This is something that my wife and I are quite proud of and certainly others in our district will be as well when they hear the news. Mrs. Duez and I have both been involved with the AP program here in Humble ISD since 2002. (Which also means I'm getting old, which might explain my excessive crankiness at times.)
I had not seen this news story until Mrs. Duez pointed it out today.
This is quite impressive when you consider that there are 1031 public school districts in Texas, 1,297 private schools, and 618 charter schools in the state.
Bottom line is the parents and students of our community should really be celebrating this recommendation as: AP District Honor Roll. They are the ones who have agreed to take on the very challenging, but worthwhile effort to compete at the highest levels of academics. They have shelled out the money for the tests, dealt with seemingly insane teachers who expect a great deal from them, and put it all on the line on test day.
Outstanding.
Yep, there it is. Star is for "Multiple Years"
*= 30 %+ enrollment of American Indian, African American, & Hispanic/Latino students
The Humble Independent School District was recently named to College Board’s fifth Annual AP District Honor Roll.
Posted: Thursday, January 22, 2015 7:00 pm
The Honor Roll recognizes 547 school districts in the U.S. and Canada that have increased access to AP course work while maintaining or increasing the percentage of students earning scores of three or higher on AP Exams.
Humble ISD is one of only 29 school districts in the state of Texas to make the honor roll. District’s chosen for the Annual AP District Honor Roll data show that they are successfully identifying motivated, academically prepared students who are likely to benefit from rigorous AP course work.
The Advanced Placement program allows high school students to take college-level courses and exams that may result in earning college credit. Individual colleges and universities determine course credit, with scores of three to five being widely acknowledged by universities. AP courses are taught at the high school campus or online by high school teachers who have completed AP training.
“I am especially proud to share this good news because I have seen firsthand the value that AP courses add to students’ lives,” said Humble ISD Superintendent Dr. Guy Sconzo.
Each year the number of students enrolled in AP courses are increasing and creating more opportunities for students in Humble ISD to ensure college and career readiness.
AP is just one of several opportunities in Humble ISD for student’s to earn college credit while in high school. Humble ISD also offers International Baccalaureate, Dual Credit and Early College High School. The hard work, commitment and dedication of teachers and students make this success possible.
From the College Board (here):
Data from 2014 show that among African American, Hispanic, and Native American students with a high degree of readiness for AP, only about half of students are participating because their schools do not always offer the AP course for which they have potential. These 547 districts are committed to expanding the availability of AP courses among prepared and motivated students of all backgrounds.
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 a variety of initiatives and strategies to determine how to simultaneously expand access and improve student performance.
Inclusion on the 5th Annual AP District Honor Roll is based on the examination of three years of AP data, from 2012 to 2014, for the following criteria.
- Increased participation/access to AP by at least 4 percent in large districts, at least 6 percent in medium districts, and at least 11 percent in small districts;
- Increased or maintained the percentage of exams taken by African American, Hispanic/Latino, and American Indian/Alaska Native students, and;
- Improved performance levels when comparing the percentage of students in 2014 scoring a 3 or higher to those in 2012, unless the district has already attained a performance level at which more than 70 percent of its AP students are scoring a 3 or higher.