AP Summer Institute

During this AP African American Studies APSI, you'll explore the course framework, the exam, and the new AP resources that will help you plan and focus instruction - and give you feedback throughout the year on the areas where individual students need additional focus. You'll also learn about completing the digital activation process at the start of the school year that will give you immediate access to the new resources and will help ensure that your students can register for AP Exams by the new fall deadlines. By attending this APSI, you'll gain deeper insight into the following key takeaways, among several others: Understanding the Course; Plan the Course; Teach the Course; Assess Student Progress; and Engage as a Member of the AP Community. In addition, specific attention will be paid to the following AP Classroom resources: unit guides, personal progress checks, AP teacher community, and the AP question bank.                                                                                                                                                           

• Presenter: Rachel Williams-Giordano
• Bio: Rachel R Williams-Giordano currently serves as a social science teacher at Cambridge Rindge and Latin School. Since transitioning from her role as a principal, she has taught AP United States History, African-American History as well as AP United States Government and Politics. In addition, she has launched AP African American Studies in 2022 and is the lead consultant for the course. In 2023, Rachel was the finalist for Massachusetts History Teacher of the Year. Rachel is also the teacher advisor of Student Government and has co-chaired one advisory committee to the principal of the high school. 

AP Art and Design course presents an inquiry-based approach to learning about and making art and design. The course focuses on concepts and skills emphasized within college art and design foundations courses with the same intent: to help students become inquisitive, thoughtful artists and designers able to articulate information about their work. AP Art and Design students develop and apply skills of inquiry and investigation, practice, experimentation, revision, communication, and reflection. You will do the same as you begin a mini-sustained investigation during the week, to be continued with students during the AP course. Whether you have been teaching AP Art for years or are just beginning, you will find what you need to begin this fall. Come join us for this powerful and exciting experience! The College Board-endorsed AP Summer Institutes provide teachers with in-depth training in AP courses and teaching strategies. Participants engage in at least 30 hours of pedagogical and content-rich training led by College Board-endorsed consultants and receive printed materials, including course outlines; content -related handouts; and student samples, scoring guidelines, and commentary for the most recent AP Exam free-response questions.                                                                                                                                                            

• Presenter: Laura Thompson
• Bio: I am excited to present our Everett Art and Design APSI online workshop again this year! I am a Consultant, Reader & Table Leader for the Advanced Placement Art Exam. 2024 will be my 14th year of determining AP scores for students. I also have 27 years of experience teaching Art. It is my great privilege to work with teachers. As always, the AP program has new information and ideas to help you and your students achieve greater success. I'd like you to feel prepared with all the materials you need to begin or enhance your AP course when our class is complete, so get ready for a lot of information & FUN!

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• Presenter: TBD
• Bio:

During this AP English Language and Composition APSI, you’ll explore the course framework, the exam, and the new AP resources that will help you plan and focus instruction—and give you feedback throughout the year on the areas where individual students need additional focus. You’ll also learn about completing the digital activation process at the start of the school year that will give you immediate access to the new resources and will help ensure that your students can register for AP Exams by the new fall deadlines. By attending this APSI, you’ll gain deeper insight into the following key takeaways, among several others: Understand the Course; Plan the Course; Teach the Course; Assess Student Progress; and Engage as a Member of the AP Community. In addition, specific attention will be paid to the following AP Classroom resources: unit guides, personal progress checks, AP teacher community, and the AP question bank.                                                                                                                                                          

• Presenter: Mary Jo Zell
• Bio: Mary Jo Zell lives and teaches in Keller, TX. She received her B.A. from Villanova University, and her master’s degree from Georgia Southwestern University. She began her teaching career in Pennsylvania and Georgia and has served as the Department Chair of English at Keller High School, where she has taught for 23 years. She is in her 30th year of teaching high school English and has taught every level 9-12th.   She teaches AP Language and AP Literature, and Dual Credit English.  She served as an AP Language Reader for the College Board for 19 years; and has served as a member of Sample Selection and a Table Leader for the AP Language and Composition exam.  She served on the College Board AP Literature Instructional Design Team and is an AP College Board Consultant who has conducted various workshops and summer institutes. Additionally, she is a co-author of Ideas in Argument and Ideas in Literature, Bedford Publishing. 

