Shrewsbury Schools Receive AP Award

The following press release was submitted by the .

Shrewsbury Public Schools is one of fewer than 400 public school districts in the nation being honored by the college board with a place on the Second Annual AP® Honor Roll, for simultaneously increasing access to advanced placement (AP) 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.

Since 2009, Shrewsbury Public Schools increased the number of students participating in AP from 236 to 272, while having 93 percent of students earning AP exam scores of 3 or higher in 2011, far surpassing the honor roll’s minimum qualifying threshold of 70 percent. The majority of U.S. colleges and universities grant college credit or advanced placement for a score of 3 or above on AP exams.

“I am pleased that our district has again received this honor from the college board," Shrewsbury Superintendent of Schools Joseph Sawyer said. "I congratulate the students and teachers in our advanced placement classes who performed at such a high level, as well as all of the educators and parents who have supported our students throughout their schooling so that they would be prepared for advanced work in high school. I am also proud that Shrewsbury has more than doubled student participation in advanced placement over the past decade while continuing to achieve outstanding results.”

“I am very happy to hear that the College Board has recognized our school on its National Honor Roll," Principal Todd Bazydlo said. "This recognition speaks to the hard work of our students and staff and their commitment to excellence while providing more opportunities for students to engage and experience college level curriculum while still in high school. I am also proud of our efforts over the last several years to increase our offerings and access to advanced placement programming while maintaining superior scores.”

“This school district has achieved something very remarkable," said Trevor Packer, the college board’s senior vice president of advanced placement and college readiness. "It managed to open the doors of its AP classrooms to many more students, while also increasing the percentage of students earning high enough AP exam grades to stand out in the competitive college admission process and qualify for college credit and placement."

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. Pennsylvania led all states with 34 public school districts named to the 2nd Annual AP Honor Roll, followed by Massachusetts and New York, both with 30.

Shrewsbury is one of only 113 districts in the U.S. and Canada honored both of the two years of the Honor Roll’s existence.

“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. These efforts have resulted in more students earning scores of 3 or better. They have also resulted in more students earning scores of 1 or 2. Accordingly, there has been a slight decline since 2001 in the overall percentage of AP students scoring a 3 or better, a decline that can be expected in any program attracting a much broader cross-section of students.

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:

1. Examination of three years of AP data, from 2009 to 2011.
2. 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.
3. A steady or increasing percentage of exams taken by African American, Hispanic/Latino and American Indian/Alaska Native students.
4. 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.

School districts in which low-income and/or underrepresented minority students (African American, Hispanic/Latino, American Indian/Alaska Native) comprise 30 percent or more of the AP student population have been highlighted on the Achievement List to recognize significant improvements in equity and quality among the nation’s historically underserved student populations.

A complete list of 2nd Annual AP District Honor Roll is available.