Redondo Union Earns AP Distinction for Boosting Scores and Enrollment

Redondo Union High School is among 8 percent of schools in the nation that have increased the number of students taking Advanced Placement courses  while increasing their scores on the AP exams, according to the College Board.

The Redondo Beach Unified School District is one of 388 school districts across the U.S., and one of 37 in California, to earn this distinction, said the College Board, a not-for-profit membership organization of school districts, according to a joint press release by the College Board and the school district.

The distinction places Redondo Unified on the College Board’s AP Achievement List, which recognizes districts that expand AP access and improve performance.

From 2008 to 2010, students taking AP courses at Redondo Union increased from 464 to 533. At the same time, students earning AP exam scores of 3 or higher also increased from 78 percent to 83 percent, the release said, adding that a score of 3 is typically required to receive college credit for the course work.

“This hard data verifies what we have said for years—RUHS embraces diversity and advocates for equity,” Superintendent Steven Keller said in the press release. “These results are a credit to the hard-working teachers and staff at RUHS.”

Mostly, juniors and seniors enroll in AP courses, but many sophomores also take AP courses, such as European history, said Assistant Superintendent Annette Alpern.

Last year, 564 students at Redondo Union took 1,239 AP tests, resulting in an 81 percent passing rate, Alpern said. RU's enrollment last year was 2,461.

Of the 43 states represented on the AP Achievement List, California had the highest number of school districts, with 37, followed by Michigan, with 29, and Pennsylvania, with 28, the College Board website said.

With 425 California school districts studied, Redondo Unified is part of 8.7 percent of districts in the state to earn a spot on the College Board's AP Achievement List. 

The College Board examined the data of 4,869 school districts across the country, a board official said. School districts were categorized as either small, with 50 or more AP students; medium, with 200 or more; and large, with 3,500 or more AP students. 

In an attempt to steer students toward college, many school districts have expanded enrollment in AP courses, which allow students to pursue college-level studies while still in high school. But this has also meant an overall drop in AP scores, expected as a broader cross-section of students participates, the press release said.

“Participation in college-level AP courses can level the playing field for under-served 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 in the press release. “The AP Achievement List districts are defying expectations by expanding access while enabling their students to maintain or improve their AP Exam scores.”

Qualifications to be included on the AP Achievement List included:

• An increase in participation or access to AP by at least 7 percent (for medium-sized school districts, as Redondo schools are categorized by the College Board, with 200 or more AP students in 2010);
• A steady or increasing percentage of exams taken by minorities;
• Scoring performance levels maintained or improved when comparing the percentage of 2010 exams with 2008, or more than 70 percent of AP students are already scoring a 3 or higher.