The results are in and the Shoreline School District says their Advanced Placement exam scores reflect a strong and active AP program.
After receiving a $6,000 grant last year to help the District increase participation in and expand their AP program, both Shorecrest and Shorewood high schools have seen not only a jump in enrollment numbers, but in test scores as well.
“School-wide, our AP program has taken off…we’ve got so many students taking the (AP) exam that we’ve had to figure out a way to proctor these exams…but that’s a good problem to have,” said Shorewood AP U.S. History teacher David Guthrie.
An example of the increase the District has seen includes Shorewood High School’s AP Statistics. In the 2000-01 school year, 37 students were enrolled in the class the entire year. Thirty of those students chose to take the AP exam at the end of the year, and 24 students, or 80 percent, passed, compared to 54 percent nationally. There are 52 students enrolled in AP Statistics this year at Shorewood.
Overall, the number of students in the Shoreline School District continue to be above both the state and national percentage of students who pass the AP exams.
By taking AP classes in high school, students have the opportunity to participate in college-level course work, preparing them for what lies ahead if they choose to go to a local college or University. In addition, many colleges and universities allow students who pass the AP exam to use those classes for college credit.
Though both Honors and AP classes were available in the past, district officials said they wanted to offer students an even greater opportunity to achieve success.
Linda Gohlke, Director of Curriculum, Instruction and Assessment for the Shoreline School District, said she is a firm believer in the benefits of taking AP classes in high school.
“What I love about AP is that we believe any student can do it…AP classes are open to anyone who wants to participate in a rigorous set of courses…they are an open door for any student who wants to achieve a certain level,” Gohlke said.
In addition, the District also received a $10,000 grant to go towards their “Vertical Team” project. Both Shorecrest and Shorewood High School have an early release program, in which students are dismissed at 1:20 p.m. most Mondays, allowing teachers to meet in their “Vertical Teams” and discuss ways to further help their students, whether they are in AP classes or not.
“Ideally, we’d like all students to possess the skills it takes to do well in AP courses, but we know it won’t happen magically overnight,” David Guthrie said.
“Teachers need time to meet and plan for such a possibility…and it is (our) key strategy we will be using to accomplish the challenging goal of preparing all students to do rigorous academic work.”
In the next few years, Gohlke said she expects to see continued success in the number of students taking and passing the AP exams. Right now, however, they are very pleased with what they have already seen.
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