AP World Language Two Year Cycle

1. AP World Language Two Year Cycle February 22nd, 2011

2. AP World Language Content Team • Karin Awve – German Teacher, West • Hope Bautista – Spanish Teacher, West • Colleen Dardis – Spanish Teacher, East • Margaret Patrias – Spanish Teacher, West • Fiona Rowe – French Teacher, East • Neil Sheaffer – Latin Teacher East/West • Alexandra Smith – French Teacher, West • Eva Tuinstra – German Teacher, East

3. Curriculum Audit • 2009-2010 School Year • Curriculum Expert – Helena Curtain • Recommendation – Strengthen our program through more rigor by implementing AP courses

4. What other area districts have AP world language courses? • Whitefish Bay • Shorewood • Cedarburg • Nicolet • Homestead • Greendale • Grafton • Franklin/Oak Creek

5. How does it support district initiatives? • District goals – All students will take an AP course • Long Range Plan – K-12 World Language Initiative. – Promotes success to achieve higher levels of proficiency and ease of language learning based on an earlier start and long-term study. • Expansion of AP offerings across the district’s content areas.

6. How does it differ from our current levels? • The AP program will help students become more proficient by emphasizing integrated skills and by using authentic resources. • Our current program prepares students well for university placement exams. The AP courses will prepare students for not only these exams but also the AP exam. • The AP courses will increase the students’ overall proficiency in the language and will test what they really know and can do.

7. How will this help students prepare for college? • According to AP Central http://apcentral.collegeboard.com “Studies have shown that the rigor of a student's high school curriculum is the single best predictor of success in college.” • AP Courses: • Cover the breadth of information, skills, and assignments found in corresponding college courses • Align with the standards and expectations offered at leading liberal arts and research institutions • Provide motivated and academically prepared students the opportunity to study and learn at the college level

8. Evidence of success • Keng and Dodd (2008) found that students who took AP language classes achieved higher in college, whether or not they received college credit after taking the exam. • http://professionals.collegeboard.com/profdownload/pdf/08_1789_RD.ResearchReport_Web_081230.pdf

9. Standards and Benchmarks • Our standards and benchmarks were revised this year to fit AP expectations. • The standards incorporative the “5 Cs” of the National and State World Language Standards: Communication, Culture, Connections, Comparisons and Communities. • The standards are easy for high school students to understand.

10. Our goal • The AP program will strengthen student language proficiency through using authentic materials and integrated skills. • It will better prepare students to succeed in our 21st century global society. • It will give students greater options upon entering college.

11. What will our program look like? • The program will include a two-year cycle. Level 5 will be Pre-AP and Level 6 will be AP for French, German and Spanish. • The labels will not apply until the 2012-2013 school year because an AP Curriculum Audit is necessary in order to utilize the AP designation. This will be completed by January 31st, 2012.

12. Latin • Changes in the Latin AP program will be effective for the 2012-2013 school year. Different texts will be required. AP Latin differs from other WL AP tests. • Selections from Vergil’s Aeneid will be reduced while selections from Caesar’s De Bello Gallicowill be added. • Texts for the New Curriculum are not yet available, but will be by January 31, 2012. Text purchasing will happen then.

13. Process • The AP content team was formed after the 2009-2010 World Language curriculum audit. • We have met four times since October 2010. At our meetings, we worked with Beth Erenberger to develop our action plan, gather resources and review sample curricula. • Spanish teachers received AP training in October 2010. German and French teachers will receive training in March 2011.

14. Resources • Using a textbook evaluation rubric, we reviewed and selected resources that aligned with our standards and benchmarks and those of the AP College Board.

15. French Resources • Reprise – Glencoe – Grammar resource • Barron’s AP – How to Prepare for the AP French Examination – Barron – AP Test Preparation Resource • Tresors du Temps – Glencoe – Literature and Grammar resource • Les Choristes: Le journal de Clement Mathieu – Seuil – Literature (Novel) • Le Malade Imaginaire -- La Rousse – Literature (Novel)

16. German Resources • Handbuch zur Deutschen Grammatik- Heinle/Cengage Learning -- Grammar Text and Workbook • THEMEN AKTUELL 2&3 -- HUEBER VERLAG

17. Spanish Resources • Galería de arte y vida – Glencoe/McGraw Hill – Vocabulary, literature and culture resource • Abriendo paso: Gramática – Pearson/Prentice Hall -- Grammar resource • AP Spanish: Preparing for the Language Examination – Prentice Hall – Test-preparation resource

18. Implementation Plan • Choose materials • Develop syllabi to be approved by the college board. • Summer curriculum development • Submit materials for AP Course Audit by January 31st, 2012 • After completion of the two-year cycle, we will examine the AP scores of our students to reevaluate our program. • Training, collaboration and evaluation of course content will be ongoing.

19. Staff Development • One-day training during the 2010-2011 school year. • Potential school visits • Release time to write curriculum. • PLC time to develop common assessments and to evaluate student progress.

20. How will our program benefit all students? • There is a fee reduction for students who cannot afford the AP test. • There is a stronger curriculum in levels 1-4, which will help all students be able to achieve at a higher level. • The World Language curriculum naturally invokes multiple intelligences, including interpersonal, intrapersonal, linguistic and spatial. • Students with special needs are given testing accommodations.