Under examination
It's not just the Woodstock students who have to face examination - the school does, too. During this semester there have been two "examinations" - the Middle Schools Association mid-point review (part of our accreditation process) and an audit by the College Board of the standards of AP syllabi - a worldwide review.
MSA midpoint review
On November 27-28, 2006, Andrew Hoover, Assistant Principal at the American School in Bombay, visited Woodstock as the Middle States Association Mid-Point reviewer. In 2004 Woodstock was reaccredited to 2011 and, as the name suggests, this review is at the 'mid-point' of our accreditation period. It serves as peer check to see that we are on track to meet accreditation requirements at the time of our next validation visit which will be in 2011. Andrew Hoover spent 12 hours visiting the school and talking with over 40 people. We were pleased with the review, both because it gave us a "pass", noting many good things about the school,and becaue we received some valuable advice and recommendations for the next stage of our planning.
Comments from the report
- "Students of Woodstock are poised, articulate young people who could probably serve as model citizens for much of the adult world."
- the 'ethos of planning is alive"
- the school is asking hard questions
- the school is self-reflective
- the Planning Team is "passionate" about school improvement
- there is a climate of inclusiveness in the Planning Team
- the reviewer "was so impressed with Woodstock"
College Board AP Audit
The College Board, publisher of college-preparatory exams including the SAT and the Advanced Placement subject exams, is auditing all Advanced Placement courses, asking teachers of AP courses across the US and the world to furnish written proof by June 1 that the courses they teach are worthy of the brand. Beginning with the 2007-08 academic year, only teachers whose syllabuses have been approved by the College Board may call their courses AP on the Woodstock transcript. For college admissions officers, the audit verifies the value of the AP stamp on an applicant's transcript. Each teacher must submit an audit form, along with a syllabus for the course he or she teaches. The syllabus must meet AP course requirements and reflect the rigour expected by the College Board. Woodstock has been a testing center for AP exams at least since the 1960s. AP exam results are used by American colleges and universities to assess whether a student is advanced enough in a subject to take higher level courses without taking the lower level ones. In the UK and many other countries, a student's AP results are used for university admission. Increasingly, AP is a programme recognized around the world for college entrance. The rigour of the programme enhances Woodstock's academic curriculum while the flexibility of the programme allows us to meet the needs of students with varied interests and abilities as reflected in our Student Outcomes.
Woodstock offers 15 Advanced Placement courses. So far six have already been authorized by the new AP Audit. The remaining nine courses are under review and in process. By June Woodstock's College Board ledger will show 15 authorized AP courses giving students the added benefit of having having the AP 'certification' on their course transcript.