One of main reasons Arizona College Preparatory holds such a incredible reputation for high quality academics is the work and effort our teachers put into preparing students for their AP exams. This is why it is no surprise that many of our teachers have important roles in the AP exam process and review. One role our teachers are sometimes asked to serve is acting as an AP Reader.

Being an AP Reader allows teachers to experience and attain a better insight on the standards of AP exams for their respective subjects. According to College Board, 97% of returning high school AP readers and 72% of higher-ed AP Readers claimed their experiences in AP Reading helped them improve their teaching and better prepare their students for AP exams.

It is to our great pleasure to announce that one of ACP’s very own teachers has been invited by College Board to serve as an AP Reader during the AP Reading period for 2019. The junior year AP Language teacher, Miss Lindstrom, has been called in once again to partake in reading and scoring AP Free Response Questions. I was able to interview her to understand more about what being an AP Reader entails and her own experience in AP Reading:

Q: What is the role of an AP Reader?

A: AP Readers read and score the Free Response Questions (FRQ) for the subject exams. For an AP Language Reader, this means being assigned to one of the three FRQ’s (which are full essays that the students write for the exam): the Rhetorical analysis essay, the Synthesis-Argument essay, and the Open-Argument essay. The entire first day and a half of the reading is filled with training on the rubric to make sure all readers are scoring alike. After that, a Reader will read and score just one type of essay (because each type has its own rubric) for the entire seven days. An average Reader will read approximately 1200 essays in the week.

Q: Have you served as an AP Reader before? If you have, what have your past experiences been like?

A: This year is my eighth year of being invited to be an AP Reader. I’ve gone to Louisville, Kentucky; Kansas City, Missouri; and Tampa, Florida for the reading sessions. I have met high school and college English teachers from around the world and have become quite good friends with a core group of teachers that I met at my first reading in 2012. We touch base throughout the year, provide advice, generate ideas, and compare situations to help us all continually fine-tune our teaching skills to help students become better readers, writers, and people in general. The week of reading is mentally grueling and physically exhausting, as we read essays for eight hours a day. However, it is incredibly rewarding, as there is a growth in my own skills. My students’ AP scores shot up after my first year as a Reader because of what I learned by being a Reader for the exam and, therefore, was able to convey back to my students. Being an AP Reader is the best professional development an English teacher could ask for, and I feel very fortunate having been an AP Reader and to be invited again.

Q: What are you most excited about in being an AP Reader?

A: I am excited about seeing friends again and continuing to grow as a teacher.

Q: What advice would you recommend to students on preparing for AP exams?

A: Listen to your teachers! They really understand was is needed on the exam. Also, learn life skills, not just the skills to get  through exam and then forget what is taught, but to apply the lessons continuously. Don’t stress, as in the grand scheme of life, the exam matters very little. Just breathe and be confident, no matter what. Just breathe.

Over the course of my years at ACP, I have repeatedly heard how well Miss Lindstrom’s lessons on rhetoric and English language analysis are and how she essentially over-prepares her students for the AP Language exam. After learning more about her experience as an AP Reader, I now know exactly why Miss Lindstrom holds this reputation for her teaching.

Thank you, Miss Lindstrom, for all your efforts in teaching, and we congratulate you on your invitation to attend this summer’s AP Reading session. We sincerely appreciate all of your hard work!