Lynwood Unified Prepares Students for Rigorous Advanced Placement Coursework

Lynwood, Calif. – More than 110 Lynwood Unified students recently practiced strategies for passing difficult Advanced Placement (AP) exams while receiving training in college essay writing during a special District summer program.

The three-day AP Camp, which started July 13 at both Firebaugh and Lynwood high schools, provided students with courses to help them develop the writing, goal-setting, planning, time management and note-taking skills needed to achieve success in the challenging courses and beyond.

“We continue to look for ways to improve our teaching methods and give students every resource available so that they are thoroughly prepared for the rigor of college coursework,” said Lynwood Unified Superintendent Paul Gothold. “Advanced placement courses and exams offer a great preview of the challenges ahead and by providing programs such as the AP Camp, we are helping to set students up for success now and well into the future.”

As part of the camp, about 40 Lynwood and Firebaugh high school students also embarked on a one-day excursion to California State University campuses at Northridge and Long Beach on July 15.

“Visiting these universities really helps to motivate students to remain engaged and focused during the school year,” said Phil Diep, AP English teacher at Firebaugh High School. “I think that a lot of these extra activities inspire the students and give them a break from their coursework.”

The Camp also featured a writing skills workshop in which students received training in composing college essays and crafting responses to AP exam essay questions. They also created AP accounts and were given access to helpful technological applications such as Google Apps.

“Technology and the addition of web-based educational tools are a major focus of the Board of Education,” said Maria Lopez, Board of Education President. “We want to place the most effective tools in our students’ hands so they are able to meet the challenges put before them. We are seeing the results with more and more students graduating and enrolling in college.”

The District provides continuous support to students throughout the school year, including morning, lunchtime, afternoon and Saturday tutoring and study sessions. The schools are also promoting more student collaboration to enhance students’ team-building skills.

For the students, AP camp was an eye-opening experience because it exposed them to the types of questions they will face on AP tests.

“After seeing the test, I was really surprised that the questions were broken into five parts,” said incoming Lynwood High senior April Arreola, 17. “We got to see how other students answered the questions and learned from what they did wrong and what they did right.”