Cherry Hill School District Named To AP Honor Roll

CHERRY HILL, NJ — The Cherry Hill Public School District is being recognized both nationally and internationally. It is one of 447 school districts in the United States and Canada to be named to the College Board’s eighth annual AP District Honor Roll, the district announced on Wednesday.

Since 2015, Cherry Hill has increased the number of students participating in AP classes while also increasing or maintaining the percentage of students earning AP Exam scores of 3 or higher. This is required of all districts on this list over the same period of time, and shows that the district is successfully identifying motivated, academically prepared students who are ready for AP.

“As a district, we continually strive to improve in all areas,” Cherry Hill Superintendent of Schools Dr. Joseph Meloche said. “I am pleased by this recognition and by the efforts of our administrators, staff and students in achieving this distinction.”

National data shows that only about half of American Indian/Alaska Native, Black/African American, Hispanic/Latino, and Native Hawaiian/Other Pacific Islander students with a high degree of readiness for AP are actually participating in the classes, the district said in its announcement.

The first step to participation is greater access. Courses must be made available, gatekeeping must stop, and doors must be equitably opened. The Cherry Hill Public Schools said it is committed to expanding the availability of AP courses among prepared and motivated students of all backgrounds.

“Congratulations to all the educators and administrators in this district who have worked to clear a path for more students of all backgrounds to participate and succeed in AP,” Head of AP and Instruction Trevor Packer said. “These educators and administrators are fostering a culture in their schools and classrooms that allows students to face new challenges and build the confidence to succeed.”

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 districts are experimenting with initiatives and strategies to see how they can expand access and improve student performance at the same time.

This year, more than 4,000 colleges and universities around the world received AP scores for college credit, advanced placement, or both, and/or consideration in the admissions process. Inclusion in the 8th Annual AP District Honor Roll is based on a review of three years of AP data, from 2015 to 2017, looking across 38 AP Exams, including world language and culture. The following criteria were used.

Districts must:
• Increase participation/access to AP by at least 4% in large districts, at least 6% in medium districts, and at least 11% in small districts;
• Increased or maintained the percentage of American Indian/Alaska Native, Black/African American, Hispanic/Latino, and Native Hawaiian/Other Pacific Islander students taking exams and increased or maintained the percentage of American Indian/Alaska Native, Black/African American, Hispanic/Latino, and Native Hawaiian/Other Pacific Islander students scoring 3+ on at least one AP Exam; and
• Improve or maintain performance levels when comparing the 2017 percentage of students scoring a 3 or higher to the 2015 percentage, unless the district has already attained a performance level at which more than 70% of its AP students earn a 3 or higher.

Districts who meet these goals are designated with a symbol to highlight their work. The complete 8th Annual AP District Honor Roll can be found here: https://apcentral.collegeboard.org/score-reports-data/awards/honor-roll

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