IOAPA Fall Registration opens soon!

Fall 2024 registration for Iowa Online AP Academy (IOAPA) opens April 8th! Do you have Iowa students in 6th grade or above? Exciting news awaits! IOAPA is here to empower you with free access to asynchronous advanced courses. The aim of this program is to bridge the gap, ensuring that every student has the opportunity to explore challenging subjects.

Why IOAPA?

• Access for All: IOAPA opens doors that might otherwise remain closed. We believe that every student deserves a chance to excel, regardless of their school district’s offerings.
• Empowering Rural Schools: By providing advanced courses online, IOAPA lightens the load for rural schools. No more limitations due to classroom availability or staffing constraints.
• Support: IOAPA staff and our course vendors are here to help you every step of the way, from planning to deciding how best to document your students grade. Also, visit our website, you can find a wealth of information, including our course catalog, important dates, registration, and information about getting started, along with support materials designed to help you and your students make decisions about course selections.

Explore Our Course Catalog:

High School Students (16 AP Courses):

• AP Biology
• AP Calculus AB
• AP Chemistry
• AP Computer Science A (Java)
• AP Computer Science Principles
• AP English Language and Composition
• AP English Literature and Composition
• AP Environmental Science

• AP French Language and Culture
• AP Macroeconomics
• AP Microeconomics
• AP Psychology
• AP Spanish
• AP Statistics
• AP U.S. Government
• AP U.S. History

Middle School Students (15 Advanced Courses):

• Algebra I
• Algebra II
• Biology
• Computer Science Python Fundamentals
• Creative Writing
• Environmental Science
• Geometry

• Physical Science
• Precalculus
• Probability and Statistics
• Psychology
• Spanish I
• U.S. History since the Civil War
• U.S. History to the Civil War

Ready to Register? Follow These Steps:

Step-by-Step Registration:

1. Visit Our Website:
   • Head to belinblank.org/ioapa.
   • Review the Getting Started information.
2. Register Your School:
   • Principals, take the lead! Register your school by clicking “Register” here.
   • Assign the two on-site roles (can be held by the same person):
     • Site Coordinator: Oversees IOAPA activities at your school.
     • Mentor: A certified teacher who guides students through the program.
3. Nominate Students:
   • After registration, you’ll receive an automated email with a link to nominate students.
   • Identify the students who will participate in IOAPA courses.
4. Student Self-Enrollment:
   • Nominated students receive an email inviting them to enroll in their chosen courses.
   • Remind them to check their junk mail folders—important emails sometimes end up there!
   • Students complete the enrollment process and click “Submit.”
5. College Board Requirements:
   • Register your school with the College Board.
   • Complete the AP Course Audit process for Online/Distance Learning courses by the end of January. This allows you to label courses as “AP” on students’ transcripts. Detailed instructions for Project STEM courses can be found on our website.
6. AP Exam Ordering:
   • Encourage high school students to take the AP exam.
   • Order all AP exams by the College Board’s deadline.
   • Keep an eye out for emails about applying for our IOAPA AP exam scholarships.

As always, please feel free to reach out to us at ioapa@belinblank.org with any questions or concerns.

Fall Registration is open for IOAPA courses!

Fall 2023 registration for Iowa Online AP Academy (IOAPA) is now open! IOAPA provides free access to asynchronous advanced courses for Iowa students in 6th grade and above. A primary aim of this program is to provide access to students who would otherwise be unable to find these courses offered in their school district.

On our website, you can find a wealth of information, including our course catalog, important dates, registration, and information about getting started, along with support materials designed to help you and your students make decisions about course selections.

COURSES OFFERED

• 16 AP courses are available to high school students. This now includes the new course offering of AP French Language and Culture! See our course catalog for more information.
• 15 advanced courses are available to middle school students. These above-level courses are designed for high school students and made available to students in grades 6-8. We also now offer U.S. History since the Civil War in addition to our other course options.

Course descriptions and syllabi for all courses can be located by clicking “Learn More” on the course’s entry in our Course Catalog.

REGISTRATION DETAILS

To begin, visit our website (belinblank.org/ioapa) and review the Getting Started information. When you are ready to register, navigate back to the registration section of our website and click Register.

