College Board Partners with PBLWorks to Launch Pre-AP Courses in Middle Schools

Partnership recognizes Gold Standard PBL and TEACH as requirements for the Pre-AP designation

SAN RAFAEL, Calif., Nov. 12, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- In a significant endorsement of project-based learning (PBL) as a pathway to advanced academic preparation, College Board has selected The Buck Institute for Education (dba PBLWorks) as the designated PBL partner for the launch of Pre-AP courses in Grades 6-8 nationwide.

Middle school educators that seek to label their ELA, math, science, or social studies courses "Pre-AP" in grades 6-8 will be able to receive such authorization from the College Board by incorporating two full projects into their existing curricula. This model is anchored in the groundbreaking research recently published by the Lucas Educational Foundation, in which researchers from the University of Southern California conducted a random-control trial that generated conclusive causal evidence: incorporation of high-quality projects into the AP curriculum – projects designed for AP courses by PBLWorks – had a statistically significant impact on AP exam results across all groups of students.

PBLWorks and the College Board have delineated a suite of projects that are back-mapped from the content and skills students will experience in high school AP courses, providing middle schools with flexibility to choose which projects will best augment their current middle school curricula. This partnership recognizes PBLWorks' Gold Standard PBL framework and TEACH application as the means for middle school courses to enhance their curriculum to the Pre-AP level and prepare a wide variety of students for the skills and techniques they will further develop in AP classes in later grades. The collaboration thus expands access to high-quality project-based learning while supporting schools' efforts to prepare students for advanced coursework and future success.

The agreement reflects growing interest in instructional approaches that help students build deep content knowledge alongside critical thinking, collaboration, and problem-solving skills. By aligning Gold Standard PBL with the goals of Pre-AP, PBLWorks and College Board are creating new opportunities for schools to deliver engaging, academically challenging learning experiences and expanding those opportunities to a wider range of students.

"College Board's decision affirms what educators and researchers have seen for years—when done right, project-based learning is one of the most effective ways to prepare students for advanced academic work," said Bob Lenz, CEO of PBLWorks. "Students learn best when they can connect challenging content to real-world projects. By requiring the implementation of Gold Standard PBL as the criterion for the Pre-AP course label, we're giving teachers a practical way to build deep content mastery along with the problem-solving skills students need for high school and beyond."

For nearly four decades, PBLWorks has worked with educators around the world to advance the practice of project-based learning. Its Gold Standard PBL model has become one of the most widely recognized frameworks for high-quality PBL implementation, helping schools create meaningful learning experiences that drive student engagement, academic achievement and deeper learning.

"We know that students perform better in AP when they've had practice grappling with complex, real-world problems, and project-based learning is one of the most powerful ways to build that habit in the classroom," said David Coleman, CEO of College Board. "Incorporating high-quality PBL into middle school courses will give students earlier opportunities to investigate, engage, and perform complicated tasks, so they arrive in high school more confident and ready for the challenging, academic work that AP courses demand."

At the center of the partnership is PBLWorks' TEACH tool, which provides educators with ready-to-use project-based learning units, embedded professional learning, classroom resources, implementation support and a community of PBL practitioners. The resource was designed to help schools overcome common barriers to PBL implementation and make high-quality project-based learning more accessible and sustainable.

Through the agreement:

• PBLWorks project units available through TEACH will serve as qualifying course-level content for middle schools to apply the Pre-AP designation to their ELA, math, science, or social studies courses.
• Middle schools that complete two qualifying PBLWorks projects per course through TEACH will earn the official Pre-AP designation on the Pre-AP Course Ledger.
• PBLWorks reports participation and completion data from analytics available in TEACH to the College Board, eliminating separate steps for participating schools.
• Schools seeking Pre-AP course designations will be directed to TEACH as one pathway for implementation.
• Qualifying courses will be authorized to use the Pre-AP designation mark.
• Schools with Pre-AP designated courses will appear on the Pre-AP Course Ledger.

The initiative will roll out in a phased approach, launching in 2026–27 with current TEACH middle schools. In 2027–28, the Pre-AP course designation will be available to any qualifying school worldwide.  partnership.

The partnership creates a scalable pathway for schools to implement project-based learning while earning national recognition for their commitment to college-preparatory instruction.

About PBLWorks 
The Buck Institute for Education/PBLWorks believes that all students, especially Black and Brown students, should have access to high-quality Project Based Learning to deepen their learning and achieve success in college, career, and life. Its focus is on building the capacity of teachers to design and facilitate high-quality Project Based Learning, and on supporting school and system leaders in creating the conditions for these teachers to succeed with all students. 

About College Board
College Board reaches more than 7 million students a year, helping them navigate the path from high school to college and career. Our not-for-profit membership organization was founded more than 120 years ago. We pioneered programs like the SAT^® and AP^® to expand opportunities for students and help them develop the skills they need. Our BigFuture^® program helps students plan for college, pay for college, and explore careers. Learn more at cb.org.  

Media Contact
Jon Kannenberg
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SOURCE PBLWorks and College Board