Smyrna School District Named to AP Achievement List by the College Board for Significant Gains in Advanced Placement Access and Student Performance
388 US Public School Districts Across the Nation Are Honored
Smyrna School District is one of fewer than 400 school districts in the nation being honored by the College Board with a place on its AP® Achievement List for opening AP classroom doors to a significantly broader pool of students, while maintaining or improving the percentage of students earning scores of 3 or higher.
From 2008 to 2010, Smyrna has increased the number of students participating in AP from 44 students in 2008 to 103 students in 2010. At the same time, Smyrna improved the percentage of students earning AP Exam scores of 3 or higher (the score typically needed to earn college credit) from 39 percent in 2008 to 51 percent in 2010.
Delaware Former Secretary of Education Lillian Lowery lauded the district’s success: “This is a prime example of the progress being made in Delaware schools to offer more students rigorous classes -- and to ensure they succeed in these high-level courses. Smyrna’s students and educators deserve credit for their hard work that has led to this great honor.”
Smyrna Superintendent Deborah Wicks said, on behalf of the Smyrna School District and Smyrna High School, she is very proud of the excellent work accomplished by Smyrna’s staff and students in the Advanced Placement program.
“We are grateful to the College Board for presenting this honor to the Smyrna School District,” Wicks said. “It has been a determined goal of the Smyrna High School Advanced Placement teachers, principals, and school board to expand access to AP courses and to raise test scores.”
Added Principal Anthony Soligo, “Receiving this honor from the College Board for AP Achievement means that our Smyrna High School staff is working collectively in the right direction to serve our students.”
The AP Achievement List is made up of all school districts that are simultaneously expanding opportunity and improving performance, so even low-performing districts are included if they have been able to maintain or improve scores while expanding access. The list includes 388 school districts representing 43 states, with California’s 37 districts on the list representing the largest number of districts from a single state, followed by Michigan with 29 districts and Pennsylvania with 28 districts. Spanish language exams were not included in the tally.
“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 Achievement List districts are defying expectations by expanding access while enabling their students to maintain or improve their AP Exam scores.”
Many U.S. school districts have focused on expanding access to AP courses as part of a strategy for fostering college readiness. While these efforts have resulted in more students earning scores of 3 or better — the score typically cited as a “qualifying” or “successful” score because the majority of U.S. colleges and universities provide college credit or advanced placement for this score — these efforts have also resulted in more students now 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 is to be expected in any program attracting a broader cross-section of students.
That said, 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 districts are living proof that when access to AP is provided for the range and breadth of prepared and motivated students, districts can achieve even higher learning outcomes for their students — and the opportunity for so many more to earn college credit and placement — than when AP opportunities were restricted to a smaller segment of the high school population,” said Trevor Packer, vice president of the College Board’s Advanced Placement Program®.
Inclusion on the list is based on the following criteria:
- Examination of three years of AP data, from 2008 to 2010;
- Increase in participation in/access to AP by at least 4 percent in large districts, at least 7 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 exams in 2010 scoring a 3 or higher to those in 2008, 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.
Additionally, school districts with an AP student population composed of 50 percent or more traditionally underrepresented minority students (African American, Hispanic/Latino, American Indian/Alaska Native) and/or low-income students have been noted on the Achievement List to highlight significant improvements in equity and quality among the nation’s historically underserved student populations.
The complete AP Achievement List can be found at www.collegeboard.org.
About Smyrna School District
With almost 5,000 students and seven schools, Smyrna School District serves children in the fast-growing southern New Castle and northern Kent counties. The district’s mission is to ensure that “students of the community are prepared as effectively and as efficiently as possible to become responsible and productive citizens possessing the knowledge, the problem-solving skills, and the positive attitudes necessary to successfully adapt to and function in an ever changing environment.”
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.
Additional media contact:
Jennifer Topiel, The College Board
212-713-8052
communications@collegeboard.org
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