Two years ago, the staff at Grimsley Junior High School in Centerton, Arkansas decided to make a change in the classroom. Instead of offering pre-AP and regular education classes in literacy, social studies, and science, teachers adopted the mindset of reaching all students at a higher level of instruction and assessment.
We realized that, according to our student demographics, we were missing about 33% of our students in advanced course curriculums. All students going forward would have opportunities previously only found in pre-AP classes.
How We Applied These Changes
The decision to transition all our junior high students to an advanced placement education was a necessary change in the curriculum — since students weren’t prepared for AP classes by the time they reached high school. Additionally, our local high school adopted the “Advanced for All” curriculum a few years ago.
Students at the 7th and 8th grade levels needed teaching strategies and curriculum to help them achieve success in current and future assessment programs. State and in-class assessments proved this change necessary. Using grant-allocated funds, we brought in Dr. Catlin Tucker, author of “Balance with Blended Learning” and “The Shift to Student-Led,” to mentor teachers and other staff in transforming their strategies to meet the needs of our students.
The focus became a multifaceted shift in two main ways. One, students, regardless of test scores or quarterly grades, were part of an advanced curriculum. Two, the focus of learning in the classroom went from a more teacher-centered approach to student-led learning and accountability. Student-led station work and hands-on activities created an atmosphere of learning with fewer issues because students felt a sense of ownership in the learning process.
The faculty at Grimsley Junior High School used various approaches to help students grow in all areas of learning, including assessment. This change in learning gave students higher state assessment scores, and most students boasted growth in one or more subject areas by spring of 2026.
What Worked
The strategies incorporated at Grimsley Junior High focus on developing student skills for success in later courses, including advanced placement. The College Board, facilitator of AP tests, offers similar approaches for ensuring students pass their assessments.
Four Strategies to Support Student Success
Here are a few strategies that can help AP teachers strengthen instruction, engagement, and student confidence, regardless of the test or level:
Strategy 1: Know Testing Date/Location Information
There’s one thing Grimsley Junior High teachers all agreed on: students should be fully informed about assessment dates.
Openly communicating this information resulted in students feeling more secure and prepared for assessments — often an overlooked strategy. This can relieve a lot of stress on the day of the exam. Much of test anxiety results from a change in testing location or the unknowns of what the testing room will look like on the day of testing.
Strategy 2: Formative Assessments
Formative assessments became a routine part of each classroom at Grimsley. Teachers found it beneficial to assess a few weeks before any summative assessment. This allows them to quickly modify future lessons to help students achieve success on summative assessments.
Throughout a course, it’s important to take formative assessments. A formative assessment tests knowledge of given information or standards for a unit or series of lessons. It also gives the teacher and student an idea of prior knowledge of the material. A student can use this information to predetermine areas of an upcoming exam that might be difficult (Wiliam & Leahy, 2024).
Strategy 3: Flash Cards
Following Dr. Tucker’s mentoring, the teachers at Grimsley also worked to integrate station work into the curriculum. Students experienced hands-on strategies through the use of flash cards, graphic organizers, sequential building activities, and category organization. The College Board website discusses using flash cards frequently throughout the course of study as a test preparation tool.
Strategy 4: Goal Setting & Rewards (Perhaps the most important strategy)
The final strategy Grimsley teachers used for our state assessments included a “Level Up” gaming-based theme during the two weeks of testing. This helped change the trajectory (and attitudes) of student achievement in mathematics, literacy, and science.
Students created goals based on formative assessments throughout the year in each subject area. Each morning of testing, we celebrated our testing day with a music video, including funny “I believe in you” statements, major fail reels by animals and humans, and the best of sports reels. We asked students subject area questions, such as “What planet is closest to the sun?” The first student who answered correctly received a prize or gift card donated by parents and local businesses.
Each day of testing, we used a rubric to record criteria, including student behavior and attitude. They received a prize if they met all of the criteria, and on the next test day, they could level up with prizes.
The final celebration came with growth on tests. Students who scored higher on at least one test out of the four, as well as students who put in their best effort, received coupons.
Out of 852 students in 7th and 8th grade, 708 students scored higher on at least one of the four state assessments. Final state assessments showed an overall growth on all assessments from 2025 to 2026. After the testing sessions were completed, teachers and students reported feeling more confident and motivated throughout each test. Students commented that they were more willing to attend each day and do their best work than in previous years.
One Point Can Make a Difference
Psychologists continue researching and discussing the motivating factors identified with goal setting, either large or small. Our goal as a staff was to encourage and train students to set small goals throughout the year, allowing them to see the big end result on spring state assessments. In Jame’s Clear’s “Atomic Habits,” he discusses creating small habits that build into big identity changes. Students at Grimsley Junior High experienced a change in their beliefs over testing. They realized that even one point higher on a test meant that they had done something huge.
That one point can be the difference between a student passing advanced placement assessments in the future. By using the strategies mentioned in this post, we helped students grow their confidence and walk a little taller in our halls.
When preparing for AP assessments, either as a teacher or student, remember that small strategies and goals can make a big difference.
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About the Author
Dr. Amy L. Holland is an experienced educator and curriculum developer specializing in instructional technology and e-learning, holding an Ed.D. in e-learning from Northcentral University. Since 2011, she has served as a department head, history teacher, and elementary teacher for Bentonville Public Schools, where she manages curriculum alignment, student assessment, and staff training on digital systems. Alongside her K–12 role, she leverages her expertise in higher education as an adjunct instructor at Liberty University (2018–present), teaching distance-learning undergraduate courses focused on instructional methods and technology integration. She also mentors future educators as an Ignite intern supervisor for Bentonville Public Schools.
In addition to her instructional roles, Dr. Holland actively shapes educational media through professional content development. She works remotely as a contributing writer and content developer for prominent educational publishers, including Cengage /National Geographic Learning (2023–present), and previously developed science content for the Peel Compton Foundation in Bentonville, Arkansas, as well as other businesses and education groups. Blending her leadership skills with community service, she has also owned and operated Zuriel Stables LLC since 2017, a horse therapy facility in Gravette, Arkansas, where she coordinates weekly therapy lessons for students and adults.
References
Chazan, D. J., Pelletier, G. N. & Daniels, L. M. (2022). “Achievement Goal Theory Review: An Application to School Psychology.” Canadian Journal of School Psychology, 37(1), 40–56. https://doi.org/10.1177/08295735211058319.
College Board. (n.d.). https://www.collegeboard.org/
Ewell, S. N., Josefson, C. C. & Ballen, C. J. (2022). “Why Did Students Report Lower Test Anxiety During the COVID-19 Pandemic?” Journal of Microbiology & Biology Education, 23(1), Article e00282-21. https://doi.org/10.1128/jmbe.00282-21.
Stanja, J., Gritz, W., Krugel, J., Hoppe, A. & Dannemann, S. (2023). “Formative Assessment Strategies for Students’ Conceptions—The Potential of Learning Analytics.” British Journal of Educational Technology, 54(1), 58–75. https://doi.org/10.1111/bjet.13288
U.S. News & World Report. (n.d.). Bentonville West High School. U.S. News Education. https://www.usnews.com/education/best-high-schools/arkansas/districts/bentonville-school-district/bentonville-west-high-school-200137.
Wiliam, D., Leahy, S. “Embedding Formative Assessment: Practical Techniques for K–12 Classrooms.” United States: Solution Tree Press, 2024.
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