Amidst the chaos of the pandemic, a big change happened to the curriculum in lower-grade level core classes over the last couple school years.
Pre-Advanced Placement (AP), which Curriculum Director Dr.Rebecca Moore described as, “Both a curriculum resource and a series of instructional practices that allow both teachers and students to dive deeply into content,” started being implemented in the English, Math and Science departments.
“It’s an opportunity for kids to learn through higher level questioning, evidence based writing, and a lot of discussion, dialogue and collaboration,” Moore said.
Pre-AP is still fairly new to schools across the country, not just Northview. But to Moore’s knowledge, Northview is one of the only schools to make Pre-AP required for all 9th and 10th grade students.
“We wanted every student, no matter if they were considered someone who had gaps in their learning or someone who was an accelerated learner, to have those same opportunities to dig deep into content and to share with peers,” Moore said.
The first to undergo this change was the English Department. During the 2020/21 school year, they were able to switch their curriculum from the previous options of “regular” and “accelerated” classes to solely Pre-AP for all English 9 students.
Pre-AP English 9 I is composed four different units: short fiction, poetry and drama, rhetorical analysis and novel fiction. Some of the curriculum has pieces of the content learned in AP English classes such as Language and Composition and Literature and Composition.
One of the biggest advantages for switching to Pre-AP for teacher Megan Porter was the consistency of the curriculum from year to year.
“I taught 9th grade for about 6 years and every single year the curriculum was different,” Porter said. “To have the consistency [of the curriculum] across the board with all of the Pre-AP English teachers is nice because we are all on the same page.”
the interactive learning assignment.
The class is also designed to bring those who are at different levels of learning together in one classroom.
“There’s this thing called ‘scaffolding’ where you could be reading a text and there are different sets of questions that are meant to challenge students at the different levels they are coming into,” Porter said. “We’re all learning the same thing, but you can tailor it to all of the kids in the class and it’s beautiful.”
While English has one year under its belt with the new curriculum, the Math and Science departments just started the program this school year.
In the Science Department, there are currently two different classes being taught at the Pre-AP level: Biology and Chemistry.
Pre-AP Biology teacher Kris Walendzik, who taught at the high school before Pre-AP was enacted, has noticed some positive changes within the curriculum.
“[Pre-AP offers] new lesson ideas to try out with students, more focus on analytical reading and writing, strategic use of math in science, more focus on higher-level thinking by students and [there is] more attention to modeling,” Walendzik said.
She also believes that Pre-AP Biology better models how things actually work in the scientific world.
“I think that students are doing more of the thinking and work that scientists have to do. They are learning to include data and reasoning in their responses, and not to just give opinions in science,” Walendzik said. “All of these skills will be useful no matter what career students move on to.”
In the Math Department, Pre-AP classes include Algebra I and Geometry with Statistics.
Co-Chair of the Math Department and Algebra teacher Trevor Chalmers notes the changes to the curriculum compared to the past.
“The curriculum provides many contextual scenarios requiring mathematics. There is more of an emphasis on the application as opposed to the procedural aspects of the content,” Chalmers said.
Chalmers also has a myth he would like to debunk about Pre-AP math courses.
“The courses cover the same content that we have in the past, but there is more meaning through the application of the content,” Chalmers said. “The content exposes all students to higher levels of thinking without hindering students that might be in a different place in their growth as a learner, without denying the opportunity for all students to be exposed to meaningful content.”
College Board also offers Pre-AP classes for Art as well, and while Northview does not offer those classes, they were still able to get the teachers trained in the courses. Northview is also looking to expand Pre-AP into the History Department next year as well, as they are due for a curriculum review this year.
“The social studies teachers are looking to Pre-AP as an option for them and there is a possibility we can extend into some STEAM practices through Pre-AP as well,” Moore said.
Moore wanted to note that because these classes are classified as “Pre-AP” it does not mean a student is placed in an AP course or is expected to take the AP versions later in high school.
“By having the opportunity to experience content through the Pre-AP style and principles, students can make a better decision for themselves,” Moore said. “Somebody who might not think they will be successful in an AP may choose to try it. Whereas someone else may also say it was hard for them, may choose to take a more traditional track with the rest of their time in high school. Both are valued options.”
