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How Can We Increase Opportunity Through Access?

For over a decade, College Board has been promoting the ideal of educational equity through knocking down barriers to enrollment in Advanced Placement.  However, removing barriers to enrollment is only the first step.  What are students who are under-prepared for the rigorous academic content, which will lead to a greater chance of success in college, to do if that content is inaccessible?  The onus is now on educators to make rigorous content accessible.  By thoughtfully curating material on a learning management system, we can increase opportunity through access: anytime, anywhere.

Research

Research focused on the need to increase access to Advanced Placement course content (requisite and pre-requisite) through the thoughtful use of digital tools housed in a learning management system.  Using an LMS may allow teachers to effectively address the need for differentiated instruction, self-paced learning, and may aid in learning to mastery.

Design Process

It started with a question: If exposure to rigorous curriculum can open educational opportunities for students, shouldn't ALL students have access? From there, I have been on a journey to figure how to provide access to any material that may present a challenge to a student, whether it be required math or Advanced Placement.  In the digital age, access should be open to ALL students, doors should be opening not closing.

Support and Next Steps

The ability for me to integrate action research into my teaching assignment has been made possible through the professional support of the administration of both St Helena High School and St Helena Unified School District.  Financial support was made possible through scholarship contributions of Napa Learns.