Pelham Union Free School District Receives AP District Honor Roll Recognition

From The Pelham Union Free School District: The Pelham Union Free School District is one of just 433 school districts in the U.S. and Canada being honored by the College Board with placement on the 7th Annual AP District Honor Roll. To be included on the Honor Roll, Districts, since 2014, must both increase the number of students participating in AP courses while also increasing or maintaining the percentage of students earning AP Exam scores of 3 or higher. Reaching these goals shows that Pelham is successfully identifying motivated, academically prepared students who are ready for AP. The 2015-16 school year marked the fifth time Pelham has made the honor roll in the program’s seven- year history.

“Being named to the AP Honor Roll proves that the District and Board of Education’s efforts to improve programming and expand offerings in Advanced Placement courses is working and benefitting our students,” said Superintendent Dr. Peter Giarrizzo. “By removing barriers to all advanced level coursework at Pelham Middle School and Pelham Memorial High School, including AP and honors courses and through the hard work of PMHS Principal Jeannine Clark, the guidance department, and the high school teaching staff, we are pleased that more students are enrolled in rigorous coursework and are continuing to be successful.”

Following an initial study in 2013 and recommendations from our Tri-States Consortium, the Pelham Union Free School District began allowing all students to enroll in honors and AP courses regardless of his/her academic history, provided that the student had already taken prerequisite courses. By doing so, the District removed barriers and allowed more students to engage in a more challenging courses. This has become a core component of our 2014-19 Strategic Plan.

PMHS Principal Jeannine Clark said, “This honor is attributed to our focus as a school, as well as our staff’s dedication and professionalism. I am so proud of our teachers’ work as well as their connection to the students within the classroom.”

Trevor Packer, the College Board’s head of AP and Instruction said, “Congratulations to all the teachers and administrators in this district who have worked so tirelessly to both expand access to AP and also to help students succeed on the AP Exams. These teachers and administrators are delivering real opportunity in their schools and classrooms, and students are rising to the challenge. 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.”

In 2016, 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 admission process.

Inclusion on the 7th Annual AP District Honor Roll is based on a review of three years of AP data, from 2014 to 2016, looking across 37 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;

• Increase or maintain the percentage of exams taken by black/African American, Hispanic/Latino, and American Indian/Alaska Native students; and

• Improve or maintain performance levels when comparing the 2016 percentage of students scoring a 3 or higher to the 2014 percentage, unless the district has already attained a performance level at which more than 70% of its AP students earn a 3 or higher.

When these outcomes have been achieved among an AP student population in which 30% or more are underrepresented minority students (black/African American, Hispanic/Latino, and American Indian/Alaska Native) and/or 30% or more are low-income students (students who qualify for free or reduced-price lunch), a symbol has been affixed to the district name to highlight this work.

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