Lake Park Named to AP Achievement List
Lake Park High School is one of 388 school districts in the nation being honored by
the College Board with a place on its AP® Achievement List for opening AP classroom doors to a
significantly broader pool of students, while maintaining or improving the percentage of students
earning scores of 3 or higher. From 2008 to 2010, Lake Park High School has increased the number of
students participating in AP from
342 students taking 630 exams in 2008 to
525 students taking 852 exams in 2010, with
74% of the students earning AP Exam scores of 3 or higher in 2010, the score
typically needed to earn college credit.
Superintendent Lynne Panega states, “Being named to the 2010-2011 AP Achievement List
is an outstanding first-time recognition for Lake Park and is a true reflection of the quality of
AP instruction and our AP program. Lake Park continues to build expertise in AP curriculum
and instruction. Last year, we offered 21 AP courses in a variety of subject areas. We
have AP opportunities at every grade level including freshmen year. We are proud of the hard
work and commitment of all of our AP teachers.”
“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 Achievement List 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 for fostering college readiness. While these efforts have resulted in more students
earning scores of 3 or better — the score typically cited as a “qualifying” or “successful” score
because the majority of U.S. colleges and universities provide college credit or advanced placement
for this score — these efforts have also resulted in more students now 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 is to be expected in any program attracting a broader cross-section of
students.
That said, 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.
“These districts are living proof that when access to AP is provided for the range and breadth
of prepared and motivated students, districts can achieve even higher learning outcomes for their
students — and the opportunity for so many more to earn college credit and placement — than when AP
opportunities were restricted to a smaller segment of the high school population,” said Trevor
Packer, vice president of the College Board’s Advanced Placement Program®.
Inclusion on the list is based on the following criteria:
1. Examination of three years of AP data, from 2008 to 2010;
2. Increase in participation in/access to AP by at least 4 percent in large districts,
at least 7 percent in medium districts and at least 11 percent in small districts;
3. A steady or increasing percentage of exams taken by African American, Hispanic/Latino
and American Indian/Alaska Native students; and
4. Performance levels maintained or improved when comparing the percentage of exams in
2010 scoring a 3 or higher to those in 2008, 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.
Additionally, school districts with an AP student population composed of 50 percent or more traditionally underrepresented minority students (African American, Hispanic/Latino, American Indian/Alaska Native) and/or low-income students have been noted on the Achievement List to highlight significant improvements in equity and quality among the nation’s historically underserved student populations.
The complete AP Achievement List can be found at www.collegeboard.org.
About the Advanced Placement Program
The College Board’s Advanced Placement Program® (AP®) enables students to pursue
college-level studies while still in high school. Through more than 30 college-level courses, each
culminating in a rigorous exam, AP provides willing and academically prepared students with the
opportunity to earn college credit, advanced placement or both. Taking AP courses also demonstrates
to college admission officers that students have sought the most rigorous curriculum available to
them. Each AP teacher’s syllabus is evaluated and approved by college faculty from some of the
nation’s leading institutions, and AP Exams are developed and scored by college faculty and
experienced AP teachers. AP is accepted by more than 3,800 colleges and universities worldwide for
college credit, advanced placement or both on the basis of successful AP Exam scores.