The Center for Gifted Studies at WKU held the 30th annual Advanced Placement Summer Institute from June 23-28.
This summer, 450 teachers from 93 Kentucky school districts, eight Kentucky private schools, three Kentucky Diocese, 17 states and three countries participated in the weeklong institute at WKU.
Among them were Russellville High School teachers Eve Meyer and Bethanie Hargett-Slack and Logan County’s Carrie Kelley, Samuel Kessler, Grant Warren, Tammi Jones, Joan Mohon, Amanda Coursey and Emily Lee.
Endorsed by the College Board, The Center’s AP Institute offered 26 workshops for both beginning and experienced Advanced Placement teachers.
AP Institute consultants are experienced Advanced Placement teachers who have demonstrated their ability to help other teachers prepare to teach AP classes. Many are table readers, table leaders, test writers and even text authors for AP exams.
Teachers left this year’s Institute with a wealth of resources and new ideas they could take home with them and immediately implement in their classrooms. At the AP Summer Institute, teachers embrace the concept of providing a quality learning environment for their students by first challenging themselves to become better educators.
Benefits of an Advanced Placement Education
In order for high-ability students to feel academically challenged in secondary schools, many choose to take AP courses. Success in an Advanced Placement classroom is often an indicator of success in the future.
- College students who have not taken an AP course have only a 33 percent chance of completing a Bachelor’s Degree
- College students who have completed one Advanced Placement course have a 59 percent chance of completing a Bachelor’s Degree
- College students who have completed two or more AP courses have a 76% chance of completing a Bachelor’s Degree
– Statistics from Answers in the Tool Box: Academic Intensity, Attendance Patterns, and Bachelor’s Attainment
Challenging Teachers
Students can’t do it alone. As part of an ongoing effort to help schools meet the needs of high-ability students, The Center for Gifted Studies at Western Kentucky University is pleased to offer the Advanced Placement Summer Institute. Since 1984, the Advanced Placement Summer Institute has assisted teachers in better understanding the demands of AP classrooms and high-ability learners. Consultants are experienced AP teachers who have demonstrated their ability to help other teachers prepare to teach Advanced Placement classes. Many are table readers, table leaders, test writers and even text authors for AP exams. The AP Summer Institute is endorsed by the College Board.
At the Institute, teachers are able to establish relationships with other teachers. One teacher remarked, “I learned a tremendous amount, and I will use it in my classes. I have a new ‘best’ friend as a source of info – actually several new friends to network!” As teachers have the opportunity to engage in professional development, they transfer their passion and commitment to learning to their students. Research by the College Board showed that “86 percent [of participants] indicate changing their instruction based on what they learned, and a quarter indicated that they followed up with a colleague they met there.”
AP teachers enjoy challenging their students, but they also relish pushing themselves to new levels. “I learned so much on Day 1,” a participant said, “that I could have ‘survived’ just from that.” At the AP Summer Institute, teachers embrace the notion of providing a quality learning environment for their students by first challenging themselves to become better educators.