Three RCHS staff members kicked off their summer as Advanced Placement (AP) Readers. As AP Readers, they evaluate and score the written-response questions from exams taken by students from all around the country, ensuring the students receive exam scores that accurately reflect the expectations of college-level achievement.
AP Precalculus teacher Charity Johnson traveled to Kansas City, Missouri; AP Coordinator (and former AP English Literature teacher) Susan Norton-Casey traveled to Salt Lake City, Utah; and AP US History teacher Kevin Conforti participated from home.
“It is really remarkable that RCHS has not one but three staff members who help score these exams,” said Principal JD Bussell. “It says something very positive about our teachers and our AP program that we have so many who are selected.”
Mr. Conforti started as an AP Reader in 2012. Now an AP Scoring Leader, he trains a team of readers and monitors scoring to ensure scores are accurate. After twelve years, he keeps returning because “attending the Reading is the best PD that I can get specific to APUSH,” he said. “I can network to get great ideas from the College Board and other teachers.”
This year’s exam was the first for AP Precalculus, and Mrs. Johnson called her experience as a first-time Reader “wonderful.”
“I met so many AP teachers from across the nation and brought home so many ideas for my classroom, just from the conversations I had throughout the week. I also had lots of fun playing board games in the evenings and ate some great barbecue!”
One benefit for Mrs. Johnson was being able to gain a first-hand look at how the free-response questions for the exam were scored.
“Since this was the first year for this class, nobody really knew what to expect. I got a breakdown of the scoring rubric and know how to guide my students in the coming years,” she said.
Becoming more familiar with College Board expectations is the main reason Mrs. Norton-Casey has participated in the Reading for 12 years, the last four as a Scoring Leader.
“Scoring exams, and now helping to train and monitor Readers, made me a better teacher for my students. No year has ever been the same, so I am always learning something new,” she said. “Now that I am no longer teaching, I think my experience this year will really benefit our teachers, because I can offer them insights into how the scoring system works.”
For all three staff members, being a part of the Reading has been special.
“[It] has unlocked incredible professional and personal opportunities,” said Mr. Conforti, “in much the same way that taking an AP class can do for students.”