When the College Board announced the new AP® Precalculus course, our Academic Program staff took a close look at the course materials. We polled our consortium schools to find out where AP® Precalculus might fit into their math sequence, and what their thoughts were about offering the course on their own campus. Taking all the data into account, the Academic Program felt confident AP® Precalculus could be an important part of our Summer session. Here’s our thinking, and why we’re excited to be one of the first providers offering AP® Precalculus.
The pandemic has a long tail. Students entering 12th grade in Fall 2024 were in 8th grade at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. The current cohort of high school students had their middle school learning upended–in exactly the years when students make the shift to more complex mathematical concepts. Which leads to the problem that... Access to Calculus is determined as early as sixth grade. In traditional math sequences, students typically complete Algebra I in eighth grade to prepare for senior year Calculus. This pathway, common in independent schools, usually splits Algebra I concepts between seventh and eighth grades, meaning sixth graders are sorted into either Algebra I or pre-Algebra tracks. Remember, our current high school students were in early middle school at the peak of the pandemic, struggling with crisis distance learning, or experiencing pandemic-related trauma – both of which impacted students’ ability to learn. In other words, our current high school students were tracked at the moment when they were most challenged, and more than a few of them were likely tracked out of classes where they could have succeeded in less complex times. At the same time, if ninth grade is an entry point, you may well be admitting students who never had access to Algebra I in middle school–nationally, only 24% of eighth grade students take Algebra I. Equitable high school programs want to make sure every student has a road to Calculus, because... Students need AP® Calculus, or its equivalent, to be considered for highly selective colleges and universities. As applicant pools swell, highly selective undergraduate programs are looking for ways to cut down on the number of applicants they consider seriously. Traditionally, SAT scores did some of that work. As many selective colleges and universities have continued with test-optional policies post-pandemic, that’s no longer a universal marker. At many schools, an AP® Calculus course (or its equivalent) has become an unofficial requirement. This presents a problem to students who have the potential to succeed in Calculus but aren’t on schedule to take it in high school. If they try to switch tracks, there's a gap between what they know and what they need to succeed in the higher track. Summer AP® Precalculus in the Academic Program solves this problem because... The Summer AP® Precalculus course makes it possible for students to complete a full year of course content in the summer and move up into the track for AP® Calculus (or its equivalent). AP® Precalculus covers the topics students need for college-level Calculus courses like AP® Calculus AB and AP® Calculus BC. When students complete this course in the Summer Academic Program at One Schoolhouse, they’ll be able to bridge the gap. This ensures that students who have the potential for success in Calculus aren’t held back by the challenges of learning during the pandemic. It also levels the playing field for students who never had access to Algebra I in middle school. By enrolling in AP® Precalculus, these students complete four years of math courses before they begin twelfth grade, ready to enroll in AP® Calculus or its equivalent. Finally, we’re offering AP® Precalculus because we’re confident our students will be well-prepared for the AP® Exam. Students will continue to practice their Precalculus skills throughout the academic year in their AP® Calculus course. They’ll also maintain access to online support and exam prep materials through the national AP® Exam date in May 2025. Learn more about AP® Precalculus in the Summer Academic Program at One Schoolhouse.
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We’re marking the start of Arab-American Heritage Month by talking about the importance of recognizing and celebrating the richness and diversity of the Arab-American experience–this month and all through the year. At One Schoolhouse, we recognize observances and holidays that center the voices and experiences of historically excluded peoples in the United States. Our goal is to lift up the words of others who share our commitment to learning, and to build for belonging. To learn more about these newsletters, read our blog post on how and why we acknowledge.
The History of Arab-American Heritage Month: The campaign for a national recognition of Arab-American heritage began in 2017. In 2021, National Arab American Heritage Month was first proclaimed by President Biden in 2021. In 2023, the month was also recognized by 47 state governors. Observe Arab-American Heritage Month at your school: Visit PBS’s Arab-American Heritage Month resources to share stories from across the Arab-American experience. Their articles and resources include subjects like one mother’s experience in the Syrian conflict, Somali poetry, and Jinn, mystical beings from Islamic beliefs and Arabic mythology. Listen to Arab-American Voices: Linda Sayed is an assistant professor of comparative cultures and politics at Michigan State University, where she is also a core faculty member of the Muslim Studies Program. She writes, “Growing up Arab and Muslim in the U.S. was to live by omission… To be Arab and Muslim in a post-9/11 world is to exist under a microscope… As a scholar of the Middle East, I push for change by rewriting the story.” As students complete their course selections for the next school year, they’re imagining the perfect schedule. Every year, academic advisors hear students say, “I just wish we had this course.” Educators know every school’s course catalog is limited, and no one school can be all things to all students. Things get even more complicated when it’s time to build an actual schedule that has to meet a host of logistical demands like classroom availability, crossover teachers, part-time employees, and enrollment numbers.
Every educator who builds their school’s schedule wants to meet all their students’ requests. Every experienced schedule builder knows that’s just not possible. Given these challenges, how can Academic Leaders make sure they're providing the best and most flexible schedule to match students' interests and needs? When your school partners with the Academic Program at One Schoolhouse, you don’t have to be limited by teaching loads, section sizes that are too large or too small, or two single-section courses meeting at the same time. Instead, you can provide the flexibility and the full range of courses that individual students need by offering online asynchronous courses. Asynchronous work allows students to have a personalized experience that aligns to their learning preferences. One student can watch a video to learn a new concept, while another reads a selection from a textbook. And asynchronous assignments don’t have to be self-paced or solitary. Shared weekly due dates ensure that although students complete assignments at the time that works for them, they’re mastering the same content that their classmates are learning. As a result, students have regular opportunities for collaboration and conversation, like writing skits to practice vocabulary and grammar in language courses, or collecting data for a social psychology experiment. Our courses are designed and built by a faculty of experienced independent school teachers who are experts in their fields. (94% of them hold advanced degrees!) We help them to become exceptional online instructors by training them to build online connections with students, effective online communication, and technological acumen. When schools use online asynchronous courses strategically, they’re not limited by classroom space, staffing, or singleton sections. It becomes possible for a student to take two courses that meet at the same time, and financially sustainable for a school to offer an advanced math course for just three students. When students pick next year’s courses, they dream big, but the reality of scheduling makes compromise seem inevitable. It doesn’t have to be that way. As you prepare for the upcoming academic year, discover the possibilities available through a partnership with One Schoolhouse's Academic Program. You can expand your course catalog and make your schedule more flexible–all while allowing students to enroll in even more courses that help them achieve their goals and ignite their passion. |
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April 2024
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