Step-by-step course registration instructions are included below:

1. Register your school and assign a site coordinator and mentor. The first step is for principals to register their schools. They can do that on our website (belinblank.org/ioapa) by clicking on Register. As part of this step, schools assign a site coordinator and a mentor. They can be the same person or different people; however, the mentor needs to be a certified teacher.
2. Nominate the student(s) taking the IOAPA course(s). Completing the school registration page sends the principal or other administrator an automated email with a link to nominate the student.
3. Confirm that the student has self-enrolled in the course. Once the student has been nominated, an email will be automatically sent to the student to enroll themselves in the actual course. Be sure to have students check their junk mail folders, as automated emails sometimes get filtered there. Students should complete this process and be sure to click submit when they’re done.

After registering, be sure to complete any College Board requirements for offering AP courses:

• Register your school with the College Board.
• Complete the AP Course Audit process for Online/Distance Learning courses by the end of January in order to be able to label courses as “AP” on students’ transcripts. Instructions for completing this for Project STEM courses can be found here.
• Encourage high school students to take the AP exam and order all AP exams by the College Board’s deadline. Also, as mentioned above, be on the lookout for emails about applying for our IOAPA AP exam scholarships.

As always, please feel free to reach out to us at ioapa@belinblank.org with any questions or concerns.

IOAPA Spring enrollment is now open!

Iowa Online AP Academy (IOAPA) registration for Spring 2023 classes is now open! The primary aim of this program is to provide access to Iowa students who would otherwise be unable to find these courses offered in their school district. In addition to courses that run for the full academic year, IOAPA also provides free access to asynchronous, one-semester, advanced courses for Iowa students in 6th grade and above. These courses can be perfect options for students needing more advanced coursework during the school year or who would like to add an additional AP course to their transcript. Additionally, AP exam scholarships are also available to eligible IOAPA students taking spring semester courses.

On our website, you can find a wealth of information, including our course catalog, important dates, registration, and information about getting started, along with support materials designed to help you and your students make decisions about course selections.

ONE-SEMESTER COURSES OFFERED

• 4 AP courses are available to high school students.
  • AP Macroeconomics
  • AP Microeconomics
  • AP Psychology
  • AP U.S. Government
• 4 advanced courses are available to middle school students. These courses are designed for high school students and made available to advanced students in grades 6-8.
  • Creative Writing
  • Psychology
  • U.S. History to the Civil War
  • CS Python Fundamentals (formerly Intro to Computer Science)

Course descriptions and syllabi for each course can be located by clicking “Learn More” on the course’s entry in our Course Catalog.

REGISTRATION DETAILS

To begin, visit our website (belinblank.org/ioapa) and review the Getting Started information. When you are ready to register, navigate back to the registration section of our website and click Register.

Students who are taking year-long courses do not need to re-enroll; they will be automatically enrolled in the spring semester of their course unless we receive notification from site staff that they would prefer to do otherwise.

If your school has already registered with us this year (i.e., if you currently have IOAPA students), then you will be automatically redirected to the appropriate step in the registration process (nominating the student; see below for details). 

Step-by-step course registration instructions are included below:

1. Register your school and assign a site coordinator and mentor. The first step is for principals to register their schools. They can do that on our website by clicking on Register. As part of this step, schools assign a site coordinator and a mentor. They can be the same person or different people; however, the mentor needs to be a certified teacher at the school. For spring semester courses, when schools have already registered during the current academic year: During spring semester registration, site coordinators are able to skip step 1, since the school is already registered for this academic year. You should still start by clicking Register on our website. You will then be redirected to step 2 (student nomination). 
2. Nominate the student(s) taking the IOAPA course(s). Completing the school registration page sends the principal an automated email with a link to nominate the student. The principal either needs to complete the nomination or forward the link to the site coordinator or mentor to complete.
3. Confirm that the student has self-enrolled in the course. Once the student has been nominated, an email will be automatically sent to the student to enroll themselves in the actual course. Be sure to have students check their junk mail folders, as automated emails sometimes get filtered there. Students should complete this process and be sure to click submit when they’re done.

After registering, be sure to complete any College Board requirements for offering AP courses:

• Register your school with the College Board.
• Complete the AP Course Audit process for Online/Distance Learning courses by the end of January in order to be able to label courses as “AP” on students’ transcripts.
• Encourage high school students to take the AP exam and order all AP exams by the College Board’s deadline. Also, as mentioned above, be on the lookout for emails about applying for our IOAPA AP exam scholarships.

