Indiana University Bloomington
Advance College Project

How to become an ACP teacher

We are glad that you are interested in teaching ACP course(s). The ACP experience will provide you with an opportunity to work with university instructors, many of whom are heads of their departments. ACP teachers see great benefit from the interaction with these liaisons and the impact the training has on their professional growth. Teachers repeatedly tell us they transfer the skills required to teach ACP classes to all their other classes.

  1. Learn the following information about ACP:
  2. Learn about ACP teacher acceptance standards to see if you qualify for teaching ACP course(s).
  3. Determine if your school is an ACP participating high school and see which IU campus your high school registers its ACP students through.
  4. If your school is in the system, meet with your school principal or guidance counselor to express your interest in teaching an ACP course. If your school is NOT in the system, discuss the possibility of becoming an ACP participating school with your principal and school administrators. If interested, contact the ACP office in Bloomington at (812) 855-3671 or acp@indiana.edu to initiate the partnership.
  5. Fill out the ACP Teacher Application (IUSB Teacher Application if your school is in South Bend region) and submit 2 copies of your dossier for each ACP course you want to be approved for to the Bloomington ACP office by February 1. (Although ACP accepts teacher applications after this date, schools generally need to know if their teachers will be accepted by early spring. Also, ACP may cancel summer seminars if there is insufficient interest. This could delay implementation of ACP at your school for a year.)
  6. The ACP staff and the IU faculty will review your credentials to determine if you have the academic and professional qualifications to teach specific ACP courses. Final approval of your application is made by the IU academic department as represented by the faculty course coordinator.
  7. Teachers who are accepted are required to attend an intensive summer seminar generally lasting from 3 to 5 days on the IU campus. The cost for the training is paid by ACP. Teachers are reimbursed for travel, provided lodging at no cost in a local motel, and given a supplemental payment of $100 a day to cover meals and related expenses. Newly certified ACP teachers receive a $100 book allowance for contributions to their own professional library relevant to the course. Certified teachers are also appointed adjunct lecturers at Indiana University. On successful completion of the summer seminar, teachers are certified to teach the IU ACP course for college credit the following academic year to qualified high school students. Some departments (especially mathematics) may require a "pilot" year. This means that during the pilot year, the new ACP teacher teaches/follows the college course syllabus, uses the required text, and receives feedback from the liaison/site visitor to ensure that academic rigor and standards align to the college-level course. During the teacher's pilot year, students do not register for IU college credit. The instructor assigns only a regular high school grade during the pilot year. Additional information is available from the ACP office.
  8. Submit syllabus, order text materials, and implement the course in high school.
  9. Read the information in the Teacher Guide to learn the privileges and responsibilities of ACP teachers and ACP students.
  10. Participate in regular, required review seminars on the Bloomington campus each year.

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