Achieving Equity
College Board’s Equity and Access Policy Statement
The College Board strongly encourages educators to make equitable access a guiding principle for their AP programs by giving all willing and academically prepared students the opportunity to participate in AP. We encourage educators to:
- Eliminate barriers that restrict access to AP for students from ethnic, racial, and socioeconomic groups that have been traditionally underserved.
- Make every effort to ensure their AP classes reflect the diversity of their student population.
- Provide all students with access to academically challenging coursework before they enroll in AP classes
Only through a commitment to equitable preparation and access can true equity and excellence be achieved.
Resources
There are a number of resources available to schools looking for ways to help expand access to AP.
Spotlight on Success highlights the strategies schools across the country use to help underserved students succeed in rigorous course work and develop the content knowledge and critical thinking skills they will need in college.
- Spotlight on Success Stories 2010
- Spotlight on Success Stories 2011
- Spotlight on Success Stories 2012
Maximizing Equity and Access in K-12 School Resource trainings:
Organizational Strategies for Maximizing Equity & Access in K-12 Schools and A Self Assessment for Maximizing Equity & Access in K–12 Schools are trainings and tools intended to help educators understand the organizational and individual behaviors that support exclusive, passive and inclusive relationships and environments in school organizations. For more information contact Odette Duggan at oduggan@collegeboard.org
Fee reductions for low-income students
The College Board provides a $26 or $28 fee reduction per exam for qualified students with acute financial need, depending on the student's state. Schools normally forgo their $8 rebate in these instances.
Most states provide additional fee reductions for students in financial need. Each state determines whether students qualifying for the College Board's fee reduction are eligible for additional fee reductions through federal and state grants. State-specific fee reduction information will be available in spring 2013.
AP Fellows Program
The AP Fellows program is an annual competitive grant program that provides scholarships for secondary school teachers to attend AP Summer Institutes. AP Summer Institutes provide an excellent opportunity for teachers to gain command of a specific AP subject and to receive up-to-date information on the latest curriculum changes. Scholarships are available to teachers from schools that serve minority or low-income students who have been traditionally underrepresented in AP courses. The $1,000 scholarships assist teachers with the cost of attending an AP Summer Institute. For a teacher to qualify s/he must teach at a school that meets at least one of the following criteria:
- Fifty percent or more of the student population must consist of traditionally underrepresented students of color (African American, Hispanic, or Native American)
- Fifty percent or more of the student population must consist of students whose average family income level is equivalent to, or below, the national annual average for a low-income family of four (approximately $36,000)
Application deadline: February 15, 2013
Applications are now being accepted at the following links:
- 2013 College Board AP Fellows Program for AP Summer Institutes
- 2013 College Board AP Fellows Program Recommendation Form
- For your reference, here is an example of a top-graded application: Top Graded Application
Cultivating AP in Small Rural Schools
Many small rural schools struggle with a unique set of challenges, including isolation, motivating students to pursue a rigorous academic curriculum, and limited numbers of teachers. Although small rural schools face obstacles in implementing and growing their AP programs, the College Board believes that a systematic approach to these challenges can broaden access to AP. Please visit the Cultivating AP in Small Rural Schools page for more information.