Be on the lookout for information about Fall enrollment for the 2023-2024 academic year during the spring semester. More information about our program, academic year courses, and important dates can be found here.

As always, please feel free to reach out to us at ioapa@belinblank.org with any questions or concerns.

IOAPA Fall enrollment is now open!

Iowa Online AP Academy (IOAPA) registration for Fall 2022 classes is now open! IOAPA provides free access to asynchronous advanced courses for Iowa students in 6th grade and above. A primary aim of this program is to provide access to students who would otherwise be unable to find these courses offered in their school district. To aid in this goal, the Belin-Blank Center also provides AP exam scholarships to eligible IOAPA students each semester in an effort to increase the number of students taking AP exams from rural schools in Iowa.

On our website, you can find a wealth of information, including our course catalog, important dates, registration, and information about getting started, along with support materials designed to help you and your students make decisions about course selections.

COURSES OFFERED

• 15 AP courses are available to high school students. Note: Beginning Fall 2022, the drop deadline and fee will also apply to AP computer science courses.
• 13 advanced courses are available to middle school students. These courses are designed for high school students and made available to students in grades 6-8. Note: Beginning in Fall 2022, we will require above-level testing for middle school students. More information about this can be found here. When in doubt, you can also review our guidelines.

Course descriptions and syllabi for each course can be located by clicking “Learn More” on the course’s entry in our Course Catalog.

REGISTRATION DETAILS

To begin, visit our website (belinblank.org/ioapa) and review the Getting Started information. When you are ready to register, navigate back to the registration section of our website and click Register.

Step-by-step course registration instructions are included below:

1. Register your school and assign a site coordinator and mentor. The first step is for principals to register their schools. They can do that on our website (belinblank.org/ioapa) by clicking on Register. As part of this step, schools assign a site coordinator and a mentor. They can be the same person or different people; however, the mentor needs to be a certified teacher.
2. Nominate the student(s) taking the IOAPA course(s). Completing the school registration page sends the principal an automated email with a link to nominate the student. The principal either needs to complete the nomination or forward the link to the site coordinator or mentor to complete.
3. Confirm that the student has self-enrolled in the course. Once the student has been nominated, an email will be automatically sent to the student to enroll themselves in the actual course. Be sure to have students check their junk mail folders, as the automated emails sometimes get filtered there. Students should complete this process and be sure to click submit when they’re done.

After registering, be sure to complete any College Board requirements for offering AP courses:

• Register your school with the College Board.
• Complete the AP Course Audit process for Online/Distance Learning courses by the end of January in order to be able to label courses as “AP” on students’ transcripts.
• Encourage high school students to take the AP exam and order all AP exams by the College Board’s deadline. Also, as mentioned above, be on the lookout for emails about applying for our IOAPA AP exam scholarships.

As always, please feel free to reach out to us at ioapa@belinblank.org with any questions or concerns.

IOAPA Registration is Open for Fall 2021

The Iowa Online AP Academy (IOAPA) offers Iowa students free access to online advanced course offerings for students who would otherwise be unable to find these courses offered in their school district.

Additionally, the Belin-Blank Center provides AP exam scholarships to eligible IOAPA students each semester, in an effort to increase the number of students taking AP exams from rural schools in Iowa.

IOAPA registration for Fall 2021 classes is now open! This includes full-year courses, as well as one-semester fall courses. Registration for Spring 2022 one-semester courses will open in November.

Visit our website for a wealth of helpful information, including our course catalog, important dates, registration, and information about getting started along with support materials designed to help you and your student make decisions about course selection.

COURSES OFFERED

• 15 AP courses are available to high school students. 
• 14 courses are available to middle school students. These courses are designed for high school students and made available to students in grades 6-8. While not yet required, we still recommend above-level testing as the best method in identifying students for advanced coursework. When in doubt, you can also review our guidelines here.

Course descriptions and syllabi for each course can be located by clicking “Learn More” on the course’s entry in our Course Catalog.

REGISTRATION DETAILS

To begin, visit our website (belinblank.org/ioapa) and review the Getting Started information. When you are ready to register, navigate back to belinblank.org/ioapa and click Register.

