Testimonials

What are teachers and administrators saying about Laying the Foundation Training?

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"There are two keys to improving AP participation and performance within your student learner population.  First, you must have the guts to offer the courses required to increase your overall pre-AP and AP enrollment - especially concentrating on your students of color.  But second, and as important as offering the coursework through your school's master schedule, you must commit to a rigorous training cycle for your pre-AP and AP teachers.  LTF offers the most rigorous training package for teachers I have ever seen as an urban school district educator.  We have already seen a big difference in the way pre-AP and AP teachers were teaching before LTF training, and after.  The outstanding benefit to this improved teacher training around rigorous curriculum is a better prepared faculty, which leads to a better prepared student learner population.  In attempting to bring pre-AP and AP work to the urban student learner, we could not do it without the support of LTF and AP Strategies."

Scott A. Van Beck
West Region Superintendent
Houston Independent School District

"A record number of students in the Pasadena school district completed Advanced Placement courses and a record number of students took the Advanced Placement Exams in the 2006-07 school year. The increase in the number of student participation in the Advanced Placement program is due to the district’s association with Advanced Placement Strategies, Inc. With the guidance of the consultants of APS, our PreAP and AP teachers are implementing new strategies in their classrooms. The teachers have a better understanding of the PreAP /AP program curriculum. Our high school students are benefiting from the rigorous college level instruction while preparing for AP exams. Our district has seen a tremendous increase in the number of students enrolling in PreAP courses which results in our students being better prepared for college level course work in high school and in college. The number of students participating this school year in PreAP/AP science courses has doubled from the previous year. Prior to the introduction of the LTF training, many of our intermediate schools did not offer PreAP programs in all core subject areas. There has been significant increase in the course offerings and the number of students requesting the courses. The Laying the Foundation training is the corner stone of the success of our Advanced Placement program. Without the LTF training program, I truly believe there would have been little growth in the course offerings, student enrollment, and the number of students taking the AP exams. The true beneficiaries of the program is our students."

Patricia Sermas, Director
Advanced Academics, Assessment, AVID Guidance and Counseling
Pasadena ISD

"Houston ISD was fortunate to receive the $2.2-Million Grant from the Michael and Susan Dell Foundation on April 14, 2005. This has provided Laying the Foundation Pre-AP English, math and science training for 3,046 teachers. The training began in 2005-06 and we had 603 teachers that completed the training. As we begin the 2007-08 school year, we have 1,359 teachers enrolled in LTF training. This shows a 125% increase from the first year of Laying the Foundation training. This remarkable increase can be attributed to the high-quality, challenging training which our teachers have received. The Laying the Foundation program generates this excitement because it addresses the issues of rigor, excellence in student products, and high quality, subject-specific professional growth for educators. Teachers’ perceptions of their own efficacy following this training has translated into measurable student success in college-level courses in our district. We expect this trend to grow even more as the program reaches a critical mass of educators and students in our schools."

Cyndi Boyd
Manager Advanced Academics Department
Houston ISD

"The effect of the Laying the Foundation training in the Ysleta Independent School District has been profound. The Pre-AP teachers were searching for ways to improve their teaching skills and strategies in order to better prepare students to move into an Advanced Placement class; this program has provided our teachers with many skills, strategies, vertical alignment of lessons, confidence and peer support to present a rigorous pathway to the Advanced Placement class. Laying the Foundations is an excellent program that provides teachers with outstanding rigorous and relevant lessons that are producing students unafraid of challenges and who are becoming creative, critical thinkers ready to succeed in Pre-AP/AP classrooms. After our teachers attend the first few sessions they returned to their campuses and used the lessons; YISD suddenly had more teachers wanting to attend the LTF training sessions than we had room for. The enthusiasm of the attendees is very rewarding to watch."

Trula E. Holstein
AP Coordinator
Ysleta Independent School District, El Paso, TX

"I wanted to share with you the excitement that our partnership with AP strategies has generated in our secondary schools. There is an enhanced focus with our students evidenced by an increased number taking AP courses and in the number of students taking AP exams. This has directly correlated to the College Readiness emphasis from the state and our district goals. There is a renewed enthusiasm on the part of our teachers and they are enthusiastically participating in the Laying the Foundations training. The consultants have been well received and are recognized for their knowledge base. We value the wonderful materials, expertise and support that has been provided."

Best regards,
Vicki Thomas
Deputy Superintendent
Pasadena Independent School District

"I want to thank you for all you did to help me bring Laying the Foundation to my teachers in Norman. The trainings went so well last week. [The trainers] were wonderful. They were straightforward when they needed to be and encouraging and understanding when the situation warranted that. English teachers can be a tough bunch and these two consultants were wonderful. I've had several emails from teachers already saying they have already used a lesson, rewritten a lesson, or adapted a lesson. [The trainers] made it so accessible. Again, thank you for all the phone calls and emails in helping me set this up. I'm looking forward to more work between LTF and Norman Public Schools."

