Cockley to Receive AP Award from College Board
Release Date: 1/17/2012 12:45:40 PM
Drew Cockley, principal of Century High School, has been selected to receive the AP Award presented by the College Board. This award recognizes individuals who have demonstrated significant involvement with the AP Program, including AP coordinators, administrators, counselors, and AP and Pre-AP teachers.
Cockley has served as principal at Century since 2002. During this time, he has focused his efforts on providing a school environment where students are challenged and prepared for college and careers. One of the specific strategies to achieve this goal has been to increase participation in the Advanced Placement Program, including increasing the AP offerings and enrollment in AP courses, the number of students taking the AP test, and student performance on tests.
Cockley focused on the preparation of his staff and communication with students and parents regarding the benefit of taking one or more advanced placement courses during their high school experience.
Staff is encouraged to attend summer AP institutes, serve as readers for AP, participate in regional conferences, and present at the annual AP conference. Cockley also promotes teachers forming AP professional learning communities to support each other and create vertical teams with teachers within their discipline and with middle school teachers in their feeder system.
Taking AP courses is part of the culture at Century High School. Students and parents participate in assemblies, individualized advisement conferences, and AP nights and rallies, all of which are used to inform and build enthusiasm for the program. Over the last five years, exam participation has increased by 78% and performance on AP exams has increased by 4.8%.
Cockley’s efforts serve as a model for other principals and school staff throughout the county. He helped organize a county AP Symposium to bring teachers, counselors, and administrators together to discuss and collaborate on how to increase teacher capacity and student participation in AP. He also shared Century’s success through presentations at the Annual AP Conference.
According to Steven Johnson, Assistant Superintendent of Instruction for Carroll County Public Schools, “Mr. Cockley’s commitment to the AP Program has benefited countless students and pushed our entire district to better prepare students for the demands of post-secondary education.”
Cockley will be recognized at the Middle States Regional Forum in Baltimore on January 23-24, 2012.
