COLLEGE BOARD NAMES AVON GROVE TO 2nd ANNUAL AP HONOR ROLL
The College Board named Avon Grove School District to the 2nd Annual AP® Honor Roll for increasing access to Advanced Placement (AP) coursework while still maintaining a high percentage of students earning scores of 3 or higher on AP Exams. Only 367 public school districts earned the award this year. This is the second year Avon Grove has made the AP Honor Roll.
Avon Grove High School increased the number of students participating in AP Exams from 199 in 2009 to 269 in 2011, an increase of 70 students or 35 percent.
During this same period, the number of students earning a score of 3 or more on at least one AP Exam increased by 56 overall. In each of the last three years, more than 80 percent of Avon Grove students who took AP Exams earned a score of 3 or more on at least one exam.
In addition, the percentage of Avon Grove students participating in AP Exams who are African-American, Hispanic/Latino, or American Indian/Alaska Native increased from 3 percent in 2009 to 6 percent in 2011. The number of students in this reporting category earning a score of 3 or more on at least one AP Exam increased by 10 during this time period, or from 67 percent in 2009 to 80 percent in 2011.
Expanding the AP program, increasing participation rates in AP courses, and preparing students to perform successfully on AP Exams is part of the Avon Grove School District’s five-year Strategic Plan and Avon Grove High School’s Accreditation for Growth Plan. Both are multi-year plans.
“Our goal in Avon Grove is to expand opportunities for students to take more challenging coursework,” said Dr. Margaret Sharp, Assistant Superintendent, Curriculum & Instruction. “As we build on our plan and further refine the testing and evaluation tools we are using, we are hopeful we can continue to identify more students who can perform successfully in AP classes and on related AP Exams.”
As part of the Strategic Plan goal to expand AP offerings, Avon Grove required all sophomores to take the PSAT beginning in 2009. The test is offered during the school day at no charge to students.
The results from the first round of mandatory PSATs for tenth-graders and the College Board’s online AP Potential tool were used to try and indentify students who may be ready for AP material, but who might not otherwise be placed in AP based on previous coursework or other indicators.
The data was then used to help make some placement recommendations for the 2010-2011 school year.
AP Potential is a free, Web-based tool that allows schools to generate rosters of students who are likely to score a 3 or better on a given AP Exam. It is based on research that shows strong correlations between PSAT scores and AP Exam results.
Other methods are also used to help make placement recommendations for students, including performance in prior coursework, teacher recommendations, and a student’s own interest and desire to tackle more challenging material.
To ensure all educators at the high school have a solid understanding of the AP Potential tool and how it works, a representative from the College Board trained the Leadership Team on the program last year, and the team then trained high school teachers and counselors.
In addition, the high school held a PSAT information night for parents and students last year to explain PSAT test results and how they can be used as an indicator for readiness and a predictor for success in AP courses.
Prior to course selection for the 2011-2012 school year, the syllabi for all AP courses Avon Grove offers were posted online so any student considering an AP course could view the information and have a clear understanding of course content and expectations.
“Last year, the total staff became involved in learning the connection between PSAT results and potential to succeed in AP courses,” said Dr. Sharp. “We now have a better understanding about how to use PSAT data as another possible indicator for readiness. As a result, the tool was used much more extensively to help place students for this current school year.”
There are 339 students taking one or more AP courses at Avon Grove High School in the 2011-2012 school year, which equates to 582 enrollments in 16 AP classes.
The College Board’s 2nd Annual AP Honor Roll is made up of only those public school districts that are simultaneously expanding opportunity and improving performance, or have maintained the percentage of students passing at or above 70 percent.
The list includes 367 school districts across 43 states and Canada. Pennsylvania led all states with 34 public school districts named to the 2nd Annual AP Honor Roll, followed by Massachusetts and New York, both with 30.
According to the College Board, 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.
“This school district has achieved something very remarkable. It managed to open the doors of its 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 2nd Annual AP District Honor Roll is based on the following criteria:
• Examination of three years of AP data, from 2009 to 2011;
• 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;
• A steady or increasing percentage of exams taken by African American, Hispanic/Latino and American Indian/Alaska Native students; and
• 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.
The 2nd Annual AP Honor Roll can be found at www.collegeboard.org.
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Posted:
December 22, 2011 3:24 PM
