Northwestern High School Receives $24,800 Grant from the College Board

Thursday, August 11, 2005

Northwestern High School, a Detroit Public School on the city’s west side, will receive a $24,800 grant to begin an Advanced Placement program in the 2005-2006 school year.

This program will include courses in Calculus, World History and Psychology.

The College Board’s AP program allows student to pursue college level courses while they are still in high school. Students with different interests can choose from 34 courses and exams in 19 subject areas to demonstrate their knowledge of rigorous college level curriculum. Based on their performance on AP exams students can earn college credit, advanced placement, or both.

More than 150 high schools applied for the AP Start-up Grant this year but, the College Board only awards grants to 10 schools in the United States and two in Canada. Additionally, 55 schools were awarded ,000 scholarships to send faculty members and administrators to College Board endorsed Summer Institutes.

The College Board looked for schools that would: provide open access to all students interested in AP courses, set up feeder middle schools to ensure students from all backgrounds would be prepared for AP classes, and require all students enrolled in AP courses to take an end-of-course exam in May.

Administrators from Northwestern High School will work closely with a veteran AP teacher and a mentor from the College Board to help set up the program and guide the teacher through the first year.

Generous support has been provided by Apex Learning Inc. for curriculum needs. Teachers will receive class materials free of charge to support their instruction and exam review. Training will also be provided for all eligible teachers who attend the 2005 AP National Conference.