Advanced Placement Program

Community High School District 117’s Mission Statement reads, “Community High School District 117, being a community of learners with a vision of excellence, is committed to providing an educational experience that encourages all learners to develop to their fullest potential, to engage in lifelong learning, and to be responsible members of society.”

The phrases vision of excellence and fullest potential indicate commitment to providing a challenging and rigorous curriculum that prepares students to “engage in lifelong learning” and to be “responsible members of society” regardless of their chosen path. As such, District 117 believes a quality Advanced Placement (AP) program is an essential part of a comprehensive curriculum, and that it has a responsibility to ensure that as many students as possible who are realistically capable of achieving success participate in our AP offerings.

At the September 17 half day staff development meeting, Chris Roberts and Jori Bowen, math department chairs at Antioch and Lakes High Schools, facilitated a discussion of AP vertical articulation within the math department. Click here to view the PowerPoint slides from that meeting.

A June 8 article in the Washington Post reiterates the importance of taking AP courses even if a student does not pass the exam. For additional information, please click here.

In its May 4, 2009 edition, The St. Petersburg Times described Pasco schools' efforts to improve student preparedness for post-secondary success by focusing on Advanced Placement courses. The rationale behind the decision is that most honors courses do not provide sufficient academic rigor. To read the article, click here.

According to the Washington Post, the state of Maryland led the nation with 23.4% of its students passing one or more AP Exam. The national average was 15.2%. According to the Post, six states had over one-fifth of their students pass at least one AP exam. In Montgomery County, a whopping 46.4% of the students who took at least one AP Exam passed. Nationally, about 10% of the students who took one or more AP exam did not obtain a passing score, which is a three on a five-point scale. To read the entire story, click here.

Montgomery County Schools in Maryland has defied the odds and increased AP enrollment significantly despite a relatively high number of minority and disadvantaged students. Its passing rate decreased some, but the total number of students passing an AP test jumped markedly. For details click here.

To access a November 3 article from the Washington Post chronicling the benefits of increased participation in AP programs, please click here.

A September 15 article in the New York Times indicates that colleges and taxpayers spend $2 billion annually to remediate college freshmen who enter college ill-prepared to handle the academic rigor of college-level work. To access the full story, click here.

According to the Association of Supervision and Curriculum Development, even the nation's top high schools need to improve in how they provide students with a rigorous academic experience. Click here to read the article “Rigor Redefined” by Tony Wagner.

What Is Advanced Placement?
Advanced Placement is a program through the College Board in which students can earn college credit by enrolling in challenging college-level courses while in high school. In January students typically talk with their teachers and the AP coordinator in their schools to register for exams, which take place the first and second week of May. In addition to multiple choice questions, all exams require a written essay response to a prompt. Additional information about the AP programming can be found on www.collegeboard.com. Click here for test dates and fee information.

Advantages of Participation
Students who take AP courses can:

• Earn college credit
• Increase their options for acceptance at a college
• Be prepared for the rigors of college level courses
• Save money on college tuition by earning college credit, graduating in less time, and avoiding remedial courses

Rationale for Our Focus on AP Programming
In 2007-2008, 85% of the students at Antioch and 88% of the students at Lakes pursued educational opportunities beyond high school, up from a district figure of 73% in 2003-2004. The chart below indicates that in the last three years, the number of students from District 117 who enrolled in four-year colleges increased 25%.

Percentage of District 117 Students Enrolled in Post-Secondary Schools

A University of Texas study found that a higher percentage of students who took an AP course and corresponding exam graduated from college in four years. These students also had higher grade point averages in their first and fourth year of college. Below are examples of data from that study.

Percent of 2002 Texas High School Graduates Who Took AP Language and Composition and Graduated from a Public College or University in Four Years

Four-Year College GPA of 2002 Texas High School Graduates Who Took AP Calculus AB

In District 117, our goal is not merely to provide students with the necessary academic experience to get accepted to college. Rather, our goal is to provide them with the necessary academic experience to graduate from college and be financially secure in an increasingly competitive world. The chart below highlights the importance of a college degree.

Average Annual Earnings

College Cost Savings
Students who earn a score three or higher out of five on an AP exam may earn college credit for that course depending on the school in which they enroll. The cost of an AP exam is $84. Weighed against the potential cost savings of earning college credit, not to mention increasing the likelihood of graduating in four years, the investment is minimal. Fee waivers are available for students who are encountering financial difficulties. The chart below shows the projected cost savings at selected Illinois state universities assuming a four-credit college course, a full-time semester load of four classes, and 2007-2008 tuition. Additional costs for housing, books, etc., are not included in the chart.

District 117 AP Offerings
Students do not have to be “Straight A” students to participate in the AP program in District 117. In fact, all students are encouraged to enroll in at least one AP course during their high school career. District 117 offers the following AP courses:

• Biology
• Calculus AB
• Calculus BC
• Chemistry
• European History
• Government
• English Literature and Composition
• Music Theory
• Physics B
• Psychology
• Spanish
• Statistics
• US History

How Are We Doing?
In 2008, 238 students took 407 AP exams, up from 219 and 363 in 2007, and 180 and 302 in 2006. In 2008, 19.8% of the seniors at Antioch and 11.7% of the seniors at Lakes passed an AP test with a score of three or higher. Both nationally and statewide, the average is about 15%. New York leads all states with an average of about 23%.

