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Here Are Some Answers About SpringBoard

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TBO.com

Published: March 6, 2009

What is the new program this school year in Hillsborough middle and high schools?

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.

What are Advanced Placement classes?

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 County Schools 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.

How are students chosen to take AP classes?

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 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 the PSAT.

How does EXCELerator change teaching?

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.

Which students do not have SpringBoard classes?

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 do not have SpringBoard classes in those subjects. Only a sixth-grade intensive remedial class, career and hospital homebound and alternative education classes do not have the SpringBoard program. Most of those will have it next year. Nearly all middle school students take English and math with SpringBoard lessons.

What else is involved?

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.

How do teachers prepare?

About 1,800 English and math teachers for grades six through 12 and guidance counselors were paid for four days of training last summer. One-day training has continued during the school year for those who did not have the original training. Next summer, all SpringBoard teachers will participate in two days of training on changes.

Why now?

Hillsborough received a $2.4 million grant from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation to try a pilot SpringBoard program for the 2007-08 school year 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.

Do the grants pay the full cost?

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

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

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

What are the programs that 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 intended to make learning more engaging as it builds higher-level thinking skills.

AVID - The Advancement Via Individual Determination program gives 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 have access to an online program for help in preparing for occupations.

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

Source: Hillsborough County Schools.

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