Merging a dual-credit course, like
ACP, with the AP curriculum.
Who am I?
 My name is Cheryl
McLean.
 I teach High School
Chemistry at Westfield
High School, in
Westfield Indiana.
♣ Westfield high school is a suburban high
school with about 1600 students.
♣ We have experienced growth of about 100
students per year for the last 10 or so years.
♣ Our school operates on a trimester system,
so each trimester represents a semester of
material covered in 60 days. Class periods
are 72 minutes.
 Our 1st and 2nd year courses are 2 trimesters
long.
 Our AP/ACP course is a 3 trimester course.
 Students must complete “successfully” the
1st year course to take the AP/ACP course.
 About ⅓ to ½ of my AP/ACP students also
take the 2nd year course.
Who am I?
 I have been teaching for 27 years, 21 of those years
at the high school level.
 I have taught Advanced Placement Chemistry, off
and on, for about 15 years.
 I have taught Advanced College Project (ACP),
which is a dual-credit course, for 9 years.
 I will explain what AP and ACP are in more detail
in a moment!
 I am currently serving as President of the Indiana
Alliance of Chemistry Teachers (IACT).
I am…
 NOT:
 an expert in AP, ACP or
merging the two
together!
 trying to sell something!
 trying to promote the
ACP program (or
CALM), although I do
think both are great
programs.
 just an ordinary high
school chemistry teacher.
 still working to better
merge the AP and ACP
programs to offer my
students some choice.
 planning to continue
refining my program until
I retire!
 open to suggestions!
So, what is AP?
 AP Chemistry is a course sponsored by the College
Board. This is the same organization that does the
SAT and ACT exams.
 AP Chemistry is a program that is designed to
provide the curriculum of an introductory college
level course in a high school setting.
 An exam is given in May to determine the
accomplishment level of each student.
 This exam score may translate into credit for a
university course. The level of credit awarded
varies with each university.
So, what is AP?
Teachers must submit their syllabus to AP
for approval.
This audit process insures that the required
curriculum is being taught and also
strengthens the designation of AP for a
course on a student’s transcript.
So, what is ACP?
 ACP stands for Advance College Project and is a
dual-credit course sponsored by Indiana
University/Bloomington. (they do sponsor more
than just chemistry for dual-credit!)
 High School teachers are vetted and then trained
by IU staff so they can confidently and
competently teach the college course in a high
school setting.
 A detailed syllabus for the course must be
submitted every year by the teacher to the ACP
office.
So, what is ACP?
The initial training, which takes place in the
summer, includes a detailed study of the
required curriculum, instruction in the
subject area and teaching tips.
Teaching materials are provided as well as
university contacts for any questions or
problems that may arise during the school
year.
So, what is ACP?
Yearly seminars keep these high school
teachers connected to the university.
These seminars include time for professors
from the university to talk about recent
research and new developments in their
field. Teaching techniques and tips are
shared and sometimes “field trips” are taken
to local labs and facilities.
So, what is ACP?
So now we know how teachers are screened
for the program, kept connected, current and
“on track”.
How are students selected?
Can just any student who wants to take the
course earn credit?
So, what is ACP?
Generally, ACP students should
 Rank in upper half of high school class
 Have a GPA of 2.5 or higher on a 4-point scale
 Have combined SAT score ≥ 1000 (500* & 500) or ACT
composite ≥ 21 or PSAT ≥ 100 (50 & 50)
* ACP Chemistry requires SAT math score of 570 or above
 Be on track toward fulfilling basic academic preparation
for admission to a four-year postsecondary institution
So, what is ACP?
Students must apply just as any student
would apply for admission to I.U.
The school guidance counselor reports
SAT/ACT scores, GPA….
Finally, the high school teacher has their
input. This is very important as high school
juniors and a college freshman are very
different and numbers don’t always tell the
correct story.
So, what is ACP?
The university also sends a representative to
each participating school during the school
year to not only validate that the instruction,
student expectations and assessments are
college level, but also to provide additional
support to the high school teacher.