During this AP English Literature and Composition APSI, you’ll explore the course framework, the exam, and the new AP resources that will help you plan and focus instruction—and give you feedback throughout the year on the areas where individual students need additional focus. You’ll also learn about completing the digital activation process at the start of the school year that will give you immediate access to the new resources and will help ensure that your students can register for AP Exams by the new fall deadlines. By attending this APSI, you’ll gain deeper insight into the following key takeaways, among several others: Understand the Course; Plan the Course; Teach the Course; Assess Student Progress; and Engage as a Member of the AP Community. In addition, specific attention will be paid to the following AP Classroom resources: unit guides, personal progress checks, AP teacher community, and the AP question bank.                                                                                                                                                          

• Presenter: Ryan Hoague
• Bio: Ryan Hoague, MA, taught English at Temple City High School in California for 26 years, including over 20 years of AP English Literature instruction. In his teaching and 18 years as a College Board Consultant, he has refined his ideas about the elements of an effective AP Lit course. Mr. Hoague has also served as Chairperson of the English department and on numerous committees focused on curriculum and composition. He has additionally been an adjunct college instructor at Pasadena City College. A seasoned scorer, Mr. Hoague has been an AP exam reader for English Literature since 2001, often serving as a Table Leader and on Sample Selection. He has also read the essay portion of the SAT and placement essays for the Cal State University system. Mr. Hoague has reflected in depth on the elements of effective timed essay writing; he would like to share his insights about reader expectations and keys to student success. 

During this AP Environmental Science APSI, you’ll explore the course framework, the exam, and the new AP resources that will help you plan and focus instruction—and give you feedback throughout the year on the areas where individual students need additional focus. You’ll also learn about completing the digital activation process at the start of the school year that will give you immediate access to the new resources and will help ensure that your students can register for AP Exams by the new fall deadlines. By attending this APSI, you’ll gain deeper insight into the following key takeaways, among several others: Understand the Course; Plan the Course; Teach the Course; Assess Student Progress; and Engage as a Member of the AP Community. In addition, specific attention will be paid to the following AP Classroom resources: unit guides, personal progress checks, AP teacher community, and the AP question bank.                                                                                                                                                         

• Presenter: TBD
• Bio:

During this AP Spanish Language and Culture APSI, you’ll explore the course framework, the exam, and the new AP resources that will help you plan and focus instruction—and give you feedback throughout the year on the areas where individual students need additional focus. You’ll also learn about completing the digital activation process at the start of the school year that will give you immediate access to the new resources and will help ensure that your students can register for AP Exams by the new fall deadlines. By attending this APSI, you’ll gain deeper insight into the following key takeaways, among several others: Understand the Course; Plan the Course; Teach the Course; Assess Student Progress; and Engage as a Member of the AP Community. In addition, specific attention will be paid to the following AP Classroom resources: unit guides, personal progress checks, AP teacher community, and the AP question bank. 
 

• Presenter: Parthena Draggett
• Bio: Parthena Draggett has had a long career as a professional educator: 39+ years teaching a wide variety of Spanish and French courses at the secondary and university levels. She is retired from the Community School of Naples, Florida, where she also supervised Pre-K to 12 world languages, building Vertical Alignment and Pre-AP Strategies across languages and levels. Prior to coming to CSN, Parthena had spent 34 years teaching in Ohio, the last 24 at Jackson High School in Massillon, Ohio, where she also served as Department Chair and had founded the AP Spanish Language and Culture and the AP Spanish Literature and Culture programs. An enthusiastic AP and Pre-AP teacher, Parthena also regularly participates in the AP Spanish Language and Culture Reading where she serves as a Table Leader. In addition, she regularly presents at many conferences, including AATSP, ACTFL, FFLA, OFLA, NECTFL, COFLT, ICTFL, FLANC, and of course the AP Annual Conference.

