Geneva Schools Make Advanced Placement Honor Roll

Geneva Community Unit School District 304 is one of fewer than 400 public school districts in the nation being honored by the College Board with a place on the 2nd Annual AP® Honor Roll, according to a District 304 press release.

The School District earns the honor roll spot for simultaneously increasing access to Advanced Placement coursework while maintaining or increasing the percentage of students earning scores of 3 or higher on AP exams.

"Achieving both of these goals is the ideal scenario for a district’s Advanced Placement program because it indicates that the district is successfully identifying motivated, academically-prepared students who are likely to benefit most from AP coursework," the press release says.

Since 2009, Geneva School District increased the number of students participating in AP from 175 students to 220 students while maintaining the percentage of students earning AP Exam scores of 3 or higher. The majority of U.S. colleges and universities grant college credit or advanced placement for a score of 3 or above on AP exams.

“We are very pleased and thankful for this prestigious AP District Honor Roll recognition,” said District 304 Superintendent Dr. Kent Mutchler. “This is another indicator of the caring and hard work put forth daily by our students, staff, and parents. This is also an indicator that the rigor of our AP courses is consistent with the standards being tested through the AP exams in order to help students gain college coursework credit.”

The 2nd Annual AP Honor Roll is made up of only those public school districts that are simultaneously expanding opportunity and improving performance. The list includes 367 school districts across 43 states and Canada.

Inclusion on the 2nd Annual AP District Honor Roll is based on the following criteria:

1. Examination of three years of AP data, from 2009 to 2011;

2. Increase in participation in or 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;

1. A steady or increasing percentage of exams taken by African American, Hispanic/Latino and American Indian/Alaska Native students; and
2. Performance levels maintained or improved when comparing the percentage of students in 2011 scoring a 3 or higher to those in 2009, 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.

“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 Honor Roll 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 to improve college readiness. While these efforts have resulted in more students earning scores of 3 or better, these efforts also have resulted in more students 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 can be expected in any program attracting a broader cross-section of students.

The complete 2nd Annual AP District Honor Roll can be found at www.collegeboard.org.