Webinar Recap

We kicked off our 2026 Poolside Proficiency summer professional learning series with an engaging deep-dive into the new AP World Language exam and its exciting new component, the Course Project. Hosted by instructional strategist Julie Pacheco-Toye and featuring AP consultant Maritza Sloan, the webinar brought together world language teachers from across the country. Maritza — a College Board AP Consultant for AP Spanish, past president of AATSP, and 25+ year AP Spanish veteran — drew on her firsthand experience piloting the new exam format to give attendees a practical, grounded understanding of what's coming in the 2026–27 school year. Her overarching message: approach the Course Project as a process, not an event — and know that world language teachers have been building toward this kind of work all along. 

Major Changes to the AP Exam for 2026–27 

• The exam goes fully digital. Students will use the College Board's Blue Book platform, which they are already familiar with from other AP exams.
• Free Response moves to the front and has three components. In a notable structural shift, the Free Response section now opens the exam rather than closing it, and now has only three components instead of four.
• Scoring shifts from holistic to analytical. The new rubrics evaluate five dimensions: task execution, cultural understanding, organization, language control, and delivery 

Smaller but Meaningful Exam Updates 

• Six themes become six thematic units. The course content reorganizes so that the unit is the theme, a change with three new themes that still preserves most familiar content so that teachers can continue using resources built for the three unchanged units.
• Skill categories consolidate from eight to three. The new framework centers on Interpretive Communication, Interpersonal and Presentational Communication, and Cultural Understanding.
• Multiple-choice questions are reduced from 65 to 55. Each task now carries exactly five questions.
• The exam will be shorter. College Board estimates the new format will run roughly 30–45 minutes less than the current exam. 

Understanding the Course Project: The Four Phases 

The Course Project is the most significant new element of the exam. In January, all AP World Language students nationwide receive a prompt and a set of sources from College Board. They then work through four structured phases before presenting on exam day. Maritza breaks them down for us and provides great advice and tips for each phase. 

• Phase 1: Explore and Understand. Students begin by examining the six to eight sources provided by College Board, building initial understanding of the essential question.
• Phase 2: Investigate and Apply. Students deepen their research by identifying additional sources independently and selecting a specific Spanish-speaking (or target-language) region or community to focus on, and begin connecting cultural products, practices, and perspectives.
• Phase 3: Create and Evaluate. Students develop and rehearse their three-minute oral presentation and complete the Personalized Project Reference (PPR), a structured note document that they may bring to the exam.
• Phase 4: Reflect and Grow. Students prepare for the four Q&A questions that follow their presentation on exam day. 

Classroom Application 

• Teachers should begin building project skills now. Maritza recommended becoming familiar now with the Course and Exam Description (CED).
• Maritza's own practice project offers a concrete model. This spring, she ran her own "simulated" project with her AP students, centering on a meaningful cultural experience in the Spanish-speaking world. Her materials, including the prompt, sources, reflection questions, and sample Q&A questions, were generously shared with attendees. 

Key Takeaways 

1. The Course Project is a process, not an event.
2. The CED is your most important resource this summer
3. Start preparing students early in the year.
4. Get familiar with the digital platform Blue Book now.
5. A sample project from College Board is coming this summer.

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