GRANT INFORMATION

UNDERSTANDING THE AP GRANT

The AP Incentive Grant program has collaborated with the Comprehensive School Reform (CSR) program to offer AP Incentive grant funding to CSR schools who accepted the invitation to participate. CSR schools are Title I or Title I eligible.

It is important to note that low income students are defined as those meeting free or reduced-price lunch criteria. Schools in poverty are defined by the number of low-income students in attendance at a particular school. Therefore, a Title 1 school must have the following:

  1. A percentage of low-income students that is at least as high as the district's overall percentage
  2. Have at least 35 percent low-income students (whichever is the lower of the two figures)

See Answers to FAQs Regarding Title I for more information


GRANT GOAL

  • To increase student enrollment in AP online courses, including Chinese.
  • To provide online AP courses and online Pre-AP courses, including Chinese I-III to prepare students for rigorous academic work.
  • To provide staff development in vertical teaming to middle and high school teachers to improve teaching quality, increase rigor of Pre-AP courses and vertically align curriculum in English, mathematics, social studies, and science
  • To develop and provide summer Pre-AP academies for middle school students. The institutes will serve approximately 1220 students; middle school teachers will develop instructional activities based on vertical team training and "Habits of Mind".
  • To increase the number of AP courses offered in targeted districts by paying tuition for two secondary teachers from each system to attend a College Board endorsed summer institute in their certification area.
  • To increase parental and business community involvement by promoting Pre-AP and AP courses by linking this initiative to an on going State Scholars Initiative (the SSI initiative has been terminated however, parental and business community involvement will still be promoted).


GRANT OBJECTIVES AND TIMELINE

YEAR 1 TIMELINE ACTIVITY
2007-2008 Fall 2007
(September)
  • The grant will pay for up to 20 teachers per system to participate in two days of vertical team training in September 2007 for math, social studies, science and English language arts. There will be an additional day of follow up in the spring of 2008.
  • The College Board has designed training for middle school teachers to team-teach with high schools to promote vertical alignment for the AP courses.
  • The College Board will provide training. DPI will pay all expenses for training and food. Trainings will be held at a site in the eastern and the western part of the state. Renewal credit will be given for completion of the training.
  • The school will receive $125.00 per day per teacher to cover expenses for substitutes. The school pays for hotel and travel; your CSR funds may be used for that.
    		•
    2007-2008 Summer 2007
  • Up to 2 teachers from each high school will attend a College Board approved summer institute. DPI will cover tuition and hotel. The school pays for travel and food; your CSR funds may be used for that.
  • NOTE: we are developing on-line courses for Chinese 1, 2, 3 & 4, and AP Chinese that will be deployed through the Virtual High School. Schools will have free access to this.
    		•
    YEAR 2TIMELINEACTIVITY
    2008-2009 Summer 2008
  • A 3-day summer institute on Bloom's revised taxonomy will be held for up to a combination of 20 teachers participating from the cluster of each high school and its feeder middle school(s). Each teacher will receive a $125.00 per day honorarium. DPI will cover tuition and hotel. The school pays for travel; food and your CSR funds may be used for that.
  • Up to 2 teachers from each high school will attend a College Board approved summer institute. DPI will cover tuition and hotel. The school pays for travel and food; your CSR funds may be used for that.
  • The LEA hosts at least a 3-day summer experience for 20 middle school students (grades 6-8). Teachers will take this opportunity to use the Bloom's taxonomy to help students to be ready for the rigor in the middle and high school courses leading up to the AP courses. Schools should target student groups that are usually underrepresented among those taking AP courses. The LEA will receive $3,500 per participating middle/high school cluster to cover expenses or $125.00 per student for the summer experience.
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    YEAR 2TIMELINEACTIVITY
    2009-2010 Summer 2009
  • A summer institute on "Habits of Mind" (a 2-day initial training and a 1-day follow up) will be held. Each teacher will receive a $125.00 per day honorarium. DPI will cover tuition and hotel. The school pays for travel and food; your CSR funds may be used for that.
  • Up to 2 teachers from each high school will attend a College Board approved summer institute. DPI will cover tuition and hotel. The school pays for travel and food; your CSR funds may be used for that.
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