts on students’ perceptions of themselves as scholars (student interviews and surveys prepared for AP content, AP exams, college) 3. Student achievement gains (AP exam scores, college acceptance & enrollment, AP course enrollment) 4. Development of an active, supportive community of scholars

Emerging Findings

Evaluation Category 1:

Teacher/counselor gains in providing scaffolding and support for underrepresented students in AP courses

During YII, we saw APCP teachers increasingly shifting from teacher-driven practices (lecture, Q&A discussion formats) to utilizing best curricular and instructional practices (developing and implementing PBL units, utilizing UBD in planning, directly teaching necessary background skills, engaging students’ prior knowledge and experience, hands-on activities, etc.) in their summer program courses.

During YIII, we saw APCP teachers beginning to implement these things during their regular school year AP courses.

Evaluation Category 1:

Teacher/counselor gains in providing scaffolding and support for underrepresented students in AP courses

As teachers witness other APCP teachers successfully implementing best practices in their summer curriculum, they quickly try to integrate these practices into their own classrooms.

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English Literature& Comp: The power of language- How can language free us– or enslave us?

Human Geography: Sustainability in the urban and rural landscape

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Chem/Enviro/Bio: What is the impact of humans on the environment?

U.S. History/Euro: What does democracy mean, and is it working?

Evaluation Category 1:

Teacher/counselor gains in providing scaffolding and support for underrepresented students in AP courses

Comparisons of YI ,YII, and YIII data indicate that school counselors are increasingly implementing research-based support strategies during the school year, including:

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engaging students in goal-setting, getting students together for regular breakfast meetings,

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placing students in AP teachers’ study halls, talking with teachers about APCP students, and “hounding” APCP students.

Evaluation Category 2:

Impacts on students’ perceptions of themselves as scholars (prepared for AP content, AP exams, and college)

APCP students leave the UVA summer program with high expectations for their performance in AP courses and on AP exams, and for their future college enrollment.

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100% strongly agreed (67%) or agreed (33%) that the summer program classes prepared them for future success in AP courses 94% strongly agreed (63%) or agreed (31%) that the summer program classes prepared them for future success in AP courses 81% strongly agreed (46%) or agreed (35%) that, based on their AP exam experience in spring ‘10, the summer classes provided adequate preparation for 2011 AP exams– 19% disagreed 95% reported planning to enroll in a 4-year college immediately after graduation. The other 5% indicated that they would take college courses on-line while working.

Evaluation Category 4:

Development of an active, supportive community of scholars 

The summer residential program– in which the AP teachers work closely and in small groups with the APCP students they’ll teach in the fall– seems key to relationship-building.

Evaluation Category 4:

Development of an active, supportive community of scholars    

Students have begun using our Facebook site to arrange AP Challenge “reunions” So many students who completed their 2 nd year of the APCP Summer program requested to return for a 3 rd summer that we started a “Third Year Program.” All but 4 of the original APCP students

chose to return for a third summer.

Teachers who finished their 2 nd & final year with the program have asked if they may return for a 3 rd year– without pay.

Teachers are already asking if they may “head up” the AP Challenge Program in their schools once the grant is over

Evaluation Category 4:

Development of an active, supportive community of scholars 

Teachers have begun to take “ownership” over the APCP in their schools

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After the first summer program, most APCP teachers’ perceptions of APCP students changed dramatically from “those kids don’t belong in AP” to being fierce advocates for them– this increases with every summer.

In YII, teacher committees were formed because teachers wanted to provide more opportunities for their APCP students In YII, APCP teachers arranged cross-school AP study sessions prior to the exams, inviting all AP Challenge students to attend In YIII, teachers requested permission to plan and implement a cross-school AP Challenge mid-semester check-in to which all APCP students, counselors, and teachers were invited– snacks and discussion of how things are going, what they need, etc.

Evaluation Category 3:

Student achievement gains (AP exam scores, college acceptance & enrollment, AP course enrollment)

Retention is high (91%) during the school year for APCP students in AP courses:

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In spring 2009, 45 Cohort I APCP students were identified

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41 of those 45 Cohort I students completed at least 1 AP course in the 2009 2010 school year

Re-enrollment in AP courses is high (95%) from year to year:

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Of those 41 students, 39 returned for a second summer at UVA and enrolled in at least 1 AP course for the 2010-2011 year– 3 in 4 courses, 4 in 3 courses, 13 in 2 courses, and 19 in 1 course.

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In the 2009-2010 school year, 4 of the 41 APCP students were enrolled in AP science courses; none in math.

In the 2010-2011 school year, 25 of the returning 39 students took AP math and science courses.

Evaluation Category 3:

Student achievement gains (AP exam scores, college acceptance & enrollment, AP course enrollment)   No significant differences on AP exam scores first year  BUT discovered random assignment did not result in equal schools  Second year data not yet received due to school policies on release of data Out of the original Cohort 1 students, 1/5 students going on to 4-year institutions.

th graduated in Spring of 2011. All applied to between 2-4 colleges and universities; all were accepted by at least 2… all but 2 of the

Findings from the Third Year Program

   This novel approach was easier for some teachers than others; some students had appropriate responsibilities such as leading small group discussions, maintaining student engagement in class, giving one-on-one attention during feedback and revision times. Others not as well used: “I

carried things.”

To be even more successful, students report wanting increased responsibility/involvement and more time with the teachers. Students reported returning for the third year because of:  their enjoyment of the first two summer program years,    a desire to be reunited with the friends they had made during their previous years in the program encouragement from their parents or their school, the opportunity to be a TA and to help other students in the APC program.

Teachers' perception of working with the TAs

:

Student voice is so important. Listening to students who have recently taken the AP course and test give advice to those new to the class was a true lesson for me. It also confirmed my belief that building relationships with students is the most powerful tool available to us. The best practices that exist are essentially meaningless when the relationship is not there. Watching the TA's and their reliance on building connections reminded me of that.

I'd like to see the TAs involved more in developing the curriculum and guiding the process of student learning. I think the students probably have ideas about how to interact with content in a more creative and engaging way.

So What?

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Students cite guidance counselor “hounding” as critical to their remaining in AP courses Students and teachers cite the development of a close relationship with each other during the summer program as key to student confidence, enjoyment and success within AP courses Our data indicate that teachers’ development of a close relationship with students during the summer positively impacts their willingness to try new things in the classroom and their perception of the capacity of these students to succeed in AP courses Our data indicate that the most dramatic and immediate changes to teacher practices resulted from seeing their teacher colleagues utilizing new approaches successfully