TOMS RIVER – The Toms River Regional School District has been informed by the College Board that it will be placed on the organization’s ninth annual Advanced Placement District Honor Roll.
On Dec. 11, the Toms River school district was one of 373 school districts in the United States and Canada, and one of 39 in New Jersey, selected for inclusion on the honor roll.
The College Board is a not-for-profit organization that was formed in 1899 to expand access to higher education.
To be included on the ninth annual honor roll, the school district had to, since 2016, increase the number of students participating in advanced placement (AP) courses while also increasing or maintaining the percentage of students earning AP exam scores of 3 or higher.
“We anticipate our AP participation and performance will only improve moving forward. This noteworthy accomplishment did not happen overnight, but started years ago at the intermediate level. While we are thrilled to be witnessing the benefits of that initiative today, we are excited to see how increased rigor from K through 12 will manifest itself in the years to come,” Superintendent of Schools David Healy said.
Healy said it has been a recurring theme in the district that when teachers challenge students and raise the bar, the students consistently meet and exceed expectations.
“I am truly proud of our teachers and students. It is a testament to our schools and teachers. We are seeing the fruits of our labor. I am certain the success will continue,” the superintendent said.
Administrators said the district is committed to expanding the availability of AP courses among all students.
“Clearly, our students are responding positively to the increased rigor and challenges of AP coursework, and our educators are placing our students in a position to succeed. This is a great achievement and wonderful news for our community, our parents and our students,” Board of Education President Russell Corby said.
The ninth annual Advanced Placement District Honor Roll is based on a review of three years of AP data, from 2016-18, looking across 38 AP exams, including world language and culture. The following criteria was used.
School districts had to:
• Increase participation/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;
• Increase or maintain the percentage of American Indian/Alaska Native, Black/African American, Hispanic/Latino, and Native Hawaiian/Other Pacific Islander students taking exams and increase or maintain the percentage of American Indian/Alaska Native, Black/African American, Hispanic/Latino, and Native Hawaiian/Other Pacific Islander students scoring 3-plus on at least one AP exam;
• Improve or maintain performance levels when comparing the 2018 percentage of students scoring 3 or higher to the 2016 percentage, unless the district has already attained a performance level at which more than 70 percent of its AP students earn a 3 or higher.
