MALDEN – State education officials today announced that 33 Massachusetts school districts were named to the College Board's 2013 AP District Honor Roll for expanding access to Advanced Placement (AP) curriculum and maintaining or improving the percent of students scoring 3 or higher.
According to the College Board, Massachusetts had the fifth most number of school districts earning a spot on the honor roll. Pennsylvania had the most districts recognized with 40. A total of 477 districts across the U.S. and Canada were selected for the 4th annual AP Honor Roll.
"Massachusetts teachers continue to help pave the way for the Commonwealth’s successes in education,” said Education Secretary Matthew Malone. “I am proud that the Patrick Administration’s continued investments in expanding access to high quality educational programs is boosting student participation and performance on AP exams that will help prepare them for success both in the classroom and ultimately, in the workforce."
"Each of our districts honored today, along with many more across the Commonwealth, are providing students with a rigorous course of study that will prepare them for success in college and careers," said Elementary and Secondary Education Commissioner Mitchell D. Chester.
The Patrick Administration is implementing a number of initiatives to ensure that students are prepared for success beyond high school and have the necessary skills to fill open jobs and compete in our increasingly global economy. The Department of Elementary and Secondary Education is implementing a set of recommendations proposed by a task force of the state's leading educators, employers, and academic labor experts to ensure that every student graduates from high school ready to pursue the next steps on the path to a successful career or post-secondary education.
Schools across the Commonwealth are also implementing the state's new college and career ready standards in English language arts and Mathematics, which incorporate the Common Core State Standards. The Department is developing online resources tools that educators can use in the classroom. Massachusetts is also a member a 20-state consortium that is building a next generation assessment system, called PARCC (Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers), to provide a better signal of students' readiness for college and careers.
The College Board bases inclusion on the AP District Honor Roll according to the following criteria:
- Increased access to AP courses by At least 4% in large districts
- At least 6% in medium districts
- At least 11% in small districts
- The percentage of African American, Hispanic/Latino, and American Indian/Alaska Native students taking AP exams must not have decreased more than 5% for large and medium districts and 10% for small districts.
- Performance levels were maintained or improved when comparing the percentage of exams scoring 3 or higher from 2011 to 2013.
The following Massachusetts school districts were named to the 2013 AP Honor Roll:
Arlington Public Schools (1)
Bridgewater-Raynham Regional School District
Dighton-Rehoboth Regional School District (1)
Diocese of Fall River
Dudley-Charlton Regional School District
Franklin Public Schools (1)
Freetown-Lakeville Regional School District
Hamilton-Wenham Regional School District (1)
Hampden-Wilbraham Regional School District (1)
Hampshire Regional School District
Hanover Public Schools
Hingham Public Schools
Hopedale Public Schools
King Philip Regional School District (1)
Leominster Public Schools
Ludlow Public Schools
Medfield Public Schools (1)
Medway Public Schools (1)
Monomoy Regional School District
Needham Public Schools (1)
Newton Public Schools
North Attleboro Public Schools (1)
North Middlesex Public Schools (1)
Northbridge Public Schools
Norwood Public Schools
Plymouth Public Schools
Swampscott Public Schools
Triton Public Schools
Wachusett Regional School District (1)
Waltham Public Schools (1)
Webster Public Schools (2)
Westford Public Schools
Whitman-Hanson Regional School District
(1) District has achieved the honor for multiple years.
(2) District has 30% or greater enrollment of students who qualify for free/reduced lunch.
AP is a rigorous academic program that offers more than 30 courses in a wide range of subjects and college-level assessments developed and scored by college and university faculty members and experienced AP teachers. According to the College Board, a score of 3 or higher on an AP exam represents the score point that is predictive of college success and college graduation.
For additional information on AP, visit the College Board's website at http://www.collegeboard.org.
