Keystone State Education Coalition

Established in 2006, the Keystone State Education Coalition is a growing grass roots, non-partisan public education advocacy group of several hundred locally elected, volunteer school board members and administrators from school districts throughout Pennsylvania. Our mission is to evaluate, discuss and inform our boards, district constituents and legislators on legislative issues of common interest and to facilitate active engagement in public education advocacy.

Saturday, May 21, 2011

“Pennsylvania’s Failing Public Schools” 2011 National AP Achievement List from the College Board

“Pennsylvania’s Failing Public Schools”

2011 National AP Achievement List from the College Board

College Board 2011 AP District of the Year Awards

The following Pennsylvania School Districts are on the 2011 College Board AP Achievement list; Pennsylvania had the third largest number of districts behind only California and Michigan:

Pennsylvania 2011 AP District of the Year Awards from the College Board
School District	2010-11 Student Poverty Concentration
Abington SD	15.30
Avon Grove SD	15.91
Berwick Area SD	42.27%
Centennial SD	22.39%
Coatesville Area SD	38.10%
Colonial SD	14.15%
Cumberland Valley SD	11.53%
Delaware Valley SD	23.66%
Easton Area SD	38.97%
Great Valley SD	7.30%
Haverford Township SD	9.79%
Lower Dauphin SD	17.92%
Millcreek SD	32.26%
New Hope Solebury SD	2.97%
Northampton Area SD	20.77%
Penn-Trafford SD	12.00%
Perkiomen Valley SD	10.75%
Pine Richland SD	5.13%
Plum Borough SD	17.17%
Quaker Valley SD	14.88%
Riverview SD	30.32%
Souderton Area SD	12.65%
Tredyffrin-Easttown SD	4.16%
Upper Dublin SD	9.23%
Upper Moreland Township SD	18.25%
Upper St Clair Township SD	4.06%
Williamsport Area SD	62.50%

The AP Achievement List is not necessarily a register of the highest-performing AP districts — rather, it is composed of all districts that are simultaneously expanding opportunity and improving performance, so that even low-performing districts are included if they have been able to maintain or improve scores while expanding access. The list includes 388 school districts representing 43 states, with California’s 37 districts on the list representing the largest number of districts from a single state, followed by Michigan with 29 districts and Pennsylvania with 28 districts. Inclusion on the list is based on the following criteria:

· Examination of three years of AP data, from 2008 to 2010

· Increase in participation/access to AP by at least 4 percent in large districts, at least 7 percent in medium districts and at least 11 percent in small districts

· A steady or increasing percentage of exams taken by African American, Hispanic/Latino and American Indian/Alaska Native students

· Performance levels maintained or improved when comparing the percentage of exams scoring 3 or higher in 2010 to 2008

Additionally, school districts with an AP student population composed of 50 percent or more traditionally underrepresented minority students (African American, Hispanic/Latino, American Indian/Alaska Native) and/or low-income students have been noted on the Achievement List to highlight significant improvements in equity and quality among the nation’s historically underserved student populations.

“These districts are living proof that when access to AP is provided for the range and breadth of prepared and motivated students, districts can achieve even higher learning outcomes for their students — and the opportunity for so many more to earn college credit and placement — than when AP opportunities were restricted to a smaller segment of the high school population” said Trevor Packer, vice president of the Advanced Placement Program at the College Board.

The honor roll consists of the 388

U.S.

public school districts that simultaneously achieved increases in access to AP® courses for a broader number of students and also maintained or improved the rate at which their AP students earned scores of 3 or higher on an AP Exam.

“Pennsylvania’s Failing Public Schools”

2011 Washington Post High School Challenge (Formerly Newsweek Top Schools)

Behold the power of challenging all high school students — not just the A team

Washington Post By Jay Mathews, Published: May 19

I began ranking schools in 1998 on participation in AP and IB tests. Later, I added the CambridgeAdvanced International Certificate of E ducation exam to what I named the Challenge Index. The national list started that year in Newsweek, the local list in The Post. This year’s national ranking moved to The Post after The Washington Post Co. sold Newsweek last summer.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/education/high-school-list-shows-hidden-differences/2011/05/11/AFPacM7G_story.html

Info about the Washington Post High School Challenge (formerly Newsweek Top Schools)

http://apps.washingtonpost.com/highschoolchallenge/schools/about/

Washington Post 2011 High School Challenge Pennsylvania Schools List

http://apps.washingtonpost.com/highschoolchallenge/schools/2011/list/pennsylvania-schools/