Blogs

Ask an Expert, Part 3 – Earning the Complexity ...

May 03, 2021

Tony walks us through an example for using a counterargument to earn the Complexity point in a Long-Essay Question response.

Blog series:
Rich's Tips

May 03, 2021

Ask an Expert, Part 3 – Earning the Complexity Point through a Counterargument, An Example

Tony walks us through an example for using a counterargument to earn the Complexity point in a Long-Essay Question response.

Ask an Expert, Part 2 – 4 Ways for Earning the ...

May 02, 2021

Tony Maccarella is at it again, this time with 4 methods students should know for earning the elusive Complexity point on the AP World History Modern and AP Euro exams.

Blog series:
Rich's Tips

May 02, 2021

Ask an Expert, Part 2 – 4 Ways for Earning the Complexity Point

Tony Maccarella is at it again, this time with 4 methods students should know for earning the elusive Complexity point on the AP World History Modern and AP Euro exams.

Ask an Expert, Part 1 - Best way to earn the CO...

May 01, 2021

In Part 1 of our “Ask an Expert” series for AP World History Modern, author Tony Maccarella explains the best way to earn the Contextualization point on your AP Exam...

Blog series:
Rich's Tips

May 01, 2021

Ask an Expert, Part 1 - Best way to earn the CONTEXTUALIZATION point

In Part 1 of our “Ask an Expert” series for AP World History Modern, author Tony Maccarella explains the best way to earn the Contextualization point on your AP Exam essays.

Rich's Tips for Teachers - Prepping Your Studen...

May 06, 2020

Hey, AP History Teachers – how do you keep your virtual review sessions from becoming monotonous? Here’s 30 seconds of PD from author Rich Mayorga with ideas to augment your...

Blog series:
Rich's Tips

May 06, 2020

Rich's Tips for Teachers - Prepping Your Students for the AP Exam from Home

Hey, AP History Teachers – how do you keep your virtual review sessions from becoming monotonous? Here’s 30 seconds of PD from author Rich Mayorga with ideas to augment your course review sessions leading up to the exam.

Blog series:
Rich's Tips

Ask an Expert, Part 4 – How Do I Earn the Histo...

May 06, 2020

Tony Maccarella jumped on another call with Sherpa’s David Nazarian to discuss the complexity point and how you can earn it on this year’s streamlined AP History exams.

Blog series:
Rich's Tips

May 06, 2020

Ask an Expert, Part 4 – How Do I Earn the Historical Complexity Point?

Tony Maccarella jumped on another call with Sherpa’s David Nazarian to discuss the complexity point and how you can earn it on this year’s streamlined AP History exams.

Blog series:
AP Euro Hacks

Ask an Expert, Part 3 - Are There Any Strategie...

May 05, 2020

Tony’s back to discuss the contextualization point, why it can be problematic for students (about 1 in 5 AP World students earned the point on the 2019 exam), and how/when...

Blog series:
Rich's Tips

May 05, 2020

Ask an Expert, Part 3 - Are There Any Strategies for the Contextualization Point?

Tony’s back to discuss the contextualization point, why it can be problematic for students (about 1 in 5 AP World students earned the point on the 2019 exam), and how/when to earn the point in your DBQ response on the 2020 exam.

Blog series:
AP Euro Hacks

Ask an Expert, Part 2 - Are Some Rubric Points ...

Apr 27, 2020

Wondering if certain rubric points are basically unattainable? In Part 2 of our “Ask an Expert” series, author Tony Maccarella talks about all 10 points and which ones you should...

Blog series:
Rich's Tips

Apr 27, 2020

Ask an Expert, Part 2 - Are Some Rubric Points Worth Skipping?

Wondering if certain rubric points are basically unattainable? In Part 2 of our “Ask an Expert” series, author Tony Maccarella talks about all 10 points and which ones you should plan on earning

Blog series:
AP Euro Hacks

Ask an Expert, Part 1 - How to Deal with the 45...

Apr 27, 2020

In Part 1 of our “Ask an Expert” series, author Tony Maccarella discusses the number one concern for all AP History students this year – how to handle writing a...

