Advanced Academics Newsletter

ADVANCED ACADEMICS

Advanced Academics includes courses, programs, assessments, services and supports that provide opportunities for students to demonstrate college and career readiness and earn postsecondary credit.

New Staff for Dual Credit and Advanced Academics

We would like to welcome Kay Humes to the Texas Education Agency in her position as the Statewide Coordinator for Advanced Academics. Kay will provide statewide leadership and guidance for high school advanced academics specifically dual credit and dual enrollment, Advanced Placement (AP), International Baccalaureate (IB) and college preparation assessments. The goal for her position is to increase student participation and performance in Advanced Academics across the state. Please feel free to contact Kay at (512) 463-8823 or advancedacademics@tea.texas.gov.          

                                     2019 Teacher Training Reimbursement

The AP/IB Incentive Program, supported by the State Legislature, allows TEA to reimburse districts for the cost of TEA-approved AP/IB or Pre-AP/MYP training up to a maximum of $450 for each qualified teacher. The amount of the teacher training registration fee reimbursement depends upon the total number of eligible applicants and the amount of funding available after the payment of AP and IB student exam fee subsidies. The 2019 Teacher Training Reimbursement (TTR) application will be published on July 31, 2019 with a submission due date of September 30, 2019. Criteria required for TTR are available on the TEA website for Advanced Academics.

Advanced Academics Courses

AP Credit Policy Search

AP students who took exams during May 2019 received their scores this summer. The AP Credit Policy Search tool will help students find colleges that offer credit or placement for specific AP exam scores. Information can be filtered by state, college, AP Exam, and score.

Possible credit for students who passed an AP course and received a score of 2 on the AP exam. Students might consider reviewing content with AP Exam Study Guides and practice tests; then, take the CLEP (College-Level Examination Program) for the course at a local community college. Using this strategy, Texas students have passed the CLEP exam to earn college credit. AP exams and CLEP exams are created by the College Board.

DUAL CREDIT

Statewide Dual Credit Goals

The statewide dual credit goals provide guidance to institutions of higher education (IHEs) and independent school districts (ISDs) on components that must be in place to ensure quality dual credit programs are provided to Texas high school students. These statewide goals address enrollment in and acceleration through postsecondary education, performance in college-level coursework, and strong academic advising.

Goal 1: Independent school districts and institutions of higher education will implement purposeful and collaborative outreach efforts to inform all students and parents of the benefits and costs of dual credit, including enrollment and fee policies.

Goal 2: Dual credit programs will assist high school students in the successful transition to and acceleration through postsecondary education.

Goal 3: All dual credit students will receive academic and college readiness advising with access to student support services to bridge them successfully into college course completion.

Goal 4: The quality and rigor of dual credit courses will be sufficient to ensure student success in subsequent courses.

As of September 1, 2018, all dual credit programs are required to establish a memorandum of understanding (MOU) between the IHE and ISD that details the terms of the partnership. All dual credit MOU or articulation agreements must include the following:

• A description of how the goals of the dual credit program align with the statewide goals;
• A course equivalency crosswalk or other method of equating high school courses with college courses that identifies the number of credits that may be earned for each course completed through the dual credit program;
• A description of the academic supports and guidance that will be provided to students participating in the dual credit program;
• A description of the ISD and IHE respective roles and responsibilities in providing for and ensuring the quality and instructional rigor of the dual credit program; and,
• A description of the sources of funding for dual credit courses offered under the program including, at a minimum, the sources of funding for tuition, transportation, and any required fees or textbooks for students participating in the dual credit program.

All dual credit MOUs, regardless if new, revised, or renewed, must be posted each year to the ISDs and IHEs respective websites.

For more details visit House Bill 1638.

Advanced Academics Programs

ADVANCED PLACEMENT (AP)

Advanced Placement (AP) course and program changes for the 2019-2020 can be found on the College Board’s Important Changes webpage.

Big Changes:

• AP Audit procedures:
  • Returning AP teachers: No audit changes. Teachers explore unit guides and course and exam changes. 
  • New AP teachers: No syllabus is required; however, teachers offering an AP course for the first time must submit the Course Audit form to be approved by the school’s AP Course Audit administrator before August 1. This will enable a class section to be created for the teacher when the system opens.
• AP Exams will be ordered in the fall instead of the spring. However, exams will still be administered in May and the invoice and payment will still be sent by June 15, 2020.
  • October 4, 2019, preferred ordering deadline.
  • November 15, 2019 final deadline for submitting order for AP exams.
  • Fees have changed for ordering an exam late or not taking one ordered.
• New Resources:
  • Coordinators:
    • Streamlined Exam Ordering;
    • Student Registration Labels;
    • Pre-administration sessions eliminated;
    • New tools to organize exam day.
  • Teachers:
    • Unit Guides;
    • Personal Progress Checks;
    • Progress Dashboards;
    • AP Question Bank.
  • Students
    • Complete AP classroom assignments online;
    • Register for exams;
    • Access My AP online classroom.

