An Exploration of Rural Advanced Placement Differentiation

<p>Advanced Placement classes are introductory college courses taught in high school. Over 60% of all secondary gifted programs report utilizing AP classes as part of their program offerings (Callahan et al., 2017). Despite the prevalence of AP courses, there is no exact match between this particular type of programming and the needs of gifted learners (Gallagher, 2008). The use and occurrence of AP programs across the United States have not been equal, with subsequent underrepresentation of underserved groups, including rural students (Gagnon & Mattingly, 2016) in AP classes. Rural gifted students benefit from all the same classroom differentiation techniques that other gifted students do, including critical thinking and problem-solving, advanced content, inquiry, independent learning, project or problem-based learning, and internship and mentoring programs (VanTassel-Baska & Hubbard, 2016). There is little published research concerning the differentiation practices for gifted students enrolled in AP classes. The purpose of this qualitative educational criticism was to describe, interpret, and evaluate the differentiation practices that are presented by rural Advanced Placement teachers to gifted students. Five rural teachers engaged in virtual observations, artifact submission, and semi-structured interviews. Data was analyzed using Tomlinson’s differentiation model (2018) and the instructional arc (Uhrmacher et al., 2017). Each of the five teachers observed demonstrated similar classroom pedagogy that aims to meet the unique needs of gifted students. Rural AP teachers form positive student-teacher relationships and establish positive classroom communities, although they may fail to provide specific differentiation modifications known to benefit gifted students. All participants reported being supported by their administrators, but face barriers due to poor student preparation and the threat of concurrent enrollment. As rural AP teachers occupy pivotal roles in their respective buildings, administrators and gifted program coordinators should work to establish Pre-AP or vertical preparation programs to ensure adequately prepared students enrolling in these courses. College Board, parent organization of Advanced Placement, should encourage frequent training of AP students and modify existing training to increase knowledge of specific curricular modifications required by rural gifted students. An appropriate guidebook on teaching AP classes in rural areas is necessary to improve instruction in these particular communities. Lastly, differentiation in rural areas should be modified to include place based learning to increase critical thinking and problem solving skills for rural gifted learners. Rural AP teachers engage in rigorous work within their AP classes that ensures that rural students have strong foundations for success in the future.</p>

Name thesis:degree_name

Ed.D.

Level thesis:degree_level

Dissertation in Practice

Year

2024

Author dc:creator

• Shapiro, Kristin M.

Contributors dc:contributor

• Norma L. Hafenstein
• Paul Michalec
• Shelagh Gallagher

• Advanced placement
• Differentiation
• Gifted
• Gifted and talented
• Rural
• Curriculum and Instruction
• Education
• Gifted Education
• Secondary Education

Statement dc:rights

• <p>Copyright is held by the author. User is responsible for all copyright compliance.</p>

Language dc:language

English (eng)

Repository record dc:identifier

https://digitalcommons.du.edu/etd/2432

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:digitalcommons.du.edu:etd-3420