4 EDCAL March 5 , 2018
California ranks fifth nationally in AP exam scores
Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Torlakson announced that for the third year in a row , California students placed fifth in the nation in the percentage of high school graduates who earned a score of three or more on an end-of-course Advanced Placement exam , which earns them college credit .
In 2017 , 30.3 percent of California graduates scored at least a 3 out of 5 on an AP exam during high school , compared to 28.5 percent in 2016 . Nationally , the average in 2017 was 22.8 percent . In the last five years , the percentage of California students demonstrating success on AP exams has increased by more than 7.5 percentage points .
“ Our students have once again made California a national leader in passing rigorous Advanced Placement exams , reflecting the progress our state has made in our mission of preparing students for college and careers ,” Torlakson said . “ These results show how hard our educators , parents , and students are working on key elements of academic success – providing access to rigorous courses , challenging students to take these courses , and providing students the help they need to succeed .”
Success in AP courses is one measure of pupil achievement , which is one of
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eight state priorities contained in the Local Control Funding Formula , a policy that guides the development of each district ’ s Local Control and Accountability Plan .
“ Like our steadily rising high school graduation rate and record-high college eligibility rates , the increase in AP test taking and passing shows that our state ’ s unprecedented commitment to continuous improvement is paying off ,” said California State Board of Education President Michael Kirst . “ Our educators are working hard to ensure that students have the skills they need to succeed after high school and we are seeing increasing college and career readiness as a result .”
One example is Lynwood Unified School District , which has seen significant growth in AP exam participation . In 2013 , 427 students took an AP exam and 158 passed . In 2017 that number nearly doubled , with 835 students taking AP exams and 296 tests passed . District initiatives have included teacher training to support AP students , additional support outside school hours , access to online tutoring courses , and allocating district funds to cover the cost of AP exams for students . Approximately 96 percent of the district ’ s students come from low-income households ; 92 percent of them said they plan to attend a four-year college
after graduation ; and 75 percent would be the first in their families to do so .
“ The efforts of the Lynwood Unified School District have made a difference in the lives of thousands of students , opening the door for success in college and helping them further their educational and career goals ,” Torlakson said .
California continues to outpace the national average in advancing opportunities for students who come from lowincome families . Of the 58.7 percent of the state ’ s K-12 students eligible for the free or reduced-price lunch program in the Class of 2017 , 45.5 percent took at least one AP exam . Nationally , 51.8 percent of U . S . public school students were low income , and 30.3 percent of them took at least one AP exam .
In addition , California students have made tremendous gains in technical proficiency . In 2007 , California had 2,921 students who took an AP Computer Science exam ; by 2016 that number had grown to 10,244 .
After the launch of AP Computer Science Principles , a year later that number grew to 18,718 . The number of students scoring a 3 or higher on an AP Computer Science exam in 2007 was 1,802 , and by 2017 , that number had markedly increased to 13,481 students .
The following public school districts
from California were named to the College Board ’ s Eighth Annual AP District Honor Roll for expanding access to AP and increasing the percentages of students scoring a 3 or higher on AP exams :
Alvord Unified , Arcadia Unified *, Calaveras Unified , Capistrano Unified , Carlsbad Unified *, Ceres Unified , Claremont Unified , Colusa Unified , Cotati-Rohnert Park Unified , Desert Sands Unified , Dublin Unified *, Folsom-Cordova Unified , Garden Grove Unified , Glendora Unified *, Gustine Unified , Las Virgenes Unified *.
Mammoth Unified *, Marysville Joint Unified , Mendota Unified , Milpitas Unified *, Pacific Grove Unified , Palm Springs Unified *, Palmdale School District , Palo Alto Unified *, Paramount Unified , Piedmont Unified , Placentia-Yorba Linda Unified *.
Roseland School District , San Leandro Unified , San Mateo Union High School District , San Ramon Valley Unified *, Santa Ana Unified *, Tustin Unified , Williams Unified .
(* District has achieved the honor for multiple years .)
For more information on the operation of the College Board ’ s AP program in California , please visit www . collegeboard . org or the CDE AP webpage at https :// goo . gl / A7yN3j .
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to address the expulsion issue , with consideration to using intervention to support students instead of punitive consequences .
Preston said regarding employees , the impact of laws outside of California could have an impact on prospective certificated staff .
“ Employees are required to get fingerprinted and right now we don ’ t know how a marijuana drug charge in another state will impact employment in California ,” Preston said . “ That facet of the law hasn ’ t been figured out .”
In consideration of facilities , dispensaries can ’ t operate within 600 feet of schools , although 1,000 feet is required under the federal Drug Free School Zone , with some cities forbidding the businesses from being within 1,000 feet of parks , day-care centers , and other sensitive areas . Districts themselves are confronted with the issue of students needing marijuana or Cannabidiol Oil for medicinal purposes .
“ In so many cases an adult must come to campus and pull their student out , drive out of the 1,000-foot zone away from the school and administer the drug ,” Preston said . “ It ’ s an interruption to the day for the student and for the teacher , especially if the drug must be administered at a certain time or multiple times each day .”
Preston said the state needs to consider whether making on-campus facilities available to administer the drug is possible .
“ There are a lot of unknowns right now , things that weren ’ t considered before the new laws passed in November ,” she said . “ Now we ’ re seeing the challenges of the new regulations , and ACSA is working with districts to determine how school administrators move forward in the best interest of students .”
Clear your calendars now to attend one of the summer residential programs for school leaders , held at UCLA each summer . Participants have said their experience was life-changing , and have said it helped them achieve a clear vision of their leadership path and how to get others to follow in their journey . These events sell out each summer so be sure to sign up early . Register today at acsa . org / summerprograms
Principals ’ Summer Institute
June 25 – 29 , 2018
Institute for New and Aspiring Principals
June 24 – 30 , 2018