Kelcey Burris is currently the Department Chair of Science and teaches AP Biology at Union High School in Camas, Washington. He started his teaching career in Naples, Florida, and has been teaching AP Biology for the past 24 years. As a College Board Endorsed Consultant for AP Biology and Lead Consultant for AP Biology he has presented one-day and week-long workshops throughout the United States and internationally in Guam, Chengdu, China, Dubai, United Arab Emirates, Istanbul, Turkey, and Shanghai, China. Kelcey has been a reader for the AP Biology Exam for the past 15 years and participated in the standard setting panel for the AP Biology Exam in 2022. He was a member of the AP Daily team producing Topic Videos for the AP Biology Curriculum on AP Classroom. He earned a BA in Biology and Chemistry from Concordia University in Portland, Oregon, and a Master’s in Education from Florida Gulf Coast University in Fort Myers, Florida. He is the head coach for girls’ soccer at his high school, and enjoys reading, watching movies, and spending time with his wife and daughter in his free time.
Your can reach Dr. Burris  at: [email protected]

KELCEY BURRIS

"Kelcey was amazing! I learned so much. I appreciated his honesty and commitment to helping encourage and prepare us, as well as how friendly he is. He also brought in interesting and helpful speakers to compliment his lessons. I now feel so much more confident and prepared to tackle my first year of AP."  -MBTB Participant
AP BIOLOGY COURSE DESCRIPTION
UNITS
Unit 1: Chemistry of Life                                     Unit 5: Heredity
Unit 2: Cell Structure and Function                   Unit 6: Gene Expression and Regulation
Unit 3: Cellular Energetics                                   Unit 7: Natural Selection
Unit 4: Cell Communication and Cell Cycle      Unit 8: Ecology
  
Participants in this in-depth training will increase their knowledge of and comfort level with the AP Biology Curriculum, including an in-depth review of the updated AP Biology Course and Exam Description (CED) for the 2026 exam, and they will learn how to plan their course around the CED. We will perform some of the labs from the lab manual, conduct some effective and inexpensive labs, perform ShoeBox Investigations (Take-Home Labs), and discuss how to tweak the labs you currently use to make them student-driven and inquiry-based. Various teaching and learning strategies will be introduced in order for participants to fully integrate the science practices into their daily classroom. In addition, time will be spent familiarizing ourselves with the format, sample questions, and grading of the AP Biology exam. We will also look at the scope and sequence of the course with time being dedicated to your own course syllabus and lesson planning.

AP Biology Summer Institute Virtual Agenda:

DAY 1: Understanding AP Biology

  • Understanding the Updated AP Biology Curriculum
    • Course Framework, Unit Guides, Topic Pages
  • Scaffolding and Spiraling Concepts in AP Biology: Teaching For Understanding and Transfer of Content
  • AP Classroom: AP Course Audit and Curricular Requirements
  • Knowing the Target: The AP Exam
  • Investigations in AP Biology: What are the Requirements?
  • Question Biology: Science Practice 3
    • Investigation: Mung Beans and Soil Salinity
  • Know Biology: Science Practice 1
    • Investigation: Cellular Respiration vs. Photosynthesis
  • Curriculum Mapping: How are you going to do all of it?

DAY 2: Teaching AP Biology

  • AP Teacher Community and Resources
  • Argue Biology: Science Practice 6
    • Reimagine the CER - The QECR
  • Where Content and Skills Merge: The Free Response Questions
  • Assessments: Formative vs Summative
  • A Day in AP Biology: Active Learning in AP Biology
    • The BILL: Biology Interactive Learning Log
  • Using Content to Teach the Science Practices: Instructional Approaches in AP Biology
  • Calculate Biology: The Formula Sheet
    • Power of Simulations: The Mating Game
    • Investigation: Hardy Weinberg
  • Curriculum Mapping: How is learning going to be structured?

DAY 3: Integrating the Science Practices

  • AI in AP Biology: What is its role?
  • Visualizing Biology: Science Practice 2
    • Ambitious Modeling in AP Biology
    • Investigation: BLAST
    • Investigation: Using Biotechnology to Create Visual Respresentations
  • Knowing the Misconceptions in AP Biology: Chief Reader Reports
  • Broadening Access for AP: AP for All
    • Empowering your Students - Pointless and Ungrading Practices
  • How to Use the Data: Science Practice 5
    • Investigation: Simpson’s Diversity Index
  • Curriculum Mapping: How is learning going to be Assessed?
  • Importance of Water
    • Investigation: Why Cells Must be so Small
    • Investigation: Determining the Osmolarity of Plant Tissue

DAY 4: Assessing Progress and Understandings

  • Putting it All Together: Using the IPR to Influence Planning
    • Curriculum Mapping - Scope and Sequence
  • Cell Communication: What is the Most Challenging Concept to Teach
    • Investigation: Taste Lab
  • Connecting the Science Practices in an Investigation
  • Why are Yeast Spheres so Cool? 
    • Investigation: Enzymes with Yeast
  • Putting it in Reverse: Roadmapping AP Exam Review