As a result, this program has been very
successful in many high schools.
Why try to blend ACP and AP?
 The State of Indiana has changed the graduation
requirements for students who will graduate in
2010.
 Those students who want to earn an Academic
Honors Diploma must meet the following
requirements:
Why try to blend ACP and AP?
 For the Core 40 with Academic Honors diploma, students must:
 Complete one of the following:
 Complete AP courses (4 credits) and corresponding AP exams
 Complete IB (Higher Level) courses (4 credits) and corresponding IB
exams
 Earn a combined score of 1200 or higher on the SAT critical reading
and mathematics
 Score a 26 or higher composite on the ACT
 Complete dual high school/college credit courses from the Core
Transfer Library (6 transferable college credits)
 Complete a combination of AP course (2 credits) and
corresponding AP exams and dual high school/college credit
course(s) from the Core Transfer Library (3 transferable college
credits)
Why try to blend ACP and AP?
 Most high school students do not take the SAT or
ACT until their junior year. If they do not meet the
requisite scores, they would have to scramble to take
these AP and/ or dual credit courses their senior
year.
 Therefore, many will decide to begin taking these
AP and/or dual credit courses as juniors.
 As juniors, many students have NO idea where they
want to attend college or what they want to major in
when they get to college so trying to decide whether
to take AP or ACP would be a tough choice.
Advantages of Merging AP and dualcredit courses:
1. Having my course set up as an AP/ACP course offers my
students choice. For example:
 Students who are great test takers can take the AP option
and work to score a 4 or 5 to earn their credit.
 Students who are not great test takers can take the course
for IU credit and earn 10 credit hours from IU. This
credit is like any college credit and the students can get an
I.U. transcript. These credit hours often give the student
an advantage when registering for classes.
 We see that these ACP students are able to transfer the
credit successfully, and that they stay in college (IU data)
and have higher GPA’s (IU data)
ACP Course Transfer
Percent Success Rate
100%
90
80
70
60
50
40
30
20
10
0
100
100
98
95
84
2004/2005
90
2005/2006
100
93 90
Instate Public
Instate Nonpublic
Out-of-State
2006/2007
Self-reported data from follow up student surveys
College Graduation in Indiana
 58% of Indiana high school seniors entered
directly a post-secondary institution in 2002
The National Information Center for Higher Education Policymaking and Analysis, 2002
 Of those students entering in 2001-02, 55%
graduated with a college degree within six
years
 Indicating only 32% of Indiana’s high school
graduates are earning a four year college degree
The National Information Center for Higher Education Policymaking and Analysis, 2006
College Graduation in Indiana
 On the next slides we see that ACP students not
only have better retention at I.U. , but they also
have better GPA’s.
Retention: ACP Students at IU
ACP students vs. non-ACP students (matched data set)
Data prepared by Todd Schmitz, director of reporting and research, Office of Student Information and
Fiscal Services, Indiana University, 2001-2006
GPA: 2001-2006 at IUB
ACP students vs. non-ACP students (matched data set)
ACP
Non-ACP
Data prepared by Todd Schmitz, director of reporting and research, Office of Student Information
and Fiscal Services, Indiana University, 2001-2006
Advantages of Merging AP and dualcredit courses:
2. Students who are going to major in chemistry,
medicine, engineering... may take the course for
experience only and not for credit to insure success
when they enter their college program. They do not
have to pay for credit or transfer their AP score.
3. Students are able to demonstrate the rigor of the
course by showing that it is an AP approved course.
This is very helpful when trying to transfer credit to
an out of state school that is not familiar with ACP.
Advantages of Merging AP and dualcredit courses:
4. For many high schools, it is too expensive to offer
separate AP and dual-credit courses. Class sizes may
be too small for each course, in which case neither
would be offered. Staffing is often a concern too.
5. Since both AP and ACP are intended to be the 1st
year of college chemistry, the curriculum for each
should be similar.
6. I am sure there are more advantages, and they would
vary for each school, however that is not the focus of
this presentation.
