Teachers gain insight to AP grading

Mr. Anderson and Mr. Boquist said their work as Advanced Placement graders will be beneficial to students.
Posted on 11/12/2020
Andy Boquist speaks to students in his classroom.

By Gary Weckselblatt

Two Quakertown Community High School teachers have been praised by the College Board for their significant contributions as graders during last spring’s Advanced Placement testing.

Jason Anderson graded AP World History and Andrew Boquist graded AP Macroeconomics. Both educators said the feedback they received from fellow professionals on how they marked the tests gave them more of an in-depth understanding of AP exams to better assess the work of their own students.

“It’s nice to kind of see it from the other side,” Mr. Anderson said. “To me, it’s the best professional development available. I’ve already used some of the insights I gained to help my students.”

Mr. Boquist agreed the training was beneficial. “You get a feeling for how strict or how loose they are grading,” he said. “It’s an opportunity to get into their head as a way to help students. Are my students being too vague? Here’s how precise students have to be.”

Trevor Packer, Senior Vice President, AP and Instruction, for The College Board, wrote a letter to the principals that commended these hard-working teachers. “The careful evaluation of students’ work by your faculty member and other highly qualified professionals is one of the most important aspects of the AP Program,” Mr. Packer said. “A huge part of the AP Program’s success is due to a scoring process that reflects the high standards of AP Readers who, by virtue of their experience and expertise, have appropriate student performance expectations within their respective disciplines. In addition, many AP teachers report that participating in the AP Reading is an incredibly valuable professional development experience.

“As a result of your efforts, millions of AP students were able to pursue the credit and placement opportunities they worked so hard for, even in the midst of the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.”

Superintendent Dr. Bill Harner said the efforts of Mr. Anderson and Mr. Boquist “speaks volumes of the quality of our teachers throughout our district and shows the steps they take to help our students. Specifically, Mr. Anderson and Mr. Boquist are giving their students a leg up on what they can expect by working from the inside.”

Said Mr. Anderson, “It was a unique opportunity for me that will benefit my teaching and my students’ learning, and that’s the goal.”

Gary Weckselblatt, QCSD Director of Communications, writes about the people and the programs that impact the Quakertown Community School District. He can be reached at [email protected].


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