Media Relations

Scholarships Available for AP Biology Summer Institute

Date: Tuesday, April 17th, 2012

A Message from College Board:

The College Board has raised funds to pay for a limited number of AP Biology, AP Latin and AP Spanish Literature and Culture teachers to attend an AP Summer Institute this summer. If you want to attend an AP Summer Institute and have no other source of funding, we invite you to apply for this scholarship.

The Center for Gifted Studies offers AP Biology workshops for both beginning teachers and experienced instructors, who have previously attended at least one week-long AP seminar. Both of these workshops can be covered by College Board scholarships.

With the AP course redesign taking effect in the 2012-13 academic year, many teachers are interested in attending professional development programs this summer. But cuts to district and school professional development budgets are preventing some teachers from attending.

This scholarship is being offered on a first-come, first-served basis and is open to all AP teachers of AP Biology, AP Latin or AP Spanish Literature and Culture who are teaching in the 2012-13 academic year at public or private schools.

The College Board funding will pay the full registration fee for you to attend any AP Summer Institute in your subject area. You or your district/school will be responsible for any travel, lodging or other expenses.

Visit our website for AP Summer Institute locations and dates.

Because the funds we have raised are not sufficient to cover all AP teachers in your subject, we have developed an application process with a required essay. These funds will be awarded in the order that applications are received. The required essay will be used to provide information to the AP Summer Institutes about the learning needs of the attendees. To enable as many AP teachers as possible to attend an AP Summer Institute this summer, we ask you not to apply for this funding if you have any other source of funding. However, if you have already registered to attend an AP Summer Institute, and having done so is presenting you or your district/school with an economic hardship, you can apply for the College Board funding. If you apply and qualify, we will pay the full registration fee directly to the AP Summer Institute you attend.

The essay question for the application is:
Describe the key differences, as you see them, between the AP course you currently teach and the redesigned AP Curriculum Framework that will take effect next fall. What about the changes is most appealing to you, and what about the changes causes you the greatest concern? What do you hope to gain from attending an AP Summer Institute this summer? If you are a new AP teacher, describe your perceptions of the new course and your areas of focus as you prepare for the 2012-13 school year.

Your essay should be at least 500 words and no more than 1,000 words.

Click here to apply now. Applications are being accepted until April 29, 2012, and notifications will be sent the week of April 30th. At that time, we will provide recipients with information on how to register, and we will pay the full registration fee, as permissible by state law, directly to the AP Summer Institute the recipient registers to attend (see More about the Program section below).*

Thank you for all the work you do to foster the development of deep conceptual knowledge and skills among your students.

If you have any questions about this program, please contact APRedesignPD@collegeboard.org.

Sincerely,

The Advanced Placement Program®

Click here to apply for The Center for Gifted Studies' AP Summer Institute.

More about the Program

Why was the College Board Scholarships for AP Summer Institutes program established?
Attending an AP Summer Institute in summer 2012 is crucial for many AP Biology, AP Latin and AP Spanish Literature and Culture teachers seeking to ensure a smooth transition to the redesigned courses, which shift toward 21st-century skills and best practices in higher education.

To support teachers in this year of severe funding cuts, the College Board established a scholarship program to fund AP Summer Institute (four- to five-day face-to-face intensive workshops) registration fees for teachers of redesigned AP courses. This is meant to help teachers of redesigned AP subjects who are unable to otherwise get funding.

The program enables school districts to continue to use their valuable funding to train new AP teachers, replace retiring teachers and grow their AP program. This program aims to supplement their budget dollars to enable training on the courses being redesigned for 2012.

What does the scholarship cover?
The AP Summer Institutes are offered by a broad variety of colleges, universities and professional development centers that, while endorsed by the College Board, operate independently and set their own prices. Accordingly, the exact amount of the scholarship will differ depending on which AP Summer Institute you attend, but will fully cover the registration fee and will be paid directly to the AP Summer Institute that the qualifying teacher attends. Teachers and their schools/districts are responsible for covering any travel or other expenses.

Who is eligible to apply for the program?
Teachers teaching AP Biology, AP Latin or AP Spanish Literature and Culture courses in fall 2012 at public or private schools and who are permitted to accept such funding in accordance with their state and local laws and regulations are invited to apply. Please note that some states and school districts have policies, laws, or regulations that address gifts, ethics and conflicts of interest that may limit acceptance of this scholarship. It is your responsibility to make certain that you are permitted to accept the scholarship under those rules. If you are required to