Requiring AP Seminar to Support Any Postsecondary Path

Preparing students for postsecondary success often means building some basic, foundational skills. In Alaska’s Matanuska-Susitna Borough School District, college and career readiness is our North Star. This means we must ensure our students have the writing, critical thinking, and collaboration skills that are essential regardless of their path after graduation. While many factors go into developing college- and career-ready graduates, our decision to make AP Seminar a graduation requirement has been a significant factor in providing a learning experience that’s both real-world preparatory and challenging.

Identifying the Opportunity

Matanuska-Susitna Borough School District, commonly called Mat-Su, is Alaska’s second largest school district. We’re a rural location in central Alaska characterized by breathtaking views of the Denali and open wilderness, about 35 miles north of Anchorage. We serve 19,100 students in 48 schools over a geographic area that spans 25,000 square miles, which is about the size of Scotland. Through 12 high schools, we educate about 5,600 students, and nearly 50% are enrolled in at least one Advanced Placement® course.

We prepare all students for success. In fact, it’s our mission and these are the first words you will see on our district’s website. That means, regardless of a student’s postsecondary path, whether they choose the military, college, technical training, or direct entry into the workforce, our students can be assured they’ve had the opportunity for the best possible preparation.

Because we adhere to and are guided by this mission, we knew we needed to address a stunning fact: Upon graduation, many of our students had a significant writing deficit. Too many graduates needed remedial writing instruction once they entered the University of Alaska.

Turning Opportunity Into Action

The need to better prepare our graduates for any postsecondary path meant exploring ways to boost the rigor of our curriculum.

Our superintendent, Dr. Randy Trani, an Alaskan who began his career in Alaska and then taught and served as a superintendent in Oregon school districts, knew how English 10: AP Seminar could help.

“My experiences with AP Seminar in Oregon gave me insight into the powerful preparatory nature of the course,” he says. “It gives students the skills needed to both analyze and formulate arguments and then defend those arguments with credible and reliable evidence in both written and digital formats.” Moreover, skills taught in AP Seminar translate well into skills a student can use regardless of their postsecondary path after graduating.

“I don’t know why any school would not offer AP Seminar as English 10. I was an English teacher for 17 years, and I’ve seen that AP Seminar teaches critical academic skills that translate to being successful in all facets of a student’s academic career.”

Jason Marvel, Principal, Wasilla High School

In Mat-Su, we believe that educational choices and community participation are essential to student success. So, we undertook a robust advocacy campaign to make AP Seminar a graduation requirement starting with the class of 2024. Most students now take AP Seminar as their English 10 course.

Evaluating the Outcomes

Because the course allows students to choose their own research topics, their enthusiasm for learning has soared. This excitement is yielding impressive results: Students in the 2023-24 cohort achieved the highest GPA of any English class in the past four years.

The transformative power of our efforts to foster high achievement among all students is evidenced by several points of pride. Over the last four years, we’ve posted the following gains for students achieving a score of 3 or better on AP Exams:

• 1100% increase among Alaska Native students
• 800% increase among Black students
• 600% increase for Latino students
• 480% increase for White students

During this four-year period, we’ve also recorded the highest combined graduation rates in more than 25 years.

The eligibility rate for the Alaska Performance Scholarship, a tiered merit scholarship available to all Alaska students, is one more indicator of our success. Prior to making AP Seminar a graduation requirement, the average percentage of students who qualified hovered around 19% each year. The first year that every graduate had to take AP Seminar, eligibility topped 50%. “Seminar is a huge part of this shift,” explains Dr. Trani.

“In addition to AP Seminar, we offer AP Computer Science Principles and AP Precalculus. These courses have had a positive impact on students, allowing access to high level instruction to all demographics.”

Kristy Johnston, Principal, Colony High School

Practical Pointers

• Use the Power of Persuasion: Students aren’t the only ones who are influencers with their peers. Teachers who are excited about the course can help encourage other teachers to get on board.
• Focus on Early Adopters: Start with teachers from different disciplines who recognize the course’s potential. Their success helps others become more comfortable with the idea that all students could be successful.
• Leverage the Love of Learning: When students enjoy what they learn, they learn more. AP Seminar, by design, gives students the freedom to choose a research topic, so students become more invested in their learning.