How I went about Merging AP and ACP
Chemistry: Curriculum
 First I recognized the need to merge these two
programs, not only for the benefit of our school,
but to better meet the needs of my students,
especially with the new graduation requirements.
 I had to convince our administration to schedule
this combined class as a 3 trimester class. I knew it
would be impossible to cover all the material and
do all the labs in 120 days.
How I went about Merging AP and ACP
Chemistry: Curriculum
 Once our administration was on board, I looked
very carefully at what I was currently teaching and
compared that with the required AP curriculum.
 I identified “holes” in my current curriculum and
extraneous content as well.
How I went about Merging AP and ACP
Chemistry: Curriculum
 The “holes” included the following:








nuclear chemistry
organic chemistry
complex ions
colligative properties
electrochemistry
entropy and free energy
common ion effect
buffers
 These topics simply couldn’t be covered in a 120 day
course.
How I went about Merging AP and ACP
Chemistry: Curriculum
 I then took a hard look at what I was teaching, how
I was presenting the material, and how much and
what type of “work time” I was giving my
students.
 I realized I was “spoon-feeding” my students too
much with lectures explaining everything instead
of highlighting what I know are “trouble spots”.
 I was giving them too much time in class to work
on problems or review for a test.
How I went about Merging AP and ACP
Chemistry: Curriculum
 I also recognized that a summer assignment was a must.
For me, this includeded the first 3 chapters of the book
(problem solving, measurement, error analysis, atomic
theory, classification of matter, naming and basic
stoichiometry).
 Assignments included reading, problems from the text,
graphing data, and Internet based homework called
C.A.L.M.
 These assignments were due the first week of class.
How I went about Merging AP and ACP
Chemistry: Curriculum
 I then removed the extraneous work days and the time
spent doing the first 3 chapters.
 This additional time, plus the 180 day schedule for the
class made me confident I could cover all the required
curriculum.
 I then went back and inserted the curriculum I had not had
time to cover previously.
 I compared my “new” curriculum with the topics required
by AP and looked for any remaining “holes”.
How I went about Merging AP and ACP
Chemistry: Lab
 Once I was satisfied that I was covering all the curriculum
required by AP, I began to look at my lab component.
 The lab component was more challenging as I had labs I
had acquired over the years from workshops, other
teachers and ACP that I wanted to include.
 Again, I compared what I currently had in my program to
the AP required labs.
 The suggested labs for AP include 3 gas labs. I have 1 gas
lab in my program and did not want to include more as my
students do 2 gas labs in 1st year chemistry and come into
this class with a pretty good understanding of gases.
How I went about Merging AP and ACP
Chemistry: Lab
 I also omitted the determination of a formula lab as my
students do that lab in 1st year chemistry too. Instead my
student do a more complex lab where they decompose
BaCl2• 2H2O. They use stoichiometry, pooled class data
and their final mass to determine what the product is.
 In addition, my students do a measurement lab where they
become familiar with pipets and burets, learn to pool class
data and find standard deviation. I think the time is well
spent so they have the process skills they need throughout
the year.
How I went about Merging AP and ACP
Chemistry: Lab
 Many of my labs covered the same objectives and lab skills
as the AP labs. I just had to explain those objectives clearly
enough so they would be accepted in the AP audit process.
 However, several “introductory” labs had to be dropped to
insure time later in the year for entropy and electrochemistry
labs.
 For example, an early lab titrating vinegar with a standard
base was replaced with an oxidation – reduction titration lab.
A similar acid-base lab is done later in the course in
conjunction with acid-base equilibrium.
How I went about Merging AP and ACP
Chemistry: Lab
 Before I officially merged these 2 classes, I tried out
several AP labs in the areas where I didn’t think I had
satisfactory labs. Many of the chemical supply
companies have these available as kits which really
makes this trial process easier.
 After trying these out in one of my classes, I decided
which I liked, which I didn’t want to use again and
those I wanted to modify somewhat.
 I then inserted the labs I wanted to keep into my
curriculum and compared this again to the AP lab
program.