Blog series:
Rich's Tips

Apr 27, 2020

Ask an Expert, Part 1 - How to Deal with the 45-Minute Time Limit

In Part 1 of our “Ask an Expert” series, author Tony Maccarella discusses the number one concern for all AP History students this year – how to handle writing a high-scoring DBQ essay in just 45 minutes.

Blog series:
AP Euro Hacks

Breaking News for the 2020 AP Exam

Mar 23, 2020

[Updated 4/15/20] A synopsis of all of the latest information about the Advanced Placement exams for the 2019-2020 school year, collected from various official sources.

Blog series:
Rich's Tips

Mar 23, 2020

Breaking News for the 2020 AP Exam

[Updated 4/15/20] A synopsis of all of the latest information about the Advanced Placement exams for the 2019-2020 school year, collected from various official sources.

7 More Essential Tips for the AP Exam

Apr 20, 2019

Author Rich Mayorga continues his invaluable tips for taking an Advanced Placement exam.

Blog series:
Rich's Tips

Apr 20, 2019

7 More Essential Tips for the AP Exam

Author Rich Mayorga continues his invaluable tips for taking an Advanced Placement exam.

Blog series:
Rich's Tips

7 Essential Tips For The AP Exam

Mar 29, 2019

Author and AZ Teacher of the Year, Rich Mayorga, shares the simple, point-saving tips that he gives his own students every year in advance of the AP exam.

Blog series:
Rich's Tips

Mar 29, 2019

7 Essential Tips For The AP Exam

Author and AZ Teacher of the Year, Rich Mayorga, shares the simple, point-saving tips that he gives his own students every year in advance of the AP exam.

Blog series:
Rich's Tips

Preparing Over the Summer for AP Euro

Aug 01, 2017

In this series by Tony Maccarella, author of Mastering the Essay for AP European History, Tony answers questions sent in to him in the r/APStudents sub on Reddit. One student wanted to...

Blog series:
Rich's Tips

Aug 01, 2017

Preparing Over the Summer for AP Euro

In this series by Tony Maccarella, author of Mastering the Essay for AP European History, Tony answers questions sent in to him in the r/APStudents sub on Reddit. One student wanted to know what he could do over the summer to prepare for the start of AP Euro in the Fall.

Blog series:
AP Euro Hacks

Giving Synthesis Another Shot

Jul 14, 2017

Having just returned from the AP U.S. History exam reading in Tampa, I have new concerns about the latest iteration of the LEQ and DBQ scoring rubrics—as did most, if...

Blog series:
Rich's Tips

Jul 14, 2017

Giving Synthesis Another Shot

Having just returned from the AP U.S. History exam reading in Tampa, I have new concerns about the latest iteration of the LEQ and DBQ scoring rubrics—as did most, if not all, of the readers I spoke with over the week.

Blog series:
Addressing the APUSH Redesign by Mike Henry

Tips for Answering the Multiple-Choice

May 04, 2017

Tony continues his answer to the request for tips for answering multiple-choice questions on the APEH exam. In this part, Tony points out a couple of misleading answer choices.

Blog series:
Rich's Tips

May 04, 2017

Tips for Answering the Multiple-Choice

Tony continues his answer to the request for tips for answering multiple-choice questions on the APEH exam. In this part, Tony points out a couple of misleading answer choices.

Blog series:
AP Euro Hacks

Breaking the First Rule of Publishing

Apr 13, 2017

When a company makes sacrifices to gain profit, the customers lose. When the customers are American schools, everyone loses.

Blog series:
Rich's Tips

Apr 13, 2017

Breaking the First Rule of Publishing

When a company makes sacrifices to gain profit, the customers lose. When the customers are American schools, everyone loses.

Blog series:
A Truly Different Approach

Tips for Answering the Multiple-Choice

Apr 11, 2017

In this series by Tony Maccarella, author of Mastering the Essay for AP European History, Tony answers questions sent in to him on Reddit. The first question was, "Are there any tips...