Brook Meiller
Language Arts Coordinator
National Board Certified Teacher
Norman Public Schools Norman, OK

"One of the most positive experiences from the students’ viewpoint was taking the LTF test. This gave pre-AP students the opportunity to see what an AP test would be like."

Superintendent
City View, Texas

"I enjoyed the seminars and appreciate the energy that the consultants used in making the day a highly professional learning environment.  I teach Special Education and ELL students, reading on levels of 1st through 5th grade.  The current issues, poetry, and speeches were interesting for class discussions and developing thought about my students' opinions.  They became more involved than I ever expected about, as they called it, 'The Real World.'  It is not surprising to me that they can also benefit from the Pre-AP lessons.      

Betty Bell
Sp. Ed./ESL Teacher
Houston ISD, Ruby Sue Clifton Middle School

"I have to say that this was the best training I have been to for G/T, Pre-AP or any other field since I have been working as an educator. I'm a strong believer in this 'stuff', so I'm really looking forward to using these strategies in the classroom.  I also teach at the college, so this is EXCELLENT material for the developmental courses in writing.  Thank You for including all of us."

Roxanne Martinez
Language Arts Teacher
Eastwood Middle School, Ysleta ISD

"The consultants from Laying the Foundation were extremely well versed in their subject matter, as well as the AP Process....One of the most positive experiences from the students' viewpoint was taking the LTF test. This gave Pre-AP students the opportunity to see what an AP test would be like. The lead teacher felt he greatly benefited by being a reader for the LTF grading."

Michael L. Smith, Superintendent
City View ISD

"Our district has finally seen the fruits of our labor. We had a big increase in the number of juniors who passed the exit level exam. Neighboring districts have been asking what we did to get such a huge increase in students passing.  Without hesitation, I have replied, 'LTF.'”

Sylvia Arcaute
English Teacher
Valley View ISD

"I would like to thank you for the absolutely incredible training provided by Laying the Foundation.... To please not only the district's middle-school curriculum writers but also the language arts faculties of three extremely different high schools, themselves serving extremely diverse student bodies, is quite a feat! From all accounts the in service was met with enthusiasm by all campuses. We asked you to send us 'your best'--and you did. In particular, we are deeply grateful for the professional manner and language arts expertise of [the trainer]. Her flexibility in adjusting to the needs of her particular audience has ensured the endorsement of our teachers. We already had firm testimony of the soundness of LTF's language arts curriculum--and the overview of the materials and the practice with strategies far exceeded our hopes. We appreciate the concrete applications modeled for us. Thank you for assisting with setting up these four workshops, and please thank your consultants for their professional expertise and enthusiastic, can-do attitudes! We are hoping to partner with LTF on future endeavors."

Administrator
Houston-Area ISD

"The coordination of concepts, examples, and syllabi between the grade levels is so useable and flexible. The Skill Progression Charts create a framework which will help English Vertical Teams tremendously, guide new teachers, and most importantly, make 'equity and excellence' available to more students. I'm so impressed! Bravo!"

Mary Fry
English Teacher

"The Laying the Foundation books are by far the most powerful Pre-AP resources I have seen. This will change the way Pre-AP mathematics is taught! All of the problems that I have seen are well-written and well-sequenced. I can't wait to employ these lessons in my own classroom. Thanks for all of your hard work."

Jay Cheatham
Lead AP Calculus Teacher
Cooper High School, Abilene ISD

"Laying the Foundation has been a fantastic learning experience for my ELA teachers! All have been challenged to design a syllabus for the year as well as to create engaging and rigorous lessons on style analysis, rhetoric, grammar/syntax, close critical reading, and the elements of effective written communication. I have been so pleased with their work which they often share with me. I feel confident that our Pre-AP students are learning more than they have in the past because of the training that my teachers are applying in their classrooms."

Mary Racine
English Department Chair
Akins High School, Austin ISD

"I am very impressed with all the effort, and more importantly, all the results of the efforts. I can only imagine the eagerness with which teachers will want to get their hands on these well-written, well-thought out, class-tested materials.  I have no doubt that this project is going to have a positive impact on mathematics in the state of Texas.  You all are to be congratulated for your imagination and perseverance in producing these workbooks.  I'm delighted to have been able to participate in their preparation and would gladly do more if I would be helpful. A few years from now, lots of people will be thanking you...both teachers and their students."

Dr. Ray Cannon
Baylor University Professor, Former Chief Reader of the AP Calculus Exam

"Because of this training, teachers have become much stronger in their instruction of the English curriculum with all students. Not only has the grant helped many teachers with their advanced classes, it has provided them with a knowledge base for all their classes. Many of the teachers have stated that they use the strategies with all of their students, modifying some for individual differences.  I know that when I was in the classroom, I used the lessons that were provided with all students and found that success did not differentiate between 'high' and 'low' students."

Kimberly Callison
Language Arts Coordinator
Lubbock ISD