LWSD named to AP District Honor Roll

The College Board has placed Lake Washington School District (LWSD) on its third annual AP District Honor Roll for simultaneously increasing access to Advanced Placement (AP) coursework while maintaining or increasing the percentage of students earning scores of three or higher on AP exams.

November 14, 2012 7:47 pm

The College Board has placed Lake Washington School District (LWSD) on its third annual AP District Honor Roll for simultaneously increasing access to Advanced Placement (AP) coursework while maintaining or increasing the percentage of students earning scores of three or higher on AP exams.

Achieving both of these goals indicates that the district is successfully increasing access to these rigorous courses while ensuring students succeed. More than 90 percent of colleges and universities across the United States offer college credit, advanced placement or both for a score of three or higher on an AP exam, which can potentially save students and their families thousands of dollars in college tuition.

A total of 539 school districts in 44 states and six provinces in Canada achieved honor roll status. Eighteen districts in Washington achieved this honor.

“As a district, we believe in preparing all students for college-level work,” said LWSD Superintendent Dr. Traci Pierce. “Our high schools have made a concerted effort to encourage students to take on the challenge of AP coursework in high school as part of that preparation.”

The number of AP tests taken by LWSD students increased from 2,559 in 2010 to 2,730 in 2011 to 2,825 in 2012. At the same time, the rate of students achieving a score of three or higher remained about the same, at 80.15 percent in 2010, 77.03 percent in 2011 and 78.80 percent in 2012.

Inclusion on the third annual AP District Honor Roll is based on the examination of three years of AP data, from 2010 to 2012 for the following criteria:

  • Increase participation and access to AP by at least four percent in large districts, at least six percent in medium districts and at least 11 percent in small districts.
  • Ensure that the percentage of African American, Hispanic/Latino and American Indian/Alaska Native students taking AP exams did not decrease by more than 5 percent for large and medium districts or by more than 10 percent for small districts.
  • Improve performance levels when comparing the percentage of students in 2012 scoring a three or higher to those in 2010, unless the district has already attained a performance level in which more than 70 percent of the AP students are scoring a three or higher.