Blog series:
Rich's Tips

Apr 11, 2017

Tips for Answering the Multiple-Choice

In this series by Tony Maccarella, author of Mastering the Essay for AP European History, Tony answers questions sent in to him on Reddit. The first question was, "Are there any tips or techniques for answering multiple-choice questions on the AP Euro exam?"

Blog series:
AP Euro Hacks

What really matters on the AP Euro Exam

Apr 04, 2017

In this series by Tony Maccarella, author of Mastering the Essay, Tony answers questions sent in to him on Reddit. The first question was, "What really matters on the AP Euro...

Blog series:
Rich's Tips

Apr 04, 2017

What really matters on the AP Euro Exam

In this series by Tony Maccarella, author of Mastering the Essay, Tony answers questions sent in to him on Reddit. The first question was, "What really matters on the AP Euro exam?"

Blog series:
AP Euro Hacks

A Truly Different Approach

Apr 06, 2016

A product that actually does what customers need it to do – because our customers help to create it – is a good thing. That’s what we’re setting out to...

Blog series:
Rich's Tips

Apr 06, 2016

A Truly Different Approach

A product that actually does what customers need it to do – because our customers help to create it – is a good thing. That’s what we’re setting out to do with the help of hundreds of volunteer teachers.

Blog series:
A Truly Different Approach

The Top 5 Misconceptions about the New AP Euro ...

Apr 01, 2016

We talk to a lot of AP Euro students these days. We've discovered that many of them have misconceptions about the new exam and how to study for it. Here...

Blog series:
Rich's Tips

Apr 01, 2016

The Top 5 Misconceptions about the New AP Euro Exam

We talk to a lot of AP Euro students these days. We've discovered that many of them have misconceptions about the new exam and how to study for it. Here are the top 5 misconceptions that we're hearing from AP Euro students, followed by the truth about each topic.

Blog series:
AP Euro Hacks

The New DBQ Rubric: A Step in the Right Direction

Oct 25, 2015

In July, the College Board released a number of revisions to the new course guidelines, including a new DBQ rubric. The changes to the DBQ rubric certainly help to cut...

Blog series:
Rich's Tips

Oct 25, 2015

The New DBQ Rubric: A Step in the Right Direction

In July, the College Board released a number of revisions to the new course guidelines, including a new DBQ rubric. The changes to the DBQ rubric certainly help to cut through the fog, but there is a downside for teachers.

Blog series:
Addressing the APUSH Redesign by Mike Henry

A PUSH to Innovate Series: Sommer Newkirk

Oct 10, 2015

Sommer Newkirk, an AP U.S. History Teacher from Granada High School in Livermore, CA, uses her blog, community Facebook page, and Twitter account to keep her students connected, engaged, and...

Blog series:
Rich's Tips

Oct 10, 2015

A PUSH to Innovate Series: Sommer Newkirk

Sommer Newkirk, an AP U.S. History Teacher from Granada High School in Livermore, CA, uses her blog, community Facebook page, and Twitter account to keep her students connected, engaged, and supported beyond their regularly scheduled APUSH class.

Blog series:
A PUSH to Innovate

The New Rubrics: Test Prep vs. College Prep

Jul 17, 2015

The newly-revised writing rubrics for the Long Essay Questions (LEQs) and the Document-Based Questions (DBQs) have raised many concerns and caused not a small amount of anxiety among AP U.S....

Blog series:
Rich's Tips

Jul 17, 2015

The New Rubrics: Test Prep vs. College Prep

The newly-revised writing rubrics for the Long Essay Questions (LEQs) and the Document-Based Questions (DBQs) have raised many concerns and caused not a small amount of anxiety among AP U.S. History teachers these last few months. Every teacher aims for the best for his or her students and wants to instruct them in a way that will maximize their performance on the new 2015 exam. With this as motivation, instructors have expressed deep concern around how to help their students earn the synthesis point in their essays.

Blog series:
Addressing the APUSH Redesign by Mike Henry

A PUSH to Innovate Series: Kate Harris

May 22, 2015

Kate Harris, an AP US History Teacher from Jordan High School in Durham, NC, uses her blog to connect students, parents, and teacher—building knowledge, relationships, and good study habits along...

