Pre-AP® Support in Introductory Spanish Courses: Part Three

Build the base

The AP Spanish Language and Culture course is not just a class. It’s not just an exam, and it’s not just the opportunity to earn college credit or advanced placement. It’s about opening doors for students to a world of possibilities through language. It’s about exploring and strengthening identities and developing interculturality. But it’s difficult to prepare students for the linguistic challenges of an AP course if they don’t experience language and culture through an effective, proficiency-based pre-AP program. At language conferences and through my work as an AP consultant, conversations are common about the lack of pre-AP support in the lower-level courses. This is where curriculum alignment and pre-AP resources are vital. School districts and teacher teams within language departments must collaborate, create resources, research the available ones, and attend professional development together to build the most solid foundations for student achievement and success in AP language courses.