Mass Insight Education and Research

Classroom Strategies for AP® Success

These strategies provide guidance to schools on making AP programs more supportive of historically underserved students, including those who identify as Black, Latino, and those experiencing poverty. Classroom strategies address the preparation for Advanced Placement® classes before enrollment, support increased enrollment of these students once prepared for AP, and support the success of these students once they take the AP Exam. These strategies are meant to be turn-key and implementable immediately in the classroom, creating impact in students’ experiences, and increasing the chances for student success in the rigorous environment of Advanced Placement classes.

The Value of the Tool

For many students from historically underserved backgrounds, Advanced Placement classes represent an increase in rigor, content knowledge and skills, responsibility for learning, and heightened performance expectations that they are confronting for the first time in their educational experience. This tool is meant to provide teachers with strategies they can use to address gaps in students’ academic skills (like close reading or academic conversations), non-academic skills (like goal setting or addressing test anxiety), and to help them access instruction in ways that bridge gaps they may find while embarking on this new journey. When students run into barriers, we hope teachers will reach for these strategies to build an experience for those students that helps them be successful all the way through test day.

Read About the Strategies

Crafted with the support of teachers working in schools where the majority of their students come from historically underserved backgrounds, including those who identify as Black, Latino, and those experiencing poverty, these strategies represent thinking from fellow educators. Other contributors include organizations deeply involved in the work of improving schools like the Carnegie Foundation, the University of North Carolina, City Year, and others. With more than 100 strategies, there is bound to be something on this list that meets the needs of any classroom that serves historically marginalized student populations. We hope you find something here for you and your students.
View the Strategies

More Information

One place to start exploring the Classroom Strategies for AP Success is by choosing from the filters at the top of the page. Once you hit “search” a curated list of strategies will be listed, from which you can choose one or many to implement with your students. There is also a search bar where you can type keywords that will get you related strategies. Here (link to tags) certain tags for strategies can be found, and by choosing one a list of related strategies will appear.The list of strategies provides guidance on how to make them come to life in your classroom by showing you their purpose, desired student outcomes, action steps to take, and additional resources that may help users along the way. Below are notes on the format of each strategy:
  • Purpose: The “Why” or what we hope will happen in real time if the strategy is executed with fidelity
  • Desired Outcome: The expected tangible change in the student experience
  • Action Steps: Concrete directions educators need to take to get to the desired student outcome
  • Addendum: Additional resources including links to webpages, articles or tools that can help teachers make strategies happen right away