During this AP Government and Politics - U.S. APSI, you’ll explore the course framework, the exam, and the new AP resources that will help you plan and focus instruction—and give you feedback throughout the year on the areas where individual students need additional focus. You’ll also learn about completing the digital activation process at the start of the school year that will give you immediate access to the new resources and will help ensure that your students can register for AP Exams by the new fall deadlines. By attending this APSI, you’ll gain deeper insight into the following key takeaways, among several others: Understand the Course; Plan the Course; Teach the Course; Assess Student Progress; and Engage as a Member of the AP Community. In addition, specific attention will be paid to the following AP Classroom resources: unit guides, personal progress checks, AP teacher community, and the AP question bank. 
 

• Presenter: Katie Piper
• Bio: Katie Piper teaches political science and history courses at Lakeside School in Seattle. Previously, she was an instructional coach and curriculum designer in the Bellevue School District.  She has been an AP US Government workshop consultant for the College Board since 2016 and helped develop professional learning for the PBL series of APSIs for AP US Government and Politics, AP World History, AP Human Geography, and AP Business.  She additionally served as a member of the College Board Instructional Design Committee for the AP US Government course redesign. She has served as a table leader and reader at the AP reading for the US Government exam.  She was part of the Knowledge in Action team in partnership with the University of Washington and Lucas Education Research, serving as a teacher leader and designer of project-based curriculum (PBL) for the AP US Government course. She is a contributing author for American Government: Stories of a Nation teachers’ edition and Documents and Court Cases reader. She has also been a consultant for Harvard University’s Democratic Knowledge Project, helping to shape middle school civics curriculum.  She is looking forward to continued collaboration with AP US Government teachers this summer and sharing some engaging projects! 

During this AP U.S. History APSI, you’ll explore the course framework, the exam, and the new AP resources that will help you plan and focus instruction—and give you feedback throughout the year on the areas where individual students need additional focus. You’ll also learn about completing the digital activation process at the start of the school year that will give you immediate access to the new resources and will help ensure that your students can register for AP Exams by the new fall deadlines. By attending this APSI, you’ll gain deeper insight into the following key takeaways, among several others: Understand the Course; Plan the Course; Teach the Course; Assess Student Progress; and Engage as a Member of the AP Community. In addition, specific attention will be paid to the following AP Classroom resources: unit guides, personal progress checks, AP teacher community, and the AP question bank. 
 

• Presenter: Matt Johnson
• Bio: Matt Johnson began his teaching career at North Central High School in Spokane, Washington in 1999. He graduated from Eastern Washington University with a degree in Social Science education and a minor in English. He later continued his studies at Eastern and earned his Master of Arts in history. He is a National Board-Certified Teacher who currently teaches AP US History and on level World History. In addition to teaching, Matt presently serves as the department chair for Social Studies. While in high school Matt was a student of AP US History and always wanted to teach the course recognizing that a passionate teacher can truly motivate kids to love the American story. He has now taught AP US for several years and serves as a Table Leader at the AP US History Reading. With a passion for helping underserved students achieve success in high school and beyond, Matt was recently selected to serve as a consultant for the new “Equity in AP” workshops launched by the CollegeBoard in 2021.

• Presenter: Sean Harris
• Bio: Sean Harris teaches AP World History: Modern, AP Government & Politics, and on-level US History at Holy Names Academy in Seattle, WA, where he has taught for the past 20 years. He started the AP World History program at HNA in 2012 and has expanded student access by working with the school to minimize barriers to entry. Sean is a College Board consultant in World History: Modern and has served as a Reader, Table Leader and Sample Selector at the AP World History: Modern reading.

More recently, Sean has worked with the College Board to develop a Project-Based Learning curriculum for AP World History. Sean was one of the initial PBL AP World History team members. In that capacity, Sean either wrote or edited each of the six projects in the AP World History PBL curriculum module. Currently, Sean serves as a workshop consultant for two PBL courses: AP World History and AP Government and Politics. Sean also continues to work with the College Board on improving the PBL materials and training resources for AP World History.