Blog series:
Rich's Tips

May 22, 2015

A PUSH to Innovate Series: Kate Harris

Kate Harris, an AP US History Teacher from Jordan High School in Durham, NC, uses her blog to connect students, parents, and teacher—building knowledge, relationships, and good study habits along the way.

Blog series:
A PUSH to Innovate

Did the College Board Let APUSH Teachers Down T...

May 11, 2015

I've decided to devote this entry to acknowledging the lack of support extended to teachers and validate the challenges they are facing. I'm also writing about it to remind teachers,...

Blog series:
Rich's Tips

May 11, 2015

Did the College Board Let APUSH Teachers Down This Year?

I've decided to devote this entry to acknowledging the lack of support extended to teachers and validate the challenges they are facing. I'm also writing about it to remind teachers, students, and parents that despite the many unknowns, there is a silver lining that we can all cling to, united.

Blog series:
Addressing the APUSH Redesign by Mike Henry

Confronting the Audit Demon

Apr 23, 2015

Picking up where I left off in Part 1, I offer you several more "pain points" in the audit process and my advice on how best to handle them.

Blog series:
Rich's Tips

Apr 23, 2015

Confronting the Audit Demon

Picking up where I left off in Part 1, I offer you several more "pain points" in the audit process and my advice on how best to handle them.

Blog series:
Addressing the APUSH Redesign by Mike Henry

Introducing... A PUSH to Innovate

Apr 23, 2015

When it comes to true innovation in educational resources, no one does it better than the teachers themselves. Over the next few months, I will be reporting on this phenomenon...

Blog series:
Rich's Tips

Apr 23, 2015

Introducing... A PUSH to Innovate

When it comes to true innovation in educational resources, no one does it better than the teachers themselves. Over the next few months, I will be reporting on this phenomenon by showcasing some of the leading educator-developed APUSH resources. Each installment in the series will spotlight an educator who is blazing their own resource trail, and succeeding.

Blog series:
A PUSH to Innovate

Confronting the Audit Demon

Mar 19, 2015

Simply stated, the new audit process is a ton of work. As one of the auditors, I've reviewed nearly one hundred submissions since the program began. I would like to...

Blog series:
Rich's Tips

Mar 19, 2015

Confronting the Audit Demon

Simply stated, the new audit process is a ton of work. As one of the auditors, I've reviewed nearly one hundred submissions since the program began. I would like to offer several observations about the process and tips to help you avoid some common omissions.

Blog series:
Addressing the APUSH Redesign by Mike Henry

Analyze This: The DBQ Essay in 2015

Dec 10, 2014

As teachers tackle the challenge of educating their students on the process of document analysis, they must focus their instruction and their students minds on analysis like never before

Blog series:
Rich's Tips

Dec 10, 2014

Analyze This: The DBQ Essay in 2015

As teachers tackle the challenge of educating their students on the process of document analysis, they must focus their instruction and their students minds on analysis like never before

Blog series:
Addressing the APUSH Redesign by Mike Henry

Teaching to the New Multiple-Choice Format

Nov 19, 2014

One of the new challenges—at least for this first year and the learning curve that comes along with it—will be finding balance between teaching content knowledge while ensuring students are...

Blog series:
Rich's Tips

Nov 19, 2014

Teaching to the New Multiple-Choice Format

One of the new challenges—at least for this first year and the learning curve that comes along with it—will be finding balance between teaching content knowledge while ensuring students are thinking like historians, critically evaluating how events are interconnected in the cause and effect continuum that is our history.

Blog series:
Addressing the APUSH Redesign by Mike Henry

Ch-ch-ch-ch-changes! Addressing the New Multipl...

Oct 28, 2014

Big changes are coming in 2015 to the AP US History test. This means teachers will have to revise their lesson plans to help prepare students to think like a...

Blog series:
Rich's Tips

Oct 28, 2014

Ch-ch-ch-ch-changes! Addressing the New Multiple-Choice Format

Big changes are coming in 2015 to the AP US History test. This means teachers will have to revise their lesson plans to help prepare students to think like a historian, rather than recall like a Jeopardy contestant.

Blog series:
Addressing the APUSH Redesign by Mike Henry

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