The focus of this discussion is working with underrepresented students of Color—particularly African-American and Latinx high school students (but the following points can also apply to all students), and how counselors can help these students gain greater access to—and experience yearly success in—Accelerated and Advanced Placement courses. (For the sake of uniformity in our discussion: Honors or Accelerated Courses will be categorized as one subset, and Advanced Placement, International Baccalaureate, and Dual Enrollment options will occupy the other subset. Together, I will represent all of these advanced course options with the following symbol: AC/AP.)

While this entry is written from the perspective of a high school counselor—and representative of my own year-over-year experiences working directly with this population of students on my counseling caseload—I hope  that at least some of the information here can also helpful to other stakeholders working in a wide range of roles in a school setting, including school counselors at all levels of practice. I will break this discussion into two sections: Section 1 (the Process) and Section 2 (Take-aways).

Two quick notes: I realize the scope of responsibilities for many counselors can probably often feel overwhelming. Large (often widely varying) caseloads; non-counselor-related assigned duties; students in crisis; graduation requirements; course selections and scheduling; processing college applications; writing letters of recommendation, etc. The hope of this discussion is not to add more to a counselor’s workload, but perhaps to better streamline services and to inspire, and engender, greater academic achievement and success for all of our students. Secondly, at the time of this posting, many schools are still on lockdown due to COVID-19. Normal forms of technological communication such as email; phone calls; and video conferencing will have to replace the normal face-to-face efforts for supporting underrepresented students in advanced courses. Let’s get started.

Section 1, Step 1: The Rollout—Beginning Stage:  The old adage that timing is everything certainly rings true here at the beginning stage. Typically, most students will select their courses for the next school year sometime in the Spring of their current academic year. While many schools may set up the format somewhat differently, often students will either enter in their courses on their own, or may even sit down with a counselor, or other scheduling personnel to collaboratively enter-in courses (with courses typically entered into a student information system, such as PowerSchool or MiStar, two widely-used SIS systems in Michigan, for instance).

Once the bulk of students have entered in their courses for next year, counselors can then either run a report or go through one-by-one to visually check which courses, for next year, that their underrepresented students have chosen. If a counselor sees that any of their underrepresented students have not selected any AC/AP courses, they can then schedule brief follow-up meetings with each student to discuss courses for next year.

What I do late in each school year is to go through the inputted course selections for each student one-by-one. With different-colored highlighter markers, I will use one color for those students that have selected AC/AP courses for next year; a separate-colored marker for those who have not selected any accelerated/advanced courses for next year (but that are students that show promise and potential, and, therefore, should be considered strong candidates for these classes); and another marker for a third category of those students who also have not selected any accelerated/advanced courses (and might be students who have to recover a significant amount of credits or representative of students that might first have to build some of their remedial skills, for instance, before taking accelerated/advanced courses in the future).

Section 1, Step 2: Accessing Known Data—Middle Stage:  Once the lists of course selections from my underrepresented students have been categorized, I will use data to prepare for our one-on-one conversations (again, for those underrepresented students that did not select any AC/AP courses on the initial go-round). I will first look at current grades; then historic grades; tap-into anecdotal information from teachers, parents, and other stakeholders; and also use my own intuitive feelings and what I know directly about my students’ strengths. For example, if I know that a student has a strong penchant and interest in a particular subject area, say, for instance, such as Science, then I may look to pair them with a AC/AP Science course. There are a lot of different data points out there; I just listed a few handy examples, perhaps, but you may also have several others in mind that can aide you in helping your underrepresented students to select good AC/AP fits for the next school year.

Section 1, Step 3: The Meeting—Culmination Stage:  This is the time to put your top selling skills to the test, but to also do so in such a way that makes each student feel comfortable and supported.

What I typically will lead with is a question posed to each student: “Have you considered taking an AC/AP class?” I keep in wide-open, and simple, and then wait for their answer. If they say ‘yes’, then my starting point is usually further along; if they say ‘no’, then I can lead with something encouraging, such as, “I think that you might be a strong candidate for AC/AP courses, and here’s why….” (think about the data you previously collected and what you already know about your student’s strengths, interests, and aptitudes—see Step 2 above).

This is the time to tell a student that you believe in them! It is also a time to provide your professional knowledge about the contents of a particular AC/AP course, including the speed in which they move and the overall expectations of an AC/AP class. I believe that once students know what is expected of them, they will rise to the occasion.

During this time, you can enlist your best persuasive skills by discussing the pros of AC/AP courses, such as: weighted GPA boosts; the potential of earning college credit; standing out on college applications; increased intellectual rigor; and the sense of pride in challenging yourself to greater levels as a student.

If you are able to get a commitment on the spot from a student to sign up for an AC/AP class, great! You now have done the bulk of the ‘heavy-lifting’, so to speak, and now can go into your SIS system to update your student’s course selections for next year. I like to do this immediately while meeting with each student, and while it is still fresh in my memory. This is also a great built-in time to go over graduation requirements or answer any additional questions from your students.

NOTES: If a student is not feeling ready to commit to an AC/AP class during the meeting, it is not the end of the world, and, often times, a follow-up meeting can usually help encourage them to say yes to an AC/AP class (and after they have had some additional time to think). While I will rely strongly on my encouragement and selling skills, I don’t believe in enrolling students in AC/AP courses without their direct OK to do so. Quite likely, if a student does not want to take an AC/AP class one year, there might be a very likely opportunity during the next term or year to explore AC/AP options with them when they might be more ready.

