Welcome WILLIS INDEPENDENT SCHOOL DISTRICT PRE-ADVANCED PLACEMENT PARENT & FAMILY INFORMATION NIGHT APRIL 4, 2017 TEACHING & LEARNING DEPARTMENT
Advanced Placement (AP ) COLLEGE-LEVEL COURSES OFFERED IN HIGH SCHOOL (USUALLY JUNIOR AND SENIOR YEAR) COURSE STANDARDS DEVELOPED BY THE COLLEGE BOARD TEACHERS COURSE SYLLABI APPROVED THROUGH AUDIT PROCESS
Pre-Advanced Placement (Pre-AP ) Courses designed to prepare students for success in AP courses. Courses designed to engage students in active, high-level learning through which they develop the skills, habits of mind, and concepts needed to succeed in college. Unlike AP, College Board does not set standards, approve courses, or offer exams for Pre-AP.
Pre-Advanced Placement (Pre-AP ) These courses move at a faster pace require more independent learning more critical thinking and analysis of content may require more homework
Pre-AP Curriculum in Willis ISD Built upon the core academic curriculum- TEKS/CCRS Academically advanced course of study Curriculum objectives Resources Performance expectations Developed with a concentration on building the student s capacity to understand and interact with rigorous content
English Language Arts & Reading
English/Language Arts & Reading 6th 7th 8th 9th 10th 11th 12th Pre-AP English Language Arts & Reading Pre-AP English Language Arts & Reading Pre-AP English Language Arts & Reading Pre-AP English I Pre-AP English II AP English Language and Composition AP English Literature and Composition
Pre-AP English Language Arts & Reading Summer Reading Project due completed on the 1st day of instruction in August Students in each grade level (6th, 7th, or 8th) have their choice of two texts from which to read and respond 6th Grade: Wonder by R.J. Palacio or City of Ember by Jeanne DuPrau with Character Diary and Text Summary 7th Grade: Dark Water Rising by Marian Hale or that Ends the Night: Voices from the Titanic by Allan Wolf with Character Diary 8th Grade: Seeing Red by Kathryn Erskine or The Giver by Lois Lowry with a Reader s Response all texts available at Montgomery County Public Libraries, Amazon.com, Amazon Kindle Store, Barnes&Noble, Walmart.com
Social Studies
Social Studies 6th 7th 8th 9th 10th 11th 12th Pre-AP World Cultures Pre-AP Texas History Pre-AP U.S. History Pre-AP World Geography AP World History AP U.S. History AP Government/AP Economics
Science
Science 6th 7th 8th 9th Pre-AP Science Pre-AP Science Pre-AP Science Pre-AP Biology 10th Pre-AP Chemistry 11th Pre-AP Physics 12th AP Physics, AP Chemistry, AP Biology
Mathematics
Mathematics 6 th 7 th Pre-AP Math (accelerated 6 th /7th curriculum) Pre-AP Math (accelerated 7 th /8 th curriculum) 8 th Algebra I* 9 th 10 th 11 th 12 th Pre-AP Geometry Pre-AP Algebra II Pre-AP Pre-Calculus or DC College Algebra AP Calculus or DC College Algebra * High school course in middle school for high school credit, but not weighted
Mathematics.A Special Case Goal of Pre-AP Mathematics in grades 6 and 7: success in Algebra I in 8th grade Accelerated curriculum in 6th and 7th grades 6 th grade Pre-AP math includes all of 6 th grade math and 2/3 7 th grade math 7 th grade Pre-AP math includes 1/3 of 7 th grade math and all of 8 th grade math.
STAAR & End of Course (EOC) Assessments What tests will my 8 th grade student take if they are enrolled in Algebra 1? When will my student take the 8th grade Math STAAR?
College Board s Equity Policy Statement make equitable access a guiding principle for their AP programs by giving all willing and academically prepared students the opportunity to participate in AP. students should have access to academically challenging course work before they enroll in AP classes, which can prepare them for AP success.
WISD Criteria for Success Pass previous school year state assessment (STAAR and/or EOC) Positive teacher recommendation Read on grade-level or above Meet 90%+ attendance requirement Maintain 80-85% grade average in core content courses* *ongoing expectations for Pre-AP students; 80% for High School and 85% for Middle School
Pre-AP Performance Student, Parents/Families, and teachers will sign a course commitment form pertaining to expectations leading to success (see handout)
Pre-AP Performance Students may exit* at the end of the 1 st semester after completing a Petition for Pre-AP Course Exit procedure: Parent/student/teacher conference Completion of all missing course work Attendance at course tutorials Criteria will be monitored by teachers, campus, and district personnel for continued participation in the program. A probation period of one marking period will be conducted should a student fall below criteria expectations.
Pre-AP Performance In the case of the Advanced Math track, students may not exit the track after the completion of first semester in 7th grade due to completion of all of the seventh grade Math curriculum by that time. PLEASE NOTE: students who elect to take a PreAP course for which there is no on-level academic equivalent may be required to remain in the course for the year.
Questions