Elmsford Union Free School District Placed on the College Board’s 7th Annual AP® District Honor Roll

The Elmsford Union Free School District is one of 433 school districts in the U.S. and Canada being honored by the College Board for its placement on the 7th Annual AP® District Honor Roll.

To be included on the Honor Roll, the district had to submit three years’ worth of data between 2014 and 2016 that looked across 37 Advanced Placement exams, including World Language and Culture.

The data was required to show an increase in the number of students participating in the AP exams as well as an increase in the percentage of students earning scores of 3 or higher on the tests.

“Reaching these goals shows that this district is successfully identifying motivated, academically prepared students who are ready for AP,” said Superintendent Dr. Joseph Ricca upon hearing the news.

“We are always proud of our students and how hard they work to improve their academic performance. Our faculty and staff are second to none and with a tremendously supportive Board of Education, we know that the Elmsford UFSD will continue to shine and increase opportunity and excellent outcomes for our students.”

National data from 2016 shows that among Black/African-American, Hispanic and Native American students with a high degree of readiness for AP, only about half are participating in the exams.

“The first step to getting more of these students to participate is to give them access,” explained Dr. Ricca. “Courses must be made available, gatekeeping must stop, and doors must be equitably opened. The Elmsford UFSD is committed to expanding the availability of AP courses among prepared and motivated students of all backgrounds.”

Trevor Packer, the College Board’s head of AP and Instruction, offered his congratulations to all of the teachers and administrators in Elmsford who, he said, had worked tirelessly to expand access to the AP exams and to helping students succeed.

“These teachers and administrators are delivering real opportunity in their schools and classrooms, and students are rising to the challenge,” he noted.

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, added Mr. Packer.

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 college admission process.

To be eligible, the College Board asks that districts maintain the following:

• Increase participation/access to AP exams by at least 4 percent in large districts, at least 6 percent in medium districts and at least 11 percent 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 percent of its AP students earn a 3 or higher.

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

The complete 7th Annual AP District Honor Roll can be found at: https://secure-media.collegeboard.org/digitalServices/pdf/ap/ap-district-honor-roll-7th-annual.pdf