Last year, all 29 students in Robledo's class passed the test, 25 of whom received a 5, the highest score possible. And that's not unusual for Robledo. In the three years she has taught AP Spanish at Willow Glen, she has had similar results.

While perfecting their grammar and polishing their accents, students in AP Spanish spend the year studying for the test, which earns them university credit if they pass and makes college applications competitive.

Unlike other districts, San Jose Unified School District allows its students to take AP classes even if they are not on the honors track.

"The AP Spanish students that take the class are not handpicked," Willow Glen High School Assistant Principal James Lovelace says.

These students choose to take the class, he says. They come from the general population. And what makes Robledo "remarkable" is that every student is able to pass the AP test.

With an effervescent smile and infectious laugh, Robledo seems every inch "the nice teacher." But prospective students should be forewarned: she's no pushover.

"The kids work hard," she says. "From day one, they know they are making a commitment to stay in class and work hard."

A sign in Robledo's classroom reads, "Si no leo, me aburro." ("If I don't read, I'm boring," or "If I don't read, I'm stupid.") The sentence is a pun--and next to the words is a picture of a donkey.

La profesora

Robledo has taken this adage to heart. She assigns reading every night, and expects students to return to class fully prepared to discuss what they have read. To motivate them to complete their homework, Robledo will occasionally surprise them with an examcito, or pop quiz.

"After a couple of those, they usually start doing the reading," the teacher says, laughing.

Students can also expect to write one or two essays every six weeks, Robledo adds. Although she returns the papers with grades, Robledo wants students to learn to evaluate themselves. To help them take charge of their education, she hands out College Board grading guides to which students can compare their essays.

Learning to read and write may be important, but Robledo considers those skills supplementary to the primary function of language--speaking.

"Most of all, I want them to be able to communicate in higher-level Spanish," she says.

Because the AP test also has a speaking component, Robledo gives her students tape recorders on which they can listen to their own voices and perfect their accents. For some members of the class, developing their spoken Spanish in front of others can be intimidating.

"Some are timid," Robledo says. "I tell them, 'You do this in all of your classes.' It's a good experience to get up and speak. Even I get nervous when I have to speak in front of strangers. It's natural. But the more you do it, the better you become."

To be eligible for AP Spanish, students must have completed three language classes. Many of Robledo's students are native speakers who were either born in a Spanish-speaking country or are the American-born children of immigrants. But even these students can learn a great deal from Robledo's intensive class.

One of these students is Angelica Montelongo, who took AP Spanish last year.

"A native speaker might not speak Castilian Spanish," she says, referring to the standardized version of the language spoken primarily in Spain.

Although she learned Spanish before she learned English, Angelica says she had room to improve her skills in her native language.

"The hardest part was accentos [location of accent marks] and irregular tenses," Angelica says.

But Angelica's hard work in Robledo's class paid off. She earned a 5 on the AP test.

Although native speakers are the majority in AP Spanish, students who are relatively new to the language can also thrive in Robledo's class. Ruth Getachew, who emigrated from Ethiopia when she was in fifth grade, is one of Robledo's former students who studied Spanish among the more advanced speakers.

Marcas altas

Ruth came to the United States speaking only Amharic, the national language of Ethiopia. Young and able to absorb new words and sounds quickly, Ruth easily transitioned to her English-speaking environment. Then she was inspired by her Spanish-speaking neighbors. Interested in learning about different cultures, Ruth was ready to tackle another new language by eighth grade.

"I liked how quickly I learned English, and I figured I could also learn Spanish," she says.

Despite her eagerness to become fluent, Ruth says the prevalence of native speakers in AP Spanish made her slightly uneasy about her own proficiency. However, her fears proved to be unfounded.

"I was kind of nervous at first, but people were nice about it," she says. "They cooperated well, and [they] were mature individuals."

And with no English allowed in class, Ruth was amazed how quickly she improved her speaking and comprehension abilities.

"In Señora Robledo's class, you learn not just by writing essays, but by speaking Spanish the whole time," she says. "We talked about issues while learning at the same time."

The diversity of other students in the class also helped Ruth gain a richer understanding of the various cultures of Spanish-speaking people.

"There were a broad range of students from Guatemala, South and Central America and Mexico," she says. "You learn about their perspective. For instance, marriage is different in different cultures. You wouldn't think a little thing like that would make a difference, but it does."

At the end of the school year, Ruth's hard work and attention in class paid off. She received a 5 on the AP test, giving herself a jump start on her dream of attending college.

And Ruth isn't alone. Robledo estimates that 98 percent of her students are pursuing higher education. Their hard work in class, she says, will help them make the transition to university-level courses easier.

"This class is preparing them for college, which most are planning on attending." Robledo says. "I'm getting them ready for when the professor assigns 50 pages of reading."

Angelica and Ruth are busy revving up for the rigors of academia. Angelica plans to attend the National Hispanic University in San Jose where she will study to get her teaching credentials. Her proficiency in Spanish will come in handy for her future career--Angelica dreams of teaching bilingual education to high school students.

"We need bilingual education in high school," she says. "In the teenage years, it becomes more difficult to learn a new language."

Ruth is currently applying to universities, and is awaiting letters of acceptance. Although which school she'll attend remains undetermined, Ruth has a pretty good idea what she will study--medicine. And once she reaches her goal, the high school senior plans to use the skills she acquired in Robledo's class to communicate with Spanish-speaking patients.

"It's difficult if you are sick and you can't speak the language," she says.

Like any teacher, Robledo is thrilled to see young people like Ruth and Angelica reach for their dreams. She says she pushes her students to seek out college, especially students struggling to finance their way through higher education. Several of her students, she says, will be the first in their families to attend a university or even obtain a high school diploma.

"There are millions of scholarships and opportunities out there, but you have to do the work," she says.

De Experiencia

Robledo says she especially likes to see teenage women strive for higher education.

"I want to be a role model for the young ladies," she says. "I want them to know that whatever they choose to do in life, they can do. I come from a background where women were not encouraged to be educated. That's why I push them."

For Robledo, the opportunity to further her education did not come until 20 years after she graduated from high school, when her two sons had grown up. While she may have lacked familial support earlier in her life, Robledo found a powerful motivator in her husband, Roman, who is also a teacher.

"My husband encouraged me to give teaching a try," she says. "I owe a lot to him. He's my No. 1 mentor."

Robledo restarted her schooling at Evergreen Valley College. After two years, she transferred to San José State University where she majored in Spanish. In 1989, she began an eight-year stint teaching adult English as a Second Language classes in Morgan Hill.

Although Robledo enjoyed working with adults, she began setting her sights on the high-school crowd. She found their youthful energy and idealism inspiring.

"There is something about teenagers," she says. "I think you can talk to them and sometimes they really respond to you."

After teaching for one year at Gilroy High School, Robledo landed a job teaching Spanish classes at Willow Glen High School. And eight years later, she hasn't lost the passion that led her to follow her dream.

According to Lovelace, Robledo's enthusiasm for her job is the secret to her success as an educator.

"Like any good teacher, Mrs. Robledo is impassioned," he says. "She loves what she does."

Robledo says she arrives at school every day feeling excited and ready to meet whatever challenges may come her way.

"I love what I do," she says. "If I didn't, I wouldn't have energy."