PRESS RELEASE
For Immediate Release
Tuesday, September
1, 2009
Linda Dudderar,
Chief Academic Officer, 301-475-5511, ext. 108
AP
exam participation CONTINUES TO RISE
African
American Participation and Performance Increase
Leonardtown,
MD – St. Mary’s County Public Schools (SMCPS) administered 1,628
Advanced Placement (AP) exams in May 2009. This is an increase from last year’s
administration. Chopticon High School administered 346 exams; Great Mills High School
administered 474 exams; and Leonardtown High School administered 808 exams. Countywide,
999 students participated in the AP exam program.
More SMCPS students took an AP exam compared to last year. As a result of school system efforts to encourage more minority participation in the AP program, the number
of African Americans participating in the program is at an all time high with 92
students taking 132 exams.
Students who receive a score of 3 or higher on these rigorous exams can receive
college credit for the AP course they complete. For the 2009 school year, SMPCS
had more students taking more tests and all high schools posted increases in the
percentage of students obtaining a 3 or higher on the AP exams. For all exams given,
805 exams or 49.4 percent achieved a score of 3 or higher. At Chopticon High School,
50.5 percent of the exams obtained a score of 3 or higher; at Great Mills High School,
39.7 percent obtained a 3 or higher. Leonardtown High School led all county high
schools with 54.8 percent scoring a 3 or higher. Leonardtown had 106 tests score
a perfect score of 5. This was 26 more tests with a perfect score than in 2008 and
is the highest number of perfect
scores on record.
|
ST. MARY’S COUNTY |
AP Grades |
2004 |
2005 |
2006 |
2007 |
2008 |
2009 |
|
Score |
5 |
59 |
79 |
90 |
96 |
110 |
149 |
|
|
4 |
142 |
193 |
220 |
218 |
205 |
204 |
|
|
3 |
240 |
327 |
436 |
402 |
377 |
452 |
|
|
2 |
298 |
411 |
588 |
432 |
387 |
437 |
|
|
1 |
216 |
376 |
488 |
342 |
467 |
386 |
|
# of Tests
|
955 |
1386 |
1822 |
1490 |
1546 |
1628 |
|
|
% of
3 or Higher |
46.2% |
43.2% |
40.9% |
48.1% |
44.8% |
49.4% |
|
|
Number of Candidates |
594 |
806 |
999 |
897 |
902 |
999 |
AP courses allow high school students to take courses that are challenging, rigorous,
and in-depth. Based on their performance on the AP exam, students can earn college
credit while in high school. As a result, many students who are enrolled in college
are positioned to graduate early, pursue a double major, or study abroad because
of their high school enrollment in AP courses. SMCPS continues to make efforts to
ensure that more students have access to rigorous coursework. The integration of
programs such as AP Potential allows St. Mary’s County Public Schools to analyze
student achievement data. Through PSAT/NMSQT results, we are able to make placement
decisions with our students.