Educators Explore a Fresh Approach to English 10

In this session, Renata Elvey, senior director, AP Access, walked attendees through the evolution and impact of AP® Seminar and how English 10 can be taught in the AP Seminar style, to help students build foundational writing, collaboration, research, and presentation skills for future success in high school and beyond. 

Since the launch of AP Seminar in 2014, over 2,000 schools have implemented AP Seminar. Of those schools: 

• 54% of schools place AP Seminar in their English departments.
• 86% of schools place the course in 10th grade.
• 86% of 10th graders enrolled in AP Seminar scored a 3 or higher on the AP Exam.

In 2022, College Board formalized a new approach to the course by placing AP Seminar in 10th-grade English. The course fits with current curriculum standards and allows for more flexibility to layer in cross-curricular content. It also emphasizes evidence-based reading, writing, and speaking. 

Students who take the course fulfill a core course requirement, and they benefit from a seminar-style approach that builds skills necessary for success in future high school courses, college, and a variety of careers. 

Taking AP Seminar in grade 10 sets students up for success. When compared with their peers, 10th grade AP Seminar students on average:

• Have higher AP Seminar Exam scores than students who take the AP Seminar Exam in grade 11. (86% of 10th-grade students earned a 3 or higher on the AP Exam. 72% of 10th-grade students who scored at the 50th percentile on their PSAT/NMSQT® score a 3 or higher on the AP Seminar Exam.)
• Earn higher scores on AP English, history, and government exams taken in grades 11 and 12.

Transitioning multiple sections of the current English offering to English 10: AP Seminar will benefit many more students. And, putting students who might otherwise not take an AP course into English 10: AP Seminar can change their trajectory. Taking even one AP course improves students’ first-year college GPA and on-time college graduation rates. 

Session attendees learned how AP Seminar skills align and overlap with common English 10 standards and engaged with student exam response samples. One attendee shared, “Yes, this is the answer I’ve been looking for. English 10: AP Seminar will set up my students for success in AP English Language and AP English Literature.”

Attendees received English 10: AP Seminar instructional resources to help them consider adding this course offering along with steps to help determine fit with their schools. 

Visit collegeboard.org/APseminarELA to learn more.