The Florence Township School District was recently recognized as one of 373 school districts in the United States and Canada to be honored by the College Board with placement on the 9th Annual AP District Honor Roll.
According to school board officials, in order to attain this honor, the township school district had to increase the number of students participating in AP while also increasing or maintaining the percentage of students earning AP Exam scores of 3 or higher since 2016.
“Reaching these goals shows that this district is successfully identifying motivated, academically prepared students who are ready for AP. We are very fortunate to have a Board of Education and a staff who have been supportive of our High School’s Advanced Placement (AP) program,” said school district superintendent Donna Ambrosius in a statement. “Our students, parents, teachers, counselors, and staff have worked extremely hard to take advantage of the terrific opportunities offered by the College Board.
“We are tremendously proud of all that we have accomplished, and we are honored to be named to the College Board’s 9th Annual AP District Honor Roll.”
According to Ambrosius, the township school district has grown its AP program over the years as it currently offers 10 College Board approved AP courses at the township high school for students in grades 10 – 12.
Ambrosius noted that these advanced courses enhance the students learning experiences as well as provide students with the opportunity to earn college credit by virtue of their success on AP exams, which, in turn, allows students and their guardians to save money on pursuing a collegiate education.
“Success in Advanced Placement is a combination of students’ own motivation and the opportunities educators provide for them,” said Trevor Packer, senior vice president of AP and Instruction at the College Board. “I’m inspired by the teachers and administrators in this district who have worked to clear a path for more students of all backgrounds to earn college credit during high school.”
According to College Board officials, inclusion in the 9th Annual AP District Honor Roll is based on a review of three years of AP data, from 2016 to 2018, looking across 38 AP Exams, including world language and culture.
The organization said that school districts must increase participation 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.
Along with increasing the amount of students from multiple ethnic backgrounds taking exams, College Board said schools can increase or maintain the percentage students scoring 3+ on at least one AP exam as well.
An analysis of Florence Township Memorial High School AP data revealed that approximately 28 percent of the Class of 2018 scored a “3” or better on one more of their AP exams during their time at the school as well approximately 69 percent of AP testers in grades 10-12 earned a score of a “3” or better on one or more of their AP exams, approximately 8 percent better than the 2018 “Global” average compiled by the College Board.
According to school board officials, Florence Township Memorial High School increased in the following areas:
- Increased the number of AP students taking AP exams by approximately 23 percent
- Increased the number of AP exams administered by approximately 77 percent
- Increased the number of AP students with scores of “3” or better by approximately 47 percent
- Increased the number of Black or African American students taking AP exams by approximately 55 percent
- Increased the number of Hispanic or Latino students taking AP exams by approximately 17 percent
- Increased the number of students from two or more races taking AP exams by approximately 33 percent
- Increased the number of Asian students taking AP exams by approximately 188 percent
- Increased the number of White students taking AP exams by approximately 74 percent
“We are extremely proud of all that we have accomplished that will continue to support and expand opportunities for our students,” Ambrosius said. “We are honored to be named to the College Board’s 9th Annual AP District Honor Roll that highlights this success.”
