ASHLAND —
Ashland is one of nine Kentucky school districts saluted this year for improving access and performance on advanced placement courses.
The College Board, the non-profit organization that created and developed the advanced placement concept, commended the nine districts, along with 530 others nationwide, on its third annual Advanced Placement District Honor Roll.
Schools so honored were shown to have increased access to AP coursework and at the same time increased the percentage of students earning a 3 or better score on AP exams. Doing so indicates district success in identifying students who will benefit the most from AP courses.
Advanced placement courses are college-level classes that culminate in rigorous exams. Students who take the courses can get college credit and a better chance for scholarships. The tests are scored on a scale of one to five.
The distinction is important because it meshes with new accountability rules that make college and career readiness top priorities, according to Kentucky Department of Education spokeswoman Lisa Gross.
“The AP results are not included in the accountability model but having more students take advanced placement and scoring higher leads them to be college and career ready,” Gross said.
At Paul Blazer High, the number of students taking, and passing, AP courses and the number of courses offered have been increasing for several years, said principal Derek Runyon.
In addition, more Blazer teachers have been taking the 40-hour summer training required to teach the rigorous courses, he said.
Increasing student participation has been a matter of identifying the students who are likely to do well and encouraging them to sign up for AP courses, he said. Counselors identify students through test scores and other data, and classroom teachers recommend students they believe are AP material.
Also, AP courses are open enrollment at Blazer. “Even if they are on the bubble with their test scores, if they are willing to take the chance we are willing to give them the opportunity ... We want to push students in that direction because we know that even if they don’t take the AP test or don’t pass, it would prepare them for the rigor of college, and that’s our goal,” Runyon said.
Many colleges offer credit for AP courses, which means students and their families can save thousands of dollars in college expenses, Gross said.
Schools on the honor roll list were demographically and geographically diverse, she said. There were rural and urban districts, large schools and small schools. “Nationwide, schools are focused on increasing access to advanced placement. In Kentucky we’ve been doing it for years.”
AP results may one day be part of Kentucky’s accountability model, although that will require negotiating the terms for using the information, which is proprietary and owned by the College Board, Gross said.
Legal teams from the state education department and the College Board have had some discussions about it, she said.
MIKE JAMES can be reached at mjames@dailyindependent.com or
(606) 326-2652.
Local News
Ashland schools show improvement in AP courses
- Local News
-
-
Work on Judd Plaza flagpole base begins
A group of third generation bricklayers is more than willing to give back to the Ashland community this week.
-
Ashland man arrested on heroin charges
An Ashland man was arrested Monday night on charges of trafficking in heroin, according to a release from the Ashland Police Department.
-
Crews dig through night after deadly Okla. twister
Spotlights bore down on massive piles of shredded cinder block, insulation and metal as crews worked through the night lifting bricks and parts of collapsed walls where a monstrous tornado barreled through the Oklahoma City suburbs, demolishing an elementary school and reducing homes to piles of splintered wood. At least 51 people were killed, including at least 20 children, and those numbers were expected to climb, officials said Tuesday.
-
Principal's demotion hearing to be public
An appeal hearing for demoted Wurtland Elementary School principal Barbara Cook will be open to the public at Cook’s request.
-
AT&T to hire 140 workers at East Park
For the next few months, AT&T officials have announced they will hire 20 people per month until they have filled 140 customer-service positions at the East Park Call Center in the industrial park between Grayson and Ashland.
-
Boards close to agreement on students
The Greenup and Russell school districts are close to an agreement on families that want to send their children to school out of their own district.
-
Memory Days to start Thursday
Memory Days volunteers invite everyone to “Come to Grayson to remember and be remembered,” during this year’s 43rd annual festival Thursday through Sunday.
-
Man arrested for using forged checks
The following information was taken from Ashland Police Department reports:
-
What's happening: 5/21/13
Cruzin on the Plaza will be Friday through Sunday at Pullman Plaza.
-
Huge tornado hits Oklahoma City suburb, kills 51
A monstrous tornado at least a half-mile wide roared through the Oklahoma City suburbs Monday, flattening entire neighborhoods and destroying an elementary school with a direct blow as children and teachers huddled against winds up to 200 mph. At least 51 people were killed, and officials said the death toll was expected to rise.
- More Local News Headlines
-
Work on Judd Plaza flagpole base begins
Tim Cook Defends Apple's Tax Accounting
AP Photograher: 'It Was a Miracle' They Got Out
Raw: Crews Search for Survivors of Okla. Tornado
Raw: Tearful Reunion After Okla. Tornado
OKC Hospital Describes Treating Tornado Wounded
Obama Pledges Urgent Aid for Tornado Victims
Raw: Massive Funnel Clouds in Oklahoma
