National AP Data from the College Board

From Inside Higher Ed:

The College Board on Wednesday presented its annual report on the state of the Advanced Placement program, the findings of which were similar to recent years. While mean scores and overall participation in the AP exam both grew, inequity in the availability of the exams and programs persists across socioeconomic and racial backgrounds, despite some improvements. 

According to the report, which College Board leaders presented in a webinar Wednesday morning, 2012 saw gains in several categories. Among them, the number of high school graduates taking the AP exam in 2012 was 954,070, or 32.4 percent, up from 30.2 percent in 2011, and 18 percent a decade earlier, in 2002.

The number of high school graduates scoring at least a 3 on the AP examination’s 5-point scale, the minimum score required for course credit, also increased in 2012; according to the report, 573,472 students, or 19.5 percent, scored a 3 or higher in 2012, compared to 541,000 (18.1 percent) in 2011 and 305,098 (11.6 percent) in 2002.

Read more: http://www.insidehighered.com/news/2013/02/21/annual-ap-report-reveals-both-student-participation-and-scores-rose-2012#ixzz2Lq07qdEQ
Inside Higher Ed 

English Teacher Book Published in December

English Teacher Andrew Jones’ book, “Two Seasons in the Bubble: Living and Coaching Basketball in Bulgaria“ will be published by Granny Publishing.  I’m very excited about getting my copy.  Check out the publisher’s website here: http://grannypublishing.com/bookswriters/twoseasonsinthebubble.html

And check out Andy’s Facebook page for his book here: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Andrew-W-Jones/179308838879165.   

Central Senior Chosen as Columnist!

Emma Harrison holds her recent column in The Doings called "Being the Tie-Breaker in the Election."   This isn't Emma's only claim to fame.  She's also the Editor-in-Chief of this year's El Diablo yearbook staff.

Check out the funny and smart column here:  http://oakbrook.suntimes.com/opinions/15842950-598/being-the-tie-breaker-in-the-election.html

English 1 PLC examines data on student achievement to tweak curriculum

The English 1 Team met this morning to examine student assessment data about students gathering, assessing, and presenting information -- a key Common Core skill.  

"Creating a Community of Readers"

 Hinsdale Central teachers have been selected to present at the NCTE national education conference. This photo shows English teachers and librarian collaborating as they put together their presentation for the National Council of Teachers of English national convention in Las Vegas in November.  From left, English teachers Stephanie Hiffman, Heather Fehrman, Kate Saunders, librarian Kerrin Riley, and English teacher Lauren Otahal.  The proposal that was accepted by NCTE involves 

Here's the information that NCTE publicized.  (NCTE publicized separately for each teacher, so this one is just about Kate)

The National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE) is pleased to announce that Kathrynne Saunders will be speaking at the 2012 Annual Convention.

Saunders, of Hinsdale Central High School, Illinois, will be presenting during the Panel, "CREATING A COMMUNITY OF READERS." An excerpt from the description of this session in the Convention Program reads:

Each year, it becomes a little more difficult to inspire students to read. Between an overload at school and technological distractions, picking up a book becomes less and less of a priority for teenagers. However, creating a community of readers is still possible.

The session will be held from 11:30 AM to 12:45 PM on Sunday, November 18, 2012.

Each year, the NCTE Annual Convention draws thousands of K-12 teachers, college faculty, administrators, and other educational professionals from around the world. They gather to hear award-winning speakers, attend idea-packed sessions, share best practices, participate in workshops, and test the latest teaching materials. The 2012 Annual Convention will be held November 15-18, in Las Vegas, Nevada.

For more information, or to register for the Convention, visit http://www.ncte.org/annual.

New Devils' Advocate out today!

The issue includes a feature article by Kathryn Cua and Chetna Mahajan with the intriguing subtitle, "Not all stduents need SADD's warning posters, some are choosing not to drink at all."  English teacher Kate Saunders is quoted in an article by Libby Morris called "Welcome to the blog-o-sphere" which details how students are building an online presence by creating blogs in and out of classes.  Lots of other great stuff, too!

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