The focus of this article is the academic initiatives Mrs. Cassie Schaffer is implementing as Director of Teaching and Learning. While working with grades K-12, her focus is ensuring our curriculum at all grade levels accomplishes the district’s mission of building thinkers, building connections, and building experiences so our students are continually growing academically.
It’s commonplace for parents to take first- and last-day-of-school photos to capture how much their children have grown in nine short months. While pictures capture physical growth and change, they can’t capture how our children grow as thinkers and learners. At Van Buren Local School District, there are many ways we challenge our students, but one specific way we challenge our high school students is offering Advanced Placement (AP) and College Credit Plus (CCP) courses to give students the chance to challenge themselves, stretch their skills, and capture a different kind of growth that goes far beyond what a photo can reveal.
We believe our students will see the most growth when they set high expectations for themselves and push themselves outside of their comfort zones. One way they can do this is by taking challenging coursework. With the addition of AP and CCP courses on our campus, we are better able to support our students as they face challenging coursework by providing a safe and scaffolded learning environment to prepare them for future learning.
This year we have 72 students taking AP and CCP classes taught at VB. While some students are only taking one of the classes, others are taking up to four. 30% of the students taking these classes are seniors, 38% are juniors, and 32% are sophomores. We realize it is important for all students to be challenged in the classroom, and these numbers show students across the high school are embracing the opportunity.
One of the juniors taking multiple AP and CCP classes is Jacob Schroeder. While he is taking AP Calculus, CCP Government, and CCP Composition I and II, he also spends three periods a day at Millstream in the Business Essentials program. Why is he taking so many AP and CCP classes? Schroeder said, “My goal is to earn as many credits as possible, and the advanced classes look good on my transcript. The classes are also more challenging, so I am going to be more prepared for future college classes. I am really enjoying my experience at Millstream, and since I hope to go into accounting after graduation, both my advanced and Millstream classes will help me achieve that goal.”
Schroeder’s AP Calculus teacher at Van Buren, Mrs. Rachel Rader, never took an AP class in high school because her school didn’t offer them, but she clearly sees the benefits the classes provide to her students as she enters her second year teaching AP. “I like the rigor, and our students are definitely capable of meeting the challenge. Since I didn’t have the opportunity to take AP classes in high school, last year was a learning experience for all of us, but I utilized the AP resources and had four of my students earn a 4 or 5 on the exam.”
Another math teacher, Mr. Addison Carter, is teaching AP Statistics for the first time this year, but he is no stranger to AP classes after taking seven of them while a student at Delaware Hayes High School north of Columbus. “Taking AP classes did not allow me to graduate earlier, but I absolutely love AP. When I went into college, the people I knew who hadn’t taken AP classes in high school struggled to adjust to the college workload. I, however, was prepared for the amount of work I would need to do both inside and outside the classroom,” he said.
Mr. Adam Schumaker is also entering his second year teaching AP Chemistry, and he hopes to add to the success his first class of AP students had last year when they took the AP exam in early May. All of the students earned at least a 3 with six students earning a 4 or 5 (most colleges require a score of 3, 4, or 5 to earn college credit). What led to the success, Schumaker said, was "the students pushing through the curriculum from AP and working very hard to earn those results.”
As Mrs. Cassie Schaffer leads this push to challenge our students with AP and in-house CCP classes, her ultimate goal is encouraging students to reach their potential while knowing they are supported. “Our goal is to challenge our students, provide the scaffolding to allow them to achieve whatever they desire, and help them develop the confidence to tackle challenging and rigorous coursework. When classes are offered in-house, students don’t need to drive anywhere or feel uncomfortable as one of the youngest people on a college campus. At VB, students know who their teachers are, feel comfortable with them, and see them every day in our halls. The amount of support and safety our students can experience taking an in-house course leads to the best possible experience for everyone involved.”
None of these classes would be possible without everyone coming together to work toward a common purpose: academic growth. The AP and CCP teachers were willing to complete the necessary training and develop their classes with the required rigor. The students were willing to challenge themselves by signing up for the courses. Finally, the families are willing to support their students throughout the school year as they work through these courses.
Because of the effort everyone has put forth, we are putting our students in the best possible situation for them to challenge themselves and maintain their high school experience. While we still can’t use a photograph to see their academic growth, we are confident their future academic success will paint a clear picture of how far they have come.
To learn more about all of the AP and CCP classes offered in the high school this year, read Welcoming Back, Moving Forward: Knight Insight with Dr. Inkrott.
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