Step-by-step course registration instructions are included below:

• Register your school and assign a site coordinator and mentor. The first step is for principals to register their schools. They can do that on our website (belinblank.org/ioapa) by clicking on Register. As part of this step, schools assign a site coordinator and a mentor. They can be the same person or different people; however, the mentor needs to be a certified teacher at the school.
• Nominate the student(s) taking IOAPA course(s). Completing the school registration page sends the principal an automated email with a link in it to nominate the student. The principal either needs to complete the nomination or forward the link to the site coordinator or mentor to complete.
• Confirm that student has self-enrolled in the course. Once the student has been nominated, an email will be automatically sent to the student to enroll himself/herself in the actual course. Be sure to have students check their junk mail folders, as the automated emails sometimes get filtered there. Students should complete this process and be sure to click submit when they’re done.

After registering, be sure to complete any College Board requirements for offering AP courses:

• Register your school with the College Board.
• Complete the AP Course Audit process for Online/Distance Learning courses by the end of January in order to be able to label courses as “AP” on students’ transcripts.
• Encourage high school students to take the AP exam, and order all AP exams by the College Board’s deadline.

As always, please feel free to reach out to us at ioapa@belinblank.org with any questions or concerns.

A Visual Guide to Middle School IOAPA Courses

With the introduction of our middle school courses in Fall 2015, many students and teachers may still have questions about the types of courses offered by the Iowa Online AP Academy, who these classes might benefit, and how to select students who will be prepared for and challenged by online coursework.

Based on the information and experiences we have gathered so far, we are excited to provide a visual guide to our middle school classes! These data are based on middle school Iowa Online AP Academy (IOAPA) courses taken during the fall 2015 semester.We hope they will be helpful as you and your students consider plans to register for 2016-17 courses through IOAPA.

If you are looking for more information about IOAPA’s middle school classes, check out our past posts on middle school courses and above-level testing, or visit our website. Make sure to check back here soon for our high school courses recap!

 

Interested in IOAPA? Learn more about registration!

Registration for Iowa Online AP Academy 2016-2017 classes open in just one week (April 19), and many teachers want to register their students promptly to ensure access to these courses. Whether you are new to IOAPA or just need a refresher, take a look at the following handy registration guide for pointers on the registration process!

To register, visit our website (belinblank.org/ioapa). Be sure to read through the Getting Started section for important program information.  You will need to re-register your school each academic year.

When you’re ready to register, take the following steps:

1. Register your school and assign a site coordinator and mentor. The first step is for principals to register their schools. They can do that on our website (belinblank.org/ioapa) by clicking on Register on the homepage. As part of this step, schools assign a site coordinator and a mentor. They can be the same person or different people; however, the mentor needs to be a certified teacher at the school. We’ll be discussing this difference more in future blog posts.
2. Nominate the student(s) taking IOAPA course(s). Completing the school registration page sends the principal an automated email with a link in it to nominate the student. The principal either needs to complete the nomination or forward the link to the site coordinator or mentor to complete.
3. Confirm that the student has self-enrolled in the course. Once the student has been nominated, an email will be automatically sent to the student to enroll himself/herself in the actual course. Be sure to have students check their junk mail folders, as the automated emails sometimes get filtered there. Students should complete this process and be sure to click submit when they’re done.

Middle school students should also take an above-level test to help determine eligibility, with scores considered current within the past two years. (For eligibility guidelines, see Requirements.) Learn more about above-level testing.

Questions? Check out our website (belinblank.org/ioapa) for further assistance!

Iowa Online AP Academy: What Are the Options for Online Learning?

The Iowa Online AP Academy (IOAPA) is a great resource for Iowa students who are interested in AP opportunities beyond what is offered at their high schools. Through IOAPA, students are able to take AP courses and receive guidance and feedback within the classroom setting. However, for some students, IOAPA may not provide the type of experience they are looking for. As students plan their schedules for next year, what about other opportunities for online learning?

MOOCs, or Massive Open Online Courses, are courses typically offered by colleges and universities (often for free) with the goal of providing increased access to education. Although an increased interest in MOOCs has encouraged universities to provide credit for individuals who take these courses, there is no consistent way to ensure that the work put forth in these classes will result in cost savings or credit at college. Nevertheless, MOOCs continue to be a popular and growing option for people of all ages. More on MOOCs can be found here.

