May 1, 2012

SUMMER INSTITUTES OFFER EDUCATORS ADVANCED PLACEMENT TRAINING

Advanced Placement (AP) courses allow high school students to earn college credits.  But there are benefits beyond the head start AP courses give them.  Studies consistently demonstrate high school students who participate in AP courses are less likely to need remedial courses and more likely to succeed in their postsecondary pursuits.

Therefore, as we seek to better prepare our students for postsecondary success, the Louisiana Department of Education is implementing a five-year plan to increase both the number of AP courses offered and the number of students enrolled in AP courses.  A key part of implementing this AP initiative is expanding the opportunities you have to become trained to teach AP courses.  Specifically, the LDOE is providing the following AP training opportunities:

• First, Local Educational Agencies (LEAs) that are participating in Race to the Top Phase 3 will have the opportunity to enroll their teachers in College Board Advanced Placement Summer Institutes during June and July.  Additionally, these LEAs will have the opportunity to send leadership teams to the Advanced Placement Summer Institute for Administrators.  These trainings will be provided at no charge to the LEA. 

• Other LEAs will have the opportunity to send teachers to Laying the Foundation (LTF) trainings.  The LTF program provides math, science, and English teachers with the content knowledge, teaching strategies, and assessments required to prepare students to take on AP-level coursework.  The program provides instruction on how to teach higher-order thinking skills, as well as strategies to incorporate the Common Core State Standards.  LTF materials can be integrated into any curriculum to raise instructional rigor.  During the week of July 9-13, training will be held in the Southern region; during the week of July 22-26, training will be held in the Northern region.  We will have more information, including the location of these trainings, to share with you in our next newsletter. 

In accordance with State Travel Regulations, the LDOE will pay registration fees and travel for teachers for costs associated with their attendance at these trainings.  The Department will fund registration fees for administrators participating in the AP trainings.  However, in an effort to support this initiative, LEAs are asked to cover travel expenses for administrators.

An information webinar was held today, May 1, 2012, at 10:00 a.m. and another will be held Thursday, May 3, 2012, at 10:00 a.m. Information for accessing the webinars is below.

AP Application

AP Webinar Information

AP Expansion Memo

Should you have any questions or need more information, please contact Dr. Tiffanye McCoy-Thomas at tmccoy.thomas@la.gov or (225) 219-0451.

MODEL OF SUCCESS: LAYING THE FOUNDATION 

TWO LINCOLN PARISH HIGH SCHOOL ENGLISH TEACHERS SHARE THEIR EXPERIENCES

By:       Julie Stephenson, 2011 Louisiana High School Teacher of the Year

Emily Howell, 2012 Louisiana High School Teacher of the Year

Professional development should be about shifting fixed mindsets and equipping teachers to challenge all students at all levels.  The single most important professional development experience for both of us has been and will continue to be our Laying the Foundation (LFT) training.  We believe in its transformative power.

Truly though what speaks the loudest for the benefits of LTF are the comments made by our students, such as the following sentiment by junior Kari Hackbarth:

"Rigorous curriculum isn't busy work.  It's the things that make you think for yourself."

Before Laying the Foundation training, Ruston High School (RHS) had a School Performance Score (SPS) of 92, and in 2011 the score was 119.7.  We have gone from being a C school to being three-tenths of a point away from an A school. Average teachers have become extraordinary, and average students are now passing AP exams and reaching College Readiness Benchmarks on the ACT.  This drastic improvement marks the beginning of our quest to see all our students are college or career ready.

Not only has LTF helped to dramatically increase our SPS at RHS, but we also feel confident about adding value to our students' education.  LTF has instilled in us the philosophy that all students can achieve at a high level given the appropriate scaffolding, and LTF empowers us with quality resources, lessons, strategies, and assessments-all of which are perfectly aligned with the demands of the Common Core State Standards.

Teachers may have many opportunities for professional development, but if teachers pass up this invaluable experience, funded by the Louisiana Department of Education, then they will miss out on the best professional development of their careers.

LOUISIANA TO FUND ACT SERIES FOR ALL STUDENTS IN GRADES 8-11

AP AND ACT EMBEDDED IN LOUISIANA'S PROPOSED SCHOOL ACCOUNTABILITY MODEL

LOUISIANA NAMES 2013 TEACHER OF THE YEAR FINALISTS

The Louisiana Department of Education has announced the 24 regional finalists for the 2013 Teacher of the Year.  These finalists, along with 15 Principal of the Year finalists, will be honored during the Sixth Annual Cecil J. Picard Educator Excellence Symposium and Celebration in July, when Louisiana's Elementary, Middle and High School Teachers and Principals of the Year are named, along with Louisiana's 2013 Teacher of the Year.