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Hillsborough Schools Try Out College Prep Program

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By MARILYN BROWN | The Tampa Tribune

Published: August 1, 2008

Hillsborough County public schools have adopted a new program designed to better prepare students for college by directing them into more Advanced Placement classes and teaching them higher-order thinking skills.

Q. When does it start?

A. Aug. 18 in all middle and high schools.

Q. What is the program?

A. The overall program is named EXCELerator. It is created and sold by College Board, the same company that produces and sells Advanced Placement courses and tests and the PSAT and SAT college entrance exams.

Q. What are Advanced Placement classes?

A. They are considered college-level coursework with uniform curriculum and tests used nationwide. Students earn course credit at most colleges if they score at least a 3 out of 5 on the AP test in any of 37 courses.

In Florida, school districts get extra money for students taking AP classes. The state also pays AP test fees and pays AP teachers $50 for each student who scores 3 or above on the AP tests, up to $2,000 a year. Teachers at schools graded D or F by the state may earn $500 if at least one of their students scores 3 or above on an AP exam.

Hillsborough Superintendent MaryEllen Elia also earns annual bonus money for increases in both numbers of students taking AP courses and those making at least a 3 on the exams. As long as a student passes an AP course, he or she earns high school credit and more weight is given toward grade-point average.

Q. How are students chosen to take AP classes?

A. Teacher recommendation and test scores are used, but results of the PSAT, the preliminary SAT test designed to determine college potential, are a key factor. The state of Florida pays for all 10th-graders to take the test and Hillsborough County pays for all ninth-graders to take it. In 2008-09, the district also will pay for all 11th-graders to take it.

Q. How does EXCELerator change teaching?

A. English and math classes are taught with a program called SpringBoard — specific lesson plans that include hands-on activities, thick workbooks with short readings, games, charts and assignments, and interactive group projects including drama, poetry and multimedia presentations. The program is touted as being more rigorous.

Q. Which students will not have SpringBoard classes?

A. Advanced Placement classes, which can earn college credit, have their own curriculum and tests. Therefore, high school juniors and seniors taking AP English and math will not have SpringBoard classes in those subjects. Remedial, or intensive, reading and math classes do not have the SpringBoard program, but those students also will take traditional English and math classes with SpringBoard lessons at the same time. Nearly all middle school students will take English and math with SpringBoard lessons.

Q. What else is involved?

A. A second part of the program involves academic coaching and an elective class for a limited number of students targeted as capable of doing higher-level work with additional help. It's called AVID, or Advancement Via Individual Determination. There is also online access to college and career planning and teacher training through other aspects of EXCELerator.

Q. How do teachers learn about the program?

A. About 1,800 English and math teachers for grades six through 12 and guidance counselors will be paid for four days of training this summer or just before classes start in August. Training will continue during the school year and some schools will have teachers certified to teach SpringBoard to help new teachers.

Q. Why now?

A. Hillsborough received a $2.4 million grant a year ago from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation to pilot the program in the 2007-08 school year for SpringBoard in four high schools. The district then applied for and received three federal grants totaling $30 million over five years to put the program in all middle and high schools beginning in 2008-09.

Q. Do the grants pay the full cost?

A. District officials say they will. The four grants should cover ongoing training for teachers and guidance counselors, and materials and workshops for more than 85,000 students over five years.

Q. How will we know if it works?

A. The district's goal is to dramatically increase the percentage of underrepresented students in honors and AP classes and reduce the dropout rate countywide.

Students are taking more AP courses. In 2006-07, Hillsborough students took 15,066 AP exams with 6,787 doing well enough to earn college credit. During this past spring, 19,247 took AP classes, although some students take more than one AP class. For the 2008-09 school year, 24,500 have enrolled in AP classes. Hillsborough's passing rate for AP tests is about 45 percent compared with the national average of 50 percent to 55 percent.

Q. How will this help students in the bottom quartile academically who struggle and often drop out of school?

A. District officials contend that the more engaging activities will get them more interested in school and help develop higher-level thinking skills.

PROGRAMS

Here are what make up Hillsborough schools' EXCELerator program:

SpringBoard — A hands-on method of teaching English and math designed to prepare middle and high school students for Advanced Placement classes and, eventually, college. It is supposed to make learning more engaging as it builds higher-level thinking skills.

AVID — The Advancement Via Individual Determination program will give a small percentage of students in middle and high schools an elective support class each day for tutoring and help in note taking, organization and college preparation.

MyRoad — Students who have taken the PSAT will have access to an online program for help in preparing for occupations, including information from people in those jobs.

College Ed — Eighth- and ninth-graders and their parents will receive information and access to online resources about college applications, financial aid and college life. Available in Spanish and English.

Source: Hillsborough County Schools

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