As biologists, we all are familiar with the concept of evolution. For the last several years, there has been discussions about the how and whys for the recent changes in the AP Biology Curriculum. The changes were driven by the higher education community to ensure the revised AP Biology course is equivalent to a two-semester college introductory biology course. However, these changes hit many teachers like punctuated equilibrium compared to the gradualism model of speciation. The well-discussed and debated redesign of the AP Biology Curriculum rolled out this year and the first “new” AP Exam is in May. I am ready to “embrace the change.”

Every AP Biology teacher has struggled with the balance of breath of coverage and the depth of understanding. Gone is the traditional “content coverage” model of instruction to one that focuses on four “big ideas”, and under each big idea there are “enduring understandings” and...

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