Rochester Schools Place on AP Honor Roll

Rochester Community Schools 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, 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. 

Since 2009 Rochester Community Schools increased the number of students participating in AP from 655 students to 890 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 extremely proud of the efforts by both students and staff resulting in increased participation in AP course work, “ said Fred Clarke, Rochester Community Schools superintenden, in a press release. “This increase has a direct correlation to our goal to ensure that our students are College Ready, Career Ready, and Life Ready.”

Helping more students learn at a higher level and earn higher AP scores is an objective of all members of the AP community, from AP teachers to district and school administrators to college professors. Many are experimenting with a variety of initiatives and strategies to determine how to expand access and improve student performance simultaneously.

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

• Examination of three years of AP data, from 2009 to 2011
• Increase in participation in/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
• A steady or increasing percentage of exams taken by African American, Hispanic/Latino and American Indian/Alaska Native students
• 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.

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