Education

Berkeley Co. schools recognized nationally for AP courses, exams

Image courtesy of artur84 at FreeDigitalPhotos.net
Image courtesy of artur84 at FreeDigitalPhotos.net

BERKELEY COUNTY, S.C.–The College Board has selected Berkeley County School District for its 5th Annual AP District Honor Roll for expanding student access to Advanced Placement courses and supporting student success, according to district leaders.

Berkeley County was one of only six school districts in South Carolina and only 547 districts from throughout the United States and Canada. The Honor Roll recognized the district for increasing access to AP courses while increasing the percentage of students earning a score of 3.0 or greater on their AP exams.

“This is a huge honor. Berkeley County School District is focused on meeting our students where they are and preparing them for more rigorous and relevant course work,” said Dr. Rodney Thompson, Berkeley County School District Superintendent. “We have made expanding access to AP classes throughout the district and ensuring our students are ready to participate as one of our goals of improving the district’s overall performance.”

Helping more students learn at a higher level and earn higher AP scores is an objective for all Berkeley County AP teachers and district and school administrators, district officials say. Reaching these goals indicates that the district is successfully identifying motivated, academically prepared students who are ready for the opportunity of AP. Helping students adapt to the increased rigor of Advanced Placement classes if the cornerstone of their success. It is very important for the students to achieve more than a 3.0 on their exams, as it allows them to earn both college credit as well as high school grades for their achievement.

“The devoted teachers and administrators in this district are delivering an undeniable benefit to their students: opportunity. When coupled with a student’s hard work, such opportunities can have myriad outcomes, whether building confidence, learning to craft effective arguments, earning credit for college, or persisting to graduate from college on time.” said Trevor Packer, the College Board’s senior vice president of AP and Instruction. “We applaud your conviction that a more diverse population of students is ready for the sort of rigor that will prepare them for success in college.”

The College Board evaluated Berkeley County School District’s progress from 2012 to 2014.   To qualify for the AP District Honor Roll, districts must demonstrate increased access and participation in AP classes; shown an increase in the percentage of exams taken by African Americans, Hispanic/Latino Americans and American Indians; and maintained or improved the percentage of students earning scores of 3 or higher on AP exams.

This noteworthy recognition is part of Berkeley County’s trend of success in addition to achieving an excellent rating on the 2014 South Carolina State Report Card and attaining a B rating on the federal and state Elementary and Secondary Education Act rating.

Nikki Gaskins Campbell
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