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Rachel Lytle currently teaches Honors and AP Biology at Jesuit Dallas and serves as a College Board–endorsed AP Biology Consultant. She has been teaching AP Biology for over a decade and has led numerous workshops and professional development sessions for teachers across the country.
Before joining Jesuit, Rachel taught at Brentwood High School in Tennessee for 11 years, where she served as Science Department Co-Chair, Biology PLC Lead, and cheerleading coach. She earned both her bachelor’s and master’s degrees in Biology from Middle Tennessee State University, focusing on Biology Education. As an active member of the National Association of Biology Teachers (NABT), Rachel has been a frequent conference presenter, sharing sessions on the Chief Reader Report and instructional practices that strengthen student data analysis and argumentation skills. She was honored as the 2024 Outstanding Biology Teacher for Tennessee and continues to serve the AP community as a seven-year AP Reader and AP Classroom AP Daily Video Instructor. Rachel brings deep familiarity with the AP Biology Course and Exam Description (CED) and exam expectations to her workshops. She has facilitated both in-person and virtual trainings, including her 2024 Rhode Island APSI and multiple national sessions for AdvanceKY, A+ College Ready, and the AP Master Series. In her workshops, Rachel emphasizes inquiry-driven instruction, integrating science practices into everyday lessons, and building supportive AP classrooms that foster both access and excellence. Outside the classroom, Rachel enjoys traveling, reading, and spending time with her pets. She’s also looking forward to her upcoming wedding in October 2026. |
RACHEL LYTLE“Rachel is exceptional. She was organized, prepared, engaging, flexible, and responsive.”
— APSI 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
In this in-depth AP Biology training, participants will increase their knowledge of and comfort level with the AP Biology Curriculum. This will include an in-depth review of the AP Biology Course and Exam Description (CED) for the 2027 exam and a discussion on planning your course effectively around its framework.
Throughout the training, we’ll dive into hands-on experiences with labs—some directly from the AP Biology Lab Manual and others that are low-cost, high-impact alternatives. We’ll explore ways to adapt your existing labs to make them more student-driven, inquiry-based, and data-rich, all while keeping the science practices at the core of instruction.
You’ll experience a variety of teaching strategies that support skill development and content understanding in combination, practice applying the science practices across units, and unpack how students are expected to demonstrate those skills on the AP Exam. We’ll also spend time analyzing questions and scoring guidelines to better understand what students are asked to do—and how we can prepare them for success.
Finally, dedicated time will be set aside for course and lesson planning so you leave with a clear structure for your own course and ready-to-implement ideas to take back to your classroom.
AGENDA
The agenda below outlines our goals for the workshop, though activities may shift based on pacing, lab vendor availability, or participant needs. Thank you for your flexibility as we adjust to make the most of our time together.
Day One
Day Two:
Day Three:
Day Four:
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
In this in-depth AP Biology training, participants will increase their knowledge of and comfort level with the AP Biology Curriculum. This will include an in-depth review of the AP Biology Course and Exam Description (CED) for the 2027 exam and a discussion on planning your course effectively around its framework.
Throughout the training, we’ll dive into hands-on experiences with labs—some directly from the AP Biology Lab Manual and others that are low-cost, high-impact alternatives. We’ll explore ways to adapt your existing labs to make them more student-driven, inquiry-based, and data-rich, all while keeping the science practices at the core of instruction.
You’ll experience a variety of teaching strategies that support skill development and content understanding in combination, practice applying the science practices across units, and unpack how students are expected to demonstrate those skills on the AP Exam. We’ll also spend time analyzing questions and scoring guidelines to better understand what students are asked to do—and how we can prepare them for success.
Finally, dedicated time will be set aside for course and lesson planning so you leave with a clear structure for your own course and ready-to-implement ideas to take back to your classroom.
AGENDA
The agenda below outlines our goals for the workshop, though activities may shift based on pacing, lab vendor availability, or participant needs. Thank you for your flexibility as we adjust to make the most of our time together.
Day One
- Investigation: Cell Cycle (Set-Up)
- Understanding the CED: The Course and Exam Description
- AP Audit, AP Classroom, and Curricular Requirements
- Science Practice 1: Know Biology
- Science Practice 3: Question Biology
- Investigation: Environmental Effect on Enzymes
- Laboratory Requirements
- Curriculum Mapping: Pacing with Purpose
Day Two:
- AP Access: AP for All
- CED and the AP Biology Exam
- FRQs Demystified
- Investigation: Determining the Osmolarity of Plant Tissue (Set-Up)
- AP Classroom Choice Board: Beginner to Advanced Users
- Using Data: Chief Reader and Instructional Planning Reports
- Science Practice 4: Graph and Analyze Biology
- Investigation: Surface Area-to-Volume Ratio
- Investigation: Surface Area-to-Volume Ratio
- Curriculum Mapping: Information Gathering vs. Sense-Making
Day Three:
- Science Practice 2: Visualize Biology
- Investigation: Determining the Osmolarity of Plant Tissue (Results)
- Science Practice 6: Argue Biology
- Biotechnology Investigations
- Guest Presenter(s): TBD
- Exam Review: Resources and Strategies
- Curriculum Mapping: Information Gathering vs. Sense-Making
Day Four:
- AP Teacher Community and Resources
- Science Practice 5: Calculate Biology
- Investigation: Cell Cycle (Results)
- Investigation: Cell Cycle (Results)
- Planning Time and Consultant Check-In
- Curriculum Mapping: Assessment
- Content Highlight: Cell Communication
- Investigation: Taste Signaling
- Investigation: Taste Signaling
- Resource Sharing and Collaboration
- College Board Survey