Ensure a calm classroom tone to reduce stress and feeling of “scrambling” at end of course
Students report feeling a “scramble” at the end of the year, where stress levels of teachers increase and that stress manifests in classroom tone and student stress. Having a teacher who ensures a calm classroom tone during this time of year helps reduce stress and helps students feel like they aren’t being rushed through the end of the content.
We suggest implementing these strategies:
Explore Student Experiences Throughout the School Year
Click on each critical period to explore student experiences.
Strong Start
August/September
Keeping Up
November/December
Midterm Reset
January/February
Exam Prep
March/April
Due to varying school schedules and contexts, the exact timing of the critical periods will differ by school and even by class. The months provided are a guide for where teachers should be looking for experiences based on time of year. Experiences marked with “ Students Shared” were generated directly from conversations with students about what supports their success in AP.