laying the foundation

Improving College Readiness through Teacher Training and Rigorous Classroom Resources

building academicexcellence

Copyright© 2011 Laying the Foundation (LTF), Inc. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be produced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without permission in writing from LTF.

Advanced Placement, AP, Pre-Advanced Placement, Pre-AP, SAT, and Vertical Teams are registered trademarks of the College Entrance Examination Board. The College Board was not involved in the development of this product.

Laying the Foundation, Inc.8350 North Central Expy., Suite 300

Dallas, TX 75206www.ltftraining.org

®

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Getting to Know Us

These are not just buzzwords. At Laying the Foundation (LTF), a Dallas-based nonprofit organization, this is what we deliver so that more students can meet the challenges of tackling STEM majors in college.

Our goal is to improve and empower the teacher corps in the U.S.—and therefore create high standards of academic excellence for all students.

At LTF, our training program provides mathematics, science, and English teachers in grades six through 12 with teaching strategies, classroom-ready lessons, and assessments necessary to prepare middle and high school students for what they will encounter in AP classes—and beyond!

Since LTF was founded in 2001, we’ve trained over 35,000 teachers in 12 states. We have more than 500 trainers who conduct over 2,000 trainings each year.

College readiness Teacher-to-teacher training & support

Challenging lessons Subject matter knowledge

Advanced Placement Common Core Standards®

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While teacher training is at our core, we are so much more. We increase teaching quality, build district training capacity, increase the standards of academic excellence, and produce college-ready students. To accomplish these goals we have a proven, detailed training and support process.

At the heart of LTF Training are our LTF Institutes. Our teacher-to-teacher training program consists of three levels of training that span three years of instruction. The training and classroom-ready resources become more rigorous as each level builds upon the previous one—making teachers more effective in the classroom and ultimately contributing to the success of the students.

Teachers who attend our four-day LTF Institutes have access to the Professional Learning Community, resources, videos, lesson plans, assessments, and more during the entire year. We offer them our entire suite of resources designed to enhance their classrooms.

To complement LTF Institute training, we offer a mentoring program by which specialized trainers work with teachers on a one-to-one basis to improve instruction. Administrator workshops and specialized one-day conferences are also available through LTF.

What We Do

MENTORand support teachers

DELIVERteacher-to-teacher training

CREATEcollege-ready students

PROVIDErigorous classroom-ready lessons

IMPLEMENTonline assessments

BUILDdistrict training capacity

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TEACHER-TO-TEACHER TRAININGLTF trainings are led by our certified, experienced classroom teachers who provide training in math, science, and English. The training takes place in vertically aligned content groups. During training, attendees take part in hands-on activities focused on the content and pedagogy. The process of discovery is a key part of teachers learning the content and understanding how their students experience learning. Training is held in the proper environment for the subject. For example, science trainings are lab-based with math woven throughout the training.

Teachers need to be deeply knowledgeable about the subjects they teach and have a sound understanding of the strategies most effective for teaching critical thinking in the context of the discipline. Our certified trainers are also classroom teachers who bring their years of effective teaching experience to the training and encourage participants to collaborate and share ideas and best practices as they move through training. While teaching the content, they share effective strategies and practices for teaching. Educators are actively engaged in the content, rather than watching a lecture or listening to others talk about teaching. It is through these researched-based practices that we continue to receive rave reviews and build our growing fan base of LTF trainers.

INSTRUCTIONAL RESOURCESBecause LTF is not a curriculum, LTF materials may be infused into any existing curriculum to raise the level of instructional rigor. All LTF lessons, projects, labs, and assessments support the implementation of rigorous Common Core Standards. Crosswalks are provided to clearly illustrate the Common Core Standards addressed in each lesson.

How We Do It

“You can now tell when you’re walking into a Pre-AP classroom whether or not that teacher has been trained by Laying the Foundation.” —High School Administrator, Kentucky

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Materials and ResourcesLTF resources are available online for teachers to download. Participating teachers receive access to all resources in their discipline, and districts may embed links to LTF resources into their online curriculum. By choosing LTF, districts can avoid the cost of having to purchase additional student materials.

“I’m not exaggerating when I say that I think it is the most important educational seminar I’ve attended.” —Teacher, Hawaii

Science Equipment and Lab KitsLTF provides schools with a list of the laboratory equipment, technology, and materials recommended or required for their Pre-AP and AP science labs. LTF provides lab kits containing elements such as chemicals, hardware, and consumable items based on the needs of each training day. Lab kits become the property of the district after training.

Pre-tests and Post-tests LTF provides online pre- and post-tests that emulate the timed structure and rigor of an AP test. These unique tests measure student understanding of complex concepts critical to AP courses in higher grades and provide immediate feedback to teachers. These tools can be used to help determine student growth over the course of the school year.

AssessmentsLTF lessons and labs contain a variety of embedded assessments, including project-based assessments. The LTF website provides print-ready formative assessments, including AP- and SAT-style multiple choice, short answer, and free response questions with student samples.

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Why Choose LTF Training? Results.7 HIGH SCHOOLS IN TExAS 1

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“AP students are 50% more likely to graduate from college in four years than a control group of students with the same SAT score and socioeconomic background.” —Arne Duncan“

HIGH SCHOOL IN LOUISIANA 2 HIGH SCHOOL IN MASSACHUSETTS 3

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KEY Pin Oak Middle School Houston ISD Texas

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Because Pin Oak Middle School has a high number of students who are economically disadvantaged, the results above are based on economically disadvantaged students in all three settings.

1 The College Board. 2010 results based on preliminary data.2 Stephenson, J., & Milstead, M. (2011). The levels of thinking in AP vertical teams: Skill progression for strong programs. Retrieved September

23, 2011, from http://apskillprogressions.pbworks.com/w/page/42493474/FrontPage3 Messenger, B. (2011, July 20). Advanced Placement classes on the rise at Methuen High. Eagle-Tribune. Retrieved from http://www.

eagletribune.com/4 Houston ISD. (2009). TAKS Spring District Summary 2009. Retrieved from http://www.houstonisd.org/portal/site/ResearchAccountability/

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““Laying the Foundation Training was the best educational training I have attended in my 20 years as an educator. I do believe this training made me a better teacher.” —Teacher, Texas

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Personalized Training OptionsIN-DISTRICT OR REGIONAL TRAININGSLTF comes to you and delivers the training.

LTF PREVIEWWant to learn more? Inquire about our free preview sessions.

ONE-DAy CONFERENCESVisit the LTF website to find out when LTF will be hosting the next conference.

Get StartedContact Jared Brueckner:jared@ltftraining.org214.525.3088

Other ways to reach LTF:Call us at 1.888.949.9702Email us at info@ltftraining.orgVisit us at www.ltftraining.org

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“ “Research indicates that students passing AP courses in high school are much more likely to complete a college degree—and even those who do not pass benefit from the rigorous curriculum and are better prepared for college.” —National Math and Science Initiative

Laying the Foundation is a nonproFit

organization dedicated to providing

quaLity teacher training, rigorous

cLassroom materiaLs, and web-based

resources to improve the quaLity oF

engLish, mathematics, and science

instruction. LtF beLieves that training,

mentoring, and empowering the teacher

corps wiLL Lead to high standards oF

academic exceLLence For aLL students.

LTF Partners

A+ College Ready (Alabama)Arkansas Advanced Initiative for Math and Science (AAIMS)

Project Opening Doors (Connecticut)Advance Kentucky

Mass Insight (Massachusetts)Technology and Innovation in Education (TIE) (South Dakota)

Virginia Advanced Study Strategies (VASS)