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For Immediate Release: [MONTH],XX, [YEAR]
[Insert Name of School] to Participate in the College Board’s AP with WE Service Pilot Program
New Program WillFocus on Integration of Service Learning Opportunities into AP Curricula
[Insert city, state] — [insert name of school] in [insert city, state], is among the first schools in the nation topilot the College Board’s AP with WE Service program.The result of an innovative partnership with international organizationWE, the program is designed to help teachers integrate servicelearning opportunities into their AP curricula, while allowing students who complete the program requirements to earn a recognition on their ETS Score Reports.
The AP with WE Service connects a rigorous academic experience with servicelearning in an effort to help students become mindfulleaders and active citizens. Through this model—which encourages broader discussion of demanding academic material through experiential and problem-based nature of servicelearning projects—young people will be urged to take action on the service opportunities that matter most to them.
[Insert quote from District Superintendent or High School Principal/Course Teacher]
“The College Board strongly believes that learning how to use classroom knowledge intheir local communities and the world at large is an important part of a student’s growth,” said Jason Manoharan,Vice President for AP Program Management and Strategy at the College Board. “AP students in this pilot program will have the chance to apply their rigorous academic learningin real world settings and situations. By merging meaningful servicelearning with AP coursework,these young people will be empowered to becomeengaged citizenson issues of interest to them.”
The pilot program focusesinitially onsix subjects: AP Computer Science A, AP Environment Science, AP European History, AP Human Geography, AP Spanish Language and Culture, and AP Studio Art: 2D Design.Teacherswhose schools have been accepted into the program will be able to accesssample servicelearning modules that are relevant to the specific content of the APcourses.The College Board and WE will offer free professional development opportunities to teachersto help prepare them to introduce service learning into their curriculum in the coming school year, in addition to providing tools and resources for educators and students to effectively achieve their service-learning outcomes. Teachers will track their students’ academic and service participation to ensure that they meet the requirements to receive the AP with WE Service credential.
Pilot teachers will have the opportunity to provide feedback on the program to inform future course development. Students who are interested in taking part in the pilot should ask the teacher in the participatingsubject area of interest or the school AP Coordinator to find out whether they will be including these newservice-learningcomponents within the AP course.
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About [Insert Name of School or District]
[Insert descriptive paragraph about your school or district here]
About the Advanced Placement Program
The College Board’s Advanced Placement Program® (AP®) enables willing and academically prepared students to pursue college-level studies — with the opportunity to earn college credit, advanced placement, or both - while still in high school. Through AP courses in 38 subjects, each culminating in a rigorous exam, students learn to think critically, construct solid arguments, and see many sides of an issue — skills that prepare them for college and beyond. Taking AP courses demonstrates to college admission officers that students have sought the most rigorous curriculum available to them, and research indicates that students who score a 3 or higher on an AP Exam typically experience greater academic success in college and are more likely to earn a college degree than non-AP students. Each AP teacher’s syllabus is evaluated and approved by faculty from some of the nation’s leading colleges and universities, and AP Exams are developed and scored by college faculty and experienced AP teachers. Most four-year colleges and universities in the United States grant credit, advanced placement, or both on the basis of successful AP Exam scores — more than 3,800 institutions worldwide annually receive AP scores. In the last decade AP participation and performance rates have nearly doubled. In May 2014, 2.3 million students representing more than 19,000 schools around the world, both public and nonpublic, took over 4 million AP Exams.
About the College Board
The College Board is a mission-driven not-for-profit organization that connects students to college success and opportunity. Founded in 1900, the College Board was created to expand access to higher education. Today, the membership association is made up of over 6,000 of the world’s leading educational institutions and is dedicated to promoting excellence and equity in education. Each year, the College Board helps more than seven million students prepare for a successful transition to college through programs and services in college readiness and college success — including the SAT® and the Advanced Placement Program®. The organization also serves the education community through research and advocacy on behalf of students, educators, and schools. For further information, visit
About WE
WEis the educational arm of international charity Free The Children that delivers its WE service-based learning program for WE Schools. By supporting teachers’ efforts to help students become compassionate leaders and active citizens, young people are empowered to take action on the issues that matter most to them. Third-party impact studies show that alumni are more likely to vote, volunteer, and be socially engaged. For additional information, visit we.org.
Media Contact:
[Insert local media contact here]
The College Board 212-713-8052