EdX courses are another option for free online courses (including MOOCs) that cover a wide variety of disciplines. Again, the developers of EdX hope to provide users with access to online courses regardless of geography. Recently, EdX has begun adding options for AP Biology coursework on their website. Although this offering is relatively new, the course provider noted that this does not translate to high school credit or give students opportunities for completing science labs at this time.

Online schools are another way that students might be able to seek out higher level coursework in areas that are of interest to them. In the past few years, several external agencies have partnered with school districts in Iowa to offer alternatives for Iowa students at all levels. Although online schools often offer AP courses, the quality tends to vary significantly, and some argue against the for-profit nature of online schools, so students interested in this option should carefully research their options.

Iowa high schools also often partner with local community colleges or four-year institutions to offer concurrent enrollment courses or post-secondary enrollment options. We have discussed the pros and cons of these options in past posts, one of the main drawbacks being uncertainty about how credits might transfer for specific courses, especially those coming from community colleges.

Why choose IOAPA over these other options?

IOAPA offers several things that other online programs do not. First, it provides consistently high-quality Advanced Placement coursework that is designed to fit within an existing high school student’s class schedule. IOAPA classes are also designed to provide students new to online coursework with on-site support through site coordinators and mentors. These staff members help IOAPA students adjust to the nuances of online courses, and also aid students in finding resources and communicating with their course instructors. IOAPA courses are provided free of charge to Iowa high school students, and IOAPA students also have the opportunity to participate in AP exam review sessions for their IOAPA courses at no cost. IOAPA has very high completion rates (84%) compared to other online programs, and students tend to perform as well on the AP exam as students in traditional AP classes.

Interested in learning more about IOAPA? Visit our website at belinblank.org/ioapa

In Case You Missed It: Study Techniques That Work

This post was previously published in December 2013. Enjoy!

Students may already bubble with excitement as we approach winter break. Before this break becomes a reality, though, most will have to face exams. The end of the semester can be stressful, but having the right study skills can assuage some anxiety.

As Scientific American Mind reported this fall, there are numerous ways to study—some of which are less useful than others. For example, many students highlight text while studying, perhaps to emphasize important information that may be on exams. Although highlighting is a common practice, it does little to improve performance. Another dubious study practice is rereading.  Rereading a textbook chapter or class notes once may lead to some learning gains, but rereading text more frequently is a poor use of study time.

Before the panic sets in—“But I spent all Tuesday night highlighting and rereading my U.S. Government notes!”—consider more effective options. Some researchers argue that the best study strategies are those that require the learner to manipulate the information to be learned. One way students can accomplish this is through self-testing, such as using flashcards or answering questions at the end of the chapter. Another suggested strategy is interleaved practice, which encourages learners to compare different kinds of problems.  For instance, a student using this method to prepare for a math test alternates between practice problems of different key topic areas rather than completing all problems of one set in one go.

Lastly, distributed practice, or spacing study sessions across longer periods of time, is an effective way to structure study time. Unfortunately for the inner procrastinator in us all, the longer the learner spreads out short, intense study sessions, the more likely the learner will acquire and retain information.

Selected References 

Dunlosky, J., Rawson, K., Marsh, E. J., Mitchell, J. N., & Willingham, D. T. (2013, August 29).  Psychologists identify the best ways to study. Scientific American Mind, 24(4), 47-53.

Winne, P. H. (2013). Learning strategies, study skills, and self-regulated learning in postsecondary education. In M. B. Paulsen (Ed.), Higher education: Handbook of theory and research (pp. 377-403). New York City, NY: Springer Publishing.

Writing Study Skills Suggested by College Board

Immersing Students in Technology and Innovation

The Belin-Blank Center is pleased to announce a new summer program for talented high school students!

The Innovation Institute (II) is for Iowa students currently enrolled in grades 9-11. All students must be nominated by a teacher or school administrator to participate. The Innovation Institute is a two-week residential summer technology and innovation immersion program at The University of Iowa. Students work in teams led by industry experts to become full stack web developers, meaning they will learn the skills to not only design, but build, a website. Students design dynamic database driven content and create a web application. Students will pitch innovative technology design ideas and have an opportunity to bring their web application to life. The Innovation Institute is administered by The Connie Belin & Jacqueline N. Blank International Center for Gifted Education, the Jacobson Institute for Youth Entrepreneurship, and the Iowa Centers for Enterprise. Each student selected will receive a $2,400 scholarship to cover the Institute’s cost and will have the opportunity to secure seed funding for their project.