No Changes to:

• Exam administration; remains the first two weeks in May;
• Cost of an AP exam; remains unchanged @ $94;
• Process for collecting exam fees; remains a school-level decision;
• AP Program payment deadline; remains with June 15 postmark;
• Score reporting timelines and processes; remain the same.

AP Coordinator Workshop and New Resources

Full-day or Part 1 and Part 2 half day workshops, updated for the 2019-20 school year, are designed to help new and experienced AP coordinators learn how to efficiently and successfully manage their schools' AP program. New resources and processes for students, teachers, and coordinators will be incorporated into the AP experience this coming year. Find a workshop near you to acquaint yourself with these valuable tools. Listed below are links to a more in-depth description of these new expectations for AP.

• AP Coordinators Workshops. Find information on and registration for AP Coordinator Workshops.
• New AP Resources. Support students with new online tools. More practice materials and insight into the exam than ever before.
• New AP Processes. How to set your school up for success.
• What AP Teachers Can Expect. Select your subject to find new updates and resources.
• Outreach Materials. A variety of resources to help schools plan for and implement AP 2019 changes.
• 2019 AP Timeline. A comprehensive schedule of activities and dates to help ensure a successful implementation of all the new processes and resources.                      

                             INTERNATIONAL BACCALAUREATE (IB)

Students who took an IB exam during May 2019 received their scores during the summer.

IB campus applications for 2019 IB Student Exam Subsidy reimbursement is open through July 31, 2019.  IB Subsidy Application

Advanced Academics Assessments

The Texas Education Agency has launched a new web video series, “HB 3 in 30,” to help inform school districts and the public about how to implement the transformative measures in House Bill 3, passed during the 86^th legislative session. Don’t miss the College, Career or Military Ready (CCMR: Outcomes Bonus) webinar on August 8^th.

SAT, ACT, TSIA

House Bill 3, passed by the 86^th Texas Legislature, allows a district to be reimbursed for the cost of one college preparation assessment, paid for by the district, and taken by a student in the spring of the junior year or during their senior year. Additional information will be released by TEA in the early fall with the process for this new initiative to increase the number of college ready students in Texas.

TSIA

Now is the perfect time to consider becoming a Texas Success Initiative Assessment (TSIA) Institution. The application to become a testing site is simple and, if your district already provides AP exams for students, the approval process is quick.

If you are ready to apply or just want to know more, please contact Kathie Montognese, the College Board liaison for THECB. Ms. Montognese will provide guidance to your testing/assessment director on the steps to becoming a testing site.

Note: there is no charge for becoming a testing site, nor are there any limitations based on the number of students tested.  Details for test sites can be found here.

Kathie Montognese, Senior Assessment Manager , Accuplacer Program, Higher Education Outreach, The College Board, 250 Vesey Street, New York, New York 10281, phone: 917.613.7014, email:  kmontognese@collegeboard.org

Once a student completes the TSIA, there is immediate access for the student to an individual score report, which gives details on the test results. Use the score report will identify academic strengths and areas for improvement. High School counselors or faculty members may also use this score report to help make the best recommendations for the courses or interventions that meet an individual student’s needs. Here is the link to a brochure for interpreting your TSIA scores.

Advanced Academics Services and Supports

CONFERENCE PRESENTATIONS

Advanced Academics presentations given at the 2019 College and Career Readiness School Models Leadership Summit (Take A Deep Dive into Advanced Academics) and the 2019 Title III Symposium (Too Few English Language Learners in Advanced Academics) can be found under Conference Presentations on the Advanced Academics website, https://tea.texas.gov/advancedacademics/.

ADVANCED ACADEMICS RESOURCES

New resources for AP, IB, Dual Credit, SAT, ACT, TSIA, and CLEP will be added to the Advanced Academics website throughout the year. Visit often to stay informed.

Tell TEA the resources needed to support districts and students in accessing and improving advanced academics that can be released through this newsletter.  Send suggestions to advancedacademics@tea.texas.gov.

Dates and Deadlines

June             2019 CED binders for AP Teachers are available.

July 31         IB Exam Student Subsidy Application deadline.

Aug  1          New AP Teacher Course Audit form approval due.

Sept. 30       AP/IB Teacher Training Reimbursement (TTR) Application deadline.

Oct. 4           Preferred ordering for 2020 AP Exams deadline. 

Nov. 15        Ordering 2020 AP Exams final deadline.

May 4-22     AP Exam Administration.

June 15       Postmark deadline for AP Invoice with payment.

Thank you for subscribing to the Advanced Academics Newsletter and for your commitment to serving Texas students.

For questions and comments about this newsletter, contact Kay Humes by email at

advancedacademics@tea.texas.gov

The Texas Education Agency will improve outcomes for all public school students in the state by providing leadership, guidance, and support to school systems.