Expert testimony provided by the College Board and NMSI at a Special Commission Meeting in Rhode Island

On June 6, the College Board and the National Math and Science Initiative (NMSI) offered expert testimony at the Rhode Island State House during a meeting of the Special House Commission to Study Public Higher Education Affordability and Accessibility in Rhode Island.  At the meeting, the College Board and NMSI briefed the Special House Commission on the role of the Advanced Placement Program in increasing academic rigor, an important factor in building college and career readiness.

The Special House Commission was created to study the administrative and academic decisions and practices at the public institution and higher education system levels that affect college affordability and accessibility, to consider best practices from other states, institutions and systems, and to provide recommendations on actions that can be taken at the state and institutional levels to enhance affordability and increase accessibility of public higher education to all Rhode Islanders.

During the briefing before the Special Commission, leaders from the College Board and NMSI spoke about the Advanced Placement Program as a proven and effective means of addressing several P-20 policy concerns regarding rigorous high school curriculums and preparation for the academic demands of college.

College and career readiness is the level of content knowledge that students should possess in reading, mathematics, writing and communications in order to be successful in the workforce or at an institution of higher education. Both AP and IB are proven methods of rigor for high school students, and both have been shown to improve college and workforce readiness.

NMSI also presented inspiring evidence of the Advanced Placement Training and Incentive Program’s (APTIP) comprehensive approach to increasing teacher effectiveness and student achievement in rigorous math and science courses through training, teacher and student support, vertical teaming, open enrollment, and incentives.  Data illustrating APTIP’s effectiveness in closing the achievement gap was highlighted to emphasize the program’s contribution to addressing equity issues in the classroom.

Presenters Included:

• Trevor Packer, Vice President, Advanced Placement Program, The College Board
• Gregg Fleisher, Director, National AP Training and Incentives Program, NMSI

Collaborators:

National Math and Science Initiative