Georgia Association of Advanced Placement
Mathematics Teachers
Fall Conference at Rock Eagle
Friday, October 20, 2006
8:15 AM
Jan Jacobsen
Gifted Director and AP Coordinator
Houston County, Georgia
PowerPoint Adapted from
The AP Course Audit and Other AP Program Updates
AP Annual Conference
Orlando
July 2006
AP Course Audit

created at the request of secondary
school and college members of the
College Board to:
1.
Provide teachers and administrators with
clear guidelines on curricular and
resource requirements that must be in
place for AP courses; and
2.
Help colleges and universities better
interpret secondary school courses
marked "AP" on students' transcripts.
Define Standards and Parameters

Course Audit will:
Specify those common, essential elements of
corresponding college courses and define
resources, such as college-level textbooks,
materials, and/or laboratory equipment,
necessary for the course.
 Require teachers and principals to attest to the
inclusion of these elements in the course or else
describe how nonetheless the course is collegelevel.
 Preserve the flexibility individual teachers and
schools can and should have to create their own
curriculum and syllabus for an AP course.

Define Standards and Parameters

Course audit will not:
 Prescribe set curriculum nor specify
particular delivery models for courses.
 Mandate particular teacher credentials,
professional development, or certification.

(This is not an audit of internal procedures.)
Two Required Elements
of the AP Course Audit
1.
2.
AP Course Audit Form
Teacher and principal acknowledge
colleges’ expectations for AP courses.
Syllabus
Teacher provides a copy of syllabus
that demonstrates that his/her locally
developed curriculum is college-level.
Process: Web-Based
Teachers create account and:
 Access and submit course audit form
 Submit a syllabus for review (via web)
 Within two months teacher will
receive approval
OR
will need to submit more information.
 All schools will have ability to track the status of
all materials through the web site.

Syllabus Review




Syllabus preparation guidelines currently
available on AP Central.
Syllabus corroborates what teacher and
principal indicate is occurring in the
classroom on the AP Course Audit form.
Each Curricular Requirement must be
clearly evidenced on the syllabus.
Reviewers will be selected from among
college/university professors and recently
retired AP teachers, thereby ensuring the
continued validity of the process.
Additional Reviews




If course not initially authorized, teacher
and principal notified.
Explanation of non-authorization provided.
Opportunity given to supply more
materials/explanation about the course.
College Board-appointed senior reviewer
will work with your school to define what
needs to be in place before your school
can label course AP.
Textbooks and Instructional Materials



A non-exhaustive list of example textbooks that
fulfill AP Course Audit curricular requirements
appear on AP Central.
In determining whether the textbooks and
classroom resources listed on a teacher's syllabus
meet the requirements, reviewers will consider
these items holistically to confirm that the items
collectively provide students with the course
content delineated in the curricular requirements of
the AP Course Audit.
The Teacher's Resource Catalog at
apcentral.collegeboard.com/resourcereviews
includes reviews of a wide variety of instructional
materials that teachers may wish to use in their
courses.
Also…




Submit audit form and syllabus from
January 2007 through June 1, 2007.
Audit is a one-time process, not an annual
task.
Teachers may use an individual syllabus
OR a district syllabus.
And yes, just in case you were wondering,
teachers should be teaching what the
syllabus states.
More Information

apcentral.collegeboard.com/courseaudit