COLLEGE IN THE HIGH SCHOOL – SETTING OUR STUDENTS UP FOR SUCCESS
eters Township
PETERS TOWNSHIP SCHOOL DISTRICT NEWS
68 PETERS TOWNSHIP
PETERS TOWNSHIP
SCHOOL DISTRICT
COLLEGE IN THE HIGH SCHOOL – SETTING OUR STUDENTS UP FOR SUCCESS
Each day at Peters Township High School is designed to help students take steps to build a successful future . High School students spend 720 days in the classrooms during those four years , and while adult life may feel far off for some , our staff is geared up to provide students with opportunities that will set them up for success .
An overview of academic offerings at PTHS includes 21 advanced placement courses that allow students to tackle college level courseloads with the opportunity to earn college credit through the College Board ’ s AP Exam in the spring of each school year . While the variety of AP courses offered through the College Board continues to expand , most of the classes are in the core subjects of math , English , social studies and science .
Looking to provide these college level experiences to students whose interests lie in the elective courses at the school , the administration turned to the College in the High School ( CHS ) programs offered throughout our region .
“ CHS expands the horizon for our students who excel in specialized areas like computers , anatomy and physiology and media , and gives them those same college-level experiences ,” said Deputy Superintendent Dr . Jennifer Murphy .
High schools partner with colleges or universities to offer CHS classes . The school and college define eligibility criteria , review curriculum and assessments , and set the parameters for the class . If students successfully complete the course , they will earn college credits at a significantly reduced rate , saving time and money at the college level .
“ The biggest benefit we see is the confidence it builds for students – knowing they can handle college-level work ,” adds Dr . Murphy . “ It ’ s been our goal to remove barriers for students to challenge themselves at this level and CHS is a great asset in doing that .”
Over the past two years , Peters Township High School has added CHS classes in Anatomy and Physiology , Media and World Languages to the list of courses already offered and students have responded positively to the opportunity .
German teacher Doug Wilkinson said that 50 % of his senior students opted for the CHS credits . Foreign language students have the option to take either the AP exam for a chance to earn credits or take the CHS option .
Students are not required to pay for the credits , but the option is an appealing one .
“ CHS looks at their experience and performance over the entire school year for the evaluation ,” Wilkinson shared , “ for some students it ’ s a more appealing option than the AP exam .”
“ Having so many courses where our students can gain this access to college curriculum is a win-win for everyone ,” explains High School Principal Dr . Lori Pavlik . “ In addition to the knowledge they are gaining , students are getting college credits at a significant discount .”
Peters Township High School was recently named to the 2024 AP School Honor Roll as a Platinum member – the only public high school in Pennsylvania to earn the honor this year . This distinction is the result of expanding the school ’ s college culture , evidenced by 81 % of the Class of 2025 taking at least one AP course before graduating . Next is the college affordability factor to become Platinum , and 63 % of the current senior class will have earned college credit based on their AP Exam scores . In addition , Peters Township has optimized our students ’ college readiness by creating opportunities for 30 % of the senior class to take a total of five AP classes across their high school years , with at least one taken in 9th or 10th grade .
“ An increasing number of our students are graduating high school with a semester or more worth of college credits already in hand ,” adds Mrs . Joie Conroy , Assistant Principal at PTHS . “ These opportunities are helping them to ease their college workload , as well as their pocketbooks .”
Currently , Peters Township has CHS partnerships with the University of Pittsburgh , Carlow University , Seton Hill University , and the Community College of Beaver County . Courses offered include Computer Programming Java , Anatomy & Physiology , Media TV Production , and World Languages ( French , German and Spanish .)
Plans for the future include expanding the program to include CHS Marketing and computer aided drafting classes .
“ We ’ re working to meet the needs of all of our students ,” said Dr . Pavlik , adding that our staff is also excited for the new opportunities and resources that come along with these partnerships .
With only 720 days to prepare students for their future , Peters Township High School is working hard to make the best of each and every one of them .