Go to www.belinblank.org/summer to learn more!

 

AP Report to the Nation: Highlighting Iowa

The Iowa Online Advanced Placement (AP^TM) Academy allows Iowa students to take AP^TM classes online. The Iowa Online AP Academy is especially meant for rural schools that do not have the resources to support AP^TM classes. Educators can learn more here.

The 10^th Annual AP^TM Report to the Nation was published this February, bringing with it positive news on the expansion of AP^TM. In the past decade, the number of U.S. students enrolled in courses—around 500,000 students in 2003—has almost doubled to a million in 2013. Another exciting finding is the number of participating students who come from low-income families has quadrupled in the past ten years to a total of about 275,000 students now.

Looking at Iowa specifically, student involvement in AP^TM has grown from about 3,000 Iowa students to over 5,700 since 2003. Students who score highly on the exam—or who receive a 3 or higher—has jumped about 1,500 students in that time frame as well.

College Board reported some of the recent great growths Iowa has made include our state’s commitment to teacher development and targeted assistance to traditionally underserved schools. For teachers seeking opportunities through the Belin-Blank Center, we recommend looking into our summer AP Teacher Training Institute.

At the same time, College Board notes that nearly 300,000 students in the 2013 graduating class who had the potential to take AP^TM did not take advantage of these opportunities. For some of these students, there continue to be obstacles that stand in the way of access and opportunity—like we discussed a few weeks ago for Black Male Achievement Week and we often reference with respect to rurality. As AP^TM develops further, we will strive alongside schools and districts to increase the program’s accessibility to all high-achieving students.

Black Male Achievement Week Spurs a Necessary Dialogue

The Iowa Online Advanced Placement (AP^TM) Academy allows Iowa students to take AP^TM classes online. The Iowa Online AP Academy is especially meant for rural schools that do not have the resources to support AP^TM classes. Educators can learn more here.

The goal of AP^TM is to challenge students and to better prepare them for higher education. Yet this program and others like it traditionally underrepresent students who are Black, Hispanic, American-Indian, and low-income, despite an awareness of these inequities and efforts to expand educational access.* Examining the 2013 graduating student cohort, only 28% of young black men who demonstrated potential for success in AP^TM took one or more AP^TM courses in high school (see College Board and American Promise infographic here).

Black Male Achievement (BMA) Week took place last week, drawing attention to barriers that prevent young black men from accessing AP^TM programming in addition to a host of other societal supports and opportunities. To incite conversation on this topic, the award-winning American Promise, a documentary examining the experiences of two friends at a prestigious private school as they move from kindergarten through high school, is now available for streaming online.

Events will continue through February and March (e.g., a Teach for America and American Promise Google Hangout on Tuesday, 02/11), bringing people together across the country to better understand these issues and what can be done to bring about change. Be a part of this conversation, and become a stronger advocate for your students, peers, and/or self.

*To read more about the high-end achievement gap and recommendations to help combat these inequities at a district- and school-level, download The Education Trust’s “Finding America’s Missing AP and IB Students” here.

Onward with AP in Spite of the Polar Vortex

The Iowa Online Advanced Placement (AP^TM) Academy allows Iowa students to take AP^TM classes online. The Iowa Online AP Academy is especially meant for rural schools that do not have the resources to support AP^TM classes. Educators can learn more here.

Alas, the bitter cold has returned. With the plummeting wind chill comes school closures—and unstructured time for students. However, regardless of whether Iowa schools extend the academic year into July, AP^TM students must take exams the weeks of May 5^th and May 12^th. What steps can online AP^TM students stranded at home take to avoid falling behind?

Accept the test dates as set in stone. With a few exceptions, AP^TM exams are generally not rescheduled. Cross your fingers all you like, but wishful thinking will not change this.

Create a schedule with short- and long-term goals. Given the flexibility of online courses, students benefit from the use of schedules, a topic we have discussed previously, particularly to reach completion of short- and long-term goals. For some students, this is as simple as following the syllabus each week. For others, it may help to break down assignments further and to set specific hours aside each week for each course assignment. These schedules should be followed as closely as possible to avoid overwhelmingly busy weeks later in the term.

