MidwesternA Note from Midwestern Region VP Ileana Rodriguez - 04-12
Found in Midwestern News
Mar. 2012
 |
VP Ileana Rodriguez |
Dear Colleagues,
As spring arrives in the Midwest, we focus our efforts on bringing to a close the academic year and planning for a new year. AP® teachers and students are getting ready to wrap up a year of rigorous learning with the capstone experience of the AP Exams. The extraordinary strides that have been made in terms of access to and success in AP across the Midwest over the past 10 years are testament to the good work of many leaders and dedicated educators. We look forward to seeing a continued trend of more diverse and traditionally underserved students being successful in AP this spring.
As you begin planning for the next academic year and look for ways to strengthen your efforts to make sure all students have the opportunity to be ready for college, count on our regional team of K–12 educational managers to support you.
Our Higher Education team of educational managers is also ready to support colleges and universities in our region to identify and serve students who best fit their institutional missions and offerings. The Midwestern Higher Education team provides strategic support to improve access to students, including effective use of resources such as our Net Price Calculator, which provides an easy to implement and quick turnaround solution to meet federal regulations.
If you are interested in learning more about how we can support your efforts to expand and strengthen the AP program in your school or district, or how we can help your college or university get ready for the fall and best connect with prospective students, please contact the College Board’s Midwestern Regional Office at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .
Finally, at the College Board we are most excited about the launch of the BigFuture™ website, an amazing resource dedicated to engaging kids in the path to college and providing them and their families with high-quality information in the way in which they want to receive this information. I invite you to explore BigFuture and make this resource available to every single kid in your life. Go to www.bigfuture.org and join us in this journey to drive the college readiness and success of students across the country.
Have a great spring!
College-Bound Seniors 2011 - MRO
Found in Midwestern News
Sept. 2011
 |
Indiana again led the Midwestern Region in SAT® participation growth, with 68 percent of the state’s high school graduates participating in the college-going process by taking the SAT, up from 65 percent in 2007.
The 2011 Indiana cohort was also the most diverse in state history, with 19 percent of the college-bound seniors who took the SAT minority students, up from 15 percent in 2007. Average scores for all Indiana SAT takers remained fairly stable compared to 2010, with average scores for critical reading unchanged, mathematics down 2 points and writing down 1 point.
But, Indiana wasn’t the only state in the region to show growth in SAT participation — Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, South Dakota, Wisconsin and West Virginia all showed small year-over-year increases in SAT participation among high school graduates. As in past years, students who completed a core curriculum and/or pursued more advanced course work tended to achieve greater success on the SAT.
Data confirm that completing a core curriculum, enrolling in honors and AP® courses, and taking SAT Subject Tests™ in science and mathematics subjects not only enhance student performance on the SAT but also serve as valid predictors of college success. Students in the 2011 high school graduating class who reported completing a core curriculum received a combined SAT score that was, on average, 143 points higher than those who did not complete a core curriculum.
A Note from Midwestern Region VP Ileana Rodriguez
Found in Midwestern News
Apr. 2010
 |
VP Ileana Rodriguez |
As the end of the school year nears, our thoughts and focus go both to the celebration of successes and to planning for the new academic year. I would like to share with you some of the successes we are celebrating in the Midwest.
A Note From Midwestern Region VP Ileana Rodriguez
Found in Midwestern News
Dec. 2010
 |
| RVP Ileana Rodriguez |
Dear Colleagues,
The end of the year is always an opportunity for reflection, celebration and inspiration. In the Midwestern Regional Office of the College Board, we have been pleased to see the continued and focused attention of leaders on raising standards, increasing rigor for all students, and supporting our teachers with effective professional development. Every day we meet with education leaders inspired and committed to make a difference. In looking back at 2010, we reflect on the opportunities we have had to support these efforts, including statewide recognition of progress in AP® in Indiana and Minnesota. Looking forward to 2011 we aspire to support and be agents of the progress we need to see in education to truly ensure that all kids have a fair opportunity to be ready for college and careers.
A Note from Midwestern Region VP Ileana Rodriguez
Found in Midwestern News
Sept. 2010
 |
VP Ileana Rodriguez |
Greetings from the Midwestern Regional Office!
We hope you had a joyful summer and welcome you to a new academic year. Like you, we at the College Board have been busy gearing up for a new year of renewed commitment to help more students achieve the goals of college and career readiness.
We were excited to see the extraordinary presence of fellow Midwestern educators at the 2010 AP® Annual Conference that took place this past July in Washington, D.C. As a former psychology teacher, I was eager to join one of the many sessions dedicated to AP teachers and was impressed with the thoughtful deliberations of college and high school faculty on how to best drive learning outcomes and support the success of their students. The AP experience is about a lot more than an examination, and AP teachers are committed to ensuring that is so. Overall, it was an inspiring conference, highlighted by a call to action by Secretary of Education Arne Duncan — a call to redouble our efforts to reach underserved student populations and open wide the doors to access to rigorous learning experiences.
A Note from Midwestern Region VP Greg Walker - 04-13
Found in Midwestern News
Apr. 2013
 |
VP Greg Walker |
Greetings from the Midwestern Regional Office!
As the 2012-13 academic year begins to wind down, it is filled with the thrill of potential. Colleges are energized to begin enrolling their freshman classes, and students are anxiously awaiting their admission and financial aid packages that will catapult them into their future education and career pursuits. Spring is also a time for assessing student learning in K–12 to determine where students are on the pathway toward college attainment and success.
