NEW YORK — A total of 367 school districts across the U.S. and Canada are being honored by the College Board by being placed on the Second Annual AP Honor Roll for simultaneously increasing access to Advanced Placement® course work while maintaining or increasing the percentage of students earning scores of 3 or higher on AP Exams. Achieving both of these goals is the ideal scenario for a district’s AP program because it indicates that the district is successfully identifying motivated, academically prepared students who are likely to benefit most from AP course work. The majority of U.S. colleges and universities grant college credit or advanced placement for a score of 3 or above on AP Exams.
The Second Annual AP Honor Roll is made up of only those school districts that are simultaneously expanding opportunity and improving performance. The Second Annual AP Honor Roll includes 367 school districts across 45 states in the U.S. and six provinces in Canada. The state of Pennsylvania had the largest representation of districts, with a total of 34 on the list, followed by New York and Massachusetts, which both have 30.
"Participation in college-level AP courses can level the playing field for underserved students, give them the confidence needed to succeed in college, and raise standards and performance in key subjects like science and math," said College Board President Gaston Caperton. "The AP Honor Roll districts are defying expectations by expanding access while enabling their students to maintain or improve their AP Exam scores."
Many school districts in the U.S. and Canada have focused on expanding access to AP courses as part of a strategy to improve college readiness. While these efforts have resulted in more students earning scores of 3 or better, these efforts have also resulted in more students earning scores of 1 or 2. Accordingly, there has been a slight decline since 2001 in the percentage of AP students scoring a 3 or better, a decline that can be expected in any program attracting a broader cross section of students.
Helping more students learn at a higher level and earn higher AP scores is an objective of all members of the AP community, from AP teachers to district and school administrators to college professors. Many are experimenting with a variety of initiatives and strategies to determine how to expand access and improve student performance simultaneously.
"These school districts have achieved something truly remarkable. They managed to open the doors of their AP classrooms to many more students, while also increasing the percentage of students earning high enough AP Exam grades to stand out in the competitive college admission process and qualify for college credit and placement," said Trevor Packer, the College Board’s senior vice president of Advanced Placement and College Readiness.
Inclusion on the Second Annual AP District Honor Roll is based on the following criteria:
1) Examination of three years of AP data, from 2009 to 2011;
2) Increase in participation in/access to AP by at least 4 percent in large districts, at least 6 percent in medium districts and at least 11 percent in small districts;
3) A steady or increasing percentage of exams taken by African American, Hispanic/Latino and American Indian/Alaska Native students; and
4) Performance levels maintained or improved when comparing the percentage of students in 2011 scoring a 3 or higher to those in 2009, or the school has already attained a performance level in which more than 70 percent of the AP students are scoring a 3 or higher.
School districts in which low-income and/or underrepresented minority students (African American, Hispanic/Latino, American Indian/Alaska Native) comprise 50 percent or more of the AP student population have been highlighted on the Second Annual AP District Honor Roll to recognize significant improvements in equity and quality among the nation’s historically underserved student populations.
The complete Second Annual AP District Honor Roll can be found here.
About the Advanced Placement Program
The College Board’s Advanced Placement Program® (AP®) enables students to pursue college-level studies while still in high school. Through more than 30 college-level courses, each culminating in a rigorous exam, AP provides willing and academically prepared students with the opportunity to earn college credit, advanced placement or both. Taking AP courses also demonstrates to college admission officers that students have sought the most rigorous curriculum available to them. Each AP teacher’s syllabus is evaluated and approved by college faculty from some of the nation’s leading institutions, and AP Exams are developed and scored by college faculty and experienced AP teachers. AP is accepted by more than 3,800 colleges and universities worldwide for college credit, advanced placement or both on the basis of successful AP Exam scores. This includes over 90 percent of four-year institutions in the United States. In 2010, 1.8 million students representing more than 17,000 schools around the world, both public and nonpublic, took 3.2 million AP Exams.
About the College Board
The College Board is a mission-driven not-for-profit organization that connects students to college success and opportunity. Founded in 1900, the College Board was created to expand access to higher education. Today, the membership association is made up of more than 5,900 of the world’s leading educational institutions and is dedicated to promoting excellence and equity in education. Each year, the College Board helps more than seven million students prepare for a successful transition to college through programs and services in college readiness and college success — including the SAT® and the Advanced Placement Program®. The organization also serves the education community through research and advocacy on behalf of students, educators and schools. For further information, visit www.collegeboard.org.
Media Contact:
Deborah Davis The College Board 212-713-8052 communications@collegeboard.org