How I went about Merging AP and ACP
Chemistry.
 I then submitted my syllabus to AP to go through the AP
Audit.
 I did have to explain some of my labs in more detail for this
process since they didn’t have the titles of the AP labs. But
once explained, my syllabus was approved.
 Once accepted, this syllabus then has the “stamp of approval”
from AP and allows the AP designation to be part of the class
title on the student’s transcripts.
 This AP Audit process is a one time procedure, not a yearly
procedure, although there is a yearly renewal of some kind.
How I went about Merging AP and ACP
Chemistry: Process Skills
 One of the things I think is so important in both the lecture
and the lab component is writing.
 For the majority of my labs, the students must write a
detailed introduction. This introduction is part of the ACP
lab format that I find very valuable.
 In general, at least with the AP kits you can purchase, I
have found that the AP lab formats do not require as much
analytical writing.
How I went about Merging AP and ACP
Chemistry: Process Skills
 The lab introduction I require my student to write consists
of 3 basic parts.
 First, the student must identify the purpose or purposes of the
lab.
 Secondly, they must identify what data they need to collect and
what techniques they will use to collect that data.
 Lastly, they must explain how they will use that data to answer
the stated purpose of the lab. This includes explanations of
formulas and calculations.
How I went about Merging AP and ACP
Chemistry: Process Skills
 I have found that this format does two important
things to help prepare the student for the AP test
and for college in general.
 First, this forces the student to see the big picture
of the lab. If they really write a thorough
introduction, they begin the lab with a very clear
understanding of what they are doing and why
they are doing it. They know what techniques are
critical to the lab and what data is essential.
How I went about Merging AP and ACP
Chemistry: Process Skills
 Secondly, I believe that this process forces the
student to become a better writer.
 Writing is such an important component of the AP
exam (also college and life in general) and the
more we can make our students write analytically,
the better able they will be able to answer free
response questions.
How I went about Merging AP and ACP
Chemistry: Process Skills
 Another way I try to incorporate writing into my
course is through unit and cumulative review.
 Old AP tests are available on the AP website.
Using the free response questions from these old
tests not only provides a great review for unit tests,
but again forces the students to write, and write
more analytically.
 I think that it is important to grade at least some of
these review questions. There are several ways
that can be approached.
How I went about Merging AP and ACP
Chemistry: Process Skills
 Of course, the teacher can grade every one of these.
However, that can be very time consuming and often
it is impossible to accomplish this task. You must not
let the AP class consume your life!
 Students can use a peer review process. This not
only allows the student to get good feedback on their
paper, but also to see how another student
approached the question. I think that if trained
properly, this is a great option.
How I went about Merging AP and ACP
Chemistry: Process Skills
 Another way feedback can be provided is to use the
AP test scoring guides. If students see how points
are awarded, they begin to see what items are
important to include, what can be omitted and the
level of detail required for full credit on a question.
 Questions can be discussed in class as a rather
expedient way to give feedback to students.
 Each of these methods provides students with
excellent feedback on their writing and preparation
level not only for a unit test, but also for the AP
exam.
How I went about Merging AP and ACP
Chemistry: Process Skills
 I also make my students do cumulative reviews.
 These reviews cover not only the current unit, but
incorporate previous units.
 Again, the writing is important, but this process
also helps students see how topics tie together and
keeps the information fresh for the student.
 This hopefully prevents the panic about the
amount of material on the test that can set in for
students several weeks before the AP test.
How I went about Merging AP and ACP
Chemistry: Resources
 I am not an expert, but I am willing to help! I have already
had several teachers in Indiana come to me for help to
merge these two courses.
 There are many experts who will guide you through this
process:
 The AP website (apcentral.com) is a great resource. Old
tests, sample curriculum, test taking suggestions, links to
other resources... are all available on this website.
 AP also sponsors various levels of AP training. Many of
these are conducted during the summer at local universities.
Often you can receive credit for taking one of these courses.
