6600 Project

Questionnaire
To better understand the problems with diversity in AP classes at Brookwood High School I interviewed students from different ethnic backgrounds and posed the following questions:

How do you feel as a minority at Brookwood High School?
What are the biggest obstacles that you face?
How do people in your subgroup view academics as a whole?
Why are the AP classes not very diverse?
Why do African Americans and Hispanics shy away from particularly AP Calculus?
What steps could be taken to encourage/motivate a more diverse student population of AP students?

After discussing the project with prospective and current students I have decided to make a couple of revisions.
Also two large revisions were made following discussions in the 6600 class.
1. Groups for particular subgroups of students
There is no way for me to reschedule classes so that we segregate females, African Americans, Hispanics into environments that they feel more comfortable and can succeed in. However, I can offer additional help to students in these more successful environments.
2. Preparation class for students
Probably the greatest difficulty with reaching all students with AP courses, is that a great part of the problem is with tracking that occurs three years prior to their senior year. Once students begin a college prep track instead of honors or gifted, it is hard for the student to overcome this obstacle. A large portion of Hispanics, African American, and lower SES students are found in the College Prep course levels. So one of the main problems with these students taking AP Calculus is that they are not prepared for it by their Senior year. A three day preparation class should serve enough time to review any material that is not covered in the CP math class, and give extra help with the summer assignment.
Note: The summer assignment is simply a review of Precalculus. If a student can master the summer assignment they will have a great chance of being successful in AP calculus.

Following the suggestions of high school students and changes brought about by the readings and discussions from 6600 the lesson will be as follows:

Day 1
The first part of the unit will be a research activity for the students.

1. Students will list 5 possible colleges of their choice
2. Students will list 3 possible majors/fields of study
3. Students will find out the math requirements for 3 majors at 3 different
colleges/universities.
Even if the students feel they know what college they are going to, they need an alternative plan, and likewise with the college major.

This will give the students the opportunity to discover for themselves what background they will need for a number of different college and major situations.
Students will be required to email the teacher with their findings, so he can use it for the presentation the following day.

Day 2
The day will begin with a discussion of the different majors and college choices, along with the math requirements for each. The instructor will note that if a student could ever possibly take Calculus, then they should first take it in high school.

Instructor Presentation:
The instructor will present a PowerPoint presentation to the students. The main ideas will be
1. Course Requirements
2. Benefits of Course
3. AP Credit? Who needs it, who has received it in the past(score reports)
4. FAQ

Student Activity:

Students will view the presentation of student responses to taking Calculus. They will read the testimonials, and view the interviews provided by former and current students, along with professionals who have had experience with higher mathematics.

Response:
Students will write a three part report on this activity:
Part 1. Students will indicate their initial reactions to AP calculus, and discuss their feelings, attitude, and preliminary thoughts on taking the course.
Part 2. Student will reflect on their thoughts after viewing the Testimonial/interviews. They will consider how this has changed (if any) their initial thoughts about the course.
Part 3 Students will discuss the following: What is their final position on AP calculus? Has this activity affected their decision in any way? What way could this be improved?

1) Issue

Every year there are greater numbers of students taking advanced placement (AP) classes as admission to colleges is getting more and more competitive. However, there is little diversity within these classes. At Brookwood High School there are very few African Americans, Hispanics and students with low socio-economic status in specifically the AP Calculus classes. All students should be encouraged to take AP courses.

2) Objective

The purpose of this project is to provide all students with information regarding Advanced Placement classes (specifically AP Calculus) in effort to motivate more students to take these rigorous courses. The project will focus on encouraging all students to take AP classes by bringing attention to the availability of AP courses along with the benefits to students who take these courses.

3) Description
I will create an instructional unit to guide students through choosing their senior math class. The focus of this guide will be towards encouraging students to pursue Advanced Placement Calculus. This unit will have the following components:

1. General Information
The course will be outlined in this section and will include the syllabus, course outline and pacing guide, content information, etc. Along with this basic information, there will be a section for Frequently Asked Questions, general benefits, and misconceptions about the course.

2. Collegiate
This section will take a look at how Calculus benefits the student during college. Included in this will be a list various college majors that require calculus, and how they vary from different institutions. Also, I will include testimonials from college students and alumni about the benefits they have experienced from taking calculus in high school.

3. Career
The last section will be a look at different careers where Calculus is a requirement or a great asset. Along with general information and explorations of different careers where calculus is present, there will be a section of interviews with individuals from these different careers.

The focus of the 2nd and 3rd sections will be to highlight successful students/adults from all ethnic and cultural backgrounds to be interviewed. With the help of these interviews, students should be able to identify with someone from their ethnic and cultural background and be encouraged to aspire to pursue this high level mathematics course.

The subjects that will be presented with this unit, will be juniors at Brookwood High School who are participating in summer activities at the school. All ethnic and cultural backgrounds will be represented by this group of students.

4) Culture

There is a problem with the diversity among the AP community at Brookwood High School. I will emphasize the need for students from all cultures to take these classes. This project directly focuses on increasing the diversity of the individuals taking Advanced Placement courses.

5) Timeline

The majority of the time spent on this project will be on the construction of the unit. A good deal of research will be needed to sufficiently target all student groups that are present in the school. Adequate time will also be needed to obtain interviews with the various individuals. Only a short time is needed for students to view the unit and give feedback on the quality of the project.