NEW: Senate Passes Bill to Train AP Teachers
Thursday, March 08, 2012
After receiving a nod from the Senate Education Committee, the Senate has passed legislation that would require the establishment of clear training guidelines for all teachers who will teach advanced placement classes in Rhode Island public schools.
The bill, which passed with a 36-0 vote, will now go to the House of Representatives for approval.
Submitted by Sen. Juan M. Pichardo (D-Dist. 2, Providence), the College and Career Success for All Students Act aims to ensure that each Rhode Island student has a sufficient education for success after high school. All students should have equal access to a substantive, challenging curriculum, Senator Pichardo said.
GET THE LATEST BREAKING NEWS HERE -- SIGN UP FOR GOLOCAL FREE DAILY EBLAST“The Senate has clearly recognized the importance of putting the right supports in for both students and teachers regarding advanced placement courses and exams,” Senator Pichardo said. “Now I hope the House recognizes that same notion. Our state education boards need to take more initiative in encouraging preparation for advanced placement coursework. They need to make a bigger push for Preliminary Scholastic Aptitude Test/National Merit Scholars Qualifying Test (PSAT/NMSQT) in the 10th grade. Those test results can be used to assess which students are prepared and which need additional work. Our goal is to not let any students fall through the cracks where we can help it.”
Under the provisions of the bill, the state Board of Governors for Higher Education and the state Board of Regents for Elementary and Secondary Education would work jointly to establish clear, specific and challenging training guidelines endorsed by the college board.
The training for teachers would provide them with necessary content knowledge and instructional skills to prepare students for success in advanced placements and exams. It would also provide administrators, including principals and counselors, with professional development that will enable them to create strong and effective programs in their schools.
The bill also throws support behind implementation of an instructional program for students in grades 6 through 12, providing an “integrated set of instructional materials, diagnostic assessments and teacher professional development in reading, writing and mathematics that prepares all students for enrollment and success in advanced placement courses and in college.”
The Board of Regents is encouraged to seek federal funding through the advanced placement incentive program and the Math-Science Partnership Program for professional development and integrated instructional programs that serve as the building blocks for advanced placement.
In Rhode Island, at least 19.6 percent of all 2011 high school graduates took some AP class. The state ranks the lowest out of all New England states in that category.