It is worth noting here to be prepared for a wide-range of responses when talking with your underrepresented students for the first time about AC/AP courses. Some students may have never thought they were eligible, or thought that they were not a good match; some students might be caught off-guard or surprised by the topic; some may have considered AC/AP courses, but were apprehensive for whatever reason(s) and didn’t initially sign up for them; and, finally, some students might just be waiting for someone like you to say that you believe in them and that you believe they can be successful in AC/AP courses. It’s amazing how far a little encouragement can often go! Amazingly, most students are very responsive, and feel good knowing that you believe in them.

I also give a soft out for students who might be a bit nervous, or apprehensive, and let them know that if they try out an AC/AP class and find it not to be a great fit, that we can have a follow-up discussion to talk about alternative options. What I find is that I don’t have too many of these follow-up discussions, and most of my underrepresented students stay right where they are in their new AC/AP classes—with most overwhelmingly experiencing success. Each year, few drop and few fail, but I think students like knowing that if things get too tough or if life happens, they have additional options and a fair amount of control and autonomy in the selection of courses they want to take each year.

Section 1, Step 4—Post-Meeting *(only sometimes needed):  If a student is still non-committal to a AC/AP course, but you believe they would be a good fit, this is the time to talk directly to a student’s family (and to perhaps pull in other encouraging school members that know the student well). A collective front and message of support (and belief) can be very beneficial for helping a student on the fence say yes to AC/AP courses. You can also put your best  encouraging selling skills to use with families and other staff members, as well. Don’t be shy—reach out! Families love hearing that you believe in their child, and they can be our biggest alleys for our students.

Later on, double-check to verify course selections are accurate and up-to-date heading into the following school year (in, say, late Spring or over the summer), when you have some time.

Section 2—Take-Aways:

Erring on the side of collaboration:  Collaboration with other stakeholders can come in super handy, here, and in many other areas of education. If you have the ability, try to put pairs or sets of underrepresented students together in the same AC/AP classes. Be flexible. Yes, it’s often hard to craft hand-selected courses for all of our students, but if we want our underrepresented students—particularly our AC/AP first-timers—to take future AC/AP classes, it’s okay to pair them with a friend or someone who looks like them simply so they can feel more comfortable and supported in their selected AC/AP course(s). Often, administrators can be a tremendous help in this area, too, as these building leaders work hard to balance classes and create master schedules, etc.

Be patient:  Results can sometimes take several years, and incremental progress is still progress. If you are helping to support one student’s educational experience, you are helping to support one individual life at a time and that is what matters most!

Set goals:  Do you have a number, or percentage, in mind? I believe it is important to set a goal for how many underrepresented students are enrolled in AC/AP courses. For instance, I set an initial goal of having 35% of all of my underrepresented students enrolled in AC/AP courses—going into my second year as a school counselor—and have been able to adjust that number each year to reflect greater participation, as an example. Now, in my fourth year, 48.3% of all my underrepresented students (both general education and special education) are in AC/AP courses; of general education underrepresented minority students, that number is 56.5% in AC/AP courses for the year (just as a frame of reference for setting goals and using data).

Cast a wide net:  Underrepresented students are a wide population of students, just like any other group of students. Some are first-generation; some might be English Language Learners; some might be Gifted and Talented students; some might be Special Education students; some might be classified as different learners—all should, I believe, be considered for AC/AP courses, however. For me, some of my greatest success stories have been those students who never would have signed up for AC/AP classes solely on their own, but—with a little help and encouragement—once they did, were able to flourish.

Get to know students early:  For as much is possible, it is best to get to know new students as soon as possible. Take, for instance, first-year students. The start of the school year is a prime time to meet with your new students to the building. Whether they are incoming Freshmen or students who have moved in from another school, the start of the school year is the best time for rapport-building and getting to know each new student. Perhaps, as incoming Freshmen students—or students of any grade level new to your building—taking AC/AP classes may not be possible at first, but you can lay the groundwork with your students from the get-go, with initial meetings and getting to know your students at a baseline level and beyond.

Use AC as a bridge to AP:  Often, for a student looking to take challenging courses, AC classes can be a good pre-introductory option to taking college-level courses. This is no different for our underrepresented students. AC courses offer rigor and speed not always seen at a regular class level. They can sometimes even provide a superior experience for students because they are less dependent upon following an outside agency’s pre-determined curriculum, and pacing expectations, for example. AC courses often provide a bit more room for more organic-style deep-diving into exciting topics of study in each class.

Not all AC/AP have the same level of rigor:  This is where it comes in handy to really know the classroom content (and expectations) of each AC/AP course. For counselors, teachers are typically very open to talking about the requirements and content of their classes. This information gleaned can come in very handy when talking with students about choosing AC/AP classes (particularly for our first-time students). Again, it goes back to knowing your student’s strengths; making sound suggestions; and being strategic about fit. What is more, there are typically a number of specific classes I sometimes like to use for my first-time AC/AP students (again, this is where it helps to really know the different expectations in each advanced course). Finally, it helps to have a good rapport with each teacher to better triage support and encouragement for each student.

Be available: If a student (particularly a student new to AC/AP courses) is wavering in their confidence in their new class, be available to talk to them after the class has started. Often, students just want to talk about their experiences and to share any concerns or fears that they may have. You get to be one of their biggest supporters, champions, and advocates, and through your encouragement and belief, can help give students the confidence boost they may need to rise to a new, but exciting, academic challenge.

Watch your system build itself: One of the best benefits of increasing your underrepresented AC/AP connections, is that younger siblings, or other family members and friends will likely also be encouraged to take these advanced courses when they have the opportunity. Start to build your legacy now and watch it grow—knowing that you are helping prepare bright futures for all of your students—particularly for those historically underrepresented in our education system.

With that, go forth in forward confidence, fellow world-changing counselor!

–The Blue-Collar Counselor