From Harford County Public Schools:
Harford County Public Schools (HCPS) is one of just 539 public school districts in the nation being honored by the College Board with a place on the 3rd Annual AP® Honor Roll for simultaneously offering more opportunity for Advanced Placement (AP) coursework while maintaining or increasing the percentage of students earning scores of 3 or higher on AP exams.
Since 2010, HCPS has increased total AP course enrollment more than 14 percent, while improving the percentage of students earning AP exam scores of 3 or higher during that same period nearly 33 percent. HCPS has focused on expanding access to AP courses as part of a strategy to improve college readiness. The majority of U.S. colleges and universities grant college credit or advanced placement for a score of 3 or above on AP exams.
“This honor speaks to the outstanding work taking place in our high schools to ensure each of our students is prepared for life beyond high school,” said Superintendent of Schools Robert M. Tomback. “Our students are capable and deserving of highly rigorous coursework and we know this because more and more of our students are taking AP classes and are successful with the college-level expectations.”
Providing more students the opportunity to learn at a higher level and earn higher AP scores is the goal of the AP program. Students earning high enough AP exam grades stand out in the competitive college admission process and qualify for college credit and placement.
C. Milton Wright High School graduate Michael Natoli’s educational career exemplifies the substantial benefits of taking AP courses. Mr. Natoli completed 13 AP courses total and took exams for 12 of those courses, receiving a score of 5 on 11 exams, and a score of 4 on one. As a high school graduate, his credit count from the AP courses totaled 56, placing him just four credits shy of junior status when he entered college as a freshman.
“Taking AP courses in high school has given me a significant head start compared to my peers, something I am noticing after only a few months at the University of Maryland,” said Mr. Natoli. “I have been able to start right into the more advanced level classes here first semester, and I have more room for the classes that interest me because AP courses have satisfied many of the general education requirements. While I would be able to earn my degree in Atmospheric and Oceanic Science in just three years, I have instead decided to stay for four years and pursue a second degree in Mathematics, and a minor in Computer Science.”
Inclusion on the Annual AP District Honor Roll is based on the following criteria: examination of three years of AP data; increase in participation in/access to AP courses 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 minority students; and improved performance levels based on the number of students scoring a 3 or higher on the exams.
The complete Annual AP District Honor Roll can be found at www.collegeboard.org.
I find it interesting that no one wants to comment on this bit of good news about HCPS. If it had been bad news, this message thread would be flooded with negativity and “I told you HCPS wasn’t worth a damn” comments.
Because this quote sounds suspiciously like the award was conferred due to their denominator problems:
“Since 2010, HCPS has increased total AP course enrollment more than 14 percent, while improving the percentage of students earning AP exam scores of 3 or higher during that same period nearly 33 percent.”