Principal Kathryn Anderson said even freshmen are taking AP, starting with AP Human Geography. Lane Tech's drop followed a rise in test takers as well as total exams - 4,850 exams across all subjects in 2015 compared with 2,217 in 2011. At some CPS schools, not a single exam earned at least a 3. Still, Kuzniewski pointed out that the district recently made the College Board's "Annual AP District Honor Roll" because of its commitment to increasing access to AP to a diverse group of students, as well as other factors.Īt Lane Tech College Prep, a selective enrollment school in Chicago, passing rates dipped to 57.1 percent on the 2015 exams, the lowest in five years but still one of the best performances in Chicago Public Schools, where several dozen schools posted passing rates below 10 percent. At Morton East, passing rates dropped from 30.6 percent to 23.5 percent between 20 - not a good sign for students who'd like to get college credit under the new law. Only 18.7 percent of the 2015 AP exams in May garnered passing scores at Morton West, down from 33.9 percent in 2011. Students taking AP classes in the largely Hispanic district must take the corresponding exams, Kuzniewski said, and, "Even if kids don't get a 3, 4 or 5, the exposure to the rigorous curriculum has increased their chances for success." District schools celebrate scores of 3, 4 or 5, he said, but, "We'd love that number to go up." It has been de facto segregation and tracking." It is very targeted and rigid on who can access the higher level curriculum. He added: "The philosophy is that in most school districts, the AP program is for a select few. "I'm not going to sit here and tell you we are a shining example of student achievement," Kuzniewski said, "but we are showing some monster growth in exposing kids to a higher level curriculum." Morton District 201 Superintendent Michael Kuzniewski encourages all kids to participate in AP, even if they're not the best and brightest students. "We have a huge AP curriculum available to our kids, but again, we really value the age-appropriateness of our philosophy and the fact that we also have the flexibility to have our excellent teachers create a curriculum outside of the AP curriculum that has the same rigor," Dizon said. Spokeswoman Nicole Dizon said the North Shore school's philosophy is that AP classes and exams should be age-appropriate - freshmen and sophomores aren't allowed to take AP courses and upperclassmen aren't forced to take them. New Trier's passing rate slipped from 95.5 percent in 2014 to 93.1percent in May 2015 when nearly 900 students took the tests, the highest number in five years. The passing rates are based on the total number of exams taken across all subjects, compared with the number of exams with scores of 3, 4 or 5. Likewise, in Chicago, Northside College Prep has posted passing percentage rates in the high 80s and low 90s since 2011. And schools with large numbers of exams get additional rebates ranging from $250 to $3,000, to cover expenses for managing an AP program.Īt Illinois' most affluent and elite high schools, a score of at least a 3 is common.įor example, New Trier's Winnetka Campus, Lake Forest and Deerfield high schools in the Chicago suburbs have posted passing rates higher than 90 percent for five years in a row, the data show. Schools get a rebate of $9 per exam to help cover administration costs. A spokesman says the money is invested into programs and services, including millions for fee reductions for low-income students. The program generates revenue for the College Board from exam fees, usually $92 per exam this school year in the United States. Kids can boost their grade-point averages by taking the courses - AP classes typically are given more weight in the GPA formula - as well as get college credit depending on their exam scores. Government and Politics - though the number and type of courses vary by high school. The AP program offers more than 30 subjects - from Art History and Macroeconomics to U.S.
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