If you have Internet access at home, continue to make progress in your courses. Yes, school is closed, and your friends may be taking it easy. However, remember the challenge you gave to yourself when you signed up for AP^TM or other honors courses. The grit needed to accomplish larger goals requires that you maintain goal-directedness, motivation, and self-control every week. If you have access to your coursework, continue to make progress on assignments and lectures. Watching daytime television and scrolling through Reddit will lose its appeal relatively quickly anyway.

Keep in touch with classmates during strings of snow days. Form a group with classmates, and share your short- and long-term goals for the semester. Encourage one another toward goals. Taking an online course can be an isolating experience, but having a peer group to hold you to the expectations you set for yourself will motivate you to push ahead.

Facilitating Success in Students of Military Families

The Iowa Online Advanced Placement Academy allows Iowa students to take AP^TM classes online. IOAPA is especially meant for rural schools that do not have the resources to support AP^TM classes. Educators can learn more here.

When it comes to AP programming, we are always looking to learn about innovative ways to better support students (e.g., our recent iPad initiative). In this pursuit to enhance our programming, we sometimes come across instances of schools excelling at this mission. A Maryland high school’s dedication to improving educational opportunities and increasing student success is one such example.

Students of military families who move frequently face the challenge of trying to maintain quality, consistent educational experiences. The National Math and Science Initiative (NMSI), which seeks to improve student performance in STEM areas, has responded to this concern. Specifically, NMSI has teamed with White House programs to target teenagers of military families—and students of other backgrounds traditionally underrepresented in AP—with its Comprehensive AP Program. Participating schools receive incentives to encourage student AP involvement and teacher and student supports to promote ongoing success in AP courses.

Maryland’s Aberdeen High School has recently received attention for its great successes under the Comprehensive AP Program. Students of military families at Aberdeen High report highly positive experiences. Moreover, students across all backgrounds at the school have shown large gains in passing scores on the AP exam, particularly in math and science. Congratulations, Aberdeen High, and thank you for setting a great example!

Iowa Online AP Academy: Taking Small Steps to Bridge the Digital Divide

The Iowa Online Advanced Placement Academy allows Iowa students to take AP^TM classes online. IOAPA is especially meant for rural schools that do not have the resources to support AP^TM classes. Educators can learn more here.

There are sizable gaps between those in the United States who have easy access to the Internet and those who do not, as recently displayed in this infographic created by OnlineITDegree.net and then shared by Mashable. Class, race, and geographic location all factor into accessibility of the invaluable resources that can be found online.

As our interests lie in helping rural students gain access to challenging academic opportunities, we at the Iowa Online AP Academy and the Belin-Blank Center more generally are concerned with this discrepancy in access for many Iowa students. Accordingly, we have teamed with one local high school to pilot a project that places access to cutting-edge iPad technology in the hands of students already enrolled in online AP courses. iPads were selected for this program as they were evaluated to leave the smallest technology burden on the shoulders of school staff.

Each student in this semester-long pilot will receive an iPad on which e-textbooks and course-relevant programming will already be downloaded. These iPads will be for their use at school and at home, allowing students who do not have access to technology at home the option of finishing online coursework outside of the classroom. Notably, a portion of these students will also participate in an online community in which they will connect with other Iowa students to attack course content together and even meet one another at the University of Iowa for interactive class projects. Through this pilot, we hope to explore the potential of providing high-tech devices to students with supports in place to increase access to emerging technologies and to build student communities across the state.

Preparing for Exams: Study Techniques That Work

The Iowa Online Advanced Placement Academy (IOAPA) allows Iowa students to take AP^TM classes online. IOAPA is especially meant for rural schools that do not have the resources to support AP^TM classes. Educators can learn more here.

Students may already bubble with excitement as we approach winter break. Before this break becomes a reality, though, most will have to face exams. The end of the semester can be stressful, but having the right study skills can assuage some anxiety.

As Scientific American Mind reported this fall, there are numerous ways to study—some of which are less useful than others. For example, many students highlight text while studying, perhaps to emphasize important information that may be on exams. Although highlighting is a common practice, it does little to improve performance. Another dubious study practice is rereading.  Rereading a textbook chapter or class notes once may lead to some learning gains, but rereading text more frequently is a poor use of study time.

