Orono Schools Named to national Advanced Placement Honor Roll

Orono Schools is one of less than 400 school districts across the nation—and one of just 11 in Minnesota—being honored by The College Board with a place on the Second Annual AP Honor Roll.

The prestigious recognition is 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 indicates that the district is successfully identifying motivated, academically-prepared students who are likely to benefit most from AP coursework.

Since 2009, Orono increased the number of students participating in AP exams from 193 to 252, while improving the percentage of students earning AP exam scores of “3” or higher from 77 percent in 2009 to 83 percent in 2011.  

The majority of U.S. colleges and universities grant college credit or advanced placement for a score of “3” or above on an AP exam.

“We are gratified that our hard work has paid off and has been recognized by The College Board,” said Orono Superintendent of Schools Dr. Karen Orcutt. “Over time, we have set—and achieved—goals to increase academic rigor for all students but particularly at the high school. Working as a team, our talented teachers and administrators have embraced opportunities to encourage students to maximize their learning. Our communities know Orono Schools to be extraordinary and this recognition puts a nationwide spotlight on the fine work we are doing here with students.”

The second annual AP Honor Roll is made up of only those districts that are simultaneously expanding opportunity and improving performance. The list includes 367 school districts from 43 states and Canada. Pennsylvania led all states with 34 public school districts named to the honor roll, followed by Massachusetts and New York, which had 30 each.

Other school districts in Minnesota named to the honor roll are Buffalo, Burnsville, Eden Prairie, Elk River, Lakeville, Mankato, Mounds View, Prior Lake-Savage, South Washington County and Wayzata.

“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 such as 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.”

Orono, like many U.S. public school districts, has focused on expanding access to AP courses as part of a continuous improvement strategy to improve rigor and college readiness. While 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 percentage of AP students scoring a “3” or better, a decline that can be expected in any program attracting a 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.

“Orono has achieved something very remarkable,” said Trevor Packer, College Board’s senior vice president of AP 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.”

Inclusion on the second 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; and
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.”

The complete second annual AP District Honor Roll can be found at www.collegeboard.org.