Every teacher that teaches an AP Course has attended AP Training. These teachers periodically attend workshops to stay current with the changes in the courses and expectations of the College Board. During the 2006-2007 school year, the College Board conducted an audit of high schools that offer Advanced Placement Courses. AP teachers were required to submit a syllabus to ensure that any course offered by a high school with AP designation conformed to the College Board’s rigorous standards. In District 117, all AP course at both campuses passed the audit.

What Do Students Say?
Students who participate in AP Courses in District 117 say that the classes, while challenging, are interesting and excellent preparation for college. Below is a sampling of comments from District 117 students who have taken or are taking AP courses.

Through challenging coursework and riveting in class discussions, AP classes build character and prepare students for the future.
— Josh Woolard, Antioch High School Class of 2008

Being in AP English and AP Calculus AB this year has really broadened my horizons. The teachers guide you in using higher level thinking and help you become a stronger student. You begin to develop your own studying methods and learn to use your resources. The experience gives me a taste of what is to come in college. They require a lot of hard work and teaching yourself outside the classroom.”
— Anokni Patel, Lakes High School Class of 2008

AP Courses give students the challenge to excel and go above-and-beyond the expectations of a regular class.
— Nicole Hojnacki, Antioch High School Class of 2008

AP English is a great course that helps prepare you for your college endeavors. The class load is intense, but manageable if you’re smart with your time.”
— Kateri Tumminello, Lakes High School Class of 2008

District 117 Comprehensive Plan for AP Program Improvement
In the spring of 2006, District 117 convened a focus group comprised of parents, students, teachers and administrators to discuss the district’s AP Program. The Chicago Area Directors of Curriculum and Assessment (CADCA) annually track the performance of suburban Chicago schools. This allows for districts to measure how their students are performing in relation to similar districts. Information from the focus group discussion and data from CADCA are the foundation of the four program goals listed below and the subsequent benchmarks for measuring progress toward achieving these goals.

Program Goals
1) Increase total enrollment in AP courses
2) Increase the number of exams taken by students
3) Increase the number of three-plus exams
4) Align honors courses with AP offerings

Benefits of Achieving Goals
1) Increase junior test scores by focusing on curricular alignment of freshman and sophomore feeder courses
2) Improve the college readiness of District 117 graduates
3) Potentially assist graduates in their financing of college through attaining credit, improving their chances of graduating in four years, and/or increasing options and scholarship opportunities by improved ACT scores
4) Demonstrate to the community that we are providing academic programming for our top academic students commensurate with other suburban areas
5) Establish a district culture in which high expectations and outstanding academic achievement are considered the norm

Action Steps to Achieving Goals
1) Effectively communicate to faculty the purpose, importance, and specifics of the AP initiative
2) Approve summer curriculum work that focuses on curricular alignment of honors courses with AP capstone courses
3) Publicize district AP programming in publications, at public forums, and on the district website
4) Encourage teachers and counselors to actively market the program and recruit appropriate students into the programs
5) Continue to convene the AP Committee to monitor plan, communicate with all segments of the community, and celebrate successes

Timeline/Benchmarks for Program Improvement
*Figures assume enrollment increase of 100 students per year for each year. Achieving the first three goals would move District 117 into the 50th percentile among suburban schools.

1) Increase the Total Enrollment in AP Courses

2006-2007 37.7%
2007-2008 56.5%
a) Assumption: All students enrolled in AP Courses take one exam. Many students will take more than one exam, but it is impossible to predict that number with any accuracy.
b) The average pass rate for suburban schools in 2005-2006 was 80.2%. The average pass rate in Illinois is 69.8%. The average pass rate nationally is 59.6%.
c) The percent of District 117 2005-2006 graduates that attended a four-year college was 45%. That number is likely to grow as the community continues to grow.

2) Increase the Number of Exams Taken by Students

3) Increase the Number of Three-Plus Exams

4) Honors Articulation:
Summer 2007—Freshmen Courses
Summer 2008—Sophomore Courses
Summer 2009—Junior Courses (if applicable)

Conclusion
Nation-wide, the call is for high schools to improve the rigor of their curriculum. A recent report from the Alliance for Excellent Education (2007) indicates that only 34% of the students who take the ACT Exam meet College Readiness Standards. The National Assessment of Educational Progress (www.thenationsreportcard.com, retrieved September 26, 2007) reports that in 2005, only 35% of high school seniors were proficient in reading as compared with 40% in 1992. A mere 23% were proficient in math.

A typical trend in measures of student achievement shows that the number of elementary school students who meet or exceed standards on state tests is markedly higher than the number of high school students who meet or exceed standards. Not surprisingly then, elementary school students compare more favorably in international comparisons. In a 2005 national study of 1.5 million activities and 500,000 assessments, DataWorks, an educational research firm, found that through grade three, the work assigned in classes is closely aligned with grade level standards. However, the trend decreases each year so that by the time students are in high school, the average assignment level for freshman is the equivalent of grade level 6.6, sophomores seven, and juniors and seniors 7.8. This means that high school seniors, on average, are assigned work that is over four grade levels below standards.

According to On Wisconsin (Fall 2007), nine of 10 students who enrolled as freshmen at the University of Wisconsin in 2007 took AP classes in high school. Admissions counselors at Wisconsin barely look at students who do not have ambitious transcripts. Kelly Olson, Assistant Director of Freshman Recruitment stated, “We want (students) to take (difficult) classes so that they’re better prepared for what they’ll face when they come here.”

In District 117, we are collectively committed to doing everything within our means to prepare our graduates for success in college. We believe a partnership with parents and students that increases the focus on Advanced Placement programming is a major component to ensuring that.