CENTRAL PEEL SECONDARY SCHOOL

ADVANCED PLACEMENT PROGRAM

GUIDING PRINCIPLES

Commitment to Rigour and Excellence

Philosophy Statement

The Advanced Placement (AP) Program at Central Peel Secondary School provides students with a host of academic enrichment opportunities. Through itsrigorous approach to learning, the AP Program fosters the growth of a community of students and educators who seek knowledge not merely for its practical applications but also for the sheer joy of knowing. Members of the Central Peel AP community are passionate, curious and driven to excel by their deep intellectual and emotional commitment to learning.

Foundation of the AP Program at Central Peel

The foundation of the AP Program includes all the elements of the CP21 Learning Framework (see Appendix 1). In addition, the AP learning model encompasses two main objectives and the means for accomplishing them:

Objectives /
  1. Academic Excellence
  1. Critical Thinking and Problem Solving
  2. Knowledge and Conceptual Understanding
  3. Independent Learning and Thought
  4. Communication Skills
  5. Creativity and Innovation
/
  1. Personal Growth
  1. Character
  2. Leadership

Means / High Expectations
Enrichment
Rigour
Interdisciplinary Approach
Inquiry / Collaboration
Mentoring
Assessment and Evaluation
Digital Fluency

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  1. Academic Excellence
  1. Critical Thinking and Problem Solving

Students will develop and applya variety of strategies and mindsets including, but not limited to, the following: critical thinking strategies, constructive habits of mind, deep conceptual understanding and extensive criteria for making sound judgements.

  1. Knowledge and Conceptual Understanding

To support critical thinking and problem solving, students will also need to develop extensive background knowledge, relevant skills and deep conceptual understanding. Conceptual understanding underpins the ability to make connectionswithin and across disciplines. This understanding fosters the fluid movement between the theoretical and the practical, which in turn, enables critical thinking and problem solving.

  1. Independent Learning and Thought

To facilitate lifelong learning, students will require a strong foundation of skills and attitudes thatenable independent learning and thought. The following table lists some of the most important elements in this area:

  1. Communication Skills

The importance of developing highly effective communication skills cannot be overstated. Consequently, the AP Program at Central Peel places a very high priority on helping students to develop their ability to convey ideas with clarity, precision and in a manner that will capture and maintain the interest of the audience. In addition, our AP Program devotes a great deal of attention to the development of keen listening skills, a critically important component of communication. Naturally, none of this can be achieved without a love of reading, a value that must be deeply and inextricably embedded in the psyche of all APstudents.

The following table summarizes the components of communication that are emphasized in Central Peel’s AP Program. These skills are developed by delving into a range of subjects and engaging in thought-provoking activities that require students to support their arguments with solid evidence and persuasive language.

  1. Creativity and Innovation

Students will develop a repertoire of strategiesthat will catapult them over the walls of conventional thinking. Such techniques provide a strong basis for stimulating new ideas, for viewing old problems in a new light, for tackling novel situations by taking mental detours and for developingabstract thought.

In response to their highly inquisitive nature, students will unleash their imagination and be guided by their intuition as they play, experiment, improvise and explorethe world. By being encouraged to think “out-of-the-box” or to do away with the“box” altogether, students will be immersed in an environment that is ripe for igniting their creative fires. Once these fires are lit, students will discoverclever, innovativesolutions that will often also prove to be useful,practical and feasible.

  1. Personal Growth
  1. Character

Academic learning must be set in the greater context of developing strength of character. This includes honesty, integrity of moral purpose, the fortitude of mind to confront and bear adversity and faithfulness to commitment. Students will develop strength of character by striving touphold the following values and practices:

Intellectual honesty and honesty in general

Employing reason to guard against irrational impulses

Reserving judgement until sufficient evidence comes to light

Remaining cool and calmin thoughts and actions, even when faced with hostility

Admittingerrors and faults and learning from them

Taking action to repair damaged relationships

Being patient with oneself and others

Defending the rights of those against whom transgressions have been committed

Embracing the world of fascinating ideas

  1. Leadership

TheAP students will be the leaders of tomorrow. It is expected, therefore, that they assume a significant leadership role while enrolled in Central Peel’s AP Program. In doing so, students will develop the ability to conceive a vision and a sense of purpose for their goals, to plan and execute such plans, to delegate responsibility to others and to influence others to participate. Strong leadership also entails dealing with and overcoming failures and mistakes and most of all, leading by example. When leaders consistently push themselves to go beyond the call of duty, others have little choice but to follow.

MeansforAccomplishing the Central PeelAPObjectives

Through continuous collaborative planning, AP teachers employ a wide range of evidence-based teaching strategies. The strategies are consistently applied in the larger context of the means for accomplishing the Central Peel AP objectives.

