Kentucky teachers are finding ways to strengthen curriculum across core subjects by identifying teaching strategies that would build students’ academic skills needed for success in advanced level classes.

In collaboration with the College Board, The Center for Gifted Studies at Western Kentucky University is hosting the 2008 Vertical Team Summer Institute. More than 50 English, math, science and social studies teachers from across the state are participating in the institute, which will run until Thursday.

Vertical teams are designed to help teachers strengthen curriculum in grades six to 12, said Julia Roberts, executive director for the center at WKU. The goal is to encourage more student participation at higher level courses, she said.

“Ultimately what we want is students to be successful when they move into postsecondary education,” Roberts said.

Students have to be prepared so they are confident and competent because advanced placement courses are college-level courses, Roberts said. “And a vertical team structure can indicate the district is committed to ensuring students are prepared in their thinking skills and content knowledge to take rigorous courses,” she said.

Teachers, broken up into groups according to their designated subjects, are looking at major concepts in their content areas - and ways to prevent gaps and overlaps in learning, said Cathy McCurdy, an institute instructor. McCurdy said the institute pulls together teachers and assists them in planning out where skills should be introduced and how those skills will continue to be taught.

For example, the English vertical team group from Glasgow Independent Schools mapped out literary terms students need to know and when to introduce those terms - “so we are covering everything and not overlapping,” said Amy Kinslow, who teachers sixth- and seventh-grade English at Glasgow Middle School.

To do this, the team will develop an online message board to communicate with one another.

The Barren County Schools team focused on making a list of the terms with a plan to make notations of when and how the literary terms were used.

“We are finding students are repeating things learned, and we didn’t know because we’ve never sat and did this,” said Lori Richey, the district’s curriculum coordinator. “This gives us awareness of what teachers ... are doing.”

Roberts said with a vertical team, the most important thing is for teachers to plan together to make sure students are given the skills in core concepts to do high level work.

“By implementing a vertical team, hopefully as the years go by, students will come in more prepared with literature content and analysis,” said Kelley Ross, who teaches AP literature at Barren County High School.

The advanced placement program, managed by the College Board, allows students in high school to take college-level courses. There has been a push throughout school districts to boost opportunities students have to take the higher-level courses.

At Bowling Green High School, officials strive to get students to take at least one AP course, touting the benefits and relevance to college preparation, principal Gary Fields said previously.

Warren East High School was one of 12 Kentucky schools selected to participate in the National Math and Science Initiative, which provides funds for teacher training and other resources to improve student performance in AP programs, primarily in math, science and English. Students who take advantage of advanced placement courses will be better prepared for college, principal Cindy Beals said, and students better prepared for college-level courses are more likely to stay in school.

Barren County High School was also selected for the initiative.

In Kentucky in 2007, 13,246 students in grades nine through 12 took AP exams; however, minority and socio-economically disadvantaged students have not had as many AP options because they haven’t had the kind of preparation to be successful, McCurdy said. She said the institute pulls together teachers to focus on the skills needed for AP courses, college and life.

While the teams consist of essentially middle and high school teachers, it helps teachers at every level. She said how well a student does on an AP exam is not just the result of how well the AP teacher taught the content, but the result of teaching from the elementary level up.

“All teachers working together makes a student successful,” McCurdy said.