Before the panic sets in—“But I spent all Tuesday night highlighting and rereading my U.S. Government notes!”—consider more effective options. Some researchers argue that the best study strategies are those that require the learner to manipulate the information to be learned. One way students can accomplish this is through self-testing, such as using flashcards or answering questions at the end of the chapter. Another suggested strategy is interleaved practice, which encourages learners to compare different kinds of problems.  For instance, a student using this method to prepare for a math test alternates between practice problems of different key topic areas rather than completing all problems of one set in one go.

Lastly, distributed practice, or spacing study sessions across longer periods of time, is an effective way to structure study time. Unfortunately for the inner procrastinator in us all, the longer the learner spreads out short, intense study sessions, the more likely the learner will acquire and retain information.

Selected References 

Dunlosky, J., Rawson, K., Marsh, E. J., Mitchell, J. N., & Willingham, D. T. (2013, August 29).  Psychologists identify the best ways to study. Scientific American Mind, 24(4), 47-53.

Winne, P. H. (2013). Learning strategies, study skills, and self-regulated learning in postsecondary education. In M. B. Paulsen (Ed.), Higher education: Handbook of theory and research (pp. 377-403). New York City, NY: Springer Publishing.

Writing Study Skills Suggested by College Board

Iowa Online AP Mentors: Course Changes Ahead

The Iowa Online Advanced Placement Academy (IOAPA) allows Iowa students to take AP^TM classes online.  IOAPA is especially meant for rural schools that do not have the resources to support AP^TM classes.  Educators can learn more at www.belinblank.org/ioapa

Changes will soon roll out for two of our courses—AP^TM U.S. History and Physics.  These changes will not affect current students; however, they will affect students in the 2014-15 school year.

Changes to the Physics course include a new focus on Newtonian mechanics and a greater emphasis on student-led inquiry.  Considering U.S. History, the revised course centers on use of historical thinking skills, and it incorporates more structure through defined learning objectives.  The U.S. History exam, which will launch for all students in May 2015, has also been redesigned to include more multiple-choice items.  To prepare for this transition, mentors and teachers can review examples of teacher-developed course planning and pacing guides for U.S. History and Physics, and they may review the timeline below.

Fall 2013 – Spring 2014 Workshops will be available that present the changes and help teachers and mentors prepare for the revised courses.  These workshops will focus 20% of their time on the new courses and exams and 80% on the current courses and exams.  Workshops will also be available that center on developing students’ reasoning skills for Physics and historical thinking skills for the U.S. History course.

Summer 2014 AP Summer Institutes, such as the AP Teacher Training Institute provided by the Belin-Blank Center, will focus solely on the new courses and exams.  At this time, practice exams containing course updates will also be available through the AP Course Audit website.

Fall 2014 The revised courses will debut in classrooms.

May 2015 Students will take the new AP Physics and U.S. History exams.

Don’t forget! Spring 2014 course registration is now open for Iowa Online AP courses.

Say Wut? Digital Tool Use Can Improve Ur Students’ Writing?

The Iowa Online Advanced Placement Academy (IOAPA) allows Iowa students to take AP^TM classes online.  IOAPA is especially meant for rural schools that do not have the resources to support AP^TM classes.  Educators can learn more here.

In recent years, there has been concern that high school students are unprepared for college-level work, particularly in the area of writing.  As parents, educators, and professionals seek an explanation for this unpreparedness, it has been proposed that teenagers’ writing skills may be hindered by frequent use of social networking sites like Twitter and Facebook.

Some claim that use of these websites leads to reliance on “very compressed” language.  For example, the website Twitter may inadvertently encourage users to ignore rules of grammar and to opt for abbreviations rather than standard written English in order to fit a post into a limited number of characters.  This shortened and informal style can then trickle into academic writing, which is supported by anecdotal reports of student integrating “text speak” (e.g., ‘btw’ instead of ‘by the way’) into written work.  Yet research from the Pew Research Center suggests that digital technologies also positively influence students’ writing skills.

This past summer, the Pew Research Center surveyed Advanced Placement and National Writing Project teachers to better understand teacher perceptions about the impact of digital tools on student performance.  Their findings demonstrated that teachers are indeed concerned about the “creep” of informal style into formal academic writing.  At the same time though, teachers believe digital tools boost student creativity and personal expression while encouraging collaboration among peers.  In addition, letting students share their written work through online social mediums may even increase student motivation to create quality and unique written products.  Evolving technology appears to shape the way we perceive and utilize written language, but its influence may be more positive than initially thought.