High Expectations

Time and again, it has been shown that one of the primary drivers of learning is the setting of high expectations. This applies to all students but even more so to AP students. By being immersed in a highly challenging environment, students learn to break through the barriers of perceivedlimitations, allowing them not only to realize but often to exceed their potential.

Enrichment

AP students are expected to have a much broader range of experiences than is possible with traditional instructional programs. Such experiences include learning in greater depth and breadth, learning at a faster pace, exploring open-ended questions, developing global awareness and citizenship and experiential learning.

Rigour

“Rigo[u]r is to academic work what careful practice and nuanced performance is to musical performance and what intense and committed play is to athletic performance. When we talk about a ‘rigorous course’ in something, it’s a course that examines details, insists on diligent and scrupulous study and performance, and doesn’t settle for a mild or informal contact with the key ideas.” (Talbert, 2009)

Accordingly, rigour in the AP classroom involves strict adherence to the following:

Interdisciplinary Approach

To promote open-mindedness, creativity and “out-of-the-box” thinking, as well as to reflect the realities of the workings of the modern world, an interdisciplinary approach will be used whenever possible. This will be accomplished by focusing on making connections between topics and across disciplines as well as by solving interdisciplinary and “real-world” problems.

Inquiry

“Inquiry is the dynamic process of being open to wonder and puzzlements and coming to know and understand the world.” (Galileo Educational Network, 2004.)

The inquiry model in the Central Peel AP classroomincludes research, experiments and project-based learning. It addresses authentic (“real-life”) problems within the context of the curriculum, fosters student curiosity, supports collaboration among teachers and students, embraces inquiry as both content and pedagogy and provides opportunities for students to pursue their own questions.

Collaboration

The AP program at Central Peel operates on a model that values teacher collaborative inquiry within and across all subject areas. In addition to helping ensure common, shared expectations, it provides the means for ongoing, job-embedded professional development.

Our AP program is aligned with the Ontario curriculum, the College Board standards and other AP programs, so there are ample opportunities to work collaboratively.

Students will share responsibility for collaborative work. In doing so, they will demonstrate their ability to work effectively and respectfully with others in a variety of settings.

Mentoring

Mentoring plays an important role in helping our students manage the various challenges presented by the rigours of the AP program. This involves extra support and guidance coming in the form of encouragement, constructive criticism, openness, mutual trust and respect and the stressing of the importance of wellness and self-care.

Assessment and Evaluation

Assessment and evaluation tasks reflect the high-level learning objectives and expectations of the AP Program. Assessment and evaluation practices include the use of informed professional judgement, the collection of high-quality evidence of student learning, the intentional focus on assessment for and as learning and the increased use of formative assessment. Students will also be given multiple and varied opportunities for practice, coaching and feedback.

Digital Fluency

To enhance their learning,students will hone their ability to use digital tools and applications. This will enable them to participate more fully in post-secondary education, the workplace, democratic society at large and everyday life in general. The AP program will “emphasize students’ ability to critically assess information in an increasingly media-based society.” (CoganDerricott, 1998, p.99)

The appropriate use of information and communication technology will augment learning in a variety of ways including those listed in the following table:

References

Alberta Learning. (2004). Focus on inquiry: A teacher’s guide to implementing inquiry-based learning. Retrieved from

Brookhart, S.M. (2010). How to assess higher-order thinking skills in your classroom.Alexandria VA: ASCD.

Case, R. & LeRoi, D. (n.d.) Preconceptions of critical thinking.Professional Readings from tc2. Retrieved from

Colvin, R.L & Jacobs, J. (n.d.).Rigor: It’s all the rage, but what does it mean? Understanding and reporting on academic rigor: A Hechinger Institute primer for journalists.1-5. Retrieved from

Fullan, M. (n.d.).Great to excellent: Launching the next stage of Ontario’s education agenda. Retrieved from

Greenhill, V. & Kay, K. (2013).The Leader’s guide to 21st century education; 7 Steps for schools and districts.Toronto ON: Pearson.

Greenstein, L. (2012). Assessing 21st century skills: a guide to evaluating mastery and authentic learning. Thousand Oaks CA: Corwin.

Hattie, J. (2012). Visible learning for teachers: Maximizing impact on learning. New York NY: Routledge.

Jackson, R.R. (2011). How to plan rigorous instruction: Mastering the principles of great teaching. Alexandria VA: ASCD

Jacobs, H.H. (Ed.). (2010). Curriculum 21: Essential education for a changing world. Alexandria VA: ASCD.

Talbert, R. (n.d.).Teachers on rigor.Understanding and reporting on rigor: A Hechinger Institute primer for journalists. Retrieved from

Appendix 1

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