UA Little Rock Hosts Nearly 700 teachers for 31st Year of Advanced Placement Summer Institute
Nearly 700 teachers from Arkansas and across the country came together for the 31st year of Advanced Placement Summer Institute (APSI) at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock.
Put on by the Jodie Mahony Center for Gifted Education, APSI hosted 492 Arkansas teachers and 198 out-of-state and home school teachers.
The Jodie Mahony Center offered three weeks of courses to help teachers improve their content knowledge and teaching skills. Two weeks were offered online and one week on campus. Each week offered 12 courses covering a total of 19 different AP courses. Each week the APSI covered 30 hours of intensive training, including labs, hands-on activities, and instructional strategies that teachers can take back to their classrooms.
“Advanced Placement is one of the approved accelerated learning options that districts have to provide opportunities for their students to attain college credit while in high school,” said Lori Delk, professional learning director at the Jodie Mahony Center and APSI coordinator “APSI training has been a tried-and-true way of increasing rigor in classrooms across the state, not just in AP classes but in all the classes that the teachers receiving training teach. As a former AP teacher who attended dozens of APSIs over my career, I can speak first hand to the efficacy of the training and of the strategies that are shared with the teachers.”
Dr. Ann Robinson, distinguished professor of education and founding director of the Jodie Mahony Center, called APSI a highlight of the summer.
“It is one of our earliest and most impactful professional development programs,” Robinson said. “The participants, who attend from across Arkansas, the nation, and even around the world, make this a rich and wonderful experience for everyone involved.”
Each week-long institute course is taught by a College Board-endorsed consultant who has received extensive training from College Board, a not-for-profit organization that connects students to college success and opportunity. These consultants are leaders in their respective subject area and have a proven track record in student success on the AP exams. This year’s 36 consultants taught APSI classes in subjects ranging from chemistry and biology to American history and art and design.
“Participating in AP, whether as a teacher or a student, is an academic boost,” Robinson said. “Teachers staying on the cutting edge of accelerated learning strategies. Students develop knowledge and skills that increase their success in a collegiate environment.”
APSI is funded by a grant from the Arkansas Department of Education that covers the costs of registration for Arkansas public and charter school teachers. The impact extends far beyond the professional development for educators. UA Little Rock awarded thousands of hours of college credit to incoming freshmen with scores of three or higher on AP exams.