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Implementing Pre-AP for Administrators

Best practices for ensuring that your school’s Pre-AP program runs smoothly

Before the Academic Year

Build Consensus

Before implementing Pre-AP, we recommend getting buy-in from all stakeholders, especially your teachers: 

  • Share course information with instructional leads to gather their input.
  • Introduce the components and requirements of the Pre-AP Program to teachers, parents, and Pre-AP administrators (which includes anyone supporting Pre-AP implementation at the school or district and can include the Pre-AP coordinator, Pre-AP administrator, instructional coach, or any non-teaching instructional support role) utilizing these meeting resources.
  • Consider hosting a Pre-AP Readiness Workshop to better understand the foundations of Pre-AP.
  • Review the Considerations for Pre-AP Readiness document to understand how to best prepare for Pre-AP.
  • Determine your school’s or district’s approach to the Pre-AP for All requirement using the Pre-AP for All Planning Guide.

Create and Prepare Your Pre-AP Team

After the decision is made to implement Pre-AP, here’s what to do next:

  • Determine who your Pre-AP coordinator and your Pre-AP Course Audit administrator will be. It’s important that the Course Audit administrator be available during the summer months.
  • Teachers should be familiar with the frameworks, found on each course page, before they begin the required professional learning so schedule time with teachers to review course frameworks within and across grades and subjects.
  • Make sure counselors understand the best practices and what might change for students so they can answer questions from students and parents.

Support Professional Learning Completion

  • It is recommended that all new Pre-AP teachers and the current Pre-AP coordinator from each school complete professional learning, and are encouraged to take advantage of additional optional professional learning offerings.
  • Administrators are strongly encouraged to engage in professional learning to support their Pre-AP implementation.
  • Use the Site Planning with Pre-AP Teachers facilitator guide to debrief the foundational learning experience with your teachers. This resource can be found in Pre-AP Classroom under Leader Resources.
  • Returning Pre-AP teachers and administrators are encouraged to engage with professional learning.

Manage Digital Support

  • As soon as Pre-AP Classroom opens on June 1, get familiar with it, and explore the resources you can access there.
  • Create a technology plan to support student and teacher use of Pre-AP Classroom. Share this plan with your Pre-AP coordinator.

Facilitate Instructional Support

  • Explore Pre-AP Classroom for each course to find teacher guides, student materials, assessments, and professional learning modules. Standards crosswalks for select states are available on Pre-AP Classroom under the respective courses.
  • Pre-AP isn’t a curriculum so review your current course curriculum with your teachers. Let them know they’ll still need it. Use the Instructional Planning Guides (found on the course pages or in Pre-AP Classroom) to create customized course roadmaps.

Solicit Community Support

  • Use Pre-AP outreach resources to plan effective and timely outreach activities for the entire school community. See the sample meeting resources in the Resource Library.

During the Academic Year

Successful implementation will benefit from support throughout the academic year. Make sure your College Board account preferences are set to receive Pre-AP Monthly Newsletters to stay up to date on program information.

Facilitate Instructional Support

  • Visit Pre-AP classrooms. Provide instructional support to teachers using the shared principles instructional practices.
  • Encourage teachers to plan together so they can ensure curricular resources are aligned to the framework. Consider facilitating professional learning communities and/or cross-curricular, cross school, or cross-district meetings.
  • Explore resources in the Resource Library and the Pre-AP Leader Resources on Pre-AP Classroom to support your work.
  • Order additional Pre-AP course instructional materials for the spring if needed. For assistance with orders, contact Pre-AP at [email protected].

Manage Digital Support

  • Provide support for students and teachers as students create their College Board Student accounts or reset access to previously created student accounts. See Pre-AP Classroom User Guide for Students.
  • Provide ongoing support for teachers and students to ensure access to Pre-AP Classroom.

Support Assessment and Data Analysis

  • Read about  Pre-AP Assessments to understand the Pre-AP learning checkpoints and performance tasks. Support teachers in the administration of the learning checkpoints, scoring of performance tasks, and the use of student performance data.
  • Ensure teachers administer the required one learning checkpoint per unit and all performance tasks.
  • Facilitate discussions with teachers and leaders around instructional practices and assessment for learning. Use Best Practices for Using Assessment Data and the shared principles instructional practices in Pre-AP Leader Resources on Pre-AP Classroom for support.

Perform Community Outreach

  • Revisit Pre-AP outreach resources, and sample meeting resources in the Resource Library to plan year-end activities. Consider hosting a meeting or “Pre-AP night” (in-person or virtually) to orient incoming students and parents to your program.

After the Academic Year

Prepare for Next Year’s Pre-AP

  • Elicit feedback on your Pre-AP courses to inform goals for the upcoming academic year. Consider a variety of methods that allow teachers, students, and parents to provide their input, including sending surveys or facilitating focus groups.
  • Place your order for Pre-AP courses and materials for the upcoming academic year.
  • Explore options for summer professional learning for new and experienced Pre-AP teachers and administrators.

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