As the trees and flowers begin to bloom, we are inspired by the promise that new growth brings. The Midwestern Regional Office and the College Board are inspired by the academic growth educators bring to schools and campuses. Our data indicate that more students continue to have access to rigorous course work, which is the foundation for success in school and in life. The College Board and the Midwestern Regional Office stand committed to supporting your continued efforts to prepare even more students for the same opportunity.
A Note from Midwestern Region VP Ileana Rodriguez - 03-12
Found in Midwestern News
Mar. 2012
|
VP Ileana Rodriguez |
Dear Colleagues,
Thanks to the more than 500 educators who attended the 2012 Midwestern Regional Forum in Chicago in February!
The extraordinary sessions developed by the membership with the leadership of Jon McGee, vice president of planning and public affairs at the College of Saint Benedict and Saint John’s University, and Mary Hill, director of college counseling and academic planning at St. Paul Academy and Summit School, were provocative and insightful.
Keynote speaker Maria Hinojosa, award-winning journalist, anchor and managing editor of NPR’s “Latino USA,” started our conference with incisive commentary on the Latino student experience in 2012, shedding light on some of the challenges that we need to work on together to meet the needs of a new generation of students.
Closing speaker Sally Mason, president of the University of Iowa, provided us with a valuable perspective on the impact of the changing economic landscape on higher education and, more specifically, on the flagship institution.
We were reminded of the critical role of public higher education in the pursuit of the American Dream. From new attendees to seasoned participants of the Midwestern Regional Forum, the feedback uniformly reflected the excitement and inspiration that the sessions and hallway conversations were generating.
One of the highlights of this year’s gathering was the recognition of Joyce Brown, former director of secondary school counselors at Chicago Public Schools, with the Distinguished Service Award. Brown’s contributions locally, regionally and nationally to the community of counselors and to students can hardly be duly recognized with one award, but we were honored to have the opportunity to put the spotlight on her extraordinary career and lifelong commitment to the success of all children.
These experiences are precisely what we at the College Board strive to support and provide for the membership. If you attended the regional forum this year, again, thank you. If you didn’t, please consider joining us next year at the 2013 Midwestern Regional Forum, being held Feb. 10–12 in Chicago.
A Note From Midwestern Region VP Ileana Rodriguez - 03-11
Found in Midwestern News
Mar. 2011
|
RVP Ileana Rodriguez |
Dear Midwestern Colleagues,
It was a joy to see so many of you during the 2011 Midwestern Regional Forum in Chicago. More than 400 educators convened to connect, learn from each other, and share tactical and practical approaches to the challenges of advancing education. Our keynote speaker, Freeman Hrabowski III, inspired us to look within and strive to be even better and stronger in our relentless pursuit to engage and motivate students to do their best. He wisely reminded us about the critical importance of valuing and encouraging the appreciation of mathematics among all students and how we need to be good role models in this regard.
A Note from Midwestern Region VP Greg Walker - 09-12
Found in Midwestern News
Dec. 2012
|
VP Greg Walker |
Dear Colleagues,
We’ve had a busy start to the academic year and trust you have as well. Our region is filled with great work, and I’d like to highlight a few recent examples.
Earlier this month, the Midwestern Regional Council met to discuss important issues such as the Common Core State Standards and the challenges for K–12 and higher education as the new standards are implemented.
The Regional Council comprises 24 individuals who have been elected by members in the region or Midwestern Regional Office staff. This council provides a voice for our members by giving recommendations and offering feedback on College Board initiatives, programs and services throughout the region. Members serve one- to three-year terms, and we’re always looking for colleagues who would serve well on this council. If you are interested in hearing more, please contact Elma Johnson ( This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it ).
Additionally, the regional Program Planning Committee met recently to begin building the schedule for this year’s Midwestern Regional Forum, which will be held Feb. 10–12 in Chicago.
The committee reviewed proposals and took into consideration current issues on the plates of educators from both K–12 and higher education, including media messages about the cost of college, the Common Core State Standards, college affordability, remediation, rigor in the classroom, diversity in and access to college, and the retention of students.
This year’s program will feature keynote speaker Scott Page of the University of Michigan, author of Diversity and Complexity and The Difference: How the Power of Diversity Creates Better Groups, Firms, Schools, and Societies, who will speak about how diversity improves performance and decision making, when “diversity” means not what we look like on the outside, but what we look like within — the tools and abilities that make each person unique.
I am confident that the sessions will address the breadth of interest that regional forum participants have and provide audiences with tools and ideas to take back to their work. I hope you’ll make every effort to attend. For more information, please visit http://midwesternforum.collegeboard.org/registration.
I wish you all the best as you continue your work with students in our region, and I’ll look forward to seeing you soon.
Fondly,
A Note from Forum 2010 from Midwestern Regional Vice President Ileana Rodriguez
Found in Midwestern News
Oct. 2010
|
RVP Ileana Rodriguez |
Wednesday, October 27
As expected, the Forum program planning committee did an outstanding job of putting together compelling sessions that are of the moment and speak to the broad spectrum of educators that the College Board convenes. Pam Horne, associate vice provost for enrollment management and dean of admissions at Purdue University, a leader among our regional and national membership, served as program planning co-chair along with Joe Hairston, superintendent of Baltimore County Public Schools.
More Articles...
Page 1 of 9
