Schools

Farmington Schools Named Among AP Honorees

The district is honored for opening advanced placement classes to a larger number of students.

is one of 388 school districts in the nation being honored by the College Board, with a place on its AP® Achievement List.

The honor recognizes the district for opening Advanced Placement (AP) classroom doors to a significantly broader pool of students, while ensuring a continued high level of achievement, district officials said. From 2008 to 2010, Farmington Public Schools has increased the number of students participating in AP from 684 to 791, while maintaining the percentage of students earning AP Exam scores of 3 or higher.

“It has been our goal to expand opportunities for all our students, especially minority student enrollment, in highly rigorous coursework, such as Advanced Placement classes, because this helps prepare them for success in college and beyond.,” said superintendent Susan H. Zurvalec. "I am very proud of our school leaders, teachers, parents and students, because this award goes to them."

The AP Achievement List includes districts representing 43 states, with California’s 37 districts on the list representing the largest number of districts from a single state, followed by Michigan with 29 districts, and Pennsylvania with 28 districts.

“Participation in college-level AP courses can level the playing field for underserved students, give them the confidence needed to succeed in college, and raise standards and performance in key subjects like science and math,” said College Board President Gaston Caperton. “The AP Achievement List districts are defying expectations by expanding access while enabling their students to maintain or improve their AP Exam scores.”

Within the three year analysis, inclusion on the list is based on the following criteria:

  • Increase in participation in or access to AP by at least four percent in large districts, at least seven percent in medium districts and at least 11 percent in small districts;
  • A steady or increasing percentage of exams taken by African American, Hispanic/Latino and American Indian/Alaska Native students; and
  • Performance levels maintained or improved when comparing the percentage of exams in 2010 scoring a 3 or higher to those in 2008, or the school has already attained a performance level in which more than 70 percent of the AP students are scoring a 3 or higher.

The complete AP Achievement List can be found at collegeboard.org.

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