How I went about Merging AP and ACP
Chemistry : Resources
 The ACP program sponsored by Indiana
University is a wonderful resource. They provide
not only training, but also curriculum support,
university contacts, the opportunity to borrow
equipment, tours...
 Their website is www.acp.indiana.edu
 I am sure that many other universities offer dualcredit courses that can be combined with an AP
course in the high school setting.
How I went about Merging AP and
ACP Chemistry : Resources
 Peers are a wonderful resource.
 I know many high school chemistry teachers come from a
small school and they are the only chemistry teacher! This
can be very frustrating and isolating but there are
organizations to help you in addition to AP and ACP.
How I went about Merging AP and ACP
Chemistry : Resources
The ACS is really reaching out to high
schools. You can contact your local ACS
chapter and ask for assistance.
Their website is www.acs.org
ACS is also sponsoring High School
Chemistry Clubs. This can be a great way
to get high school student excited about
chemistry!
How I went about Merging AP and ACP
Chemistry : Resources
 Teachers in Indiana can become involved in the
Indiana Alliance of Chemistry Teachers, IACT.
 Teachers in this organization are more than willing
to assist other chemistry teachers. We are in the
process of developing a mentoring program for
young teachers.
 http://www.chem.purdue.edu/sciexpress/IACT%20Webpage/IACT.htm
 Other states may have similar programs.
How I went about Merging AP and ACP
Chemistry : Resources
 Many AP accepted textbooks now have
workbooks, study guides, etc... that are specifically
designed to help prepare your students for the AP
test.
 High school teachers can get these materials free
of charge when they adopt an AP textbook.
 There is also a great deal of software available for
AP teachers. However, many of these items are
too expensive for limited school budgets.
How I went about Merging AP and ACP
Chemistry : Resources
 Internet homework is also a wonderful resource for AP
teachers. Many textbooks offer these types of programs.
 Often these textbook homework sites are just the problems
from the text, online. This really just allows the student
not to take the book home- not an advantage in my mind.
 Many times these programs are provided at a cost per
student. Again, this can become cost prohibitive for
schools.
How I went about Merging AP and ACP
Chemistry : Resources
 I use C.A.L.M. (Computer Assisted Learning Method) as
my Internet homework program.
 C.A.L.M. is an Internet homework program provided free
of charge by Indiana University. This program is available
to any teacher, even outside Indiana.
 The nice thing about CALM is that it is not tied to any
textbook, so you do not have to change your Internet
homework program every time you change your textbook.
 When teaching an AP/dual-credit course, your curriculum
should not change so the questions you have in C.A.L.M.
would not need to change either.
How I went about Merging AP and ACP
Chemistry : Resources
 I love C.A.L.M. because I get to design my own course
and select my own questions from a database of nearly
4000 questions.
 One thing that makes C.A.L.M. so special is that each
student is assigned their own unique version of the
question from the data base. This prevents cheating and
allows student to talk about process and problem-solving,
not answers.
 If you are interested, check the website:
www.calm.indiana.edu
How I went about Merging AP and ACP
Chemistry.
 In conclusion, you first need to determine what
type of program is going to best meet the needs of
your students, your school and your community.
 Find out what dual-credit courses are offered in
your community and see if they would meet your
needs.
 Make sure the credit from the course is widely
accepted. If not, there is little benefit for your
students.
How I went about Merging AP and ACP
Chemistry.
 As you design your course, ask for help. There are
many resources you can utilize so you don’t have
to “reinvent the wheel”.
 Don’t expect perfection from yourself or your
students.
 Make sure your students are working as hard as
you are!
How I went about Merging AP and ACP
Chemistry.
 Good Luck
 Take care of yourself!
 QUESTIONS
How I went about Merging AP and ACP
Chemistry.
 My contact information is:
 Cheryl McLean
 Westfield High School
 18250 N. Union Street
 Westfield, IN 46074
 mcleanc@wws.k12.in.us
 Please contact me if I can be of any assistance.
 I have copies of my syllabus on CD’s. Please feel
free to use these as a starting point for your course.